Student Employment Services (SES) - Recruitment and Employment Agency specialising in student and graduate placements, internships and apprenticeships, graduate jobs, student jobs, placement job, paid job, summer jobs, career advice

The Job

• enthusiasm for the job – will i enjoy it?
• challenge – is it going to keep me interested?
• travel – does the job require travelling to other locations?
• location – how far to commute, in a city location or rural, work at home?

The Conditions

• immediate salary
• salary review approach
• bonuses
• benefits e.g. pension, health insurance, further education policy, gym membership
• working hours – part-time, full-time, flexible, work/life balance
• allowances – annual leave, paternity leave

The Company

• company values – did they fit mine
• people I met – did they seem like the kind of people I would like to work with
• work conditions and environment

The future

• career prospects – does the job further my career, will I be able to get promoted?
• training and development policy
• can i see myself staying here?
• will I need to relocate to get promoted?

Top 10 Tips for writing a better CV

Your cv must display your experience, skills and qualities in a very short period of time. The following tips will help you produce a CV that does just that.

1. Keep it short, clear and straight to the point
Before you start, choose the right structure for your CV. The most important information, such as your key skills and recent experience, needs to be nearer to the top, where it can be seen straight away. Sections that you should include are your Profile, Achievements, Experience, Special Skills (languages / computers), Education, Training, and Interests. Your CV should be no more than two pages in length.

2. Make it look good
Clear, attractive presentation for your CV to stand out is very important. Ensure that it’s not cluttered, with key points easy to spot. Use bullet points and keep the sentences relatively short. Plenty of ‘white space’ around the borders and between each section keeps the document easier on the eye.

3. Most recent first
Put your employment history in date order, starting with the most recent first. Avoid leaving any gaps, so if you’ve had time out for some reason, do mention this. Don’t go into detail about positions you held over 10 years ago. Include details of holiday or temporary work only if it’s relevant to the job you’re applying for.

4. Include many facts
List your job duties beneath each position. List your achievements, responsibilities and results. Talk about results – what difference did you make in your previous jobs? Use numbers for achievements wherever possible, e.g. “incremented sales by 15% in first year”. Try always writing in a slightly formal manner and never use the word “I” – e.g. “Managed the team” rather than “I managed the team”. Use the past tense for previous jobs and the present tense for your current job.

5. Not too many lists
Include specific skills, such as languages, administrative or computing skills, in a separate section in your CV. Do not relist them for every job you’ve used them in. This is particularly for IT work – lists of tools and packages make dull reading and won’t make you stand out from other people with the same abilities.

6. Breath some life into it
Remember the employer wants a sense of the kind of person you are, as well as what you can do. Are you punctual, conscientious, or motivated? Do you rise to a challenge? With each point you write, ask yourself “What does this say about me?” Make yourself heard.

7. Be accurate
Always check for errors. Run a spelling and grammar check and ask someone else to read it for you. The employer isn’t going to believe you’re a good communicator if your CV is full of mistakes.

8. Adapt it
You don’t have to use the same CV every time. You can have two or three versions, each for a different kind of job. Or you can tailor your CV to suit the job you’re applying for. It isn’t a case of one size fits all.

9. Covering letter
Unless the advert tells you not to, always send a covering letter. This should highlight the two or three areas of experience from your CV that are most relevant to the advertised job. Never send your CV out on its own.

10. Try to be truthful
Although you obviously want to present yourself well, don’t go too far and embellish the truth. It can easily backfire on you.

Sell yourself

An important cover letter writing tip to remember is this: do not re-iterate your CV. The information contained in your CV will be evidence of your skills. Always concentrate on the specifications of the advertisement and mention that you possess these skills. for the job you are applying for.

• Always contain the letter in one A4 sheet of paper.
• Keep the cover letter to as minimal as you can, i.e. 3/4 paragraphs.
• Always write your cover letter using information from the first page of your CV.
• Always include your own contact details at the top of the letter.
• Always write the name, correct title and position of the person dealing with the application and never shorten first names.
• Remember to mention where you saw the vacancy advertised.
• Always use crisp, concise language, even though you write in the first person.
• Begin to explain your main selling point early on – example: “As you can see from my CV, I am currently working for AZ Limited as a Business Manager. I have the responsibility for scheduling and managing contracts.”
• Sound upbeat and enthusiastic about working for the company.
• Always print your letter on good quality paper.

