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CVs, Resumes,and LinkedIn
CVs, Resumes, and LinkedInA Guide to Professional English
Are you a graduate, postgraduate or PhD student? Or are you simply looking for a new job in the private or public sector, in research or industry? If your aim is to produce a professional CV or resume, then this book is for you. Based on interviews with recruiters and HR managers, and an analysis of hundreds of CVs from around 40 different countries, the book is structured as a series of FAQs.
Topics covered incude: how recruiters and HR people analyse a CV whether using a template is a good idea the difference between a CV and a resume how to present your personal details and whether to include a photo how to write an Executive Summary what to write in each section (Education, Work Experience, Skills, Personal
Interests) how to write dates how to highlight your language, communication, and team skills how to get and write references
You will also learn strategies for writing a cover and reference letters, LinkedIn profiles, and bios.
Other books in the Professional English series include: Email and Commercial Correspondence User Guides, Manuals, and Technical Writing Meetings, Negotiations, and Socializing Presentations, Demos, and Training Sessions Telephone and Helpdesk Skills
Adrian Wallwork is the author of over 30 books aimed at helping non-native English speak-ers to communicate more effectively in English. He has published 13 books with Springer Science+Business Media.
Guides to Professional EnglishGuides to Professional English
Careers in Businessand Management
9 7 8 1 4 9 3 9 0 6 4 6 8
ISBN 978-1-4939-0646-8
CVs, Resumes, and LinkedIn
A Guide toProfessional
EnglishAdrianWallwork
1
Wallwork
Who am I? Why am I qualified to give this course?
Agenda for this seminar
• Templates (Europass vs your own) • Understanding how HR people read CVs • What secAons to include in a CV • Linked In • (If Ame: cover leFers)
You will learn some simple rules for communicaAng your experAse and achievements. You can apply
these rules to all areas of your life.
Quiz: Part 1 1 What is the ideal length of a CV? a) 1 page b) 2 (i.e. due facciate) c) 3 d) 4 e) content is more important than number of pages 2 Your CV contains ONE spelling mistake. What will happen? a) instant death b) nothing particular
3 What % of people don’t tell complete truth in their CVs? a) 0% b) 25% c) 50% d) 80%
4 Is it OK to send the same CV to many different companies? a) yes b) no
5 Who or what will read your CV first? a) HR person b) recruiting agency c) software program
6 How important is it to be on LinkedIn? a) Very b) quite c) not at all
Quiz (part 1 key) 1 Length a) 1 page b) 2 c) 3
2 ONE spelling Instant death b) nothing
3 Dishonest a) 0% b) 25% c) 50% d) 80%
4 Spam CVs a) yes b) no
5 Who or what will read your CV first? a) HR person b) recruiting agency c) software program
6 LinkedIn? a) Very b) quite c) not at all
Why be on LinkedIn?
Find yourself a job: find connecHons who already work where you want to
work
Sell yourself at conferences. AKendees oLen prefer to check you out on LinkedIn rather than just
Google you.
Use LinkedIn to aKract HR and recruiters to your profile
1) AcHve recruitment. The recruiter types in keywords (e.g. Master’s in xxx, three years' experience in yyy). They then email you to arrange an interview with potenAal candidates. 2) Recruitment via an adverHsement. The company or insAtute places an ad on LinkedIn and then receives CVs from potenAal candidates.
How does LinkedIn differ from a CV? Standard (easy to navigate) Easy to insert key words
Highlight networking skills (No. of connecHons)
Endorsements / RecommendaHons Interests / Causes
You can see who’s viewed your profile
How should I write my profile? Connect with me (Adrian Wallwork) then
you can see nearly 2000 profiles
Google ‘How to write an academic / industry profile on LinkedIn”
In any case there are many similariHes between a CV and a LinkedIn profile. I
will point these out to you.
CV Templates: Standard or CreaHve?
Look at these CVs – from a purely visual point of view, which do you like
the best?
