{"id":307,"date":"2015-11-23T00:07:40","date_gmt":"2015-11-23T00:07:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/temp.smartfantasyandscifi.com\/blog\/?p=307"},"modified":"2016-03-11T14:30:54","modified_gmt":"2016-03-11T14:30:54","slug":"tailor-your-cv-and-cover-letter-to-the-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microsites.ncl.ac.uk\/fmspgrstudentguidelines\/2015\/11\/23\/tailor-your-cv-and-cover-letter-to-the-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Tailor Your CV and Cover Letter to the Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

Using a generic CV that lists a bunch of irrelevant skills and achievements just shows your potential employer that you don\u2019t care about the job. The more effort you put into your application the more likely they are to accept you.<\/p>\n

Spending more time on applications might mean you apply for fewer jobs, but likely the ones you cut out are the ones you are less likely to get.<\/p>\nGet Practical Tips<\/span>

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  1. In your cover letter, make sure you write down all the skills you possess in the essential and desirable criteria, giving examples where possible of how you achieved them.<\/li>\n
  2. Although putting more effort into fewer applications is more sensible than spamming multiple potential employers, don’t\u00a0write only one high quality application and assume you’ll get the job. They may have internal candidates, or someone even more qualified\u00a0might apply.<\/li>\n
  3. Link the paragraphs of your cover letter so that they fit together into a coherent story<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  4. Talk about your own research and how it links to your potential employer\u2019s research, paying particular detail to the overlap.<\/li>\n
  5. Prove in the cover letter that you have read your potential employer\u2019s papers by discussing them.<\/li>\n
  6. If you know the subject area well enough you could suggest ideas of where you might take the research.<\/li>\n
  7. Discuss your interest in their subject area in the cover letter and give any examples that evidence this.<\/li>\n
  8. Read your CV and cover letter through several times on different days<\/strong> before sending them off. Make sure they read fluently. If possible, have a friend or family member check them over.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\u00a0<\/b>
    \nRead Personal Perspective<\/span>