NAIL THAT JOB APPLICATION!

Our tips and tricks for how to

stand out from the crowd

AUSTRALIA AND NZ

First impressions count! There is nothing worse for a recruiter than opening up an application and finding loads of spelling mistakes, or even worse, an application addressed to a different company!

Although Cotton On Group can be a pretty casual place to work, it is still really important to maintain professionalism when submitting your application to any organisation.

Here are some do's and don't's when applying.

Use professional language and tone. Imagine you are talking to the reader at an interview.

Tell us how enthusiastic you are about the opportunity and why you believe you're the right person for the role.

Make sure you've told us about yourself and given us all the information we need to make a decision.

Don't be overly casual or use lots of abbreviations. Don't address your cover letter to your bestie but to your potential new boss!

Don't beg for or demand a job. We love enthusiasm but make sure you express this in a professional way.

Don't follow up with constant phone calls or emails to discuss your application. We receive 1000s of applications each day so we will be busily working through them so we can get back to you.

you have checked for any spelling mistakes

your contact information is up to date

the file name is appropriate

it's addressed to the correct company

you've tailored your application to the role and the

organisation

Before hitting submit, make sure:

KEEP IT PROFESSIONAL

ACCURACY

We know that it can be hard to create a great CV & cover letter and sometimes you just

don't know what the recruiter is looking for. Everyone has their thoughts on what works

best in an application but here are some of our tips and tricks to make your application

stand out and force us to pay attention!

WHY HAVE WE CREATED THIS GUIDE?

WHAT MAKES A GREAT CV?

HEADINGS

FORMATTING

Whether you're applying for your first or your hundredth job, it is important to make sure you always review your CV and update with any new information before applying. So what

makes a great CV?

Make sure your CV is as clear and neat as possible.

Set out different headings for each of your sections so it is easy to read.

The headings you include will vary depending on the detail you have in your CV but here are some suggestions of the

common sections you might like to include.

We recommend you do include a summary/objective section in your

CV. Don't make this into a demand list of what you want but instead tell us about

what skills you have to bring to the company.This is a key place recruiters will check to see if your direction is in line with

the role and the organisation.

Every month we receive more than 50,000 applications. That's not even considering peak recruitment at Christmas time! Make sure your application looks great and stands out in the best way possible. Think about things such as:

CONTACT INFORMATION

EDUCATION

REFERENCES

SKILLS

WORK EXPERIENCE

SUMMARY/OBJECTIVE

Font - This font doesn't look very professional does it? Stick to fonts such as Arial or Calibri - neat and clean fontsNumber of pages - We want to find out about you but we don't want to review a 7 page CV. Keep it to 3 pages max!

Bullet points - Keep it short and sharp. This makes it much easier to read rather than big slabs of text.

WORK EXPERIENCE

So what should you include in your work experience section? Here are our tips for how to include the most valuable information.

You've been working for a long time and have a varied work history. How many jobs should you include?

Think about whether you can group your roles together - for example was there a period of a few years where you were doing admin work but for different companies? Group these as 'Various administration roles' and outline the general duties.

Make sure your most recent few jobs are outlined in detail but those roles from 10 years ago can be a bit lighter on detail.

Is this your first job? Or maybe you have had a few casual roles but feel that the work experience section is a bit light for you.

If you have no work experience then it's totallyfine to leave this section out but make sure you address in your cover letter that you are looking for your first job.

Also think about other types of work you might have done that you can include. Think about things such as delivering papers, babysitting, helping out at little athletics, volunteer work etc.

You're applying for a retail management roleand you previously had a job as an apprentice hairdresser. Totally not relevant so you will just leave it off your CV right?

Not necessarily. Don't be afraid to include these other roles on your CV as that experience would still have taught you skills that apply to this role. Think communication, time management, using a booking system, teamwork, budgeting, meeting deadlines etc.

Most importantly, don't make up your work experience or exaggerate your abilities.

Although it may seem like a good idea so you can get an interview, you will be caught out as soon as the recruiter starts drilling a bit deeper.

Try to include the below details for each of your previous jobs:

Remember to list your work history in chronological order starting with most recent.

Don't leave big gaps in your work history. If you were out of work for a period explain why e.g. travelling, studying, job hunting etc.

Company name - In most cases it is a

good idea to also include a short

sentence about the company (size,

sales, objectives etc.)

Job title

Employment dates

Your responsibilities and achievements

(bullet points)

TOO MUCH WORK EXPERIENCE NOT ENOUGH WORK EXPERIENCE

EXPERIENCE THAT ISN'T RELEVANT

DON'T MAKE IT UP!

WHAT DETAIL TO INCLUDE

Think about how you can tailor your CV to suit the role you are applying for.

A photo - You've probably tossed up whether

you should put your photo on your CV.

Unless specifically asked for, you don't need

to include a photo. If you do include one,

make sure it is professionally taken - no

selfies or party photos

LinkedIN - If you are applying for a

professional role then make sure your

LinkedIN profile is up to date and accurate.

This will definitely be somewhere a recruiter

will look to find out more about you.

Social media - We love that you have fun

outside of your job but be mindful of what the

public can see on your online social media

profiles. Your future boss might do some

research on you and you want to make sure

that they don't come across anything

that might damage your professional

reputation.

The world of cover letters is changing and you need to make sure you change with it.

Don't use your cover letter to re-hash information already included in your CV. It is your opportunity to show your future employer that you have done your research and you are aligned with their strategy, vision, goals and objectives.

It is also the perfect time to relate your skills and experience to the requirements of the role to show how you can deliver on the specifics required.

Make sure you:

You can do this by:

Adding more detail to your work history for roles you have been in that are in the same industryHighlighting qualifications you have completed in that industry Adjusting your objective listed (if included) to suit the particular industryUsing the job ad as a guide to what is important for this application

Customise your cover letter for that specific

application - don't have one generic cover letter

and make sure you have addressed this to the

right company when sending.

Do your research - make sure you know your

stuff about the company and reference this

throughout your letter.

Relate your skills and experience to the role

requirements - promote why you are the perfect

candidate.

Provide clarity - Are you applying from a

different city and are willing to relocate, have you

been made redundant and that's why your recent

role duration was short etc.

TAILORED CV

Don't be scared to show some of your personality. Your CV needs to be professional but it can also be fun and engaging.

Don't be afraid to include a section about your hobbies or volunteer experience. What else are you passionate about that tells us who you are? Do you have a favourite colour that you can bring into the design? Help us get to know you!

MAKE IT FUN

COVER LETTERS

WHAT ELSE?

So now you should be ready to submit an amazing application that will help get you noticed. Just always remember these top 3 tips.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS...

CHECK EVERYTHING  YOU SUBMIT

TAILOR YOUR CV FOR THE ROLE

1.

BE

PROFESSIONALCHECK

ACCURACY

PERSONALISED

APPLICATION

2. 3.

GOOD LUCK!