Curriculum Vitae
PERSONAL INFORMATION Betty Smith
32 Reading rd,Birmingham B26 3QJ United Kingdom
+44 2012345679 +44 7123456789
AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) betty.smith
Sex Female | Date of birth 01 March 1975
JOB APPLIED FOR European project manager
WORK EXPERIENCE
August 2002 – Present Independent consultant
British Council123, Bd Ney, 75023 Paris (France)
Evaluation of European Commission youth training support measures for youth nationalagencies and young people
March 2002 – July 2002 Internship
European Commission, Youth Unit, DG Education and Culture200, Rue de la Loi, 1049 Brussels (Belgium)
- evaluating youth training programmes for SALTO UK and the partnership between theCouncil of Europe and European Commission- organizing and running a 2 day workshop on non-formal education for Action 5 large scale projects focusing on quality, assessment and recognition- contributing to the steering sroup on training and developing action plans on training forthe next 3 years. Working on the Users Guide for training and the support measures
Business or sector European institution
October 2001 – February 2002 Researcher / Independent Consultant
Council of Europe, Budapest (Hungary)
Working in a research team carrying out in-depth qualitative evaluation of the 2 year Advanced Training of Trainers in Europe using participant observations, in-depth interviews and focus groups. Work carried out in training courses in Strasbourg, Slovenia and Budapest.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
1997 – 2001 PhD - Thesis Title: 'Young People in the Construction of the Virtual University’, Empirical research on e-learning
Brunel University, London United Kingdom
1993 – 1997 Bachelor of Science in Sociology and Psychology
Brunel University, London United Kingdom
- sociology of risk- sociology of scientific knowledge / information society- anthropologyE-learning and Psychology- research methods
© European Union, 2002-2013 | http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu Page 1 / 2
CV 4
Curriculum Vitae
PERSONAL INFORMATION Betty Smith
32 Reading rd,Birmingham B26 3QJ United Kingdom
+44 2012345679 +44 7123456789
AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) betty.smith
Sex Female | Date of birth 01 March 1975
JOB APPLIED FOR European project manager
WORK EXPERIENCE
August 2002 – Present Independent consultant
British Council123, Bd Ney, 75023 Paris (France)
Evaluation of European Commission youth training support measures for youth nationalagencies and young people
March 2002 – July 2002 Internship
European Commission, Youth Unit, DG Education and Culture200, Rue de la Loi, 1049 Brussels (Belgium)
- evaluating youth training programmes for SALTO UK and the partnership between theCouncil of Europe and European Commission- organizing and running a 2 day workshop on non-formal education for Action 5 large scale projects focusing on quality, assessment and recognition- contributing to the steering sroup on training and developing action plans on training forthe next 3 years. Working on the Users Guide for training and the support measures
Business or sector European institution
October 2001 – February 2002 Researcher / Independent Consultant
Council of Europe, Budapest (Hungary)
Working in a research team carrying out in-depth qualitative evaluation of the 2 year Advanced Training of Trainers in Europe using participant observations, in-depth interviews and focus groups. Work carried out in training courses in Strasbourg, Slovenia and Budapest.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
1997 – 2001 PhD - Thesis Title: 'Young People in the Construction of the Virtual University’, Empirical research on e-learning
Brunel University, London United Kingdom
1993 – 1997 Bachelor of Science in Sociology and Psychology
Brunel University, London United Kingdom
- sociology of risk- sociology of scientific knowledge / information society- anthropologyE-learning and Psychology- research methods
© European Union, 2002-2013 | http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu Page 1 / 2
What advantages are there for the HR person and recruiter if you use the Europass?
How can you adapt Europass?
• CV-‐Example-‐1-‐en-‐GB.pdf
Templates: Moral of the story LinkedIn has a standard template. HR + recruiters are familiar with LinkedIn tempate. Templates are now the norm in CVs too. If you don’t use a template you risk alienaAng your potenAal employer.
What sections should a CV have? And in what order?
[The sections in a LinkedIn profile are automatically proposed to you.
The content is an expansion of what you would write in a CV.]
Sections in a CV • Personal data • Objective / Executive summary • Work experience • Academic experience • Skills • Hobbies and interests • Publications (possibly on separate page) • References
Typical LinkedIn structure: differences from CV in blue
• Name – posiAon, insAtute • Summary • Experience • Skills (for endorsements) • EducaAon • Honors & Awards • ConnecAons • AddiAonal interests, volunteer work etc
What personal data should you include?
