Application Documents

You can usually expect the potential employer or recruitment consultant to peruse your application for about half a minute before they make a decision as to whether or not you are an interesting candidate for the position and should be invited for an interview. You do not really have much time in which to impress the reader that you are the right person for the job. Well thought-out and written application documents can seldom win you the job, but they can give you that important chance to be invited for an interview.

Application documents include:

• Application letters
• CVs and references
• Degrees, Diplomas and other certification

A good starting point is to write a CV that is adapted to the position you are applying for, and then to write a letter of application that reinforces points you wish to emphasise (any other documents required for a particular application should be specified in the advertisement). A good rule is that a CV should contain everything that you have achieved, while the application letter should describe what you have learnt from everything that you have achieved. You’ll find some more tips for how to go about this effectively below.

CVs: Layout & Other Information

Provide full contact details on the first page so that potential employers know how to contact you prior to a possible interview;

Ideally a CV should be structured clearly, simply and professionally;

Your CV should be formatted either as a chronology of your career development or on the basis of your skills and accomplishments, or ideally a combination of the two;

Additional features such as a short career goal and testimonials from previous employers can also prove to be effective;

Bullet-point your experience. Not only does this look neater but also it is also much easier for the reader to pick out relevant skills;

Do not use coloured paper or fancy fonts – it may make you stand out for the wrong reasons;

Your CV should be considered as your personal sales document, so think carefully about key achievements in your career to date and then highlight them on the CV. For example:
How have you made or saved your company money?
What additional projects have you completed?
What ideas have you suggested that have been implemented?
How quickly were you promoted?

Some recommended formats are as follows:

1) Chronological CV: describe your experience under summary headings. Work experience is presented in reverse chronological order. Describe your main tasks and areas of responsibility, rather than just simply job titles. State clear time intervals for your different educational courses and job positions, preferably with the month and year specified.

Example heading: Work Experience, Other Experience, Education, Courses, Skills (languages, IT skills, business systems), Personal Details and References.

Advantages: clearly shows your career development in the form of increasing responsibility and competence. It is also clear and easy to read.
Disadvantage: it can reveal holes and there is also a risk of repetition. Holes do not need to be perceived as negative as there may be good explanations for them. The fact, for example, that that you were travelling abroad for an extended period can be perceived as a very positive experience.

2) Skills-based CV: allows you to describe the competences that you have acquired both in and outside your professional career, grouping your skills under subjects or headings. This type of CV can be preferable if you have recently finished your studies or if you are looking for a job within a new professional field.

Example headings: Aims, Profile / Summary, Finance, Marketing, Sales, Purchasing, Administration.

Advantage: if you have little professional experience or have held different business positions, it is an excellent way in which to show the depth of your experience.
Disadvantage: it can be difficult to gain a clear overview compared with the chronological variant.

3) The Combination: it is, of course, possible to combine both forms of CV and this is becoming increasingly common. On the first page you can describe goals, skills and competence under a number of headings, while the course of your career and education is set out in chronological order on the subsequent pages.

Letters of Application

The application letter is a way in which to present yourself to your future employer. The letter should reflect who you are and complement your CV and ultimately secure you an invitation for an interview. Focus the content of the letter on why exactly you are suitable for the position in question. The letter should:

• Arouse the reader’s interest in the first sentences. Market yourself; state why you are the right person for the job. Tell the reader about your qualities and goals that are relevant to the position in a few short sentences;
• Focus on the employer’s requirement specification: what the company gives as the requirements and desired qualities for the advertised position. Describe how your experience and your personal qualities meet the desired profile;
• Explain honestly from the outset if you do not meet the requirements, making it clear that you are willing to learn, even before taking up the position, and explain why you think that you are suitable for the position even though you do not meet the formal requirements.
• Likewise, explain, if overqualified, why you are applying for the post. The employer needs to understand that you really are interested in the job and do not view it as a temporary solution to a temporary problem, whether that is unemployment or dissatisfaction with your existing job;
• The letter should be formal, clear and easy to read, quickly showing why you are applying for the job. It is always useful to ask someone else to review it, particularly if in the same industry;
• Provide the names and contact details of your references in your application, or alternately you can specify “references provided on request”. Remember to talk to referees beforehand so that they are prepared for when they receive a call from a potential employer;
• State your salary expectation if specified in the advertisement. It is worth considering that the later the salary is discussed in the recruitment process, the better your negotiating position will be.