Employment Department of Employment

Unit 1 Letters of application, CV and covering letters

 Text 1 Letters of application

Advertisements (often shortened to ads) for employment appear in all the media, including radio, TV, and the Internet. However, newspapers and magazines are a very common source of vacancies. Some advertisements use abbreviated forms, especially in the small ad section, e.g.:

Wntd PA f.t. sml mnfg со. Gd slry. 5-day wk, hrs 9-5, usl bnfts.

A full-length version of this would read: Wanted, personal assistant for full-time employment in small manufacturing company. Good salary, five days a week, hours of work 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., usual benefits in terms of conditions and holidays.

Opening  Generally, the terms vacancy, post, or appointment are used instead of the word job in applications. When replying to a job advertisement, as with most correspondence, it is best simply to state what you are doing, and give a date or reference.

—I would like to apply for the post of Programmer advertised in this month's edition of Computers.

—I am writing concerning your advertisement in the Guardian of 12 May for a bilingual secretary to work in your Export Department.

—I am answering your advertisement for the post of bank trainee, which appeared in yesterday's Times.

If the advertisement is not clear about how you should apply for the job, it is better to phone the Personnel Department (sometimes called Human Resources Department) of the company to find out.

Remember to quote any reference numbers or job titles that are mentioned in the advertisement.

For unsolicited applications, i.e. applying for a job which has not been advertised, you can open like this:

—I am writing to ask if you might have a vacancy in your___ department for a(n) administrative assistant /salesperson / accounts clerk.

If someone associated with the company suggested that you write to them, mention this in your opening.

—I was recommended by_____, who is currently working in your company /who has had a long association with your company / who is one of your suppliers, to contact you concerning a possible post in your __Department.

Request for an application form If you are writing to ask for an application form, give some very brief details about yourself then ask for the form.

These examples can also be used for unsolicited applications.

—I am 23years old, and have recently graduated from ___with a diploma /degree in_____. (Give the subject, and mention any special topics you studied that are relevant to the post. You can also mention the class of a degree, and any special honours such as a distinction.)

—At present I am working for__, where I am employed as a ___in the Department.

Closing  There is no need to give any more information at this stage, so you can close the letter:

—Please could you send me an application form and any other relevant details?

—I would be grateful if you could send me an application form. If you need any further details, please contact me at the above address / email address.

Application forms and CVs

When you receive an application form, always read it through carefully so that you know exactly what information is required. It is a good idea to photocopy it, complete the photocopy, and when you are happy with it, copy the information onto the actual form.

Some companies prefer a curriculum vitae, usually called a CV (resume in American English), which is your personal and working history.

A resume is a selective record of your background — your educational and work experience, your certifications, abilities, and so on. You send it, often accompanied by an application letter, to colleges or potential employers. Application forms and CVs may be emailed, faxed, or sent by post.

There are a number of ways of presenting information in a CV. Traditionally, the sequence was name, address, contact details, marital status, education, qualifications, work experience, referees, and interests. However, it is now more common to begin with brief personal details, followed by a short profile or description of yourself (sometimes also called a career summary). After that, the most important information is recent employment history, and skills and qualifications. In the interests of completeness, you should account for all years since leaving school, but if the information is irrelevant to the position you are applying for or is some years old, you should summarize it as briefly as possible.

These days, it is generally unnecessary to mention marital status, children, age, health, or current salary unless specifically asked to do so, but this will vary according to the law and custom in different countries.

Types of resumes:

Objective resumes: This type just gives dates, names, titles, no qualitative information.

Detailed resumes: This type provides not only dates, titles, and names, but also details about your responsibilities and statements about the quality and effectiveness of your work.

Hints for writing a good CV

l   Make sure your CV is well spaced out so that it is easy to read and understand

l Ideally keep your CV to 2 sides of A4 paper

l Don’t oversell yourself

l   Don't mention things that you are bad at or say negative things about       

    yourself in your CV

l Explain any breaks in your employment

l   Honesty is definitely the best policy

l Be careful when you use abbreviations - they can be misunderstood.

l Check for literal or spelling errors

l Use 'dynamic' and 'action' verbs such as: attained, accomplished, conducted, established, facilitated, founded, managed, etc.

l  Do not use the personal pronoun 'I' in your CV, use tenses in the past, e.g. Established and managed a new sales force for the region.

Sample 1. Here is a typical CV for an experienced professional.

Wendy Benson

Chartered Statistician

 Profile  -A highly competent qualitative and quantitative market researcher  

                with wide experience in advertising, market research companies,     

                 government research, and production and retail organizations in     

                 the UK and overseas.

