THE APPLICATION PROCESS: HOW TO SUBMIT A STANDOUT APPLICATION
The first impression an employer will get of you will be your application. Make sure yours leaves a positive impression by following these tips:
Cover Letter
A cover letter is usually the first impression an employer receives of a candidate, and at Rygor, we are particularly impressed when a candidate takes the time to include one. To stand out, it’s a great idea to include a personalised cover letter for each application. Personalise the letter as much as possible to the company, the culture and the role. A cover letter usually includes an introduction about yourself and why you’re applying for the specific role, a paragraph on how you would add value and closes with a request for an interview along with your contact information. A tailored cover letter demonstrates the right skills and behaviours for the role you are applying for.
Layout
A standard CV usually must include the following sections: contact information, professional summary, employment history, education, any relevant certificates or awards and skills. Use a professional font and keep your CV in a clear and concise format, no longer than one or two pages long.
Tailor
Present skills and experiences that are relevant to the job you are applying for. This will demonstrate to the employer that you are capable of doing the role and you understand your purpose and how you add value.
Employment History
Include language from the job description into your application. This will align your application with the specific job specification. By starting your paragraphs with strong verbs, e.g. ‘managed’ and ‘inspired’, you can demonstrate to the employer that you have the relevant experience and can show them what you specifically have done as opposed to what your team, colleagues or business has achieved.
Language
If adopting a chronological structure to your CV, which is most common, your employment history should begin with your most recent employment. You should include the name of the company, your job role, dates of your employment and bullet point your responsibilities and achievements, which are relevant to the role you are applying for. We also want to know what you have done specifically done, such as projects led and changes you have made. We want to know how YOU can add value.
Education
Your educational background should include the institutions you attended, with dates and grades achieved.
Skills & Behaviours
Include a list of your skills which are relevant to the job you are applying for. For example, any languages, IT programmes or data analysis skills. Additionally, there are lots of behaviours which are important in the workplace. For example, resilience, time management, influencing and engagement.
Accuracy
It may seem obvious, but applications with typos, spelling mistakes and errors in do not look good to the hiring manager. If this isn’t your forte, share with someone to review or use the internet to check.