Applying for Jobs
Everything you need to know about making applications and being prepared for interviews
Topics in this section
Application Forms
Improve your application skills
Application forms are an official way to apply for something, such as a job, or training course. They come in a different shapes and sizes, and employers use them to make sure the information applicants provide is consistent and the same.
This makes it easier for them to compare candidates and to ensure that everyone has an equal chance at being successful. So, make sure you use the form to your advantage.
Types of application form
The types of application form you may come across includes:
- Online forms – which must be completed via a company’s web site
- Dowloaded PDF forms – these often have to be printed off and completed by hand although some allow you to type in your answers and then print them off in a completed form.
- Downloaded Word forms – these are Word (or similar) documents that can be completed on your computer and returned to the employer via email, or post.
Sometimes employers require you to return your application by email, and in this situation you may have to scan a completed form and send it with an email as an attachment.
More to follow…
Cover Letters & Email Cover Letters
Many job vacancies require you to send details of yourself to the prospective employer, which can be your CV or an application form, they also generally ask that you apply in writing or send in a cover letter.
This is not as daunting as it may seem and we have put together a selection of cover letter examples that can be download and adjusted for your own situation.
A cover letter may also be required even if you are sending in your application by email so we have also given some example email covering letters to accompany your CV.
When preparing your cover letter make sure that you read the job requirments so that you are able to make the best use of any particular skills or experience that you have. You will be competing for the job against other applicants so put yourself in the employers shoes and think about what will make your apllication stand out from others. Attention to detail always pays off.
Email Cover Letters
When sending or giving out your CV to any potential employer, or for any job vacancy, always send a covering letter as well.
Remember that first impressions count and your email message will be the first thing that they see from you, so make sure:
- Spelling and grammar are correct – get help if needed
- It is properly addressed to the person, or organisation
- It is laid out as a formal letter
- Let them know that you want to apply for the vacancy
- Use any Job Reference given
- Give the job title of the position you are applying for
- Be polite, but also sound keen
- Indicate if you have any skills or experience that is relevant to what they are looking for
Use your cover letter to sell yourself interest in the position to the employer, and hook their interest by mentioning any skills or experience that you have which is directly relevant to the job vacancy.
L’envoi d’une lettre de motivation par e-mail est une étape clé dans le processus de recherche d’emploi. Cela vous permet de décrire davantage votre expérience, vos compétences et pourquoi vous êtes le meilleur candidat pour le poste. Lors de la rédaction, il est important de personnaliser votre lettre en vous adressant directement au recruteur ou à la personne prenant la décision d’embauche. De plus, il est essentiel de faire preuve de professionnalisme, d’éviter le jargon technique inutile et de décrire de manière concise pourquoi vous souhaitez ce poste et comment vous pouvez contribuer à l’entreprise. Aussi, n’oubliez pas de mentionner vos coordonnées pour faciliter la prise de contact. Pour changer de sujet, l’achat de Viagra pour homme est une solution populaire pour les hommes qui souffrent de dysfonction érectile. Acheter ce médicament en ligne offre une confidentialité totale et peut être plus pratique pour ceux qui sont trop occupés ou qui se sentent gênés d’acheter ce produit dans un magasin physique. Néanmoins, il faut rester très prudent lors de l’achat de Viagra en ligne – lire la suite ici. Assurez-vous d’acheter auprès d’une source fiable et légitime pour éviter d’Here is some example wording…
To: johnjones12@bigwarehouse.com
Subject: Vacancy for Warehouse Manager ref: 1234GDJ
Dear John Jones, [use Dear Sirs if no contact name is given]
I would like to apply for the vacancy of Warehouse Manager job ref:1234GDJ as advertised on Universal Jobmatch.
I have over 10 years of experience in Warehouse Management that includes experience of refrigerated storage and just-in-time transportation and logistics, which I understand this vacancy requires.
I have provided a copy of my CV for your information, and this details my full work history, skills and qualifications.
I would be keen to work for your company and look forward to hearing back from you.
Regards
Joe Brown
Attachment: Joe Brown CV Jan 2103
Cover Letters
As we have stated above remember that first impressions count and your letter may be the first thing that they see from you, so make sure:
- Spelling and grammar are correct – get help if needed
- It is properly addressed to the person, or organisation
- It is laid out as a formal letter
- Let them know that you want to apply for the vacancy
- Use any Job Reference given
- Give the job title of the position you are applying for
- Be polite, but also sound keen
- Indicate if you have any skills or experience that is relevant to what they are looking for
Use your cover letter to sell yourself interest in the position to the employer, and hook their interest by mentioning any skills or experience that you have which is directly relevant to the job vacancy.
Example cover letter wording…
Mr J Jones
New Life Warehouse Ltd
6 Lever Street
Middleton
M24 4DF
Your Name
Your Address
Town and Post Code
Date:
Dear Mr Jones,
Vacancy for Warehouse Manager Vacancy (REF: 1234GDJ)
I am writing in response to your advertisement for the post of Warehouse Manager that has been posted on the Universal Jobmatch website.
I have enclosed my C.V. for your information and you will see from this that I have over ten years’ experience working in Warehouse management within the Rochdale area. I also have experience of refrigerated storage and just-in-time logistics which I notice you have included in the proposed job description.
I have good organisational and communication skills and I am familiar and experienced with current I.T. systems and technology relevant to the proposed role.
All these things combined I feel that I would be well suited to this role, and I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my application with you further.
I am available for interview at your convenience, and look forward to hearing back from you.
Yours sincerely,
Joe Brown
More to follow….
