5. Recruitment. The letter of application. Cv.

When a company needs to recruit or employ new people, it may decide to advertise the job or position in the appointing page of a newspaper. People who are interested can then apply for the job by sending in a letter of application and curriculum vitae containing details of their education and experience. The company will then draw up a list of candidates, who are invited to attend an interview.

The most important thing when interviewing a candidate is his character, his ability to react, his intelligence and his suitability for the position for which he is being interviewed. It is important that the person is well presented, is neat and tidy, and that he or she has a good manner, because that shows a lot about personality. Normally the candidate has had one or two interviews with junior members of the staff before he gets to the level of personnel manager, and it is expected the person concerned to have a good knowledge of what the company does, what he’s expected to do, and who is going to report to. If the candidate doesn’t give an impression of understanding one of those three times, then he gets marked down accordingly.

The major way a candidate goes wrong is by basically becoming a yes-man or a yes-woman and agreeing with everything you say.

The most important pieces of advice to the candidates are: first of all you should listen; secondly, you ask right questions; and, thirdly, perhaps, the most important, you should create the right kind of relationship – an adult-to-adult relationship with the interviewee or the interviewer.

The letter of application normally contains three or more paragraphs in which you should:

• confirm that you wish to apply where you learned about the job

• say why you are interested in the position and relate your interests to those of the company

• show what you can contribute to the job by highlighting your most relevant skills and experience

• indicate your willingness to attend an interview (and possibly state when you would be free to attend)

To apply for a job you need to write a curriculum vitae (CV). Here are some advice on writing it properly.

At first you should give the general information about you: your name, address, telephone, date of birth and marital status. Remember to write your first name in full and to give your work telephone number beside home number. The date of birth should also be written in full.

In graph called “Education” you should list all schools and colleges you graduated from and do not forget to mention the years you were studying there.

The next section should be filled with all the qualifications you have got with mentioning the year of getting each qualification.

The section “Experience” requires listing all the jobs you’d had before applying for this one. You’d better give more details about your last job.

It is also necessary to give other information such as your knowledge of foreign languages and other activities or interests.

One of the important parts of the CV is references from your friends, teachers and former employers – anyone who can tell your prospective employer about your working habits and experience.