Placement

Finding the job you want

As a placement consultancy in Pune, you can get information and advice about which jobs are available from the website of Career Placements in the search job option. We are adept in providing placement services in Pune since 1995.

How can Career Placements help?

The Career Placements offers a variety of services:

• Providing Placement Services in Pune.
• Help in identifying the most suitable career for you.
• Information and advice on where to apply for jobs.
• Help on how to apply for jobs.
• Seminars and courses on a wide range of subjects designed to give an insight into the world of work.
• Lists of job vacancies for students who are available for immediate employment.
• Job fairs at which a number of companies set up stalls and gives out information about employment opportunities.
• Providing job placement in Pune and Pan India.

Why should I seek help from Career Placements?

• It is free.
• The staffs of the Career Placements are experts who are used to helping people in your position.
• As a placement consultancy in Pune we have good contacts with potential employers.

Where else can I find out about jobs?

Your Career Placements is likely to be your main source of information. However, you may also find out about jobs from other places.

• Talk to your course tutor. Your tutor may have useful contacts, especially if you are on a vocational course. Even if you are on a non-vocational course, your tutor will know what jobs people on your course have found in the past.
• Use your personal contacts. Friends and relations may give an idea about what is available and what you would like to do.
• Look in local and national newspapers. Many news-papers advertise jobs in certain areas (for example , education, law, computing) on specific days. Get to know which papers have jobs that interest you on which days.
• Above all the search the job portals and social media sites for jobs.

Preparing a curriculum vitae

What is curriculum vitae?

A curriculum vitae (usually shortened to ‘CV’) is a record of your educational qualification, work experience, interests, skills and personal details. It is sent to a prospective employer together with a covering letter or an application form when you apply for a job. Your CV creates the vital first impression of you with your prospective employer, so you should take care when you prepare it. Keep a copy of your CV so that it can be easily updated and adapted for your next application.

What should I put in my CV?

There are various ways of setting out a CV. The standard way is to give information in blocks under the following headings:

• Personal details: Give your full name, address and contact numbers, including postcodes and dialing codes. If you have a home address and a term-time address, give both and label them clearly so that the employer knows how to get hold of you at any time. You may also give your date of birth, sex, nationality and marital status; although there is no need to give this information, especially if you think it may lead to discrimination against you.

• Statement of objectives: This is a short paragraph, normally of no more than one or two sentences, in which you state your aim in making the application.

• Education: Give the names and locations of schools and colleges you have attended, with dates of attendance. List the qualifications you gained, including grades for the latest qualifications. Give an indication of qualifications you expect to gain at the end of your course. If your academic record is not as good as it might be, shuffle the order of your CV so that the stronger sections come before this one.

• Vocational training and qualifications: List any other training courses you have attended and qualifications gained. Give the name of the course together with the dates you attended and the name of the training body.

• Work experience: List any jobs you have had (including casual, part-time and voluntary work) either in chronological order or starting with the most recent and working back. Give the employer’s name and location, dates of employment, the employer’s business (if this not obvious), your position and also a short description of your responsibilities.

• Skills: Include such skills as driving, typing and shorthand speeds, foreign languages of which you have a working knowledge or in which you are fluent, knowledge of computer software and so on.

• Personal interests: List three or four activities you do in your spare time, such as a certain kind of sport or a certain form of cooking.

• Reference: Give the names and addresses of two people who have agreed to act as referees. One referee should be your course tutor or someone who has taught you a college. It is a good idea to give a recent employer, or someone who has direct experience of you at work as your second referee. Before you put their names forward, you should check that your referees will be able to give you a good reference.

However, there are other ways of laying out a CV. You should arrange the information in whichever way presents you most favorably. Look at the CVs on following pages and decide which format would be most appropriate for you.

