Our top tips for preparing a job application

Tips for writing a CV

A CV, or curriculum vitae, is a document that will likely travel with you throughout your professional life. 

Ideally, no longer than two sides of A4 in length, it is a succinct view of your education, skills, experience and interests. It is your way of advertising yourself to potential employers and, alongside a cover letter, will be the main focus of any job application.

Whether your professional history is extensive, or you’re just starting out in the working world, utilise this space to highlight why you are suitable for the job you are applying for. Be specific, be picky and be detailed.

What to include in your CV

We'd like to see the following sections in your CV:

1. Include clear and up-to-date contact information – we’ll both be out of luck if we can’t contact you
2. Provide a profile statement – give a punchy summary of your key attributes and career aims
3. Document your work experience – keep this relevant to the job you are applying for and include your job title/s, company name, employment dates and key responsibilities
4. List your education – list your achievements in education or professional training, including dates, grades and qualifications
5. Include skills and achievements – this could be foreign languages, software competency, or other skills relevant to the job
6. Tell us about your interests and hobbies – we want to get to know you as well as your professional history, particularly where this feeds into your potential for the job in question
7. Include figures and statistics throughout – if applicable, this cements your experience and allows us to compare against our own benchmarks

Top tips for writing a cover letter

A cover letter is your opportunity to tell us about you and why you think you’re a great fit for the job. 

It isn’t intended to be a repeat of your CV, but should expand on the points raised there, and, combined, they will form a well-rounded and detailed application.

Whether it's in a separate word or pdf document, or in the body of the email you send your CV in on, your cover letter is as important to us as your CV.

We aren’t looking for a set structure here, but want you to expand in detail on the most relevant elements of your professional experience and, if applicable, any hobbies that relate to the key skills and responsibilities outlined. It's your chance to portray more of your personality and, while a CV should follow a set structure, you can be more creative with a cover letter.

All applications will be screened first of all based on hiring criteria. 

These are clearly listed in the skills section of the job description so focus on the points here. Show us you meet those criteria and, if you don't meet them all, tell us. We look for ambition, personality and commitment as well as professional achievements.

Does your cover letter tell us why you are the perfect person for the job and why you want to work for us? Then you’ve got it … er… covered.

Top tips

Now you know what to include in your CV and cover letter, there are a few more things to consider to ensure they stand out.

• Stay relevant – always refer to the job description
• Don’t fabricate – we’ll ask for validation
• Keep lists in reverse chronological order – we want to see your most recent achievements first
• Use section headers, clear spacing and bullet points – good formatting helps important points stand out
• Avoid spelling or grammatical errors – attention to detail will be an important part of every role

Our commitments

We are aware of the investment of time, energy and emotion that goes into job hunting. We value this investment from you and appreciate that the range of personal circumstances that can lead you to be job hunting are extensive.

Whether you are just casually looking for a change, are actively looking to progress your career, or it's a more stressful and time-pressured attempt to secure income, we will make these commitments to you:

1. We commit to answering every application to a live job advert
2. We commit to giving a detailed response to unsuccessful interviewees
3. We commit to being clear on deadlines and when you’ll hear from us
4. We commit to making alternative arrangements during the application or interview process to make it practical and accessible for all

Keep it personal

When we are assessing applications, it is easy to tell when an application is one of many duplicates. 

While we completely understand why this is necessary to speed up the process and get yourself in front of more businesses, it also doesn’t give you the best chance of meeting selection criteria.

Without a CV and cover letter that is personalized to the job description, we don’t have an explicit understanding of how you see yourself, your interests and your experience fitting in the role or our business. Sometimes it is possible to join the dots, but screaming this from the rooftops amplifies your chances.