JOB APPLICATIONS

Nowadays when people apply for a job,

they usually send a curriculum vitae and
covering letter.

They might also send an application form
supplied by the company they apply to or
found on the Internet or just send a
letter of application.
PLAN OF A
LETTER OF APPLICATION









1) Reference to source
2) Details of educational
qualifications/employment
3) Reference to work
experience/skills
4) Enclosures (CV, photocopies of
qualifications, testimonials)
5) Availability for interview/hope
for future contact
1) REFERENCE TO SOURCE
examples:
1. I am writing to apply for the post of
secretary as advertised in The Daily Mirror
on 8
th
May.
2. I understand from Mr West, one of your
suppliers, that there is a vacancy in your
company for a European Sales Manager.
3. The job centre in Liverpool informs me that
you are looking for a trainee Export
Executive for your European Department.
2) DETAIL OF EDUCATIONAL
QUALIFICATIONS/EMPLOYMENT
examples:

1. I graduated from the University of
Macerata with a degree in Economics
and Business studies three years ago.
2. From my attached CV you will see that I
obtained a diploma in accountancy.
3. In addition to the diploma I am just
finishing, I have a certificate in computer
programming.
2) DETAIL OF EDUCATIONAL
QUALIFICATIONS/EMPLOYMENT
4. Two months ago I obtained a Master in
European Commerce from Reading Business
College. I also possess a certificate in
keyboarding skills.
5. I have been a statistician for John Taylor Plc
for three years, where I am responsible for
the marketing research unit.
6. Since taking my degree in Foreign
Languages, I have been working as
European Sales Representative for United
Foods, with particular responsibility for
Spain and Italy.
3) REFERENCE TO
WORK EXPERIENCE/SKILLS
examples:
1.My duties included translating documents
and organising conferences as well as the
usual secretarial duties.
2.I was employed as a shorthand typist in
the marketing department of Crystal Plc
before leaving work to start a family.
3.I have a good knowledge of accountancy
and book-keeping and I am familiar with
computers.
4) ENCLOSURES
examples:
1. I am enclosing a testimonial from the
General Manager of United Foods Plc in
Edinburgh.
2. Copies of my qualifications and two
testimonials are enclosed.
3. Please find attached an up-to-date CV
and a passport-sized photograph, as
requested.
4. I enclose a full CV with details of two
referees.
5) AVAILABILITY FOR INTERVIEW/HOPE
FOR FUTURE CONTACTLABILITY
examples:
1. I would be pleased to attend an interview at
your convenience.
2. I am available for interview Monday to
Friday during business hours. You can reach
me on 0733 999999 or at my e-mail
address faber@power.co.uk
3. I sincerely hope you will consider my
application favourably and I look forward to
an early reply from you.
4. I look forward to hearing from you.
EXERCISE 1
Insert to apply (for), applicant or application in
the correct form in the following sentences.

1. you should send a CV plus covering
letter to Ms S. Jenkins, the Personnel
Manager, at the following address: 10
Pankhurst Gardens, London W5 1NP.

2.I should like the position of Export Sales
Manager, as per your advertisement in La
Stampa of 12/07/2008.

3.Ring us on 0733 888888 for an form.
EXERCISE 1
Insert to apply (for), applicant or
application in the correct form in the
following sentences.

4.The final date for is 10/01/2009.

5.We have already interviewed all .

6.Anybody wishing should send a letter
of to reach us by no later than
11/12/2008.
EXERCISE 2
Which one is the correct word?

1. I include/enclose a detailed CV.

2. Copies of three testimonials are attached/included.

3. My CV includes/encloses full details of all relevant
work experience.

4. In my current/actual position, I am responsible for
three of my own staff and I report directly to the
Managing Director.

5. I am currently/actually working for Times
Newspaper Ltd in Banbury.
EXERCISE 2
Which one is the correct word?

6. Please send a CV and covering letter with details of your
present employment/employee to the address below.

7. All our employees/employers benefit from a staff canteen
and interest-free season ticket loans.

8. We employ/employer over 500 staff at our headquarters in
Woodstock.

9. I have a degree/graduate in Foreign Languages.

10.For your referee/reference I enclose some testimonials.

