A. Write your notes about the hotels you researched on the Internet.

B. Choose a hotel. Prepare a 30- to 45-second voicemail message to the appropriate contact at that hotel. Be sure to state clearly who you are and what services and information you need. Then ask about hotel availability for the weekend you need, and ask for a general price quote for the space and services you requested.

 

 

UNIT 6 APPLYING FOR A JOB (RESUME, COVER LETTER, JOB INTERVIEW)

PART A APPLYING FOR A JOB: RESUME

I Background

HOW TO APPLY FOR A JOB

Most of us spend between 60 – 80% of our waking hours working so it is important to find a job that brings true satisfaction. So you should try to find the job you will love doing.

Job hunting, job seeking, or job searching is the act of looking for employment.

Common methods of job hunting are:

- Finding a job through a friend or business or personal network.

- Using an employment website.

- Looking through the classifieds in newspapers.

- Using a private or public employment agency or recruiter.

- Looking on a company’s web site for open jobs

- Going to a job fair.

In order to get the jobyou have found you have to know how to navigate the application process.

HOW TO WRITE A RESUME OR CV

A CV (Curriculum Vitae) or resume is a specific written document which you send to a prospective employer to obtain a job interview. It can be considered as a kind of advertising yourself. It is a summary of your personal details, education and career history. It should show your achievements, skills abilities, knowledge, know-how, competence, background and experiences with the objective of attracting the employer’s attention and gaining his/her approval to make him/her select you for an interview.

Presentation:

Some suggestions are:

· Use a simple business font

· Use bold or italics to emphasize text, such as job roles, rather than underlining

· Use bullet points, numbering and dashes to format content

· Ensure new paragraphs, bullet points and headings are all in line with each other and of a consistent style (e.g. headings in bold etc)

· Split your CV into sections and ensure those sections are obvious (e.g. Profile, Work Experience, Education) and when listing experiences within these sections keep to a reverse chronological order, with your most recent experience/education at the top

· Aim for one or two pages in length, you should not risk losing the readers interest.

Personal details/header:

These are standard and required by all employers. Ensure that your personal details are clearly placed at the top of the first page of your CV and do not take up too much space, you could also use your name as a header so that it appears on both pages of your CV. Don’t include the header ‘curriculum vitae’.

The essentials to include are:

· Name

· Postal address

· Email address

· Telephone number(s)

Personal profile:

This is an optional section of a graduate CV which can be used to show the employer you are focused and determined to pursue a career in their field..

It should:

· Appear at the beginning of your CV

· Be no longer than 2-4 sentences

· Give an overview of your current situation – “I have just graduated with a degree in...”

· Specifically detail what it is you want to do – “I am looking for a job as a... in the field of...”

· Be different for each application. Ensure you make it specific to the job and the employer.

 

Personal profile example A versatile and professional law graduate with wide ranging experience in a variety of law-related areas including youth offending, debt and benefits advice, employment law, and housing. Seeking to combine academic achievements and work experience in a challenging role within the voluntary sector.

Education:

Write your education in reverse chronological order, so start with your university degree. Focus on your university grades, specialisation and extra-curricular experiences to start with.

Essentially the education section should contain:

· Qualifications (Degree, ‘A’ levels and some test results)

· The dates you attended each establishment

· Degree subject, type, grade and establishment

· More detail on specialisation/university experience

· Other skills, e.g. computer literacy and other languages

Work experience:

If you are a graduate you can include everything you have done from internships and voluntary work to schemes and summer placements. As long as you have developed relevant skills, then it is worth a space on your CV.

Your work experience should be listed in reverse chronological order.
Your work experience will be comprised of:

· Company or organization, dates and job title

· A sentence outlining the role you performed

· Bullet points summarizing specific responsibilities you were given

· Evidence to back up achievements and skills you claim to have developed whilst in this role

Interests and activities:

You can mention any activity or hobby, but obviously keep it appropriate. It can be good to show organization, confidence and a motivation to learn new things!
Examples worth including in this area are:

· Sports teams

· Societies/clubs

· Travel

· Hobbies

· Awards (these are particularly good as they can suggest a high achieving and competitive nature)

References:

Two references are ample for your entry-level graduate CV. One can be academic and the other from a period of work experience. If omitting the references remember to note at the bottom that ‘references are available on request’ or something similar so the recruiter knows you are willing and prepared to provide these.

Example of a graduate CV:

Michael Davies 14 Any Road Manchester, M72 1DE Home: 0161 230 00200 Mobile: [phone] [e-mail] Profile A versatile and professional law graduate with wide ranging experience in a variety of law-related areas including youth offending, debt and benefits advice, employment law, and housing. Seeking to combine academic achievements and work experience in a challenging role within the voluntary sector. Education and Qualifications   2006 – 2009 LLB (Hons) in Law 2:1 Nottingham Trent University   Optional course modules: Employment Law, Contract Law, Consumer Law, Law and Medical Ethics, European Law.   2004 – 2006 Nottingham Sixth Form College 3 A-Levels English Language (A) Psychology (B) Business Studies (B)   1999 – 2004 Ashburton Secondary School 9 GCSEs Grades A - C   Voluntary Experience   2007 – 2009 TGH Advice Centre Volunteer Advisor  Providing independent, confidential and impartial advice to clients on debt, benefits, employment, housing, relationship and family issues for local voluntary organisation  Interviewing clients face-to-face and over the phone to establish their needs  Drafting letters and making calls on behalf of clients  Referring clients to specialist caseworkers for complex problems or signposting to other agencies when appropriate  Assisting clients to negotiate with companies and service providers to resolve any difficulties.   2008 – 2009 Volunteer Mentor Youth Offending Team  Providing one-to-one support, guidance and encouragement to young people who are at significant risk of offending or re-offending  Maintaining confidentiality, whilst ensuring child protection procedures and issues of disclosure are followed  Supporting mentees to set positive goals and work towards achieving these  Establishing and maintaining regular and timely contact with mentees.   Work Experience   2007 – 2009 Bar Supervisor Student Union Bar  Served customers, maintained excellent levels of customer service during busy periods  Managed the bar in line with health and safety regulations  Trained and supervised new bar staff  Key-holder and responsible for opening and closing the bar within licensing hours  Planned and organised staff rotas  Ensured the bar area was stocked and well maintained.   Additional information    Confident with a range of IT packages including Word, Excel, Powerpoint, internet and e-mail.  Fluent in Spanish and French  Full, clean driving licence.   Interests  Team captain of the University Hockey Team  Active member of the University Student Union.   References    Available on request.

II Practice and Experience