• Personal data • Work experience • Academic experience • Skills • Hobbies and interests • Projects, publications, conferences • References
Personal Information for CV Name: no (this should be at top of CV) Date and place of birth: yes (but not by law) Nationality: yes Sex: male / female (only for Nicola, Andrea etc) Marital status: not necessary Phone: yes, but ONLY your cell phone Skype, Twitter, Facebook etc: no LinkedIn, Academia: yes Email: yes, but ….
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
A simple way to put your personal details
Pinco Pallino
10.03.1991, Italian,+ 39 340 7888 304, [email protected]
A simple way to put your personal details
Pinco Pallino
10.03.1991, Italian,+ 39 340 7888 304, [email protected]
No need to write: ‘Curriculum Vitae’
‘Personal InformaHon’
Should you put a photo?
• If not, why not? (e.g. to avoid discriminaAon) • If not, what will the HR person think / do?
• If you opt for a photo, what decisions do you need to make about what kind of photo to put?
Quiz: Part 2 How much time does the average recruiter spend reading a CV? a) 2 minutes b) 4 minutes c) 10 minutes d) Other (you decide) How long does it take for you to make an impression of someone the first time you meet him / her? a) 4-10 seconds b) 30 seconds c) 1-2 minutes d) 10 minutes or more
Answers
CV 6 seconds
First impression 4-10 seconds
Imagine you are a recruiter or HR person. You only have 6 seconds to
read a CV. What would really help you to get a fast an accurate impression of
a candidate?
Hint: If you are reading a scienAfic paper in a journal and you want to get
a quick idea of what the paper is about, what do you read?
Imagine you are a recruiter or HR person. You only have 6 seconds to read a CV. What would really help you to get a fast an accurate impression of a
candidate?
A SUMMARY!
Hint: If you are reading a scienAfic paper in a journal and you want to get a quick idea of what the paper is about, what do you read?
AN ABSTRACT!
In a CV, a summary / abstract is called
an ExecuHve Summary
Executive Summary
• Nine years of development experience. Strong core Java/J2SE - especially in high performance multi-threaded server development.
• Three years of work experience at Piaggio (Pontedera, Italy).
• Excellent knowledge of FIX and messaging based connectivity applications.
• Currently in final year of PhD in Virtual Robotics at the University of Pisa.
What is an Executive Summary?
Nine years of development experience. Strong core Java/J2SE - especially in high performance multi-threaded server development. Excellent knowledge of FIX and messaging based connectivity applications Currently in last year of PhD in Virtual Robotics at the Department of Information Engineeering of the University of Pisa. Three years of work experience at Piaggio (Pontedera, Italy).
A summary of your experience, full of key words. The example above is for an advertised job.
What should I put in my ExecuHve Summary?
• Look at adverAsements (annunci) for jobs in your field.
• Underline all the key words and technical (not communicaAon) skills.
• Where possible, insert the same key words and technical skills into your summary.
• Try to show evidence of the communicaAon skills (more on this later …)
Colin can simply email your executive summary to the client
Hi, I think you might be interested in Ugo Rossi, a very strong candidate: Nine years of development experience. Strong core Java/J2SE - especially in high performance multi-threaded server development. Excellent knowledge of FIX and messaging based connectivity applications Currently in last year of PhD in Virtual Robotics at the University of Pisa. Three years of work experience at Piaggio (Italy). Regards Colin ABC Recruitment Ltd
Only ONE of the two CVs in the photo has an ExecuAve Summary. Which one will Colin the recruiter pass on to his client?
Another example – this time for a non-advertised position
PosiHon desired: Research post in polymerizaAon Experience in syntheses of organic molecules and polymers especially fluorine-‐containing (meth)acrylate monomers, macromolecular iniAators and macromolecules with controlled architecture. Good knowledge of radical polymerizaAon methods e.g. ATRP, RAFT. Future interests: Supramolecular polymers, well-‐architectured macromolecules by controlled polymerizaAon, hybrid organic-‐inorganic nanocomposites …
Structure of Executive Summary PosiHon Desired Experience Good knowledge Future interests (research only) / Aims / Goals • 3-‐4 points (max 3 lines each), concise, no personal pronouns
• Full of key words • Highlight what makes you unique • No generic unsubstanAated statements
Put your Exec Summary directly under your Personal Details
Pinco Pallino
10.03.1991, Italian,+ 39 340 7888 304, [email protected]
PosiAon desired: Experience: Good knowledge: Future interests:
Alternatively, you can just write your OBJECTIVE.