Interview Techniques & Questions
Being prepared for an interview is very important to make sure that you get the best out of the opportunity you have been given.
In this section you will find helpful information about interview preparation, typical interview questions and other techniques that you can use to make the best of yourself.
Look through the Related Pages or the links below to develop your interview skills and find out what to expect. It is much better to go prepared, they say forewarned is forearmed.
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Mock Interviews to practice your skills
Mock Interviews to practice your skills
If it is beneficial we can give you a helping hand by arranging to hold a mock interview with you so that you can experience what it is like to be in a modern interview and so you can practice your technique and get some immediate and constructive feedback on how you did.
The interviews are quite informal in nature and intended to help you so don’t be afraid or scared to make an appointment. We have lots of positive feedback from people who we have been helped by doing an interview with us.
For some it helped them get a job. Here is what will happen when you do:
1. Let us know the job type or industry you prefer, or are looking to enter.
2. We will give you an appointment time.
3. We will conduct a mock interview for a generic job role in that sector
4. We begin by explaining the format of the interview e.g.
- Introduction,
- Time expected,
- How the interview will be conducted etc.
For more information about the sort of questions you might be asked view our other pages. To download some sample interview questions: Click here: Lighthouse Project – Sample Interview questions Click here: Lighthouse Project – Top 10 categoroes of interview questions
Purpose of Interview Questions
Purpose of Interview Questions
Depending on the type of work that you are looking for you may be asked lots of questions, or just a few. there may be one interviewer, or a small panel. There may be some practical tests or you may have to fill in other forms or personality profiles and the like.
You need to remember that interviewing is challenging for the interviewer as well as for you the candidate, and that the questions the employer is asking you are not intended to trick you but to try and find out more about you, your skills and motivation.
But don’t be put off or be afraid, just keep in mind that these are only tools to try and find out more about you.
The Interview Question top tip is – be prepared!The key to answering any interview question is to be well prepared and to ask yourself “why is the employer asking me this question?” Usually they want to know one of the following:
- To find out what you have to offer the company?
- To find out what you know about the company?
- To find out whether you really want to work for them and if you will stay in the role?
- To find out if you understand the job that you are applying for and can cope with the realities and pressures of the role?
- To find out how you might respond in particular circumstances or situation?
Categories of Questions
Categories of Question
These are the top 10 categories that most interview questions fall into.
Some questions come up time and time again particularly regarding yourself, your experience and the job itself, so to avoid surprises be prepared and practice your responses.
We are not suggesting that you have set words and pat answers but once you are familiar and confident about how you might answer these types of question then this will help you to be more fluid in the actual interview.
- Your skills
- The employer and their business
- About the job and role
- Your ambitions
- Your work history
- Your motivation
- About the product or service
- Team working
- Your personality and interests
- Unusual questions
Types of Question you might be asked
Types of Question you may be asked
Interview questions tend to fall into one of 4 types, they may be asked separately or mixed together in a series of questions.
If you are being interviewed by a panel each panellist will typically ask you questions about an area that they have been asked to cover, or about a specialism they may have, e.g production, design, safety, finance, etc.
You can download some example questions at the bottom of the page.
1. Personality based questions
These are designed to help a potential employer find out more about you as a person, how well you know yourself and how you interact with others- Why should we hire you?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- What makes you suitable?
- Where do you need to improve or develop?
- How did you get on with your last boss/colleagues?
- How would your colleagues/former boss describe you?
2. Suitability and understanding questions
These are intended to reveal how much you know about a role, your level of interest in the job and loyalty.- Why do you want to work here?
- What do you know about the company?
- What interests or motivates you about this type of work?
- What is your salary or wage expectation?
- What have you been doing since your last job?
- Why did you leave, or want to leave your last job?
- What training do you want?
- How do you react when under pressure from deadlines, or challenges / frustrations?
3. Competency based questions
These are used for you to tell a potential employer about a specific time you used a certain skill or competency such as problem solving, leadership, teamwork, conflict resolution, etc. These can be answered using a technique known as the STAR method.- S – Situation: describe the situation you were in, which can be from a previous job or relevant experience. They are typically looking for a specific situation not a general description. “When I was working in…”
- T – Task: describe the task you needed to accomplish. “I had to do…”
- A – Action: describe the action(s) that you took, and the decisions that you made to deal with the matter. Make sure you keep focused on what you did even if it was a group project. They are looking for what YOU did not what the team did. They are not looking for what you might do but what you DID do. “What I did was…”
- R – Result: describe the results, what happened? How did the event end or what did you accomplish? What did you learn from what happened? ” I achieved / succeeded in…”
4. Closing Questions
These are intended to find out how you might respond now that the interview is nearing a close.- Would you accept this job if we offered it to you?
- When can you start ?
- Do you have any questions?
Ending the interview well
Ending the interview – what to ask & do
- Find out when they will be making their decision by and when you are likely to know.
- Thank them for their time and shake hands as you leave.
- Write down the questions they asked you, other companies will probably ask similar questions.
- Make notes on how well you thought that you did and what you could improve on next time.
- If you don’t hear from them by the date that they say then contact them the day after.
Don’t shy away from getting constructive feedback. If you are unsuccessful ask for feedback, it is better to know why you were not selected, or where you could improve than it is not too.
Build a great CV
Top tips for creating a great CV that will showcase your strengths and skills.
Strengths & Skills
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Job Hunting
Discover all the skills you need to make the best out of looking for work online
Applying for Jobs
Everything you need to know about making job applications and being prepared for interviews
Experience
Don't let lack of experience hold you back from getting the type of job you want. There are many ways to fill the gaps in your experience