Janet WoolnoughPurple Door Careers and Recruitment

Effective CVs and Covering Letters

Session overview• Key features of a CV• How to target your CV• Different styles and approaches• Covering letters

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Effective CVs – a checklist• Personal document – there is no right way to do a

CV • Targeted - towards a particular job, type of work,

employer• Format – easy to read, use appropriate headings

and bullet points effectively, avoid long paragraphs• Language style - use active words (eg organised,

developed), avoid the use of ‘I’• Recent and relevant information on first page• Maximum 2 pages of A4

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Personal profile: in or out?• Keep it factual and to the point

• Avoid statements that haven’t been backed up by CV

• Career objective instead?

Final year criminology student with extensive experience in ………….. and knowledge of ………. seeking ……………….

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What is your message?

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How would you advertise How would you advertise this car to males age 18-25this car to males age 18-25

What are the key What are the key messages you would use?messages you would use?

What images / What images / atmosphere would you atmosphere would you want to create?want to create?

What would be different if What would be different if your target audience was your target audience was female age 30-45?female age 30-45?

How to target effectively

• What are the requirements of the job?

• What evidence do you have?

• Show the match

• Look at advert, job description, person specification

• Identify relevant skills and experience

• Ordering of information• Balance of information• How you describe your

experience

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Marketing your education

Degree• How relevant is the content?

Overview or detail• Skills developed• Dissertation/relevant projects

Other educationA level grades – in or outGCSEs – 10 GCSE C+ including Maths, English

and Science

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Marketing your experience

• Outline your key responsibilities and achievements – not just skills gained

• Unrelated jobs can be made relevant by showing skills

• Include relevant voluntary experienc• Consider clustering your experience e.g.

Relevant experience – other experienceSocial care experience – other experience

• Lots of similar experience – cluster them together

• How far back should you go?8

Other interests and activities

This is generally expected on UK CVs

• Voluntary work• Positions of responsibility – eg course rep• Other hobbies

Don’t just state – expand

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Social and Recreational activities

• Stamps

• Insects

• Reading

• Drama

• Motorsports

• Rugby

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Social and recreational interests

• Entrepreneur buys and sells

• Journeyed to Mt Kenya on insect expedition to insects

• Frequent visitor of second hand bookshops and enjoys reading and finding old manuscripts

• Stamps

• Insects

• Reading

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Details are important2003 – 2004 University Diving Society:

Social Events Organiser

• Organised numerous social events in the society’s calendar, including the annual campus supper

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Paragraph v bullet -point2003 – 2004 University Diving Society:

Social Events Organiser

• Organised six events including successful annual “campus supper”

• Over 250 tickets sold (increase of 25% on previous year)

• In charge of committee of six, with weekly planning meetings

• Particular responsibility for organising the catering - marking sure right food arrived at right time and place

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CV Styles and Sample CVs

• Skills based CV• Chronological CV• Hybrid CV

Look at the example CVs you have been given.

How effective are they in terms of:

How they look and how they sell the student

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Covering letters• Use a business style and be concise • Use the correct form of valediction -Yours sincerely or

Yours faithfully • Aim for 3 – 4 paragraphs on one side of A4 paper

Suggested layout

Para 1 Who you are and why you are writing

Para 2 Why interested in role/organisation

Para 3 What you can offer

Nice positive ending15

CVs – Further information and help

• CV Wednesday – 11-4 each week• CV Wednesday Resource Pack – Careers

Centre• Applications and CVs – AGCAS booklet

www.prospects.ac.ukwww.targetjobs.co.uk

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Effective Application Forms

Competence based questions – use information on Victory and in handbook

• Use STAR approach when providing your examples:Scenario Task Action Result

Describe your role in a team situation. How did you contribute to the effectiveness of the team?Arcadia Group Application Form

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Business Awareness Questions

• Might be about the employment sector or the specific employer

• Some research required to answer these types of question (eg company websites, annual reports)

Please describe in your own words:

Why you are applying to Acenture, and how you feel the company differentiates itself from its competitors.Acenture Graduate Scheme

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Career related questions

• Might ask why you have applied for the job or why you want to work in this field

• Require you to show awareness of the skills &

qualities needed in the job

Tell us what steps you have taken to clarify your career choice. What other careers are you considering?

Price Waterhouse Coopers

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The big open question/personal statement/outline below how your skills and experience ………………

• These questions look easier but in fact are much harder to answer

• Find this type of form with many employers and course applications but not usually for graduate schemes

• Starting with why you are applying for role/how it links with your background can work

• You must still show you meet their needs and show the match – look at person specification/advert

• Ordering – chronological or use of sub-headings? 20

Application Assignment Options

1. Generic graduate application form2. CV + covering letter3. Specific application form

For options 2 and 3 details of the job/course applied for must be included.

• Job description/specification• Advert• Course details• Similar job role from www.prospects.ac.uk

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Contact us

Purple Door Careers and RecruitmentUniversity of Portsmouth

28 Guildhall WalkPortsmouth

PO1 2DD

023 9284 2684www.port.ac.uk/careersandrecruitment