Enhance Your Application Writing Skills - Career...Abintegro Australian Career Guide Job Outlook Job Applications • Some organisations ask candidates to answer motivational and logistical

Enhance Your Application Writing Skills

Esita SogotubuEmployability Manager

Career Programs Team

At the end of this session you will be able to answer

application questions in 5 easy steps!

Step 1: De-mystify the Selection Criteria on the position description or the job add

Step 2: Identify your most relevant skills

Step 3: Research Research!

Step: 3 Craft your answers

Step 4: Practice

Stand out from the crowd

Positive Teamwork Moments – an experience that sparks JOY

All: Take 3 minutes to think or write down your own positive teamwork experience on the Positive Teamwork Moments handout

Activity

Refer to the Positive Teamwork Moments handout

Positive Teamwork Moments –something that sparks JOY

Student 1: Share your positive teamwork moment

Student 2: Let Student 1 know what skills or attributes you found about them in their positive moment

2 minutes each

Swap roles and repeat

Activity

Self Awareness

WHY WOULD CONSIDERING THESE BE IMPORTANT IN A JOB SEARCH?

SKILLS

VALUES

PERSONALITY INTERESTS

Know your fit

When you have a strong sense of self awareness:

• Increase application success by applying for jobs that match your skills

• Find jobs that are relevant to your future career goals

• Use part-time work as opportunities to refine skills

• Answer interview questions better

In order to evaluate the suitability of certain jobs, it is important to know who you are as a person

How can you develop greater self awareness?

Look at yourself objectively

Think about the words most used by trusted friends/family to describe

you

Ask for feedback from work or university colleagues

Other ways?

Career Assessments

Abintegro

Australian Career Guide

Job Outlook

Job Applications

• Some organisations ask candidates to answer motivational and logistical questions as a part of the application process

• This is will be in addition to your cover letter, resume & portfolio

• Often hiring managers/recruiters will review these answers before moving onto the resume and cover letter

• Often included on online job bards such as www.seek.com and applicant tracking system that you sign up to via the organisations website

• Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) will scan these answers for key words relating to the role, often found in the responsibility statements within the position description

Applicant Tracking System Example

Briefly describe your motivation in applying, highlight what skills, experience, training or

qualifications you bring to this role.

Applicant Tracking System Example

Applicant Tracking System Example

Reflecting on our values, provide an example where you feel you have best demonstrated one

of these values in the workplace.

Applicant Tracking System Example

Applicant Tracking System Example

Home > Personal details > Introduction > About You > Roles, Values and Behaviours Alignment

> Uploads > Pre Employment Security Checks > Application Declaration > Submit

Application Process

Step 1: De-mystify the Selection Criteria on the position description or the job add

Competency Based Question Requiring an Example

• Demonstrated knowledge - Provide specific examples that 'prove' or 'demonstrate' that you have performed the task or skill

• Demonstrated ability - Do not need to have done this work/task before, but you need to describe how your skills, knowledge and experience show that you are capable of doing the work/task

• Experience - you need to provide examples of where you have done this work before

• Effective, Proven, Highly Developed, Superior- Relevant examples of your skill level, knowledge and experience

• Describe - Provide a specific example using descriptive language to provide evidence of the competency

• Understanding - more than knowledge! Requires comprehension.

Briefly describe your motivation in applying, highlight what skills, experience, training or

qualifications you bring to this role.

Applicant Tracking System Example > Competency Based Question

Requiring an Example

Motivational Questions

What is your motivation for X opportunity?

Why do you want to apply for X opportunity?

What makes your interested in X opportunity?

Self-Assessment Question

Strengths

Weaknesses

Skill level

Step 2: Identify your most relevant skills to the opportunity

DECODE THE GTA PROGRAM BRIEF

IDENTIFY • Soft skills

• Technical skills

• Other important details

What is the Global Trade Accelerator Program?

What is the

Global Trade

Accelerator

Program?

2 week work-integrated learning program facilitated by Practera, in partnership with UTS. The program is supported by Study NSW other corporate partners.

Program dates: Monday, 27 May to Friday, 7 June

Contribution time: a minimum of 25 hours during the 2-week timeframe

Work in a team with other students from UTS to produce a market research / market analysis project

Respond to the export brief provided by a NSW exporter / trade professional

Online project through the Practera learning platform

A real workplace project

Program Contacts2. Program Provider

Practera1. Education Institution

University of Technology Sydney

3. Exporter

Your allocated NSW Trade

Organisation

4. Your Student Team

In student teams, you will act as

‘Business Consultants’ for your

Exporter (NSW Trade Organisation)

• Manage application process

• Facilitate Welcome & Closing

Sessions (Mandatory)

• Contact: Prajyana Kumar,

Employability Coordinator, Careers

Programs Team, UTS Careers

• Match student teams and exporter

via student applications and

organisation export areas

• Facilitate 2-week program via their

digital portal built on the Practera

platform.

• Ensure student teams progress

through project in due time

• Complete an online market research

project for allocated Exporter

• Upload research, ideas and team

deliverables

• Receive peer & mentor feedback

• Create exporter/project brief

• Act as virtual mentor through

Practera platform

• Review team submissions

• Provide feedback when prompted

via pre-defined ‘star’ rating system

Step 2: Research Research Research!