Objective
To obtain a full-‐Ame research posiAon that offers opportuniAes to exploit
nanotechnologies while uAlizing my 5 years of experience in bioroboAcs.
A one-‐sentence statement to say • what you want • why you want it • your experience
Use an OBJECTIVE when you are NOT responding to a specific
advertisement. You are telling the HR person what your target is.
What is the problem with this objective?
To pursue higher studies that would
expose my fullest potenAal and abiliAes and opens opportuniAes for my
interests.
So vague. It could have been written by anyone
To pursue higher studies that expose my fullest potenAal and abiliAes and opens opportuniAes for my interests.
So vague. It could have been written by anyone
To pursue higher studies that expose my fullest potenAal and abiliAes and opens opportuniAes for
my interests.
Everything you write should be as specific as possible. This means it must
contain concrete key words.
To obtain a full-‐Ame research posiAon that offers opportuniAes to exploit
nanotechnologies while uAlizing my 5 years of experience in bioroboHcs.
• Personal data • Executive summary • Work experience • Academic experience • Skills • Hobbies and interests • Projects, publications, conferences • References
Resume = CV
Work experience • Start and finish dates
• Reverse chronological order
• Name of institute, location, area of research + link
• Your position in the lab + link to lab
• Brief description of what you did, highlighting how it relates to the position you are applying for + link to any projects
Brief description of what you did, highlighting how
it relates to the position you are applying for
Job specifications • Good knowledge of PQR!• Familiarity with XYZ!• Report writing skills!• Good communication skills!
You write in Work Experience section Worked in lab with PQR instrumentation. Drafted two requests for EU funding (both accepted). Attended three conferences on XYZ (one as an invited speaker). Trained new staff in ABC.!
Demonstrate that you meet the job requirements
Worked in lab with PQR instrumentation. Technical skills Drafted two requests for EU funding (both accepted). Writing skills !!Attended three conferences on XYZ (one as an invited speaker). Technical + communication skills !Trained new staff in ABC. Communication skills !
Academic experience • Start and finish dates, reverse chronological order
• Name of department / institute, location + link
• Projects worked on with details on how they relate to the position you are looking for now + link
• Thesis + link
Thesis Only put thesis title if it is
self-explanatory. Two line description of
thesis. Do NOT put: • exact date you defended
you thesis • names of supervisors
unless …
Writing dates
Date of birth 19 November 1990 Employment / 2012 – 2014 Education 2011 – now / present
Dec 2014 - Jan 2015 Graduation 5 November 2012
4 March 2015
Use links – to make your CV more concise
• Places: universities, labs, research institutes, companies
• People: supervisors, referees
• Docs: your papers, presentations
• Your work: projects, thesis
• In the Personal Data section: LinkedIn, Academia
Degrees and Scores “First level degree” = 3-year Honour’s degree /
Bachelor’s degree “Second level degree” = 2-year Master’s “Five year degree” = BSc + MSc “Master” = 2-year specialized Master’s,
including internship Doctorate: PhD 110/110 cum laude (i.e. top marks, full
honours)
Degrees and Scores
On Wikipedia, search for: international degree equivalencies
How much of this do you understand?
2006-‐2009 Liceum Ogólnokształcące nr IV im. C.K. Norwida (very good grades)
Don’t use words from your own language
TranslaHng / AdapHng your CV
• Use the English template of Europass, not the Italian one
• Don’t leave any words in your own language – either translate or delete
• Provide internaAonal equivalents to your degree
• Don’t include any informaAon that is strictly related to your country (e.g. data privacy, signature)
• Personal data • Executive summary • Work experience • Academic experience • Skills • Hobbies and interests • Projects, publications, conferences • References
What’s wrong with this Technical Skills section?
