Building an effective job application kit

The vast majority of US and UK companies, as well as many other multinational organisations, now use competency based interviews when looking to recruit.

Questions asked during competency based interviews (also known as structured, behavioural or situational interviews) aim to test a variety of skills and you'll need to answer in the context of actual events that you have experienced. This type of interview works on the principle that past behaviour is the best indicator of future performance.

Clearly understanding the type of interview you will do, which is the final step in securing a job, means you can plan effectively from the beginning the strategy, content and style of your job application kit.

When looking for a job you first need to build an effective job application kit which you must regularly adapt to suit individual job applications. If you’re applying to a multinational or UK/US based company where the process is in English the linguistic style and tone of your kit is very different to that in Italy. Let’s look at the kit, which consists of three components:


Cover letter

Employers usually read your cover letter before your CV and it will be read very quickly, so it must make a good first impression. If it’s poor, your CV will remain unread!

In terms of style your letter should have a human individual tone and must avoid sounding generic. That way your application stands out from the crowd. It should be written in a smart, efficient and eloquent manner, the contents of which explain the reasons for your interest in the specific organisation and also identify your most relevant skills and experiences. It should transmit confidence while being credible.

An ideal cover letter is about three quarters of a page long and should contain four or five paragraphs. It’s important to understand that your cover letter should complement, not duplicate your CV. It should feel like an interpretation of carefully selected factual data contained in the CV that will impress the reader, and thus persuade he or she to study more closely your actual curriculum.

Personal statement

Usually found at the beginning of your CV, your personal statement should be about 150 words long and include a brief outline of who you are, your strengths, work experience, education and career aspirations.

Make sure to include skills you’ve gained, for example teamwork, problem solving, communication, customer service, IT, etc. Where possible avoid clichés like hard worker, and works well individually or as part of a team as these phrases sound stereotypical.

Remember, you are competing with other people of similar experience and education, so your personal statement, just like your cover letter, must have an individual voice that talks to its reader. The most commonly repeated word in a personal statement is ‘I’.

For younger job applicants who have little or no work experience, you can sell yourself by including your hobbies and interests that demonstrate skills which are relevant to the job you’re applying for, eg. captain of football team which demonstrates leadership, or built a website which highlights your creativity and IT skills. Voluntary work, in which you also developed several skills, may also be worth mentioning.

Remember that your personal statement is an expression of who you are and who employers will believe you to be. A good accurate personal statement takes time to craft and requires many re-writes.

Curriculum

Your CV, also known in the US as your resume, should be a carefully structured, professional description of your work experience, education and skills. It must be clear and concise so you should use headings, short paragraphs and bullet points to make it easy for employers to scan for information. It’s important to structure your CV as follows:

1. Personal details
2. Personal statement
3. Work experience
4. Education
5. Skills and Qualifications
6. Interests and Hobbies
7. References

When employers are looking to take on a new person, they are not just looking to fill a gap in their team with someone identical.Instead it is an opportunity to refresh their team dynamic with someone competent that offers them something new.

When reading your CV, the key question for employers is What can you do? In other words, what skills do you possess? To answer that question you must state explicitly, in bullet points, what you have actively done in previous job(s). For example:

Customer Relations Team Leader - Royal Bank of Scotland
Head office telephone complaints department

My responsibilities included:

• Dealing with high level customer complaints over the phone
• Actively listening and empathising with unhappy members of the public
• Negotiating satisfactory settlements
• Agreeing compensation requests
• Working under pressure in a closely-knit team to meet demanding deadlines
• Training staff in effective communication, assertiveness and influencing skills

At all times, when writing your curriculum remember to stay within the confines of reality. Don’t invent things that you haven’t done! Your CV is designed to convince an employer to give you a job interview, but remember when you meet in person they will probe you on what you have written.

Important:
If you are not a good writer, get help from someone who is. If English is not your first language, get a native English speaker to check all documents in your kit, for both correct grammar and appropriate style. Great job applications are not easily written, they are rewritten, and reworked many times. Be prepared to sweat and always seek help and true objectivity from others whose opinions you value!