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Student Life  Careers & Employability

Job Applications & Interviews

Getting a job is all down to how well you market yourself to potential recruiters. Knowing what goes into making a good CV or application form and being able to perform well at interview can go a long way to convincing employers that you are right for the job. On this page you will find online resources to support your job search covering:


Your CV

  • Your CV is your marketing tool. It summarises your qualifications, experience and skills, targeting that which is most relevant to meet the skill set sought by the recruiter.
  • You decide what to include and what to leave out, but it most cases it should be no longer than two sides of A4.
  • The layout is important - this is what first attracts the reader and then encourages them to continue reading.
  • Watch the video below for our 5 minute guide to writing a CV:

Get our guide to creating your CV
Get our guide to creating your CV for Postgraduates

Weekly CV Workshops (Commencing Wednesday 7th March 2012)

  • Every Wednesday 3.45pm – 4.45pm in the Careers and Employability Service, University House. 
  • Please note that you will need to bring along a paper copy of your CV in order to join the workshop.
  • You do not need to book beforehand but there will be a maximum limit of 25 people per workshop. Sign-ups will be taken 10 minutes before the workshop starts and students will not be able to join the session if more than 15 minutes late.

 CV Clinic

  • You can get your CV checked at CV Clinic every Tuesday 10.00am-12.00pm & Thursdays 2.00pm-4.00pm, No appointment is necessary.
  • There will be a maximum of 12 time slots available on the day, sign-ups will be taken 10mins before the start of the session.

Careers Clinic

  • You can get careers advice or your CV checked by one of our CV Consultants every Wednesday 11.00am-1.00pm, No appointment is necessary.
  • There will be a maximum of 4 time slots available on the day, sign-ups will be taken 10mins before the start of the session.

Covering Letters

  • When sending a CV it is usual to enclose a letter, this pulls together some of the threads of the CV and allows you to highlight that which is particularly appropriate to the job.
  • Your letter should be word-processed and no more than one page of A4 in length.

Get our guide to writing covering letters

Application Forms

  • The application form is usually your first contact with a future employer, the forms are structured so that they can ask about very specific skills and experiences and compare them to the job requirements.
  • Make sure that you read the form carefully, and even photocopy it, so that you can practise before putting pen to paper on the real thing
  • Read it thoroughly so that you understand what is being asked in order that you can frame your answers appropriately.

Get our guide to completing application forms

Employers will often ask questions on their applications that centre around providing evidence for the development of your transferable skills.

Online Applications

Many companies are now offering the option of applying on the web, and some companies only use this method.

  • The rules of preparation and completing an online form are the same as for the paper version, and the same amount of preparation and care is needed
  • Give yourself plenty of time to complete the form and allow for system failures, which are not uncommon
  • Make sure you read the instructions very carefully. Not all systems allow you to save your work and return to the form later and you may have to complete it in one sitting.

For current students of the University of Salford, you can watch a video packed full of useful tips from any PC on campus. This video is accompanied by reference notes you can download and keep.

Psychometric Tests

Many graduate employers use psychometric testing and assessment centres during the selection process. For more information on psychometric testing, have a look at this webpage, which contains a list of useful resources and information on how Careers and Employability can help you prepare.

Get our guide on Preparing for Assessment Centres

Also available are 2 films packed full of useful tips about going to an assessment centre. These films can be watched on any University of Salford PC and is accompanied by reference notes you can download and keep.

Interviews

When you are invited for an interview, the good news is that they like what you have written in your application or CV and want to know more about you. The bad news is that you will only have a short time to convince them that you really are the one they want.

  • Typically employers will only invite between 10% and 20% of applicants for an interview. These candidates are the best 10% to 20%, so the competition is greater
  • The key to a good interview performance is PREPARATION and then some more PREPARATION!

Careers and Employability also offers a mock interview service so you can practise - telephone Careers and Employability for details.

Get our guide to preparing for interviews

For current students of the University of Salford, you can watch a series of films giving an insight into graduate job interviews. The films shows real students and graduates being interviewed by actual recruiters. We see extracts from each interview and hear the selectors give their verdicts and the candidates reflect on their own performances.

If you attend a job interview, you can help Careers to help other students and graduates by completing one of our Interview Report sheets (available from Careers). The form asks you for some basic information on the kinds of questions which you were asked, what topics you had to discuss, and any exercises or assessments which you had to go through. Careers is aiming to create a collection of completed Interview Report Sheets, so that we have a source of useful information for other students and graduates attending interviews in the future. If you attend an interview and would like to complete a Report sheet for us, please contact us.

Further Help: Electronic Books and Videos

An electronic or e-book is essentially a book made available via a computer screen. There is now a range of e-books available that will help you with your job-hunting, applications and interviews that you can read on your computer. Selected titles have been evaluated by Careers Advisers from Careers and Employability at the University of Salford to ensure that the material is relevant to your needs.
The Careers and Employability Service has several films for current students of the University of Salford, covering going to an assessment centre and making online applications. These films are packed with useful tips and can be watched on any University of Salford PC; these films are accompanied by reference notes you can download and keep.

You can also view a suite of four films which give an insight into graduate job interviews. The films are called "Making an impact: the graduate job interview" and were made by the University of Southampton, who are the copyright holders. The films shows real students and graduates being interviewed by actual recruiters. We see extracts from each interview and hear the selectors give their verdicts and the candidates reflect on their own performances. The films may be viewed on campus by current students of the University of Salford and staff.

Further Help: Speak to a Careers Consultant

If you feel you need to speak to a Careers Consultant on a one-to-one basis about your CV or applications that you are making, you can book a 30 minute appointment by calling us on 0161 295 5088. A Careers Consultant will listen to your ideas, help you identify your strengths, weaknesses and skills and assist you in relating all of these things to the world of work. Careers and Employability also offers a mock interview service so that you can practise your interview skills. 

Appointments are available for current students/graduates of the University of Salford. To make an appointment, either call into Careers and Employability in person or ring 0161 295 5088.

If you find it difficult to make it to the Careers Office, you can e-mail your careers questions to our team of advisers.