Software skills Good knowledge of Matlab / Simulink. Good knowledge of C/C++ language. Good knowledge of Java language. Good knowledge of Html/Javascript. Good knowledge of ASP. Good knowledge of PHP. Good knowledge of Visual Studio. Good knowledge of query language (MySql). Good knowledge of Unix operating systems. Good knowledge of Latex. Good knowledge of Doxygen. Intermediate knowledge of Labview.
Languages: Keep it simple
Mother tongue: Italian English: C1; Chinese: B2; French: C2 http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/resources/european-language-levels-cefr
• Personal data • Executive summary • Work experience • Academic experience • Skills • Hobbies and interests • Projects, publications, conferences • References
Top qualiAes for team member: soL skills • Similar but not idenAcal background • Easy to get on with – sociable, friendly • Good communicaAon skills (incl. presentaAons) • Competent + experience in specific topic • Good academic results • Easy to understand • Good language skills • Good with stress + hard worker • Problem solver • Non-‐domineering, not solitary
The key to a good CV is to show that you have ALL these qualiHes. • Similar but not idenAcal background • Easy to get on with – sociable, friendly • Good communicaAon skills (incl. presentaAons) • Competent + experience in specific topic • Good academic results • Easy to understand • Good language skills • Good with stress + hard worker • Problem solver • Non-‐domineering, not solitary
Many job advertisements specifically request soft skills
Connect the squares in anyway you want
Communications skills My experience has enabled me to build relationships easily and solve problems fast and efficiently. I can work under pressure both in a team and independently. Responsibility, punctuality and efficiency have always formed part of my work.
Should you have a separate section for Soft Skills?
Communications skills My experience has enabled me to build relationships easily and solve problems fast and efficiently. I can work under pressure both in a team and independently. Responsibility, punctuality and efficiency have always formed part of my work.
Who does the description below refer to? i) you specifically?
ii) most PhD students on planet Earth?
Communications skills My experience has enabled me to build relationships easily and solve problems fast and efficiently. I can work under pressure both in a team and independently. Responsibility, punctuality and efficiency have always formed part of my work.
So, should you have a separate section for Soft Skills? No. Your CV should clearly demonstrate that you have
these skills without you stating this explicitly.
Example
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE Jan 2013-‐Feb 2014 Prof Yang’s lab (MIT, USA) Assistant researcher: worked on blah, blah, blah blah, blah using x, y, and z technologies. Successfully completed two projects on A and B, working to very Aght deadlines. Responsible for small team of researchers. Held 3-‐month course for second-‐year undergraduates. Presented papers at two internaAonal conferences.
Do you play tennis? Is it important in your CV to say what hobbies and
interests you have?
Which of these hobbies and interests would you put on your CV and LinkedIn?
• Reading • Sports • Travelling • Playing the guitar • Salsa dancing • Sailing • Computer games • Voluntary work • Blood donor • Board games • Baby sitting • Politics (member of x party)
Interests and other informaHon
• Voluntary work (say what you did) • Membership of associaAons • Baby sirng • Etc
Why menAon these acAviAes?
Papers, presentaHons, posters etc
• Only include a list of these if you are applying for a job in research
• Put them on a separate page – or simply have a link to your webpage
• For industry, you can summarize your achievements by saying: As first author, wrote 5 peer-‐reviewed papers for interna?onal journals; presented 3 papers at interna?onal conferences …
• Personal data • Executive summary • Work experience • Academic experience • Skills • Hobbies and interests • References
We’ve nearly finished!
What is a reference? The name and contact details of someone you have worked for.
HR people often contact your reference to check that you can really do what you say you can do.
The reference should include:
• name
• position
• email address
Choose the references that have the most connection to the job you want.
Get references from everyone you work for
Whenever you work for someone - a professor or a company - get a reference from them. Also, ask their permission to use their name and email address on your CV.
LeKer in support to the candidacy of Barbara Bargagna as XXX at the XXX I am wriAng this, having assessed the capacity of Barbara Bargagna both as a teacher of Social Anthropology (University of Pisa) and during her Master’s in biomedical anthropology at the Humanist InsAtute, of which I am the coordinator. Also in this last year I got to know the skills and potenAal of the candidate as a research fellow at our insAtute.
How could the beginning of this reference leKer be improved?
