CVJob Description/Person Spec

Nytehawk

I am sat here filling out a job application. Normally I would rattle through forms, but the job I am applying for is special to me. I am at the part where it asks about how I would apply my skills and experiences to the advertised role....... Simple yeah......... No!! This portion of the job app is whats going to decide whether I even get to be shortlisted. Anybody like to offer how best to kick off this paragraph?

nemo183

If you were asked this at an interview, the best response would be to ask what qualities the person who had previously done the job possessed which made them a good fit for the post.

However, in your postion with the application form to fill in, I'd try and do as much research on the company via the internet or local sources in order to try and establish the challenges they are facing. Then, on the form, I'd try and work in some hypothetical senarios they might be facing, and then match my experience to them. At the same time, I'd be careful to consider what other issues might be more important.

To give a simple example: The job advertised is for a payroll manager.

You suspect they need one because the payroll is a shambles. But there is always a chance it's going great, and nothing needs changing. On the form, you first highlight how you have managed to implement innovative solutions, to time and budget, in situations where it's been needed. However, you also include how effectively you have been able to take over an existing system, with the minimum of trouble/lost time. You make it clear that you're aware of the issues in both situations, and can handle either.

In essence, you try and put yourself in the position of the recruiter, and why he needs the job filled, without putting all your eggs in one basket if you're wrong.

Good luck!!!

Nytehawk

Many Thanks Nemo, I don't usually have this sort of problems but knowing how important it is to me, I know I am only going to get one stab at it.

Astaroth

Without knowing what the job is or even what skills you have it is next to impossible to answer your question.

You need to cover off as many of the skills/ personality traits that they list in the advert as possible combined with both general skills/ traits needed for this kind of role and the ethos of the company itself (a young small entrepreneurial company will look for different things to a historic large corporation - be careful of making assumptions though as not all companies like to view themselves as you may expect)

missk_ensington

nemo183 wrote:

If you were asked this at an interview, the best response would be to ask what qualities the person who had previously done the job possessed which made them a good fit for the post.

If someone asked me this in an interview I wouldn;t be at all impressed. First I'd think they can't think of any qualitites they actually possess, then think they should have anticipated that question before they turned up and prepared a response,thirdly, I'd think that a person should not try and unnaturally imitate someone elses qualities to get a job AND actually admit to doing it, and finally, think they must be a bit thick in the first place to to second guess what qualities might be required. It doesn't really take Einstein to guess that:

Office worker - competent, reliable, hard working, dilligent, easy to get along with, helpful, goes out of way to help other people, uses initiative.....

Rest home worker - kind, has integrity, a natural vocation to work with the vulnerable, patient, honest.......

A client facing role (in a bank perhaps) - well mannered, well spoken, articulate, helpful, willing, informative, good telehphone manner, numerical skills.....

It really isn;t hard and I odnt work in any other three above!

Nytehawk

Thanks for the replies all. The job relates to a managerial post working with the elderly......... The organisation is national and quite "picky" I was writing the job spec/personal skills part this morning "quite early" and thought to myself "They will read the whole paragraph if the first couple of sentences has that impact that we all feel when we want to read on
Obviuosly advice is greatly received. Mazz

Astaroth

Depending on how desirable the company and the role is will dictate how many applicants they receive. The last time my previous team advertised for a new senior project executive we had close enough to 1000 applications from all over the world and with the complete team being only 8 people going through that number of applications properly would never have happened given we were all doing 10-12 hour days just to do our "day job" (plus it isnt really appropriate to give non-seniors the task of filtering out people for a senior role).

The covering letter is often the make or break as to if someone even bothers looking at the form itself.

nemo183

missk_ensington wrote:

If someone asked me this in an interview I wouldn;t be at all impressed. First I'd think they can't think of any qualitites they actually possess, then think they should have anticipated that question before they turned up and prepared a response,thirdly, I'd think that a person should not try and unnaturally imitate someone elses qualities to get a job AND actually admit to doing it, and finally, think they must be a bit thick in the first place to to second guess what qualities might be required.

You may some very good points here. At the same time, I perhaps should have qualified my previous posting to say that it would be the best way to handle a question that you felt you didn't really understand the direction in which the interviewer was going.

Also, maybe it's worth making the point that it is very often the case that the person appointed to a job is the person the interviewer feels most comfortable giving to, for as many subjective as well as objective reasons.

While many companies will recruit with a good degree of objectivity, an equal number will appoint according to the nature/character/insecurities of the interviewer.

Hence, as well as having a model answer to a question, it is always worth trying to find out the perspective of the interviewer.

Nytehawk

nemo183 wrote:

You may some very good points here. At the same time, I perhaps should have qualified my previous posting to say that it would be the best way to handle a question that you felt you didn't really understand the direction in which the interviewer was going.

Also, maybe it's worth making the point that it is very often the case that the person appointed to a job is the person the interviewer feels most comfortable giving to, for as many subjective as well as objective reasons.

While many companies will recruit with a good degree of objectivity, an equal number will appoint according to the nature/character/insecurities of the interviewer.

Hence, as well as having a model answer to a question, it is always worth trying to find out the perspective of the interviewer.

I certainly agree with your 3rd paragraph and the bit about insecurities. I have been on both sides of the interview process and I have cringed at some of their questions and equally how colleagues have responded to the answers of their questions. My original OP was about that first couple of sentences that produce the impact to read on.............................

ohreally

mazdamansport wrote:

The organisation is national and quite "picky"

If it's the orgainisation i suspect then buzz words/phrases will tick the right boxes at this point. Things like "in terms of",dichotemy,equlibrium etc etc. Research your intended working environment for further ideas.

Astaroth

mazdamansport wrote:

I certainly agree with your 3rd paragraph and the bit about insecurities. I have been on both sides of the interview process and I have cringed at some of their questions and equally how colleagues have responded to the answers of their questions. My original OP was about that first couple of sentences that produce the impact to read on.............................

I am not sure about insecurities but of cause if you are the manager looking for someone to work for you then undoubtedly you will not only look for someone who can do the job but someone you can get on with.

There are very few jobs advertised where there is only 1 person that can do it properly and after you have narrowed it down to those that can do it it becomes exceptionally subjective.

As a project manager I cannot stand Prince2 as a methodology so would "discriminate" against people who promote themselves on the basis of being Prince2 qualifications where as many others love the idea of Prince2 and so will recruit someone with the qualification over someone with more experience.... I am not even sure if there is a right or a wrong - tables reversed I wouldnt want to work for a manager who thinks Prince2 is the only way to do projects