International Summer School 2012 Session 3: CVs and cover letters. Iwan Griffiths Aston University Careers Centre

Transcription

1 International Summer School 2012 Session 3: CVs and cover letters Iwan Griffiths Aston University Careers Centre

2 What this session aims to cover Part pm Vacancy analysis and CV development Purpose of the CV and cover letter CV content what to include CV presentation what it looks like Break pm Part pm Cover letter content Cover letter presentation Key resources PART 2 COVER LETTER DEVELOPMENT

3 CV and cover letters PART 2 COVER LETTER DEVELOPMENT By the end of this session you will have: Looked at a job vacancy in order to work out what an employer wants from applicants Checked sample CVs and cover letters to decide what is good about them and how they can be improved Thought about you can what you ve learnt about CV and cover letter writing to develop your own job applications

4 What is the purpose of the CV and cover letter? To inform and persuade potential employers To provide a brief overview of your background, skills, experience etc CV and cover letter need to work together to show how you match employer requirements

5 What do you need to do before you start compiling your CV and cover letter? Research the job and industry you want to enter Match your experience/skills/competencies to those required Provide evidence What employers want to see in your CV

6 Activity 1 - Researching target employers Which of the following do you think would be most useful for getting the information you need to make a good job application? A job advertisement The employer s website or LinkedIn profile Talking to someone working for the employer

7 Activity 2 Analysing a job vacancy Review the job advertisement for Cando Investment Services What do you think are the most important things a person applying for this job would need to show in their CV and cover letter?

8 CV content 6 main parts: Personal details Education Employment experience Skills Leisure interests Referees or References available on Request but may also include sections on Professional Membership, Achievements

9 Your personal details Your name Address Telephone number Nationality UK CVs do not generally include photographs

10 Your education Reverse chronological order, starting with most recent Some detail on Master and undergraduate degree content Summary of prizes, awards and academic achievements List exemptions from professional bodies (eg CIPD, CIMA, CIMA)

11 Example of Education section of CV EDUCATION MSc Business and Management, Aston Business School, UK Say something about course modules Modules studied include: Accounting, Marketing Management, Organisational Behaviour, Strategic Management Specialist modules taken: International Business, e-marketing Conducted business analysis projects on Ford and Disney corporations as part of dissertation Practical experience of in-depth research, statistical analysis techniques, report-writing, data presentations to large groups, project management and multicultural team work through syndicate group work Mention your dissertation Talk about the skills you have developed on your course

12 Activity 3 Reviewing a sample CV Joanne Smith CV1 Imagine you are a HR manager who is recruiting a person for the Can Do Investment Services job You have received Joanne s CV Assess the first 3 sections: Contact details Personal profile Education How could these sections of Joanne s CV be improved to make a better application for the Can Do Services job?

13 Your employment experience Dates Employer name, location Job title (permanent, temporary, part-time, voluntary) Duties/responsibilities involved Skills developed Achievements and impact

14 Example of employment experience on CV PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Title line lists role, employer and location April September 2011 Note formatting creating white thinking space Marketing Intern, Company X, Lyon, France Assisted in developing online brand identity through redesign of website, developing social networking strategy and implementing search engine optimization project Liaised with customers over pricing and delivery schedules developing skills in negotiation, market research and product development Explains what the person did and how they did it Resulting from my online work company s Google page ranking increased two places, website visitor numbers tripled and daily page views/users increased by 70% over three months Shows key achievement how the person made a difference

15 Example of employment experience on CV EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE Strong focus on financial activities and skills July June 2011 Financial Analyst internship, Marque Luxury Cars, Bedford, UK Supervisory responsibility for financial analysis of eight cost centres Prepared reports for monthly financial reviews with senior management and budget holders including Finance Director Analysis of monthly accruals and prepayments Reconciled and collated headcount figures creating variance analysis reports for parent company Developed skills in financial forecasting, research for due diligence reports and training up new staff Took responsibility for drafting budget report and business plan for cost centres Key words include analysis, review, budgeting, reconciliation, collation, forecasting, research, drafting, training

16 Some general points about your employment experience Write it in the past tense Start each bullet point with an active verb (e.g. planned, investigated, analysed, led, provided, arranged, coordinated, presented) These phrases might be helpful: Succeeded in... Worked closely with... Familiar with... Constantly interacted with...

17 Specific skills headings These are likely to include Languages: Mother tongue, Fluent in.., Intermediate, Conversational Computing/IT: including spreadsheets, databases, SPSS and specialist management packages.but, if appropriate, can be focused on the type of role you are targeting eg For consultancy applications they include data analysis, creative problem-solving, client liaison, project management

18 Example of skills summary on CV Shows skill level and how they are being developed SKILLS IT Advanced: SAP, VBA, Business Objects, Excel, PowerPoint Intermediate: SPSS and Bloomberg Terminal and Datastream (through courses attended and use in dissertation) Languages Mother tongue: Mandarin Fluent: English Learning: French and German as part of current course with working knowledge of both

19 Leisure Interests Show your current activity outside work and education Avoid listing activities most people do Try to show skills relevant to the job and organisation you are applying to

20 Example of Leisure Interests Shows active membership including skills developed LEISURE INTERESTS Publicity Officer for Aston University Muslim Society. Organised membership campaign, managing design and production of print and multimedia publications, running recruitment events and managing levela budget Classical dance. Trained for 11 years with experience of performing in ballets Experience of international travel having backpacked across Scandinavia, South East Asia and Australia in Summer 2010 Shows how long this interest has been followed and at what Shows active travel by activities by continent

21 Referees Either include two or type Available on request Name, job title, address, telephone,

22 Activity 4 Reviewing a sample CV Joanne Smith CV1 Return to your imagined role as a recruiter for the Can Do Investment Services job and your review of Joanne s CV Use the CV Checklist to assess the next sections Work Experience Interests How could these sections of the CV be improved to make a better application for the job? What sections are missing from this CV?