I am wriAng this, having assessed the capacity of Barbara Bargagna both as a teacher of Social Anthropology (University of Pisa) and during her Master’s in biomedical anthropology at the Humanist InsAtute, of which I am the coordinator. 51 words and very poorly structured, including ambiguity
Reference Letter Structure:
1) Have a short clear heading
NO!!! LeFer in support to the candidacy of Barbara Bargagna as researcher at the InsAtute of X.
Barbara Bargagna
2) Begin with a one-sentence positive statement
NO!!! I am wriAng this, having assessed the capacity of Barbara Bargagna both as a teacher of Social Anthropology. Barbara Bargagna It is a pleasure for me to have the opport-‐unity to thoroughly recommend Barbara Bargagna [for the posiAon of …]
Short clear sentences in a logical order
I am the coordinator of Humanist InsAtute at the University of Pisa (Italy). I was Barbara Bargagna’s supervisor while she was doing her Master’s of Science in Biomedical Anthropology. She was also a student in my class on Social Anthropology.
Structure of Reference Letter 3) Referee states his / her position
I am the coordinator of Humanist InsAtute at the University of Pisa (Italy).
4) Referee states how he / she is connected to the candidate
I was Barbara Bargagna’s supervisor while she was doing her Master’s of Science in Biomedical Anthropology.
5) Specific details – this should represent the main part of the letter
During her Master’s thesis, Barbara demonstrated great intuiAveness in solving ... In fact, she played a major role in … She also …
6) Refer to candidate’s personality
Barbara has a bright and lively personality and works extremely well in teams, both as a team member and team leader.
7) End in positive way
I very much hope that her applicaAon will be taken into serious consideraAon as I am sure that Barbara Bargagna represents an excellent candidate.
Summary of structure
1. Heading 2. PosiAve opening sentence 3. Referee’s posiAon 4. Referee’s connecAon to candidate 5. Details about candidate’s qualificaAons 6. Reference to candidate’s wonderful personality 7. PosiAve conclusion
Reference letters are very important.
Write them yourself and get the prof to sign them.
Alternatively, don’t be afraid to modify
what your prof writes. Even the best profs are not perfect! … But you are!
If you write your own references, make sure they all look different
Different font, layout and date systems
Different beginnings and endings
Different lengths
SUMMARY (1): Your CV says a lot about you, and not just your experience and technical skills
• Organization skills (layout) • Accuracy at work (spelling) • Consistency (dates, fonts, bold) • Communication skills (readability) • Ability to be concise • Personality (interests) • Proactive (you have thought about all
the reader’s needs and questions)
Summary (2)
• Only what reader really needs to know. • Clear simple layout - 10/11 pt font, Arial
(not Times) • Put info in reverse chronological order • Your CV = your image = you • Keep it short • References
And do not write anything strictly connected to Italian system
• No signature • No state examination • No privacy • No words in Italians (e.g. generic
names of institutes /schools, thesis titles)
Which of these is the most important document in terms of
getting a job?
• Thesis • Publication in international journal • CV • Cover letter for job application
Which of these is the most important document in the life of a researcher
• Thesis • Publication in international journal • CV • Cover letter for job application
Cover LeKer
What should you include in the cover letter?
How long should it be?
What to include in cover letter • Say what job you are applying for and why you
are interested in this field / company • Say how your skills and experience directly
apply to that job • Do NOT talk about the benefits for YOU of
working for them • Make it clear you know something about the
institute / company, and how you would fit in • Keep it as short as possible
Layout of cover letter Find documents written by the institute /
company and imitate their:
• style • layout - e.g. use of white space • font and font size Make it seem that you already work for that
institute / company.
To whom it may concern For the attention of the human resources manager. To the head of the Risk Analysis Department Dear Sir / Madam
Addressing the reader: how effecHve are these?
• Find out the name of HR person and address him /her : Dear Hugo Martin
Why is this important?
How much do you want that job?
If you really want something there is always a way to find
out the name of the relevant person.
And it will say a lot about your character if you find
the way.
If you find out the name of the relevant person it clearly demonstrates that you:
• really want the job • are proactive • are different from the average candidate
In a letter, have a subject line
fao: Human Resources Manager ESA 254 Boulevard Raspail, 75014 Paris 18 March 2014
ICT engineer (ESA website 15 March)
I would like to apply for the position of ICT engineer as advertised on your website.