Tips for a winning CV

•  Use a Good and a clear font style. The point size should be 10-12 points.
•  Use good quality white paper.
•  Send an individually prepared document rather than a photocopied CV.
•  Check your spelling thoroughly, using a dictionary where necessary. Do not rely on a computer spell-checker to correct your spelling.
•  Never send out a CV unless it has been read by at least one person other than yourself.
•  Use headings highlighted in bold or underlined to mark the different sections of your CV.
•  Use lists. These are quicker to read and easier to take in than paragraphs of full sentences. They can also help avoid tedious repetition of the word ‘I’.
•  Do not try to say too much. You can expand on important points at other stages of the application process. Your CV should not exceed two pages.
•  Do not include information that is not relevant to the Job for which you are applying.
•  Employers will not usually be interested in your education before the age of twelve.
•  Do not include unnecessary information that will give an unfavorable impression of yourself.
•  Make sure that all the information in your CV is up to date.
•  Make sure that all periods of your life are accounted for, even if you have been unemployed. Employers will be suspicious of blank periods.
•  Write about any periods of unemployment in a positive way, saying what skills you developed and how you went about seeking work.
•  If appropriate, adjust some of the details of your CV to match the requirements of the job for which you are applying. You might want to stress different interests, or use a different referee for certain jobs.
•  Use active and positive words to describe what you have done and can do, but avoid clichés.

Writing letters of application

Include a cover letter when sending your CV or application form to an employer. This should say why you are applying and point out the merits of your application.

What should I write in my cover letter?

You can use the following standard structure:

• Sender’s address: Give your full address on the top right corner of the page. Include postcode, telephone, and other contact details, such as e-mail or fax.

• Date: Write the date on the left-hand side of the page. Make sure that you are writing on the day of the advertisement if possible. If you are writing only a day or two after the advertisement date, give that date anyway. If you give a later date, you may seem less than totally committed to the job.

• Recipient’s name and address: Put the name, position, and address of the person to whom you are writing on the left-hand side, below the date.

• Greeting: Start the letter with Dear Ms…, Dear Mr.., Dear Sir, or Dear Madam, as appropriate. Never use a person’s first name in your greeting unless this is all you are given in the advertisement and you are unsure about their gender.

• First Paragraph: Introduce your application by saying where you saw the advertisement or heard of the vacancy. Say that you would like to apply and are enclosing your CV (or, if appropriate, application form). Give the title of the Job (copied from the advertisement) and any reference.

• Second Paragraph: Use the next paragraph to point out any experience and skills that you have which seem particularly relevant to the advertised job. If possible, use the exact words from the advertisement and confirm that you have the qualities required. If necessary, show how you would compensate for any apparent shortcomings in your application.

• Third Paragraph: Round off your letter by asking politely and confidently for an interview.

• Ending: Close the letter with Yours Sincerely only if you greeted the person by name (e.g. Dear Ms. Kamath). If you used Dear Sir or Dear Madam, close the letter with Yours Faithfully.

• Signature: Sign the letter using your normal signature. If your signature is illegible, print or writes our name in capital letters underneath. Add the letters ’Encs.’ to show that you are enclosing other sheets with your covering letter (or ’Enc.’ if there is a single sheet enclosed).

Tips for success

•  Keep it short. Selectors do not have time to read long rambling letters, and will probably be irritated by them.
•  Humour can sometimes work, but it can also backfire. Do not try to use it unless you are very confident that it will be appreciated by the selector.
•  If you need to write more than one side, use two sheets of paper rather than writing on the reverse of your letter.

Filling out application forms

•  Write the letter by hand, particularly if the job advertisement requests you to.
•  When copying out the name and position of the recipient, copy these exactly from the advertisement. Check the spelling carefully, as many people make mistakes in the spelling of their name or the wording of their job title as a personal insult.
•  Take care to close with the appropriate form of words.
•  Your application must be spotless, so take the time to make it count. Do not allow the letter to go out with blots, alterations, or crossings out. Do not use liquid paper.
•  Keep a copy of the letter, so that you can remind yourself what you wrote before going to an interview.

On many occasions you will be asked to fill out an application form for a job. This ensures that all applicants give the same information in the same order.

Requesting a form

To get hold of an application form you may need to make a phone call or write an email.