23 Optional elements Career aim or personal profile Positions of responsibility List of publications important for academic CVs Photograph not needed in the UK unless requested

24 Making it look good Layout 2 sides of A4 (1 side for investment banking) Use standard font (Arial) and 12 points for main text Use a consistent style for titles of Employers, Universities etc

25 Making it look good Spelling, punctuation and grammar Don t make any mistakes Use UK not US English e.g. organise/organize Proof read and get someone else to check it

26 Making it look good Printing your CV A4 white paper, g 2 sides on separate sheets Remember it may be photocopied Number pages

27 Activity 5 Reviewing 2 more CVs Use the CV checklist to quickly review CV2 Ravinder Singh and CV 3 Xiao Wang What improvements would recommend they make to their CVs?

28 BREAK Please make sure you are back for Part 2 by 2.50pm

29 The cover letter what is its purpose? PART 2 COVER LETTER DEVELOPMENT To connect to the opportunity and employer To highlight why you suit the job To signpost to the key parts of your CV

30 PART 2 COVER LETTER DEVELOPMENT The cover letter - structure Opening paragraph - introductions introduce yourself and say why you are writing Your name is at the bottom of the letter so doesn t need to go here Middle section your motivation/understanding of employer why you are interested in the position and employer show an understanding of their industry from your research Middle section your match show how you meet their criteria highlight important experience and achievements use key words mirroring those in the advert or job specification Closing paragraph fairly standard eg Thank you for considering my application for this post. I am available for interview at any time and I look forward to hearing from you

31 Activity 1 Reviewing how cover letters show - motivation for a job - knowledge of the employer PART 2 COVER LETTER DEVELOPMENT Return to your imagined role as a recruiter for Can Do Investments Review the cover letters for Joanne Smith CV 1 and Ravinder Singh CV 2 How well do the two cover letters convince you that the job applicants Really want the job (their motivation)? Have carried out research on the employer (employer knowledge)?

32 Showing your motivations and employer knowledge PART 2 COVER LETTER DEVELOPMENT Typical things to show include: Your efforts to make contact with the company Knowledge of employer rankings, awards etc Understanding of market position growth, profits, market share Awareness of Strengths and Opportunities see Datamonitor reports accessed via

33 Activity 2 Reviewing motivations/employer knowledge section of a cover letter PART 2 COVER LETTER DEVELOPMENT This is a paragraph taken from a cover letter in application for a Graduate Analyst position at Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs in London attracts me because it offers so many opportunities as your European headquarters. Through my project supervisor s contact at Goldman Sachs I was able to meet two of your current graduate analysts last month. They all spoke highly of the early responsibility and opportunities they experienced. Also your business principles, commitment to client service and focus on employee learning and development all greatly attract me. How well does show the applicant s motivation and knowledge of the employer?

34 Activity 3 Reviewing the purpose of a cover letter PART 2 COVER LETTER DEVELOPMENT Look at the set of cards given Decide which of the purposes given is most and least important for a cover letter Rank the cards by placing them in order on the table. Put the most important purpose at the top and the least important near the bottom

35 Starting and ending cover letters PART 2 COVER LETTER DEVELOPMENT Start with Dear Sir/Madam> end with Yours faithfully Start with Dear Professor/Dr/Mr/Mrs/Ms Jones> end with Yours sincerely

36 CVs and cover letters key points PART 2 COVER LETTER DEVELOPMENT Together they provide a unique and unified application package Both need to be adapted to each application Check if employer has maximum length eg 300 for Goldman Sachs There are no rules, just guidelines

37 Activity 4 Reviewing the CV and cover letter together PART 2 COVER LETTER DEVELOPMENT Return, for a final time, to your imagined role as a HR manager recruiting for the Can Do Investment Services role. Review the cover letter and CV of Xiao Wang. How do they work together to show Xiao s match to the requirements?

38 Print resources PART 2 COVER LETTER DEVELOPMENT CVs, Covering Letters and Application Forms a Guide for International Students available as PDF on MSc Careers Black Board module, Career Learning Unit 6 Why You? CV Messages to Win Jobs John Lees (McGraw-Hill)

39 Key electronic media PART 2 COVER LETTER DEVELOPMENT - see International Summer School link from left hand grey panel Click on Careers Advice, then CVs and covering letters

40 Activity 5 Developing your cover letter practice PART 2 COVER LETTER DEVELOPMENT This workshop has looked at what CV and cover letter aim to do, how to structure them and show you meet employer requirements Think back over what we ve covered and list 3 things you plan to do to improve the way you create CVs and cover letters in future. For example: Look back at the last cover letter you wrote. How did it show that you have the skills, experience etc the employer was looking for? Check out sample cover letters. Which ones? Meet with friends to share ideas on improving cover letters

41 Any questions? PART 2 COVER LETTER DEVELOPMENT Iwan Griffiths MSc Business Careers Adviser Aston University Careers Centre i.griffiths@aston.ac.uk