Subject line in non-advertised position
ICT engineer I was wondering whether you have any positions available at ESA for an ICT engineer. OR
ICT engineer Your name was given to me by Prof Jo Smith, who thought you might have position available as an ICT engineer.
Beginning your letter: What impression will HR person have?
My name is XYZ and I would like to become part in a dynamic and innovaAve field. I am looking for a sAmulaAng and strongly internaAonal atmosphere that favors my career development. I know about Your job posiAon and I would like to give my effort to your, welcoming the opportunity to uAlise the knowledge and experience I have gained …
Is this a good letter? Why? What impression will HR person have? I am very interested in applying for the Consultant PosiAon at UNIDO. I am in my final year of X at the University of Pisa. The qualificaAons and skills I bring to this posiAon include: • Ph.D. in Economics • Experience at OECD in the Development and Technical CooperaAon Division (April 2012)
• Data management skills I will discuss my final thesis in May 2014 and I would be available to start work immediately ayer. I look forward to hearing from you.
ApplicaHon for post-‐doc : GOOD example, why? I am wriAng to inquire about the possibility of a postdoctoral posiAon in your laboratory. I graduated in 2012 with an MSc in X. I am currently a PhD student in Prof X’s laboratory at the University of Pisa and I plan to graduate in June 2014. My PhD work has focused on xxx. All my work to date has been published in arAcles in top internaAonal journals. I have experience in: • x • y • z I know that you are currently working on X, and I believe that my experience in this area (three EU-‐funded projects) would be an asset to your team I look forward to hearing from you.
1) Say what posiHon you want
I am wriAng to inquire about the possibility of a postdoctoral posiAon in your laboratory.
2) Say what you’re doing now, and when your current posiHon will end
I graduated from Wroclaw Technical University in 2012 with an MSc in X. I am currently a PhD student in Prof X’s laboratory at the University of Pisa and I plan to graduate in June 2014
3) Selected past history that will interest the professor and that gives you credibility
My PhD work has focused on xxx. All my work to date has been published in arAcles, whose Atles can be found in the aFached CV. I have experience in NMR techniques, especially regarding xx and yy. I have been trained to operate Bruker NMR 400MHz, 500MHz, 600 MHz using Xwin-‐NMR. etc etc etc
4) Show that you know about the prof (or company) Highlight benefit of having you in their team
I know that you are currently working on X, and I believe that my experience in this area (three EU-‐funded projects) would be an asset to your team.
5) Brief ending – further details can be given in the next email
I look forward to hearing from you. Karolina Gajda
Summary of simple structure for cover leKer
1. Job you want 2. Current situaAon + end point 3. Relevant past history 4. Benefit for them (unique
factors you can offer) 5. Brief final salutaAon
Remember: HR want to know not just your technical skills and experience but also:
• Concrete evidence of these skills
• Ability to work in teams + evidence of this
• Ability to do presentations
• Evidence that you know something about their institute / company
Be careful of how you talk about your personality and soft skills
Would you say this?
I hate human relaAonships. I’m lazy, with a zero capacity for teamwork. I have rarely worked during my studies and I never meet deadlines. It is important for me never to finish my projects.
So don’t say this. Too vague. Applicable to everyone
I love human relaAonships. I’m proacAve with a high capacity for teamwork. I work hard during my studies. I like to complete my projects and goals.
Your cover leKer is NOT a horoscope Make it as specific as possible
Remove redundant informaHon – this will help the key informaHon to stand out clearly
• Your name at beginning • Enclosed CV • Available for interview (only say when NOT available)
• Contact you for addiAonal info • References upon request
Remove redundancy Dear Mrs Helen Murray
Application for position of Post doc DVB researcher
With reference to the vacancy advertised on your website, I would
like to apply for the position of post doc researcher.
I am particularly interested in taking active part in the research
activities of the Connectivity Systems and Network department. In
fact, I spent an internship at XYZ where I also managed a small team
of PhD students.
As you will note from my CV / resume, In November 2011, I
graduated in Telecommunication Engineering at the University of
Pisa, Italy. For my Masters project, I was an intern at XYZ, where I
joined the DVB-TM ad hoc working group and worked on carrier
synchronization algorithms for DVB-S2 applications.
