Job application presentation

8/13/2019 Job application presentation

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ACC275 L2Job Applications


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Job Applications: The cover letter

Stevens (1994) says that it is not uncommon for an

organisation to receive 80 replies to a job advertisement (p.

54).

Morgan and Banks (1999) indicate that a newspaper or

internet advertisement might easily elicit 150 responses.

They argue persuasively (when talking about employers

facing this volume of applications) that People are not

looking for reasons to interview, they are looking for

reasons to rejectso that a manageable list of possible

candidates can be drawn up (Morgan and Banks, 1999, p. 148).


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Cover letter

Your initial introduction to prospective employer

Most read cover letters even if they dont read your rsumProvides evidence that you are:

precise,

articulate,

take care in your work; and

have a keen eye for detail


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Personalised cover letters are preferable to generic

ones.

Your cover letter should:introduce you to the company;state the job for which you are applying; andcommunicate clearly why you should be considered for

the appointment.


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Purpose of the cover letter

It lets administrative staff who open letters, know what the

correspondence is about (helping them to process and direct it

this often applies in large organisations even if youpersonally address the letter);

It is the first thing the prospective employer reads;

It allows you to say why you are applying (which the rsum.

does not enable);It sets the tone for the rsum. (p. 113).(Bright & Earl, 2004)


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Purpose of the job application letterTo in formtelling the prospective employer about your interest in the position, giving

some brief details about yourself, and emphasising similarity between your attributes and

those sought in the ideal candidate;

To persuadebased on the first point, to convince the employer that you are a goodcontender for the position and deserve to be interviewed for it;

To demon strate your pro fessional ismto leave a positive impression;

To seek agreement to an interv iewto work beyond persuasion and seek the

employers agreement for an interview;

To secure phys ical act ionto gain some action to organise an interview;

To bui ld goodwi l lif your wording, presentation and tone create a feeling of goodwill orempathy between you and the employer, your letter/application is more likely to be

retained for future consideration even if you do not get the current position (p. 63).(Shmerling,1998)


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Components of cover letterComponent Explanation ExampleThe salutation The formal way to address the receiver of the letterits

always better to use the name and title rather than using the

awkward Dear Sir or Madam or To Whom It May

Concern. A title and name will give the letter a friendlier

tone and indicate youve gone to the effort to find out the

addressee (if it was not already provided). Avoid firstnamesits seldom warranted when your job application is

a formal business matter.

Dear Mr Arnold

The opening Telling the reader what the position is that you are applyingfor with the following details: Name of the position

Reference/position number if there is one

Level of position if relevant e.g. Administrative

Assistant, Level 6 (common in the public sector)

Location or source of the advertisement and its date,

or how you came to hear about the job

This easy identification makes it easy for the employer to

process and understand your application.

I am applying for the Junior Accountant

position, Job No: X5914, which was

advertised in the Sydney Morning Heraldon

30 June 2011Alternatively this can be presented in asubject li ne heading.

Re: Position of Junior Accountant, Job No.

X5914, Sydney Morning Herald, 30 June

2011


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Components of cover letter

Component Explanation ExampleThe close The complimentary close, your name and

signature (and title if relevant) and reference

to any enclosures (included in the mailing).

While there is some disagreement about theright complimentary close a common rule is

to use Yours sincerely if you have

addressed the reader by name or Yours

faithfully if you have addressed it more

generically i.e. To Whom it May Concern

or Dear Sir or Madam.

Yours sincerely,

HDuntineHelen Duntine (Ms).

Enclosures (2)

Sources: Derived from Shmerling, 1998,

pp. 62-78; Villiers, 2000, pp. 29-31; and

Morgan and Banks, 1999, pp. 148-149.



Job Applications: Rsum

Rsum differs from CVbut many (including

prospective employers confuse the two.

A CV differs in length, content, and intended use

from a rsum. A CV should contain all theinformation that is in a rsum but, because it is

usually required for positions in areas such as

academia or research, it has extra information



Rsum: Career objective

A succinct statement that describes what you

want out of a job (in the context of what you want in

your career). It allows the reader to get a quick

idea of your suitability for the job advertised, and italso serves to make you appear more motivated

A good idea for young applicants (according to

Bright and Earl, 2004) or for those transitioning

from one career to another, but may prove less

relevant after the first five years of work(Bright and Earl, 2004, p. 111).



Rsum:

A rsum may be used to determine your

suitability for a job

It may also be used to weed you out

Concentrate on telling the prospective employer

the information that he has asked for in the job

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Rsum: One option

The CareerHub Resume Builder uses the information you store in "MyProfile" to build your Resume. To save your time it is best to have your

profile as complete as possible. You can then download your Resume in

a variety of styles. The Resume will contain guidelines where further

information is required. When you download your Resumes, they will be

in Rich Text Format (RTF) so you can easily edit them in programs suchas Microsoft Word, WordPerfect etc.

http://student.csu.edu.au/study/careers/careerhub
http://student.csu.edu.au/study/careers/careerhubhttp://student.csu.edu.au/study/careers/careerhub



Rsum: Suggested fields

PERSONAL PARTICULARS

CAREER GOALS

EDUCATION BACKGROUND

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Paid Employment

SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

ACHIEVEMENTS

INTERESTS

REFEREES



Statement addressing selection criteria

Most job advertisements include a list of essential

and desirable criteria. You should include a

statement that addresses these criteria with yourjob application. One way to prepare such a

statement is to use Essential Criteria and

Desirable Criteria as headings. Under each of

these headings, copy each criterion and use as asub-heading. Then provide evidence of your skills

in that particular area.



Example

Statement addressing selection criteria

Essential criteria

Demonstrated commitment to.....Provide examples of when you showed commitment to....

Ability to....

Provide evidence of....

Desirable criteria

Current drivers licence

I currently hold a class A drivers licence, and have an unblemished record.



General

For paper-based applications select good quality

paper and use a format that is easy to read

For online applications, follow instructionscarefully (e.g. Some require that you attach

documents; others that you compose your

documents in their online environment)

Remember good manners (salutations, good-

quality applications etc.)


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Documents

Job application presentation