Writing eye-catching CVs and Covering Letters

Writing eye-catching CVs and Covering Letters Rachael Roberts Careers Adviser

Career Management Cycle

This session aims to ... • Explain how UK employers select candidates • Increase your understanding of the skills and experiences you have to offer • Provide practical advice on how to market your research experience in a CV • Highlight additional sources of help

Further sessions • Marketing Your Research Qualification • Applications and interviews outside Academia • Interviews in Academia • Managing your Career • MBTI • Moving out of Academia • Postgraduate Careers Day

International issues • Some UK employers will only accept applications from candidates with a permanent right to work in the UK/EU • Come and talk to us in the Careers Service about the help available • Useful websites www.careers.ncl.ac.uk/international www.prospects.ac.uk

Individual issues such as ... • eligibility to work in the UK • disclosure of disabilities • any other individual concerns .... can be discussed with the Duty Careers Adviser in the Careers Service

Session outline • Part one • Getting started • How do you convince employers you have got what they are looking for? • Part two • Basic rules • Assessing sample CVs • Part three • Feedback, question time, covering letters

Before applying, you should ... • Assess your own skills and experience • Research suitable opportunities and organisations • Find out what they want – their ‘wish list’ • Match yourself to the employer’s needs and identify sources of evidence

What is your approach? Purist believes • recruitment is based on merit • the better the qualification, the better the job chances • something will turn up Player understands that • recruitment isn’t just based on merit • you have to do more than just ‘be good’ Brown & Hesketh: The Mismanagement of Talent, 2004

What do employers want? At all stages in the recruitment process, they look for evidence that you • CAN do the job (ability) • WANT to do the job (motivation) • Will FIT into the organisation

Understanding what the employer is looking for • Analyse the advert and application pack • Research the field/position/organisation/ research team • Take advice from experts • supervisor, contract researchers, academics • Use your networks to gain further insight • contact in the group, department or company?

What can you use as evidence? • In small groups, consider what skills, experience and knowledge you have for an academic position or a non academic position. List what you might use as evidence. • Be ready to feedback to the rest of the group.

What can you use as evidence? • Research experience and education • publications, conferences, funding, training (UKGrad, research training programme) • academic achievements, scholarships • Work experience • industry placement, casual, voluntary, commercial, military service • Interests & achievements • committees and societies, positions of responsibility, professional memberships

JRC Postgrad Skills www.grad.ac.uk University of Leeds ‘What is a researcher?’ What do PhDs do? www.grad.ac.uk Identifying skills – education

Team work Commercial awareness Individual responsibility Project management Time management Training Report writing Client contact People management Information retrieval Technical Get feedback from … Friends and family Colleagues Appraisals Review meetings Careers advisers Training courses Identifying skills – work experience

Identifying skills – interests • Team work • Initiative • Self discipline • Relevant experience and insight … • Motivation, drive and ambition • Commercial awareness • Individuality

An effective CV should ... • ensure content and style is relevant • place the most important facts FIRST and give them the MOST space • be easy to read • create the right impression • be accompanied with a letter

Usually include….. personal details education and qualifications work experience interests achievements Optional to include… referees? list of publications? personal profile skills profile gender, date of birth nationality? photographs What do you include?

First impressions • You have a minute to look at each CV and write down your first impressions.

Group exercise In small groups, review each CV and • decide the focus - industrial research, academic research or a new direction? • discuss how the candidate has tailored each application • what do you like and dislike? • prepare to feedback your key points

Make an impact • Don’t waste space but avoid large blocks of text • Use a consistent layout and professional presentation • Describing your experience • avoid ‘I feel…. …. • use action words…advised, organised, • mention key outcomes

Tailor your application Job using specialist subject and skills– • summary of research (including aims and achievements, supervisors name and funding) • ability to achieve results • education particularly relevant modules • projects and resources managed • relevant techniques and skills including technical skills, Health & Safety

Change of direction New direction, unrelated to research – • include a brief and accessible description of your research, avoid over-technical terms • highlight the measures of your success and achievements outside research context • highlight key transferable skills appropriate to the job and define your level of competence • personal and skills profile may be helpful

What are the benefits of recruiting people with research experience? • ‘Analytical thinking, report writing and the ability to work independently’ • ‘Good learning skills, their commitment to task and the need for minimum supervision’ • ‘Highly developed research skills combined with an intellectual approach. Good communication and presentation skills demonstrated by teaching experience’ AGCAS Survey ‘University Researchers: Employers’ Attitudes & Recruitment Practices’

What are the drawbacks of recruiting people with research experience? • Lack commercial awareness and career motivation • Limited team working skills • Lack experience of working on short term tasks • Lack awareness of the different aims of academia and industry • Set in academic work styles and cycles • Experience difficulty making a transition from academia AGCAS ‘University Researchers: Employers’ Attitudes & Recruitment Practices’

Any questions? Review your own CVs?

Covering Letter • Named contact • Summary of key points • Why you are writing? • Why you want the job? • Why you want that organisation? • Why they should want you?

Group Exercise In small groups, review the Covering Letter and CV…. • are the skills, experience and knowledge described in the letter, relevant? • does the letter show interest in the organisation? • Anything else of importance to note… • prepare to feedback your key points

Final points • Ensure your CV is targeted and relevant • Know your employer’s wish list • Use the best examples you’ve got • Review – ask yourself “so what” • Ask others for feedback - first impressions

Careers Service Come and talk to us! 2nd Floor Armstrong Building (off the Quadrangle) 10 am - 5 pm Monday - Thursday 10 am - 4.30 pm Friday 

Writing eye-catching CVs and Covering Letters