ELT FACT SHEET NO. 7

At this time of your life, applying for a job seems like one of the most important (and possible difficult) things you have ever had to do. You've worked hard, become educated, sought work and other experience and tried to build character. Now you are a bout to graduate and eager to put into practice all you've learned. You are ready to begin a professional career.

But first you have to present yourself in the best possible light to a potential employer. You do this by carefully crafting an application letter and resume (or Curriculum Vitas, for teaching posts). These are designed to interest the employer in inviting you to attend an interview, at which time you have a further opportunity to demonstrate your ability to fill the position.

Expert advice, information, and publication on the job application process can be obtained at the University's Appointment Service. This Fact Sheet is designed to complement guidance you can receive there.

The Resume
Putting together a complete resume of details about your education, expereience, personal characteristics, and names of referees is a useful way to begin. Once this information has been compiled in a document of possibly three or four pages, you can draw from it relevant bits when crafting the one to one-and-a-half page resume you will send for a particular position. Why so short? Wouldn't it be better to send off the complete document that lists everything that might poddibly interestan employer?

The answer is no. If you put yourself in the employer's place you will understand why. Employer are busy and have many, perhaps hundreds, of resumes to read; therefore, it is better to include only information that demonstrates your qualification for the position under consideration.

You want to make it easy for an employer to see your strengths for the vacant position. These strengths will not stand out if your resume is cluttered up with irrelevant information. Remember this: an employer will not study a resume, but will briefly skim it, probably taking less than 30 seconds to do so, and probably not doing more than glancing at the pages beyond the first one. In the employer's mind is the question "Might this applicant meet my compnay's need for a well-qualified person to fill this post?" Employers will only read enough to help them answer that question. Why not strategically select the characteristics about yourself that are most persuasive, targetted for a particular position, and lay them out in an attractive format on one page?

Below is a sample resume with comments about the details given, its format, and its visual impact. With some work, your resume can look good, greatly improving your chances of being invited for an interview.

JOB OBJECTIVE (note 2)	To obtain a Programmer position in an innovative and growing software house
EDUCATION (note 3)	1987-present. The Chinese University of Hong Kong Bachelor of Science Degree (expected June 1991) Major: Computer Science Minor: Business Administration GPA: 3.6
HONORS	Head of College Creativity Prize 1990 First Bank Scholarship
ACTIVITIES	1990. Chairman - Computer Science Society Organizer - CUHK Open Day 1989. Vice President - Hostel Residents Committee Member - Skydiving CLub 1988. Organizer - Orientation Camp, Chung Chi College
WORK EXPERIENCE (note 4)	6/90-8/90. Programmer, Big Company Ltd.] 6/89-8/89. Temproary Computer Clerk, North Insurance Company
PERSONAL	Nationality: British (Hong Kong) (note 5) Date of Birth: January 1, 1969 Martial Status: Single H.K.I.D. No: H111111(1)
LANGUAGES	Cantonese, English, Mandrian
INTERESTS:	Hiking, skydiving, travel, playing the harmonica (note 6)

Note of Resume

1. The title RESUME can be used or omitted.
2. Job Objective - revised for different positions.
3. Education - Knowledge of which computer languages, systems, applications might be included,e.g. by listing courses. Secondary school might be included here if it strengthens application.
4. All information presented with most recent first.
5. Nationality - Important to clarify. Also no need to put sex (photo enclosed) or AGE (birthdate given)
6. You might list reference here, if requested. Entries (education, work experience, etc ) arranged in order of important. (That's why PERSONAL is put last here). Notice the consistency in headings, spacing and lots of white space.

Along with your resume you will send a letter of application. Have you ever wondered what is the purpose of the application letter, since the resume already gives detailed information about you? Is it just a convention that must be followed, or does the application letter have an important role to play in presenting yourself?

