Graduate Applications How to market yourself successfully

Carol Macdonald

Careers Adviser

What employers look for

Good match to requirements

Relevant skills/competencies, attributes and experience

Evidence of achievement/success

What you can bring to their organisation

What employers look for Grad Software Engineer

Requirements

Strong academic record - BSc /MSc / PhD a plus Experience: UNIX/Linux or Windows and/or Mac environments,

distributed systems, machine learning, information retrieval and TCP/IP

programming in C, C++, Java and/or Python network programming and/or

developing/designing software systems

Software Engineer What else is wanted?

Problem solving ability Team players Analytical thinkers Trouble shooting ability Technology whizzes Creativity Flexibility Aptitude to ‘zoom in’ on detail Agility to ‘zoom out’ & see bigger picture Personal drive

Competency FrameworksIBM Foundational competences

Adaptability Client focus Communication Creative problem

solving

Drive to achieve Passion for business Taking ownership Teamwork and

collaboration

Before you start any application!

Research the job! What’s involved?

What’s required? qualifications personal attributes experience skills/competencies

essential/ desirable/ preferred?

Scope to develop?

Analyse how you measure up!

Relevant aspects of degree? Relevant skills/interests/personal

qualities? Appropriate experience?

- paid/unpaid work?- societies/clubs/life roles?

Evidence to demonstrate motivation?

Explore organisation & sector

Written ApplicationsWhat do you need to stand out?

Easy to read - good presentation

- clear layout

- well written (inc.spelling/grammar) Clear motivation Relevance Evidence that you have the skills/experience

required for the job/course Sufficient detail

“the best predictor of future success is past performance”

What should a CV contain?

Personal details Education Other qualifications

- technical skills /personal skills Work experience Interests/positions of responsibility Referees

Choose a layout to fit your information NOT information to fit a set layout

Different types of CV chronological (conventional)

skills based thematic (e.g.relevant experience, research experience)

technical (incl. academic)

creative international (see www.prospects.ac.uk, www.eurograduate.com or

‘working abroad’ section of careers centre)

Skills ProfilesCommunication/ Interpersonal Skills- Dealt confidently with staff, colleagues & customers in retail management.- Built effective working relationships with colleagues of all levels and backgrounds. - Report writing experience gained in business and academic environments, including …. - Presentations made throughout degree course to staff, students and visiting industrialists.

Team Working/ Leadership- Group work projects undertaken during 2nd and 3rd year at university- Collaborated closely with others routinely in both my admin job and committee roles.- Team building and staff development was an essential aspect of my supervisory role with ABC Foodstores, and one which I greatly enjoyed.

Planning & Organising- Effective time management, self discipline, and the ability to work under pressure has enabled good academic achievements while juggling part-time work, committee roles & study- Thorough forward planning, good data management and ensuring access to labs and equipment, has been critical to the success of my third year project.- Checking and tracking data in my part-time administrative role requires accuracy and close attention to detail.

Covering Letters – what to include?

What you are applying for and where advertised

Why you are applying for this job/course at this particular firm/institution?

Emphasize your suitability/strengths (inc relevant courses, skills, experience)

Other relevant information omitted from CV

Confident conclusion

Email letters – are they different?

Begin simply with ‘Dear……..’ Keep the tone formal - don’t use slang/text speak Keep your sentences short Try not to exceed one screen length Make sure you attach your CV (& covering letter?) Use a ‘signature’ at the foot

Application forms – Some tips!

Allow sufficient time Answer all the questions Try & make the form work for you Crucial part is usually ‘essay’ questions Need to adhere to space/word restrictions Draft answers in ‘word’ first May need to use ‘key’ words (screening)

Example of key words

“As well as planning the routes for our expedition, I had responsibility for arranging publicity and securing business sponsorship to the tune of £5K. I achieved this by contacting local companies, employer associations and the regional press; by phone and email to negotiate sponsorship and publicity.”

What skills was this job requiring?planning

negotiating

Communications - written & verbal

Example Competency QuestionsFrame answers using ‘STAR’ -

Situation, Task, Action, Result

Describe a situation where you have used your influencing skills to achieve a goal. Include issues you were faced with and how you overcame them.

Describe a challenging project, activity or event which you have planned and taken through to a conclusion. Include your objective, what you did, any changes you made to your plan and state how you measured your success.

