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Preparing for the world of work
It is known that 100% of University courses and 98% of job applications require you to
present yourself and make a strong first impression in writing. It is crucial that you
understand how to make the right first impression so that you maximise your chances of
success in the work place and at university.
The materials in this booklet are designed to introduce you to some of the most common
requirements for jobs and the section on Supporting Statements will come in very useful for
your UCAS personal statement if you are planning on applying to university.
Remember that there are lots of people to help you with this applications so if you need
help, speak to your form tutor or email Ms Palmer on palmer_c or Mrs Longman the
careers advisor on longman_p.
Good luck!
Preparing a CV- Session 1.
When you are applying for jobs, you will either have to fill in an application form, or send
your CV. Your CV or application form tells the employer your achievements so far. It is
aimed at getting you a job interview, and then the purpose of the interview is to get you
the job.
There is no single best curriculum vitae (CV). You will need to adapt your CV according to
the type of job you are applying for, so that it highlights particular skills, experience and
aspirations relevant to the job. Most people list their education and experience in reverse
chronological order (so the most recent things are listed first).
So, what sort of CV will influence an employer or recruiter to see you? The following points
come from research into what employers and recruiters actually look for in a CV.
PRINCIPLES
The CV should be:
Neat
Aim for the best standard you can reach in layout and content. You will be judged by
your CV. Always proof read carefully to make sure there are no mistakes, and ask
someone to check it for you as well.
Short
Your CV should not be longer than two sides of A4 paper, and may fit onto one. It is
important to be concise, and only to include relevant information. If it runs to two
pages, the first page should include key personal details, together with information
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about your education and your current or latest job (if you have one). The split between
the first and second page should be at a sensible point - not in the middle of a section.
Simple
Always choose a standard type face, such as arial, and avoid anything fancy such as a
folder or sleeve or any graphics.
Complete
The CV should list your address and telephone number clearly (it may be separated from
your covering letter).
Factual
You do not need to explain how the things you have done make you the right person for
the job. The CV should stick to facts; a covering letter can be used to highlight how the
facts on your CV have developed your skills.
Positive
Use positive language and expressions. Aim to show what you have done: your
achievements, strengths, contributions, transferable skills and experience, and so on.
There are two main stages in compiling a CV:
Assembling the facts
Drafting and editing
The prospective employer or recruiter will be reading rapidly through a pile of applications.
Your aim is to produce a document which will be put in the YES (for interview) pile and not
in the NO or QUERY piles. The ideal document will be the one which gives at a glance all the
required information, perhaps with a touch of originality, but excludes what is negative,
superfluous or raises doubts in the reader’s mind.
ASSEMBLING THE FACTS
List your past experiences and achievements, identifying clearly your strengths. Put
everything down. You will probably assemble far more than you can ultimately use in yourCV, but the additional material may still come in useful, perhaps during an interview.
DRAFTING
Next, draft, redraft and edit your CV until you have the best possible phrases to describe
your experiences and achievements.
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CONSTRUCTING A BASIC CV
There is no right or wrong way to complete a CV, but an example of a standard functional
format for a student who is coming towards the end of their education is given at the end
of this booklet.
PERSONAL PROFILE STATEMENT
At the beginning of your CV, immediately below your name and address section, you should
write a short personal profile statement. This is to highlight the type of the person you are
and make the person reading it think, Yes! This person I want to see.
You may well need to change this section a bit each time you
apply for a different job, to make sure it shows you would be the
right person for that particular job.
KEY SKILLS
Many people then list some key skills, such as punctuality, numeracy, computer skills.
EDUCATION
The education section needs to include three groups of information – where you attended
school/college, when, and the qualifications you obtained.
No employer is likely to be interested in details of your primary school so don’t include
this information.
Don’t give the whole address of the school; simply Bexley Grammar School is enough.
Remember to be consistent in the way you present information. If you are writing a list of exam passes, you might put the most relevant ones at the
top, or those with the highest grades, or you might list them alphabetically.