               - Highly numerate, with excellent communication skills.

               - Analytical, innovative, self-motivating, confident.

               - Able to lead or to work as part of a team.

               - Welcomes new challenges, especially if they involve implementing  

                  and developing schemes.

               - Experienced trainer and facilitator.

               - Fluent in French and German.

               - Computer literate.

Employment Department of Employment

2002-present Senior Market Research Officer. Responsible for planning 

                     and implementing research on future government manpower

                     requirements; formulated marketing strategies; conducted   

                     customer care study; set up database for labour-force survey.

                     Organized statistical training courses for government staff at

                     all levels. Responsible for a team of six market researchers.

1995-2002   Universal Advertising PLC

                    Assistant Director, Research and Planning Department. 

                  Responsible for trade and consumer research; market 

                    information systems; market forecasting; trade and consumer                 

                    analysis of existing and new business for marketing and sales  

                    departments. Managed two members of staff.

1991-1995    MMBC Associates

                     Market Researcher. Involved in research on products and data         

                     relating to the retail food and beverage market.

Qualifications            MBA, Open University (part-time)                           1995

                               Diploma of Institute of Statisticians                       1991

            BSc. (Mathematics and Statistics), University College, London  1990

Publications          See list attached.

Sample 2.                     This is a typical CV for a recent graduate

Adam Hall

Date of birth:                 25 February 19—

Address:                          25 Victoria Road, Birmingham B19 2ZK

Tel.:                                 012189539914

Email:                             adhall@interserve.net.uk

Profile                             A highly-motivated, well-travelled, and creative graduate with practical work experience in both sales and TEFL teaching. A 4-month postgraduate residency at the Biosphere 2 Center, Arizona, has given me wide-ranging knowledge of, and insight into, environmental problems and ways of presenting them to the public.

Education       

19-- - 19--       King Edward's School, Birmingham

                        О Levels: Art, Biology, Chemistry, English, French,

                        Geography, History, Maths, Spanish

                        A levels:

                        Art                               A

                        Environmental Studies   A

                        Chemistry                   В

                         Spanish          В

20-- - 20--        Leeds Metropolitan University

                         BA Hons Environmental Studies: 2:1

July, 20--           Academy School of English, Leeds            Cert CELTA

Work experience

April 19-- -July 19--     Weekend sales assistant, Kings Norton Garden Centre,              

                                    Birmingham

January 20-- -May 20--   TEFL tutor, JA School of English, Katowice, Poland

Other information

September 20-- 4-month residency at the Biosphere 2 Center,

December 20--  Arizona, USA

May 15-16, 20--  Co-presented 'No smoke...' at the Bretton Hall Sculpture

                          Park, University of Leeds. An installation which explored  

                          the  environmental implications of major forest fires, both   

                          natural and    man-made.

June 20-24, 20-- Co-presented 'Time microscope' at the Covent Garden

                         Flower Festival. An installation which explored different       

                         ways of    presenting information about the natural world.

Interests              My main interest outside work, although related to it, is  

                         travel. In  19— I took part in a school expedition to the  

                         High Atlas mountains  in Morocco, and produced a video 

                         of the trip. In my gap year I travelled extensively in South  

                         America, again documenting the trip by means of       

                         sketchbooks and video. I also enjoy World Music,  

                          particularly that from countries I have visited, and play the  

                         oud (Moroccan lute).

References           

Prof. T.N.Fagin                                              Dr Elzbieta Gordon

Department of Environmental Studies     Principal JA School of English

Leeds Metropolitan University LS2 3RX Ulica Czysta 14 Katowice Poland

Sample 3                   Chronological resume

A chronological CV presents your education and work experience either in the order in which they happened, or in reverse order, with your most recent experience first.

PERRY JAMESON

1515 Stanley Drive #62
Hometown, KS 66202
perry.jameson@dbplanet.com
(913) 555-1938

OBJECTIVE
To obtain knowledge of the day-to-day workings of a communications, public relations, or publishing firm through a part-time job or summer internship.

EDUCATION
Completed three years at Hometown High School.
Graduation date: May 2005.
G.P.A. 3.85. Top 5% of class.

EXPERIENCE
Newspaper Staff Member, Hometown High School

• Aug 2004 - present. Features editor of campus newspaper.

• Aug 2001 - Aug 2004. Researched information for news articles using library  

and  Web sources. Composed and edited informational articles, columns,  

editorials,  and advertising copy.