Preparing to write an application, CV or cover letter

Effective preparation can help you to tailor your application, CV or cover letter effectively which will lead to higher success rates. Read our advice below on how you can best prepare.

Do your research

Effective research helps you to understand the opportunity better - whether that opportunity is a job, placement or further study. By knowing more you will be better prepared to demonstrate your motivation and have a better understanding of their requirements.

When doing your research there are multiple sources of information you could explore:

• Their website - company websites for jobs/placements, University/departmental websites for further study
• The job advert and/or person specification (this is a list of essential and desirable criteria)
• Their social media*
• Your own networks*
• News articles
• Annual reports
• Career Service employer events, fairs and webinars*
• Library resources*
• Job profiles*

*Resources to help you with your research in these areas can be found in the “Key Tasks” section.

Remember, you are not expected to be an expert, but you should know enough about them to understand the role you are applying for, what it is you need to demonstrate, and how the company / course / research group broadly operates.

Reflect on how you meet the requirements

Once you know the employer's requirements, think about examples that demonstrate these skills or experience. These examples can come from your academic work (dissertation, fieldwork and team projects), work experience, voluntary work, student societies, positions of responsibility, sport and music, or anything else!

• Try to think of examples from a range of activities, from different parts of your life.
• Where possible, draw on recent examples
• Specific examples should include specific detail as this makes them more memorable and persuasive.
• Focus on how and why you were successful in the activity involved.
• Where relevant, see if you can include a measure of your success, eg how much money you raised/managed, how many people you led/presented to.

Many recruiters will use their criteria as a selection tool, therefore it is important that you evidence their criteria as much as possible. Picking examples which best match the criteria means you can tailor your CV, application or cover letter to the specific job you are applying to.

If you struggle to reflect on yourself and your experiences, consider writing lists, mind-mapping or talking about the criteria with a friend or family member. You might surprise yourself!

Key Tasks

1. Research the opportunity thoroughly. Consider exploring the Prospects, TARGETJobs or National Careers Service website, which contains 100’s of job profiles. Current students can also access resources from the library which includes databases such as Business Source Premier, Nexis and the Financial Times.

2. Find out more about the opportunity through networking. See our advice on using social media and how to network effectively. The Careers Service also hosts a wide variety of employer events, fairs and webinars, where you can learn more directly from employers.

3. Explore Graduates First employer guides which details the application process for the top graduate recruiters.

4. If you have a disability, a long term health condition, a specific learning difficulty (eg dyslexia) or a mental health condition, the Careers Service can support you.