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Looking for work? Find advice, guidance and support on a range of topics. Click on the toolbar buttons above for information on finding and choosing jobs, interview skills, making applications, writing CVs and covering letters, using social media, and building confidence, motivation and momentum. There’s also a special section for graduates and students.
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In the days when all applications were sent by post, the cover letter was the first chance you had to ‘wow' a prospective employer. Now the process is largely electronic based, nothing has really changed.
The basic rules of style, brevity and clarity that apply to any covering letter also apply when you're making job applications online.
But rather than the formal letter format expected by businesses when receiving tangible mail, online cover letter formats are less structured and you have the opportunity to provide a unique and impactful introduction to what you can bring their company.
Sending a speculative application can be a very effective method of securing a new job and may convince an employer to create a position for the right person - if you do it right. If you've identified the company that you want to work for, then here are some tips for succeeding with speculative applications.
In the competitive world of recruitment, cover letters help both potential employers and recruitment specialists quickly get right to the heart of who you are and what you want, before they even begin to look at your CV.
When applying to a recruitment agency, or direct to an organisation on a speculative basis, sending your CV without a brief covering letter explaining your purpose will be confusing and most likely forgotten.
If you are interested in working for a charity, this article could help you write a CV that gets you that job. Written by Guardian Professional network, it takes the best advice from people already working in the area and those who recruit to charities. Some of it is good advice when applying for any job, and some tells you what priorities the charity sector has. Take a look and get that job!
The Guardian's Money section provides and excellent comparative guide to the work options and opportunities available in some countries. Through considering visa restrictions alongside job types, and the cost of living in each country, it could help you to make a decision. And with job opportunities in the UK increasingly restricted, particularly for graduates and young people in general, there has never been a better time to think about this.
This is one of Richmond Solutions' excellent blogs on writing a CV. In it you will find information on how to make sure your CV gets read and how to make it stand out. The most important points are not to lie, not to put in any information on your weaknesses, and making sure you are seen as an individual through including all your achievements and making sure you don't leave some of your older ones out.
'Consider this.
UnemployedNet supports The Mirror's Get Britain Working campaign. This article centres on working in the world of sport, and gives a range of contacts and information sources to help you get in to it. With over 7,000 jobs available in the week the campaign started, there are plenty of opportunities, so if you are the kind of person who likes to stay fit and work physically, why not check out the article below?
'The Olympics and Paralympics have inspired many of us to get fit and that’s helping create more jobs in sport.