Describe a difficult problem you have solved. What was the problem, what alternatives did you consider and how did you determine the solution?

Answering those difficult questions!

Prepare – Plan your best example for every question - using different situations for each!

Answer questions fully – may be several parts Focus on what YOU did/learnt/achieved NOT the

team/other people (‘I’ not ‘we’) Be specific, quantify answers & don’t waffle Present answers clearly Make it RELEVANT to job/ firm/ course Don’t repeat yourself

Strong/good answers…….

Use short sentences Use active words/verbs Be concise and succinct Answer ALL parts of the question Concentrate on ‘how’ not just ‘what’

QUIZGood and not so good answers!

What do you think?

Example 1 – Managing Relationships

“I am open, friendly, and polite and keen to see that everyone in the team is working well. I am always sensitive when dealing with someone in the team who is upset or under pressure and always try to help them.”

“ I noticed that one of my team seemed to be under pressure,although he hadn’t said anything specifically, and his work wassuffering.

I arranged a chat with him and tentatively asked him how things

were. It transpired that he had personal problems at home andthat made it difficult for him to focus on work issues. Over thenext few weeks I made time to listen regularly to how thingswere developing and to discuss options with him.

Although the problems were not resolved for some time, the fact

that I knew what was happening helped him cope with thepressure he was under and deal with his work competently.”

Example 2 - Problem solving“Staff shortages at my language school in Spain meant I had toteach larger classes than usual. Students had widely differentlevels of proficiency. They also had high expectations of theschool having already paid their tuition fees.

I divided each class into 3 groups according to their languageskills and prepared appropriate lessons and teaching materials. Alesson lasted 60 minutes so I rotated 20 minutes of teaching, 20minutes of set written work and 20 minutes of pairedconversation with each group. I considered teaching lessons tothe whole class but judged that this would lead to frustrationrather than progress.”

Example 3 - Achieving a goal by influencing the action or opinion of others

“Whilst serving on the Social Committee of the Students Union I recognised that reception and bar duties were allocated randomly. Some tasks were more popular than others and this often led to disgruntled committee members and helpers.

I proposed setting up a monthly duty rota and suggested a system of back-up support for exceptionally busy evenings. This brought about a fairer distribution of work and a more harmonious team, evidenced by people willing to remain on the committee.”

Why are you applying to us?

because (IBM) is a large, international company with great opportunities and training

“To answer this reasonably requires some research into what we do, how we work, our culture, and shows whether someone has a passion for IT”

(IBM Graduate Recruitment Manager)

Common Mistakes - Employers’ views CVs & Application Forms

CVs & letters too long Poor copy & paste Poor spelling & grammar Generic applications - not targeted CV & letter not covering same information Lack of honesty - exaggerating achievements Not maximising value of non-work experience Not enough information Not answering questions asked Use of jargon Poor formatting

Spot the errors!!

“I am a rabid typist” “In my spare time I enjoy hiding my horse’” "Proven ability to track down and correct erors." “Reason for leaving last job: maturity leave” “Finished tenth in my class of eight”

…and on a covering letter: "Thank you for your consideration. Hope to hear

from you shorty”!

Golden Rules!

NEVER lie or exaggerate Don’t leave gaps in your life history Follow instructions eg 150 words, give an example of

Good visual presentation - think impact! Good quality (coloured?) paper Accurate spelling & grammar Keep copies of everything you send

Quality counts

NOT

quantity

Further resources www.ed.ac.uk/careers > Quick links>CVs, applications

and interviews… & also practice aptitude tests & in-tray exercises

Careers Service seminars & workshops Careers Service appointments (CV / form

checks / mock interviews)

Booklets/reference books eg Effective Applications, The Perfect CV or Readymade CVs, Great Answers

to Tough Interview Questions/DVDs eg Selection Success in One

SAGE - Interview feedback

Informatics interview session - Tues 25 Oct 2pm, AT LT5

Quality of ApplicationsAGR Summer Survey 2010 (215 companies)

Scale: 1 = strongly disagree to 6 = strongly agree

Meet minimum entry requirements 4.39 (73%)

Tend to be well presented 3.82 (64%)

Indicate sufficient knowledge of our sector 3.62 (60%)

Indicate sufficient knowledge of our company 3.55 (59%)

Sufficiently tailored to specificities of the post 3.49 (58%)