I am available for interview at any time.
If you need any further information, do not hesitate to contact me
either by phone or e-mail.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Pinco Pallino
Enc: CV !
I am pleased to submit to your aFenAon my CV. Please find in aFachment my curriculum. I passed the state exam, obtaining the Atle of Engineer. WaiAng for your favourable response. I remain in expectaAon of Your sollecit reply. Ing. Rossi.
Be careful of set phrases (Italianisms)
I am pleased to submit to your aFenAon my CV. I read your job posAng for an Assistant Administrator with interest. Please find in aFachment my curriculum. Please find my CV aFached. (probably redundant) I passed the state exam, obtaining the Atle of Engineer. Meaningless outside Italy. WaiAng for your favourable response. I look forward to hearing from you. I remain in expectaAon of Your sollecit reply. Ing. Rossi. I look forward to hearing from you. Best regards, Carlo Rossi
Be careful of set phrases (Italianisms)
Dangers of templates from the Internet
You might copy phrases that don’t fit in with the rest of your letter because they are in perfect English (!), too formal/informal, antiquated, inappropriate (e.g. too American) Solution 1: Only copy phrases you • have frequently seen before • understand completely Solution 2: Only write phrases you • are sure exist in English (not Italianisms) • have checked with Google
Copied by Italian PhD students from US website: What’s the problem?
I would be a valuable asset to your firm and for your research team. I feel that a meeAng would allow us to beFer understand each other’s needs. Please contact me at your earliest convenience so that we can set up a Ame that works for both us as I am eager to speak with you about the direcAon that your University is moving.
1) Only copy the relevant parts 2) Don’t randomly replace one key
word (company) with another (university)
(1) I would be a valuable asset to your firm and for your research team.
(2) I am eager to speak with you about the direcAon that your University is moving.
Intelligence test # 9
Bat + ball = $1.10 Bat = $1 more than ball Ball =
Responding to an adverHsement
Match your qualficaHons with their requirements
SELECTION CRITERIA • PhD pertaining to design, implementaHon and evaluaHon of environment related programs and projects
• Knowledge of Bank operaHons and insAtuAonal issues
• Ability to to produce high-‐quality output in response to Hght deadlines
Match your qualficaHons with their requirements
Knowledge of Bank operaHons and insAtuAonal issues
I have worked for Barclays and MPS as a … Ability to produce high-‐quality output in response to Hght deadlines and I …
During my internship at MPS, I successfully completed two projects ahead of schedule.
Summary: Writing skills
So, what have you learned about wriHng skills?
• Write from reader’s point of view, not yours • Make it easy for the reader to find info -‐ ensure important / unique info stands out
• Reasonably short sentences – no incisi • Clear, logical structure to each sentence / para • Concise and no redundancy – every secAon / paragraph / word must add value for the reader
• Check your grammar – only write what you know is 100% correct
• Check your spelling
ApplicaHon for post-‐doc : BAD example, why?
I recently completed the Phd in xxxx at the University of Pisa, and I’d like to become a good researcher in this field. I enclose a copy of my curriculum vitae for your consideraAon. I would like to increase my experience and knowledge in your laboratories, because they are very technological and.. technology is fundamental to be a good scienAst! I am avalaible for an interview at any Ame, and I am avalaible for work immediately.
Terrible because:
• Probably took 2 minutes to write • No structure • All I can, I am, I have, I need, I want • No menAon of benefit for prof • Redundant info • No spell check = terrible impression / image of candidate
What impression would you have of this candidate?
Sono correntemente un studente di doForato di ricerca in laboratorio Prof Rossi presso l'Università di Pisa è ho intenzione di laurearmi a jugno 2014. So che lei sta lavorando su X, e credo che la mia experienza in questa seFore (tree proger finanziaA dall’EU) sarebbe un bene per la Tua squadra. Non vedo l'ora di senAre da Lei. SlauA cordiali,
Don’t underesHmate the importance of docs that will help you to get a job.
It is worth paying an expert to correct your: CV
Cover leKer / email Reference leKers
What is €50 once in your life, compared to
€5000 every month?