EXPERIENCE
When writing about your experiences, try to match your information against the items in
the job description and person specification for the job (or if you are giving in your CV
‘speculatively’ think about the responsibilities of the job you hope may be available). You
can include voluntary experience in this section.
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The prospective employer will read through the education section of your CV, and briefly
note if you’ve got the right qualifications, but this is the section they will scrutinise most
closely. Therefore time taken here is well spent.
OTHER INFORMATION
You may want to include various pieces of information that you haven’t mentioned so far,so you may want to split this section up with additional headings, such as leisure interests.
The type of additional information that may well interest a prospective employer (or
college) would be:
Membership of a club
Membership of a debating society
Extra responsibilities at school
Involvement with a charity or fundraising organisation
Playing sports
Voluntary work
Duke of Edinburgh award
Some of these activities may well have provided you with experience that you can
emphasise in the body of your CV.
If you decide to use one of the headings suggested above, don’t just list the items, give a
bullet point or two of detail. When deciding which activities to include, think about whatmight interest the employer. Going through the above list it is easy to identify:
Membership of a club can indicate that you are a sociable person, or if the club is based
around an interest or skill that you are good at whatever it is. Shows that you can be
part of a team.
Membership of a debating society indicates an ability to present yourself verbally, to
think through issues logically and calmly.
Extra responsibilities at college (for example, being an ambassador) shows that you are
reliable, trustworthy, respected etc.
Playing sports shows that you are fit. Playing a team sport shows that you can
work as a member of a team, play by the rules etc.
Voluntary work shows that you like to help others less fortunate than
yourself. Shows relaiblity, initiative etc.
Duke of Edinburgh Award shows many positive attributes depending on what you’ve
covered, but including staying power, reliability and willingness to work hard.
Providing this information to prospective employers is especially important if you are a
school leaver with no work experience to offer as proof of your abilities.
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REFERENCES
If you are applying for a specific job, it is helpful to include contact details for two referees,
so the organisation can obtain references before an interview.
If you are sending a CV out uninvited it is best just to say ‘References available on request’.
The organisation can then ask for details of referees if they contact you for interview.
Choosing people to list as referees.
Think carefully about who might be able to write a fair reference for you. They must not be
a close family member. It is polite to ask people before listing them as a referee. It is also
a good idea to check that they won’t be away on holiday at the crucial time.
The information that referees receive with the request varies. Some organisations simply
ask referees to Write about the suitability of the person without giving much guidance.
Some ask referees to complete a form. Others send the job description and personspecification and ask for comments in relation to these documents. Others phone.
It is usual to supply names, addresses, telephone numbers and, where possible, e-mail
addresses of two referees. If you have had a previous job, one of your referees should be
your previous manager. If you have not had a previous job you could ask:
A teacher
A professional person who knows you well.
The chairperson or leader of a club you belong to. A family friend who has a professional job.
If you are already employed and don’t want your present employer to know that you are
applying for other jobs, mention this in your covering letter (some application forms ask the
question anyway). Simply say something like Please do not contact my employer for a
reference unless a job offer is to be made.
A simple example CV is given on the next page – you might want to write more in the
personal profile section, and might have other things to put into the ‘other information’
section, but this gives a basic suggested outline:
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James Brown
35 Station Road
Sidcup
DA15 6AB
020 8301 4567
Mob: 07832 978678
A self-motivated, hardworking school leaver with good customer service and teamwork
skills gained from work experience in retail and taking part in World Challenge, looking for
an opportunity to train for a career in the financial sector.
Key skills
Punctual and reliable
Computer skills (Microsoft office)
Numerate Good communication skills
Good team member
Education and qualifications
Sept 2006- Bexley Grammar School
Currently studying:
A levels
Predicted
Grades
Maths B
Economics B
English Literature C
Government and Politics B
GCSEs Grades
Maths A*Biology B
Chemistry A
Physics B
English Language A
English Literature A
History A
RS B
Music C
French BSpanish A
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Work experience
June 2012-
(part time
volunteer)
Customer service assistant at Cancer UK shop, Sidcup
Duties include:
Serving customers
Operating the till
Sorting and marking up stock
July 2010 Customer service assistant at Peacock’s, Bexleyheath
Duties included:
Serving customers
Labelling and tidying stock
Other information
July 2011 World Challenge trip to Tanzania, which involved
working as a team to support a community project in a school in
Western Tanzania
Raising the money for all team members to take part (£3,000 per
person).
