Applying for job... not good with words

buckeejit

buckeejit

buckeejit

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Joined
14 Aug 2004
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I've been out of work now for 14 weeks and have had about 15 interviews and have been rejected from each one :(

I've spotted a job that would be brilliant but the thing is, I'm not good with words and was wondering if the people at OCUK could help me?

One of the questions is:

Please demonstrate, on this page only, (by providing a clear and unambiguous statement) how your qualifications, skills and experience meet the essential and, if appropriate, desirable criteria which are outlined in the Job Details. In particular, you should clearly demonstrate how you meet any criteria marked with an asterisk.

Note: The maximum length of this statement has been restricted to 6,000 characters (including spaces and approximately one A4 page).
 
"I confirm that I meet all the essential and desirable criteria as specified within the job and person specifications referred to."

There you go.
 
We need a little more to be able to help.

What is the job for?
What are the job details?
What is your work experience?
What are your qualifications?
How old are you?
What happened to your last job?
 
Keep it simple. Formulate a list of the competencies/skills/experience that would be desired in the job you are applying for, and explain how you meet each one in turn.

'I can do xxxxxx, this demonstrates xxxxxxx'
'I have experience in yyyyyy, which is relevant because yyyyyy'

Don't worry about nicely worded prose*, you will essentially be scored by how many boxes you tick. (*unless this is a criteria for the job)
 
gillywibble said:
We need a little more to be able to help.

What is the job for?
What are the job details?
What is your work experience?
What are your qualifications?
How old are you?
What happened to your last job?
Click to expand...

Sure, I should have posted this originally...

What is the job for? Admin job at a university

What are the job details?

1. Provide clerical support tasks which are specialist and/or more complex in nature, managing own work from start to finish.

2. May supervise and review the work of junior staff or allocate work to colleagues to provide a service to others, ensuring the unit/facility, etc runs smoothly and to an appropriate standard.
This may include:
• Organising and overseeing the process of timetabling.
• Organising and overseeing the administration of exam procedures and student progress.
• Organising and overseeing the process of student enrolment.
• Operation of specialist complex systems eg: finance; recruitment.

3. Use understanding of the School/Directorate/University’s processes and systems to prepare reports and other materials, using standard and some non-standard formats and software.

4. Use and maintenance of a variety of the School/Directorate/University’s databases, software packages and ICT systems.

5. Support the work of the School/Directorate by organising and servicing meetings, preparing and circulating agendas, reports and minutes and compiling action lists ensuring that all actions are followed up.

6. Provide clerical/secretarial support to senior staff to contribute to the efficient and effective delivery of the business of the School/Directorate e.g. diary management, preparation of confidential reports; drafting and typing of correspondence.

7. Organise events/conferences as required, by coordinating the associated arrangements and liaise with the relevant parties to ensure the events are administered effectively e.g. cost, time, attendance, room bookings, travel arrangements etc.

8. Assist in the monitoring of budgets by ensuring that purchase orders, invoices and expense claims are processed within the established procedure.

9. Collate and conduct analysis of information, data and/or calculations and present results accurately and appropriately in accordance with relevant University procedures.

10. Make suggestions for improving service and efficiency, taking customer comments and feedback into account.

11. Oversee the use and maintenance of all general office equipment and ensure they are in working order e.g. photocopiers, organising building maintenance, communicating with office suppliers and central departments such as Purchasing and Estates.

12. Carry out any other duties, which are appropriate to the post as may be reasonably requested by Supervisor.

Planning and Organising:
1. Plans and prioritises workload within a general schedule to meet identified targets and deadlines on an ongoing basis.

2. May allocate work to other staff on a daily and weekly basis to meet deadlines or work unit/customer demands and appropriate standards.

3. Some forward planning for days or weeks ahead regarding upcoming events and meeting requirements within School/Directorate.

Resource Management Responsibilities:
1. May oversee/assign the work of others to provide a service or perform a work process, allocating work and supervising staff, to ensure the work runs smoothly and to standard.

2. Monitor and replenish levels of stocks/stores of equipment and supplies following set ordering procedures.

3. May monitor and take responsibility for small scale resources/cash e.g. reconcile petty cash; purchase orders.

Internal and External Relationships:
1. Daily contact with Supervisor, work colleagues, University staff and students.

2. Liaison with other University offices, students and service providers.

3. Regular contact and/or liaison with external bodies.

What is your work experience? Previous admin jobs
What are your qualifications? Qualification needed for this job is what I have... NVQ Level 2 in Business Administration
How old are you? 25
What happened to your last job? Temp job due to being made redundant from job before that.
 
buckeejit said:
Thanks :) I know it's good that I'm getting interviews, it's like I get half way i.e. by getting an interview but then I fall at the final hurdle :(
Click to expand...

Yep, pretty much every stage of job-hunting is going to be frustrating. Make sure you ask for feedback on why you weren't chosen so you know what (not) to do for the next one.

As for your thread, I'm no expert, but the main thing to do is to relate your past work experience to the main tasks in the job. Give examples of previous things you've done in your past which sound as similar as possible to the main tasks.
 
buckeejit said:
Thanks :) I know it's good that I'm getting interviews, it's like I get half way i.e. by getting an interview but then I fall at the final hurdle :(
Click to expand...

It comes with experience, at least you are trying. :) I was terrible at my first few interviews but I'm a little better these days. Maybe go through some typical questions or ask a friend to test you if the interview is your problem.
 
My favourite one recently was describe how your previous experience meets the criteria in the job description when a) it was a junior title job b) i have no experience.

gg.
 
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