Using your CV effectively

The CV you have spent so long creating now needs to do its job – earn you interviews. In order for it to do that, you must send it with the right covering letter. This section helps you to craft letters for use when responding to a job advertisement.

Replying to job advertisements

Job ads represent the most open recruitment marketplace. It is a highly competitive field, so your application needs to work hard for you. Careful preparation of a succinct covering letter is every bit as important as the CV itself.

Matching up

A job advertisement provides only very limited information about the employer and the role. Your challenge is to look beyond the actual words, analyse the employer’s needs, and match yourself to those criteria. The more precisely your skills can be linked to the job, the greater your chance of being short listed – a good guideline is that you should exceed 80% of the advertised requirements.

Following instructions

Read reply instructions carefully. One of the most common reasons for applications being rejected at the first sift is that the reply instructions have not been followed. You will usually be asked to quote a reference number, and may be asked for other information, such as salary expectations. Only rarely will advertisers come back to you to request information you have omitted – they will have plenty of other applicants who will have followed the instructions.

Surviving the first sift

Your application may not get more than a 30-second look first time around. Check that you have done the following to ensure it passes that 30-second test and makes it to the next stage:

• You have followed reply instructions
• Your overall presentation is good
• Your written style is clear
• You have been succinct
• You have shown good attention to detail
• You have displayed good judgment by selecting the right, relevant information

Do’s and don’ts

Do keep dated copies of all the job ads you reply to
Do check if there is a closing date, and reply in plenty of time
Do write a relevant covering letter with every application
Do ensure your application passes the 30-second test

Don’t get despondent if you are rejected – accept it and move on to the next application
Don’t apply indiscriminately for jobs; each application you make needs to be focused
Don’t ignore reply instructions
Don’t omit specifically required information