Applicant Tracking System Example – Why Research is important

About us

Reconciliation Plan

Applicant Tracking System Example – Why Research is important

Links:

Global Trade Accelerator Program

If there isn’t much detail provided in your brief, job add or position description expand your research:

1. Online search engines

2. LinkedIn – can you connect with students who previously completed the program for an information interview?

3. Google Practera, StudyNSW – attention to detail on website or job advert

Step 3: Craft your answers

Competency-based Question Requiring Evidence/Example

Structure: Statement of claims > Example > Link to

opportunity

• I have well developed [insert skill/competency] as demonstrated [insert example]

• My [insert skill/competency] are well developed as evident by [insert example]

• My well developed [insert skill/competency] are demonstrated by [insert example]

• I have extensive experience in [insert skill/competency]. An example of this is [insert example]

• An example of my well developed [insert skill/competency] is [insert example]

What should you consider when choosing examples?

• Recent, relevant and specific

• Employment Extra-curricular University

• Convey complexities to provide specific evidence of a real experience

• Avoid talking about a hypothetical situation – link to past example

• You can structure your examples using the STAR technique - please refer to

your handout

Past experiences are an indicator of future behaviour

Competency Based Question Requiring Evidence/Example

Mission Australia: Briefly describe your motivation in applying, highlight what skills,

experience, training or qualifications you bring to this role.

Applicant Tracking System Example > Competency-based Question

Requiring an Example

HOW WOULD YOU IMPROVE THIS?

“If I had to communicate with a customer I would…”

Tip: Avoid framing your answers like you are obliged to do these things rather than willing.

Better answer: “When communicating with customers, I ensure…”

“At university I had to do a group assignment and work in a team.

I always achieved credit or above in group assignments”

Tip: Be specific. Provide details and elaborate about a specific experience.

Better answer: “Last semester I worked on a group project where we had to

design a social media strategy for a fashion business. [elaborate on project] …

We received a distinction for this project”

HOW WOULD YOU IMPROVE THIS?

“I don’t have experience in that area as I haven’t worked in it”

Tip: While this is sometimes the case, remain eager to learn.

Better answer: “Although I don’t yet have experience in this area, I am a fast

learner and always eager to learn new skills.”

HOW WOULD YOU IMPROVE THIS?

Motivational Questions

Your Experience

Provide an overview

• Current employment, extra-

curricular or study

• Previous employment, extra-

curricular or study

• Future aspirations

• Chose experience that is recent,

relevant and specific

Your Motivation

• Professional

interests/passions

• What you competencies

can offer and what you

are looking to develop?

• What do you care about?

The Opportunity

Demonstrate your understanding

of the opportunity from the

research you have done:

• Role/project objective

• Values

Link Link

GTA Motivational Question

What is your motivation for wanting to participate in this program?

GTA Motivational Question

Your Experience

Provide an overview

• Current employment, extra-

curricular or study

• Previous employment, extra-

curricular or study

• Future aspirations

• Chose experience that is recent,

relevant and specific

Your Motivation

• Professional

interests/passions

• What you competencies

can offer and what you

are looking to develop?

• What do you care about?

GTA

Demonstrate your understanding

of GTA from the research you

have done:

• Project objective

Link Link

What is your motivation for wanting to participate in this program?

Competency

• How can you be good at

the competency?

The Opportunity

How will that competency be used

in the opportunity?

Your Contribution

What are your relevant strengths?

Do you have past experience that

is relevant that you can mention?

Positive Self-Assessment Question

GTA: What skills or contributions do you believe you could make

to a team and why?

Self-Assessment Question

Step 4: Let’s Practice

Activity

5 minutes

1. Competency: Team work

• How can you be good at teamwork?

2. The Opportunity: GTA

• How is teamwork important in GTA?

3. Your Contribution

• Share your individual strengths relating to team work

• Share past experience that is relevant that you can mention

In groups of 5 discuss and take notes:

Nominate 1 person that will present your answers to

question 1 and 2 and share their own response to question 3

Managing expectations

Checklist

Understand/de-mystify the question

Check spelling and grammar – read your answer out loud, get someone else to

review it, use spell check in MS Word before the system, UTS HELPS

Use descriptive language

Understand the brief

Use your initiative to do additional research

Link your responses to the opportunity (including additional research) and yourself

Provide specific and relevant examples

Keep to word limit – if none is provided generally aim for 250 words

Increase your self-awareness

APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN!

We welcome you to reapply for the upcoming

round of the Global Trade Accelerator Program!

Program Dates

Welcome Session (Mandatory)

Wednesday 22 May, 10:00am

3 hour face to face workshop at UTS

Self-directed group work in student teams

Monday 27 May to Friday 7 June

A minimum of 25 hours’ time commitment

Student teams to negotiate communication/ meeting medium/frequency

Closing Session (Mandatory)

Friday 14 June, 11:30am to 1:30pm

2 hour face to face workshop at UTS

Application Details

Questions are the same as the last round

Deadline: Sunday 19 May, 11.59PM

Form link: https://careerhub.uts.edu.au/Form.aspx?id=5054386

Services & Resources • Careers Drop-in

• Careers Consultations

• Workshops and Meet-ups

• Employer events, networking and careers fairs

• Work-ready programs

• Career Hub jobs board

• Helpful online resources

Contact

[email protected]

careers.uts.edu.auWebsite