The application letter does have an important role to play. Besides being a polite way of introducing yourself, stating for which post you are applying, and your availablity and hopes for an interview, the application letter provides one more valuable opportunity to sell yourself by demonstrating how well your qualifications match the employer's needs. The application letter also sends a powerful message about your ability to present yourself as a professional.

A good application letter interests the (busy) employer in reading the resume for further details and ultimately, in inviting you for an interview. Here are some characteristics of an effective application letter:

• It is one page only (featuring highlights from resume plus other information that might be of interest, e.g. a sentence suggesting your long-term committment to staying in Hong Kong or some reference that demonstrates your specificknowledge about the company)
• Is (preferably) addressed to a particular person
• Has a really effective opening paragraph
• states position you are applying for and where you heard of it
• mentions meeting recruiters, attending talks (which shows your interest in the company)
• makes a concrete statement of how you can meet employer's needs
• Takes a YOU attitude toward employer; stresses meeting company's needs
• (not why I hope for this job, how it meets my needs, suits my interests)
• Supports every general statement with concrete, specific details
• Is written by the applicant (not copying a model)
• Is modified for each post applied for -- targetted for that post
• Takes a positive tone (not apologetic or negative)
• Has a confident tone (without being boastful, shows what you have done that prepares you to meet the
• requirements of that position, how you stand out from other applicants)
• Takes a polite tone without being excessively formal or using jargon
• If asked to state salary expected, gives a range (after consulting Appointment Services)
• Is accurate in grammar and spelling; has no typing errors
• Is printed on good quality paper with a letter quality printer
• Is visually appealing (uses short paragraphs; is well-spaced, neat)

After you have written your own letter, ask yourself if it possesses these characteristics. Also, you can compare it to the sample job application letter below. With the guidance provided, we hope you can write effective job application letters that lead to interviews at which you can choose and be chosen for the professional position of your dreams!

1234 High Class Estate Block 5 Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: 2888-8888 (note1) 21 April, 1999

Wong Tai Man
Project Manager
New Options Software
35/F Upbeat Building
18 Market Street
North Point, Hong Kong

Dear Mr. Wong:

  Please consider my application for the Programmer position advertised in last Saturday's South China Morning Post. I
believe I possess the required qualifications, as well as personal characteristics which would make me an asset to your team.(note)

  As you can see from my enclosed resume, I will soon receive my Bachelor's Degree (majoring in computer science) from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. My background includes coursework and experience in using several computer languages and applications, including ............... My senior project involved designing ....... (note 3)

 While participating in activities at university and in doing summer jobs I also developed personal characteristeics that have prepared me to work as a member of a team. For example, I worked on organizing committees for the university's open day and Chung Chi's orientation camp. In this way I learned the importance of careful planning and job allocation, cooperation, and responsibility to ensure a successful outcome. (note 4) Last summer shile working on a DBase application as part of a larger project in the Big Company, I observed the importance of good communications course last term. (note 5)

  As you can see from the above example, I am eager to develop myself, and hope that my learning experiences will not stop after graduation from university. For that reason I am especially interested in a position at New Options, as previous graduates have praised the company's emphasis on staff development. (note 6)

  I see myself in the long-term future as living in Hong Kong and contributing to a company which is innovative and growing. (note 7) Therefore, I would like to ask that you grant me an interview at which I can explain in greater detail my qualifications to be a Pro grammer for New Options. At that time I would also be happy to furnish you with names of referees, copies of certificates, and other documentation you might need. Thank you for your consideration. (note 8)

Sincerely yours, [signature] Chan Yuen Yee, Alice

Encl.

• note 1 - Address and phone where messages can be left reliably (not hostel)
• note 2 - Polite opening
• note 3 - Specific details - targetted to advertisement
• note 4 - Specific details which can't be found on the resume.
• note 5 - Shows eagerness to learn and extra skill in communication.
• note 6 - Shows knowledge of company.
• note 7 - Shows plans to stay in Hong Kong.
• note 8 - Polite closing