2010- During the 6th
form I was chosen to be a maths prefect, which involves
helping younger students with their maths homework
References available on request from
Miss Form Tutor
Bexley Grammar School
Danson Lane
Welling
DA16 2BL
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Key Skills: ________________________________
________________________________ ________________________________
________________________________ ________________________________
Education and qualifications:September 200 – present
Currently studying – A-Level/IB Predicted grade
GCSE- Grade
Your CV- Session 2
Summary Statement:
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Work Experience:
Date: From/ to Job Title:Skills gained
Date: From/ to Job Title:Skills gained
Date: From/ to Job Title:Skills gained
Other information:
Date: From/ to Experience Title:Skills gained
Date: From/ to Experience Title:Skills gained
Date: From/ to Experience Title:Skills gained
Referee 1:
Referee 2:
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ON SPEC- Session 3
On spec (or ‘speculative’ ) letter for part-time work)
YOUR ADDRESS
POSTCODE
TELEPHONE NUMBER E-MAIL ADDRESS
DATE
NAME OF CONTACT
TITLE
NAME OF ORGANISATION
ADDRESS
Dear Ms Perkins (Sir/Madam)
Current/Future Vacancies
I am a 6th
form student at Bexley Grammar School and am currently seeking part-
time work in retail.
During my work experience at Peacock’s I learned how important customer service
skills are, and as it was a very busy time of year in the shop I dealt with lots of
enquiries from people of all ages. Since June I have been working as a volunteer at
the Cancer UK shop and I have been trained to use the till. Working there regularly
means that I have become part of the team, and I can see how important it is in a
team that everyone works together. I would now like to gain further experience
through a part-time job.
I am enclosing my CV and would appreciate being considered should any vacancies
arise.
Yours sincerely/faithfully (Ms Perkins/Sir/Madam),
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ON SPEC
On spec (or ‘speculative’ ) letter for part-time work)
YOUR ADDRESS
POSTCODE
TELEPHONE NUMBER E-MAIL ADDRESS
DATE
NAME OF CONTACT
TITLE
NAME OF ORGANISATION
ADDRESS
Dear Ms (Sir/Madam)
Current/Future Vacancies
I am a 6th
form student at Bexley Grammar School and am currently seeking part-time work
in ___________.
During my work experience at ____________ I learned how
important__________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
I would now like to gain further experience through a part-time job.
I am enclosing my CV and would appreciate being considered should any vacancies arise.
Yours sincerely/faithfully
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COVERING LETTERS- Session 4
A CV should be sent with a covering letter. Your letter should be on good quality white
paper. Always keep a copy of every CV and covering letter you send out.
A SAMPLE COVERING LETTER
YOUR ADDRESS
POSTCODE
TELEPHONE NUMBER
E-MAIL ADDRESS
DATE
NAME OF CONTACT
TITLE
NAME OF ORGANISATION
ADDRESS
Dear (Mr Bloggs)/(Sir/Madam as appropriate)
Opening paragraph – identify yourself and indicate the position for which you are
applying, state where heard about the vacancy.
Second paragraph – explain why you are interested in this particular line of work and
the organisation (your CV may need to be adapted to highlight this as well). Briefly
mention your academic background, relevant qualifications to the job in question,
related work experience. Summarise your strengths and how they might be an
advantage to the employer. (You need to persuade the employers using this single
sheet of paper and your CV that you are worth seeing).
Third paragraph – refer to the fact that you have enclosed a CV and do emphasise the
points which make your qualification and skills particularly relevant to the vacancy in
question.
Final paragraph – reiterate your interest (do not be afraid to show that you are keen to
have the job, ENTHUSIASM is a definite plus!). Indicate your availability for an
interview and if necessary ask for further information. Close your letter with a
confident statement which will then encourage a positive response.
