Help - how to write this application!

kitschkitty

How can you apply?

There is NO application form, we will shortlist for interview / assessment based on the information you provide, so:
Send us your details including:
- Where you saw the post advertised
- The post you are applying for
- How we can contact you
- Your employment history for the last two jobs including dates & reasons for leaving.
- Why you are the right person for this job – Remember to demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points described in ‘who we are looking for’ above. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work/ personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and what effect it had.
- Please provide details for us to obtain a reference from your current/last employer (if currently unemployed).

It says to email or by post so I was planning to email, but I'm feeling a little out of my depth as how to best write/format the information they have asked for (as they don't want a CV.

Should I just write it completely in order as requested or should I rearrange it to flow more smoothly?

I'm thinking with job details they want detailed but succinct paragraphs to highlight the points as relevant to the job description.

If anyone has completed applications (successfully!) in this format, I'd really appreciate your help!

rosered1963

Hi - Arghh these are so much work, but I think you are on the right lines. I would do it in a letter format - Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to apply for the post of....

Answer the first three factual questions in order.

For the employment history bit, lay this out indented. Do it in a bespoke way to suit the job applied for.

Why you are the right person for the job section: The "who we are looking for" bit is the person specification. (If there is a separate job description, you might want to use that as your basis if it is more detailed.) Go through all of this in order, listing how each of the following show how you are the right person: Skills, qualifications and experience. You can used bullet points here to break up the text.

When you have done this, in your last para, you can include anything else that you think will help your application that you haven't included in the main body of text. Eg relevant experience gained other than in paid work, like voluntary work. Anything special you have to offer relevant to the job, and say when are available for interview, and that references are available.

I hope this helps. I would suggest keeping it to 2 pages and make plenty of white space in the text to make it easy to read.

I would send it by post personally -but whatever you want.

hope you get on ok!

Its quite clever of them really

planning_officer

kitschkitty wrote: »

- Why you are the right person for this job – Remember to demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points described in ‘who we are looking for’ above. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work/ personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and what effect it had.

This is the important bit and will decide whether you get an interview (along with the relevant employment history).

You need to go through the 'who we are looking for' section that they quote and make sure you address each issue on that list in turn - using examples for each point always helps - e.g., if they say you need to have good 'organisational skills' then you need to think of one or two examples in your past employment (or personal life) where you have demonstrated good organisational skills - not just quoting a job, but give a specific example to show them you possess the qualities they are looking for.

Personally I would make it longer than the 2 pages suggested above - it depends on the complexity of the job though, and how long their list is in the 'who we are looking for' section. You need to make sure you cover all the points in this section, as they will use the list as a ticksheet to shortlist interview candidates.

LittleVoice

One approach could be -

There is NO application form, we will shortlist for interview / assessment based on the information you provide, so:

Though Portsmouth (?) say they don't want a form completed for this application they don't say they don't want a CV. So I would present them with a CV addressing the areas that they need to assess whether you are suitable. This would be attached to your email.

Send us your details including:
- Where you saw the post advertised
This is so they can monitor the success of their use of various media and should not part of considering your suitability for the post. (E.g. you don't have to be gay to do the work.) So this goes in the covering email (or letter if you are sending it as hard copy).

- The post you are applying for
In the subject line of the email and include in the CV

- How we can contact you
Include at least an email address and phone number in the CV - so that they can contact you if it becomes separated from the cover email/letter and give full details and perhaps hours for the phone number in the cover email/letter.

- Your employment history for the last two jobs including dates & reasons for leaving.
In the CV

- Why you are the right person for this job – Remember to demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points described in ‘who we are looking for’ above. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work/ personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and what effect it had.
Take the six (or whatever) points they have given and write against each one.


- Please provide details for us to obtain a reference from your current/last employer (if currently unemployed).
Include in the cover note and impose any restrictions on when they can be contacted. For example if you have not advised your current employer that you are looking for work and don't want them to know this until you are offered the post, you want to prevent the advertiser going directly to your present employer and spilling the beans.

kitschkitty

thanks for the input.