Top tips for applying for a job

research is a vital part of finding your next job

Do some research on your potential employer. For example, find out:

• what line of business they're in
• how big they are
• where they operate
• what products and/or services they offer
• who their key competitors are
• what their mission and vision are
• and so on ...

increasing your chances of finding work

Try not to pin all of your hopes on getting the first job that you apply for. You might be lucky and get it but you might not. It makes sense to apply for a number of jobs at the same time to avoid possible disappointment. Remember that competition for the best jobs will be fierce and the whole application process can take months.

get to know yourself better and think about…

• what you like doing in the workplace
• what you don’t like doing in the workplace
• what you’re good at doing in the workplace
• what you’re bad at doing in the workplace
• what your strengths and key skills are
• what your weaknesses are.

think about what you want to do and who you want to work for

• What sort of job do you want? Think about it and describe it.
• What do you want from your potential employer? Make a note of all your requirements and use your list to identify potential employers.
• Just as employers will have a checklist of what they want from their applicants, it’s important for you to draw up your own checklist of what you want from your future employer. This will help you to make sure that you find a job and an employer that matches your specific needs.
• Do your skills and behaviours match the skills and behaviours needed in the industry or market sector(s) that you're looking at?

practice analysing job adverts

• Look at the job section in one of the main broadsheets and read through the different job adverts.
• Spend some time reading through the jobs sections of the daily newspapers.
• Make a note of what skills and attributes each advertiser expects their successful applicant to possess.
• Practice analysing different adverts; the more you analyse, the easier it gets

a few short points about CVs and application forms

• When it comes to writing your CV, don't forget that you're writing a CV, not a book! Your potential employer doesn’t need to know everything about you, they just need to read enough for them to decide whether you're capable of doing the job or not.
• Don’t put too much information in one sentence, if your words don’t support your application or add to the overall impact of your text then don’t include them.
• Employers often ask applicants to stick to a set word limit or character limit for answers on application forms so if you’re given a word or character limit then make sure that you stick to it. Don’t waste your word or character count by waffling.

providing supporting information

• Don’t underestimate the importance of supporting information; good supporting information will help you to stand out from other applicants and it will also give you an opportunity to demonstrate what you can do for your potential employer.
• Your supporting information should include more examples and evidence of each of the skills that you need for the role that you're applying for; these will include examples of skills that you didn't have space to write about on your CV.

preparing for your interview

Your interviewer will usually give you an opportunity to ask questions at some point during your interview, so make sure you've got plenty of things to talk about. Remember, your interview is an opportunity for you to find out about your potential employer too.

the week before your interview

• Check to see how long it will take you to get to the venue. If you can, do a ‘dry-run’ to the venue and add about 25% to your journey time on the day to be safe.
• Remind yourself of all the skills, personal attributes and experiences that you provided on your CV and on your application form. Think about how you can demonstrate these skills, attributes and experiences in your interview.
• Spend some time thinking about the questions that you're going to ask your interviewer.

the day before your interview

Read through your CV and application form and remind yourself of all the examples, roles, responsibilities, skills and evidence that you've written about.

on the day of your interview

Before you leave home:

• If you decide to wear perfume or aftershave then go for a soft scent rather than a strong scent.
• Don’t wear too much jewellery or too many accessories.

En route to your interview:

• Buy a copy of a good newspaper and read the main headlines so that you’re aware of what’s going on in the world; you might be asked for your views and opinions on some of the stories during your interview.

When you arrive at the venue of your interview:

• When you arrive at the venue, be polite and courteous to everyone you meet; you never know who you’re talking to.
• Before you start your interview, go to the toilet and check your appearance to make sure you look presentable.

during your interview ...

• don’t be afraid to ask questions if you need to
• don’t pretend to know something that you don't, you’ll only get found out!

after your interview

• At the end of your interview, thank your interviewer for their time and ask them when you can expect to hear from them again.
• When you get home, write a letter or an email to your interviewer to thank them for their time.

psychometric tests

• Employers often use psychometric tests to assess your personal style and to get an idea of how you would approach a number of different work situations. They’re not meant to assess your ability to do the job that you’ve applied for.
• The questions tend to be designed to assess the way that you think so there are no right or wrong answers.