Yours sincerely (Mr Bloggs) or
Yours faithfully (Sir/Madam)
Your signature (handwritten)
Your name (typed)
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COVERING LETTERS
A CV should be sent with a covering letter. Your letter should be on good quality white
paper. Always keep a copy of every CV and covering letter you send out.
A SAMPLE COVERING LETTER
YOUR ADDRESS
POSTCODE
TELEPHONE NUMBER
E-MAIL ADDRESS
DATE
NAME OF CONTACT
TITLE
NAME OF ORGANISATION
ADDRESS
Dear (Mr Bloggs)/(Sir/Madam as appropriate)
Opening paragraph –
Second paragraph –
Third paragraph-
Final paragraph –
Yours sincerely (Mr Bloggs) or
Yours faithfully (Sir/Madam)
Your signature (handwritten)
Your name (typed)
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APPLICATION FORMS
Many jobs require you to fill in an application form, either paper-based or on-line. Once
you have a good up to date CV written you can use that to provide a lot of the information
for the application form, but you also usually have to write a supporting statement to show
why you want the job and why you are the right person to do the job. It is very important
to match the skills you write about in the statement to the skills described in the jobdescription or person specification supplied by the employer.
WRITING A SUPPORTING STATEMENT- Session 5 and 6
Most job applications have a space for you to write about why you want the job and show
how you would be a good candidate for it. This is very like writing a personal statement for
university, and is often described on an application form as a ‘supporting statement’.
In order to write a good ‘supporting statement’ you need to think about your skills, and
examples you can give to show you have those skills.
Use these boxes to write down things you could put into your supporting statement. The
first two boxes are less important for a job than for university (Academic ability, effective
learning style) and boxes like ‘teamworking’ and ‘communication skills’ are more important.
Academic ability and intellect
You do not need to list grades achieved – they are already on your form, but you might talk about any partsof your subjects you have particularly enjoyed or done well in. Mention any extra work you have done
outside school: books you have read, places you have visited, activities you have undertaken.
Effective learning style: that means…
What can you say about your abilities as a learner? Are you a quick and thorough reader? Praised for your
excellent notes? Methodical in your approach? These notes will probably develop the points in Academicability above.
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Organisation and problem-solving: that could be…
How do you cope with your workload? Fit in extra activities? Give examples of how you manage your time
and have overcome any problems.
Initiative and resilience – that means… How do you deal with subjects, or parts of subjects, that you find particularly difficult? Can you give
evidence of how you have had to persevere when things weren’t easy? How have you shown initiative in
extra reading or finding paid or volunteering experience?
Communication skills:
Can you express yourself clearly through both speaking and writing? Do you work responsibly with adults?Have you any evidence of persuasive skills such as debating or selling?
Team work: very important…
How much experience do you have of working in teams and what has it taught you? This could be
something you have done outside of school/college, or you could use something you have done as part ofyour course as an example. Have you shown leadership qualities in any team activity?
Empathy: particularly relevant for some careers, less so for others
What experience do you have of working with others in a caring capacity, whether in school or out of it?
Insight and integrity
Can you give any evidence of integrity – can you show how you are a trustworthy person? For example, can
you give evidence of being trusted with responsibility?
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When reading a job advertisement you need to pick out the words that describe the person they are looking for, and
make sure you include something in your statement to show you are that person. In this advertisement they are
highlighted:
Receptionist
Required for the busy reception desk at xxxx School and the xxxx Sixth Form Centre, you will primarilywork afternoons from 12 to 5, however flexibility will be needed.
You should have the ability to relate to young people and be able to work under pressure in a busy
environment. You will also need administrative skills and have a good knowledge of Microsoft office.
You should be able to demonstrate experience of dealing with enquiries from a variety of sources and of
working in a customer care orientated service.
25 hours per week, 41 weeks per year.
Employers usually then provide a job description and ‘person specification’ that gives more detail:
The person specification for this job is given on the next page, followed by a statement written by an applicant. The
applicant has tried to say at least one thing in the statement to cover every point from the person specification.
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