Download MedSchoolCVs2007 - Newcastle University

Writing eye-catching CVs and
Covering Letters
Rachael Roberts
Careers Adviser
Careers Service, 2nd Floor, Armstrong Building, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, +44 (0)191 2227748, www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
Career Management Cycle
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
This session aims to ...
 Explain how UK employers select candidates
 Increase your understanding of the skills and
experiences you have to offer
 Provide practical advice on how to market your
research experience in a CV
 Highlight additional sources of help
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
Further sessions
 Marketing Your Research Qualification
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Applications and interviews outside Academia
Interviews in Academia
 Managing your Career
 MBTI
 Moving out of Academia
 Postgraduate Careers Day
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
International issues
 Some UK employers will only accept applications
from candidates with a permanent right to work in
the UK/EU
 Come and talk to us in the Careers Service about
the help available
 Useful websites
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk/international
www.prospects.ac.uk
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
Individual issues such as ...
 eligibility to work in the UK
 disclosure of disabilities
 any other individual concerns
.... can be discussed with the Duty
Careers Adviser in the Careers Service
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
Session outline
 Part one
 Getting started
 How do you convince employers you have got
what they are looking for?
 Part two
 Basic rules
 Assessing sample CVs
 Part three
 Feedback, question time, covering letters
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
Before applying, you should ...
 Assess your own skills and experience
 Research suitable opportunities and
organisations
 Find out what they want – their ‘wish list’
 Match yourself to the employer’s needs and
identify sources of evidence
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
What is your approach?
Purist believes
 recruitment is based on merit
 the better the qualification, the better the job
chances
 something will turn up
Player understands that
 recruitment isn’t just based on merit
 you have to do more than just ‘be good’
Brown & Hesketh: The Mismanagement of Talent, 2004
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
What do employers want?
At all stages in the recruitment process, they
look for evidence that you
 CAN do the job (ability)
 WANT to do the job (motivation)
 Will FIT into the organisation
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
Understanding what the
employer is looking for
 Analyse the advert and application pack
 Research the field/position/organisation/
research team
 Take advice from experts
 supervisor, contract researchers, academics
 Use your networks to gain further insight
 contact in the group, department or company?
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
What can you use as evidence?
 In small groups, consider what skills,
experience and knowledge you have for
an academic position or a non academic
position. List what you might use as
evidence.
 Be ready to feedback to the rest of the
group.
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
What can you use as evidence?
 Research experience and education
 publications, conferences, funding, training
(UKGrad, research training programme)
 academic achievements, scholarships
 Work experience
 industry placement, casual, voluntary,
commercial, military service
 Interests & achievements
 committees and societies, positions of
responsibility, professional memberships
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
Identifying skills – education
 JRC Postgrad Skills
 www.grad.ac.uk
 University of Leeds ‘What is a researcher?’
 What do PhDs do?
 www.grad.ac.uk
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
Identifying skills – work experience
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Team work
Commercial awareness
Individual responsibility
Project management
Time management
Training
Report writing
Client contact
People management
Information retrieval
Technical
Get feedback from …
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Friends and family
Colleagues
Appraisals
Review meetings
Careers advisers
 Training courses
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
Identifying skills – interests
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Team work
Initiative
Self discipline
Relevant experience and insight …
Motivation, drive and ambition
Commercial awareness
Individuality
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
An effective CV should ...
 ensure content and style is relevant
 place the most important facts FIRST and give
them the MOST space
 be easy to read
 create the right impression
 be accompanied with a letter
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
What do you include?
Usually include…..
Optional to include…
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personal details
education and
qualifications
work experience
interests
achievements
referees?
list of publications?
personal profile
skills profile
gender, date of birth
nationality?
photographs
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
First impressions
 You have a minute to look at each CV and
write down your first impressions.
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
Group exercise
In small groups, review each CV and
a) decide the focus - industrial research,
academic research or a new direction?
b) discuss how the candidate has tailored
each application
c) what do you like and dislike?
d) prepare to feedback your key points
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
Make an impact
 Don’t waste space but
avoid large blocks of text
 Use a consistent layout and
professional presentation
 Describing your experience
 avoid ‘I feel…. ….
 use action words…advised, organised,
 mention key outcomes
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
Tailor your application
Job using specialist subject and skills–
 summary of research (including aims and
achievements, supervisors name and funding)
 ability to achieve results
 education particularly relevant modules
 projects and resources managed
 relevant techniques and skills including
technical skills, Health & Safety
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
Change of direction
New direction, unrelated to research –
 include a brief and accessible description of
your research, avoid over-technical terms
 highlight the measures of your success and
achievements outside research context
 highlight key transferable skills appropriate to
the job and define your level of competence
 personal and skills profile may be helpful
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
What are the benefits of recruiting people
with research experience?
 ‘Analytical thinking, report writing and the ability to work
independently’
 ‘Good learning skills, their commitment to task and the need
for minimum supervision’
 ‘Highly developed research skills combined with an intellectual
approach. Good communication and presentation skills
demonstrated by teaching experience’
AGCAS Survey ‘University Researchers: Employers’
Attitudes & Recruitment Practices’
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
What are the drawbacks of recruiting
people with research experience?
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Lack commercial awareness and career motivation
Limited team working skills
Lack experience of working on short term tasks
Lack awareness of the different aims of academia and
industry
 Set in academic work styles and cycles
 Experience difficulty making a transition from academia
AGCAS ‘University Researchers: Employers’ Attitudes
& Recruitment Practices’
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
Any questions?
Review your own
CVs?
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
Covering Letter
 Named contact
 Summary of key points
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Why you are writing?
Why you want the job?
Why you want that organisation?
Why they should want you?
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
Group Exercise
In small groups, review the Covering
Letter and CV….
a) are the skills, experience and knowledge
described in the letter, relevant?
b) does the letter show interest in the
organisation?
c) Anything else of importance to note…
d) prepare to feedback your key points
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
Final points
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Ensure your CV is targeted and relevant
Know your employer’s wish list
Use the best examples you’ve got
Review – ask yourself “so what”
Ask others for feedback - first impressions
www.careers.ncl.ac.uk
Careers Service
Come and talk to us!
2nd Floor
Armstrong Building (off the Quadrangle)
10 am - 5 pm
10 am - 4.30 pm
Monday - Thursday
Friday
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www.careers.ncl.ac.uk