11.The interviewee/interview with the candidate was
successful.
How to prepare a successful CV
WHAT IS A CV?

Your CV is essentially a selling tool.

It outlines your skills and experience so that a
potential employer can see immediately how you
might perform in a given role.

In short, its an opportunity to present yourself in
the best possible light.
How to prepare a successful CV
HOW TO PREPARE AND WRITE A CV.

There are no universal rules for writing CVs.

However, there are useful guidelines that will help you
produce a CV that generates results.

Start by jotting down notes on your education, work
experience and skills.

When recalling your previous employment, dont simply give
job descriptions: think through the purpose of each job, the
responsabilities you had and the specific results you achieved.

Next, match your skills and experience to the employers
needs.

How to prepare a successful CV
What aspects of your education, experience and
skills are most attractive to an employer? What is
he looking for?

Remember, a CV is like a brochure for any
product or service. It must promote your
strengths and aptitudes and demonstrate the
benefits you can bring to the employers
organisation.

Always be honest and accurate in your
information. Often a prospective employer will
use your CV as the basis of your interview.

How to prepare a successful CV
HOW TO PRESENT A CV.

Once you have identified the key information to be included
in your CV and decided the most important elements -
you need to write and organise your points. Here are
several rules:

make your CV simple and as clear as possible;

your CV should be no longer than two pages;

use a clear and logic format;

use clear headings, simple language and adequate margins
and line spacing;

italics, underlining and capitalisation should be used only to
draw attention to important information.

Covering Letter
You should always send a covering letter
with your CV. The general principles are
that it should not usually be more than a
single page and should always be
individually typed or, if requested,
handwritten (whereas the CV is usually
photocopied).
The first paragraph should be a brief
introduction to say who you are, what job
you are applying for and how you heard
of the opportunity.
The second should say why you want the
job, pick a number of activities which
appeal and express credible enthusiasm
for them.
The third should say why the employer
should pick you for this job; it should
explain what you have to offer.
The fourth should offer to come for
interview, if required, stating any times
you are definitely not available.
The covering letter is really a summing up
of the main strengths of your application
and a chance to demonstrate enthusiasm
for the work, or to put a positive gloss on
any unusual aspects which are not fully
covered in the CV (eg any unexplained
gaps, disappointing exam results).
It can also be an opportunity to disclose
background information, such as disability
or health issues.

The covering letter should relate closely to
your CV, which should provide supporting
evidence for any interests or skills, which
you may claim.
EXERCISE 1
Complete the following sentences using these words:



Then match them to the appropriate paragraph function.

1. I am an experienced user of Lotus 1-2-3 and I have a good
of most recent programmes.

2. My in my previous position has given me valuable
knowledge of the timber market in South America .

3. I a diploma with distinction in Printing and Packaging
from West Hertfordshire College.

4. I would be glad to come for an interview at any time to
you.

5. I in French and Italian from Manchester Polytechnic in
1995.
graduated convenient experience obtained knowledge
LETTER BUILDING
Reorder these paragraphs to make a letter of application.

a) At Rasurit Paints, where I am still employed as an Export Clerk, my
current duties include liaising by phone and letter with clients, making
sure shipping documents are in order, arranging insurance and
overseeing the dispatch of goods. In my previous position at
Nottingham Cottons as an export Assistant, I was responsible for
keeping customer files up to date, doing photocopies, etc.

b) A copy of a testimonial from Nottingham Cottons is enclosed.

c) I have 5 GCSEs, including French, German and Commerce and an NVQ,
level 2, in Administration. I have worked in the Export Departments of
two large companies, Nottingham Cottons and Rasurit Paints Ltd since
leaving school four years ago.

d) In reply to your advertisement in La Repubblica of 6
th
November 2008,
I would like to be considered for the post of Export Clerk in your
Company.

e) Should you decide to interview me, I can be contacted at the address
at the top of this letter.
DO.