How to shine

If you have received an interview then you are half way there because they loved your CV and cover letter. Now it’s time to really shine and get that dream placement you always wanted. But before you do, follow our guide on the do’s and dont’s when going for an interview.

DO’s:

• Wear suitable interview clothes (preferably a suit).
• Take copies of your CV with you.
• Make sure you research the employer because you will be asked questions about their background i.e what the company is and what services they provide.
• Arrive on time for your job interview.
• Always greet the interviewer by his/her last name and try to pronounce it correctly.
• Have a good firm handshake.
• Wait until you are offered a chair before you sit down.
• Look alert and interested. Keep your eyes on the interviewer.
• Always conduct yourself professionally and if something beyond your control occurs, show a sense of humor.
• Be enthusiastic and show it in your replies and body language.
• Stress your achievements.
• Answer the interview questions by more than a simple yes or no but try not to go over the 60 second limit and waffle on.
• Ask them questions – this is your chance to interview the interviewer with some of your questions.

Dont’s:

• Don’t act as though you would take any job or are desperate for employment.
• Don’t go to extremes with your posture; don’t slouch, and don’t sit rigidly on the edge of your chair.
• Do not smoke, chew gum, or keep your mobile phone switched on.
• Do not raise salary discussions on your first interview – this is usually done on the second interview. Make sure you do your wage research before hand.
• Avoid at all cost complaining about your current or former employer in your job interview.
• Don’t talk too much, waffle or interrupt.
• Don’t avoid questions.
• Don’t spend the whole time talking about yourself.
• Don’t lie and make up answers – you will get found out.
• Don’t pretend to be someone else.
• Don’t presume you have the position.
• Don’t use “ums” “ya know” “obviously” etc.

At the end of the interview
Keep all your questions brief, to the point and relevant, and don’t forget your manners. Ask if there is anything else he/she would like to know about you. Tell the interviewer why you are interested in the job and ask for a business card so that you can follow up the interview with a thank you letter or email. (This is also a great opportunity for you to highlight the key benefits you would bring to the role). Try to find out when you will hear if you have been successful and thank them for their time.

1. Keep in touch with as many people as you can – course-mates, past employers and lecturers as well as friends, as they can be a good source of information and can give you insider knowledge about graduate jobs!

2. Think about your online profile and the impression it gives of you to potential graduate employers. Companies are increasingly using social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin to attract people to their brand via competitions, interactive games and viral campaigns. You may be following one of the world’s largest graduate recruiters without having thought about it! If you link to them, they can see your profile. Make the most of it!

3. Join your university alumni society, a great way to network!

4. Research everything. Decide what industry your ideal graduate job is in then research everything about it including the type of work available, the companies in that sector, starting salaries and career progression. The more informed and interested you are, the better you will do in interviews.

5. Make sure that you know what your own strengths, weaknesses and skills are, so you know what type of graduate job you are most suited to. Use our behavioural profiling tool – Parallax – to help you with this.

6. Learn to sell yourself and your skills. If you can’t shout about the experience you’ve got and how great you are then who will? This doesn’t mean boasting, it simply means promoting yourself in a positive light and thinking positively about all the experience you have gained so far and conveying them to graduate employers both on your CV and at interview.

7. Visit your university careers service (or your nearest one if you have returned home).

8. Make sure your profile on gradplus.com is up to date. Upload a new version of your CV, including your degree result. Add in your key skills and achievements as well as your preferred sector(s) of employment and preferred location(s). Avoid spelling mistakes in your profile; graduate employers look at this too!

9. Make sure your applications are high quality. There are an average of 70 graduates applying for each graduate job according to the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) so make sure that your application stands out for the right reasons. You must tailor your CV for each graduate job you apply to and get someone else to proof everything before you send it.

10. Stay positive. Finding a graduate job can be hard and time consuming but don’t get fed up. Desperation doesn’t come across well in interviews so follow these tips and keep smiling!