Always include an e-mail address and/or
telephone contact number if you can.
Make sure you relate the material in your CV to
the requirements of the job you are applying for.
Make sure your CV provides a clear chronological
picture of your life history up to the date when
you apply; no unexplained gaps.
Make sure it looks impressive: good printer
quality and well photocopied on white paper.
Keep it brief and to the point; it should not
normally exceed two pages.
DONT

Put down everything you have ever done
since the age of eleven, or earlier.
Use the same CV for jobs requiring widely
different qualifications, skills or
experience.
Make do with a CV, which fails to record
your latest experience or current
situation; get it done again!
Forget to check spelling, grammar and
punctuation.
Some people choose to start their CV with a
Career Objective or Personal Profile.
This is a sentence or two, designed to
capture the selectors interest by
describing your main strengths linked to
your career aim.
This can be particularly useful if you are
applying for an opportunity which is
unrelated to your degree course.
Personal details:
The only details which must be included in this section
are your contact details.
Marital status is not required.
Age/date of birth is optional, although many employers
prefer it to be included.
Nationality is more complex and the main reason for its
inclusion is to inform a potential employer of your
status regarding employment in the UK.
If you are applying for a job in the UK and you are a UK
or European Economic Area (EEA) national then you do
not normally need to include this.
If you are from outside the EEA then you should include
this information, however if you do not require a work
permit you should indicate this.
Degree description
It is very important to give some description of
your degree studies, but the extent of the
detail and the technicality of the language
depend on the nature of the job.
The sample entry is just a general description
which could be used for any job which did not
require knowledge of particular aspects of
Biology.
The fact that you covered statistics, used
computers and were engaged in practical
activities could be used to demonstrate skills
which would be useful in any job.
If you were applying for a specialist scientific job
or a research degree then you would need to go
into more detail about particular aspects of your
course.
The job advertisement might indicate that
experience of field work or particular laboratory
techniques would be useful.
You would then expand these sections and your
description of your project.
You can also develop separate sections on skills
and give details of exactly how you used or
developed negotiating, supervision or teamwork
skills in different situations.
Work experience
If you were applying for a caring job or training
course, in this example you would need to
expand this section to show how you interacted
with the residents and give details of the skills
you developed (e.g. persuasive, listening and
explaining).
The size of this section and the interests section
taken together might be about double the space
taken up by your degree description if the degree
content and specialised techniques have no
direct relevance to the job concerned; even more
if you have extensive relevant experience.
Keep the entries focused on skills, which you know
the job or course requires.
Other Skills:
The CV layout places most of the emphasis on
educational qualifications and work experience.
These two major sections will demonstrate the
range of skills, experiences and qualifications you
have gained to date, provided you give sufficient
detail about your course and the responsibilities
and activities involved in any work you have
undertaken.
This minor section on Other Skills simply provides
an opportunity to include anything not covered
elsewhere, but do feel free to amplify anything if
appropriate, such as further details about your
general computer literacy especially where such
skills are a relevant component of the job.
Interests
This section serves two purposes.
Firstly, it shows you are human and can
enable the recruiter to get more idea of
you as a person, rather than just a
container of skills and brainpower.
How will you get on with colleagues?
Secondly, you can use it to show you possess
relevant skills and attitudes not displayed
elsewhere (e.g. you set targets and achieve
them or can organise and motivate other
people).
What exactly did organising the props consist of?
Dont tell absolutely the whole story but provide
enough detail to whet the recruiters appetite for
more.
Did you contribute imaginatively to the discussion
about what props were needed?
How much did you have to spend?
How did you manage the money?
Were you getting people to make things or obtain
articles for you?
Referees
You normally quote a member of the academic
staff as one of your referees.
This may be your supervisor or somebody else
who knows you better or who has given you high
marks.
The other referee depends more on the job; it can
be useful to quote an employer rather than
somebody else in education, but the quality of
the reference is at least as important as who
writes it.
If you have not had regular or recent contact with
your referees, give them a copy of your CV and
provide an indication of the type of work for
which you are applying.
EXERCISE 1
Complete the following sentences using these words:



Then match them to the appropriate paragraph function.

1. I am an experienced user of Lotus 1-2-3 and I have a good
of most recent programmes.

2. My in my previous position has given me valuable
knowledge of the timber market in South America .

3. I a diploma with distinction in Printing and Packaging
from West Hertfordshire College.

4. I would be glad to come for an interview at any time to
you.

5. I in French and Italian from Manchester Polytechnic in
1995.
graduated convenient experience obtained knowledge