•  If you have to phone an answering machine, speak clearly and spell any names that might give trouble. Make sure you have all the necessary information, including the reference number for the job if there is one before you dial.
•  If you write off for a form, observe the rules for covering letters. Keep this letter to one paragraph if you can. Check the spelling. Enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope if requested. Put a first class stamp on both envelopes.

Completing a form

Don’t rush to complete the form before you have worked out exactly what you want to say. Follow these Steps:

•  Study carefully all the information you have received about the job. This includes the original advertisement and any information that was sent with the application form.
•  Read the form from start to finish. Note any instructions and follow them to the letter.
•  Look at how much space is allocated to each question. Work out from this which parts of the form are most important.
•  Work out what kind of person the employer is looking for and make sure your application shows that you fit the bill.
•  Before filling in the actual form, make two drafts of your application, the first on ordinary paper, and the second on a photocopy of the form. This allows you to be sure you can put everything you want to say in the space provided.
•  Only now should you fill in the form, answering all the questions and using all the space provided. Use black ink as the employer will probably want to photocopy the form.
•  If a particular section does not apply to you, write N/A to show that it is not applicable. Do not leave any sections blank.

How do I approach the questions on the form?

Questions that require straightforward factual answers do not present a problem. However many candidates do badly at the more open-ended questions on application forms. Try to answer these questions as if you were writing a covering letter:

•  Show in what ways your experience matches the Job description.
•  Say what it is that makes you interested in the jobs.
•  Show that your skills will be useful to the employer.
•  Remember that what you write may well be used as the basis for questions in an interview. Make sure you can handle any questions that might arise from your answers.

Tips for success

•  If an advertisement asks you to send for a form and fill it in, you should do exactly that. Do not send your CV with a cover letter instead, and do not return the application form incomplete with the words see CV attached written across it.
•  Make sure your writing is neither too cramped nor too large.
•  If you are an accomplished typist you may like to type your application. However, watch out for instructions saying you must fill in the form by hand.
•  Keep a copy of your completed application form. You will then be able to refresh your memory about what you have said in the form before an interview.
•  You may find it useful to refer to any old application forms you have kept. Do not, however, simply copy answers from one form over to another.
•  Add an extra sheet only if this is suggested on the form itself.
•  It may sometimes be worth including your CV in addition to the completed application form, particularly if you feel that it highlights strengths and experience you have not been given space to mention in the form.
•  Staple any attachments to the form to stop them becoming separated.

Interviews

After the selectors have looked at all the applications for a Job, they will usually draw up a short list of candidates for interview.

How should I prepare for a job interview?

•  Gather as much intelligence as you can about the job, the company, and the person who is likely to interview you. Your Career Placement may keep files on large employers.
•  If you are not confident about handling an interview, ask your Career Placements to arrange a mock interview. You may get some interesting feedback as a result of this exercise.
•  Ask yourself what qualifications the employer thinks you need. Make a list of these.
•  Ask yourself what experience the employer thinks you need. Make a matching list of your own experience.
•  Ask yourself what skills the employer thinks you need. Make a list of achievements that show you have these skills.
•  Ask yourself what kind of person the employer is looking for. List examples to show you are that kind of person.
•  Jot down answers to any other questions you think might come up in the interview.
•  Sort out well in advance what you, will be wearing and what you need to take with you. Make sure the clothes you plan to wear are clean and ironed.
•  Check the date and time and work out travel arrangements well in advance.
•  Get to the interview in plenty of time. Use the time before the interview to run over the points you want to get across.

What will I get asked?

There are many angles from which interviewers can ask questions. However, thorough your preparation, you are always likely to be asked something you had not imagined. Yet there are certain questions for which you should be prepared. Think about how you would answer these questions:

•  What do you know about this company?
•  What in particular do you feel you have to offer this company?
•  What do you know about the job on offer?
•  What made you apply for this particular job?
•  What do you consider your strengths and weaknesses to be?
•  What do you see yourself doing in five years’ time?
•  Why did you choose the subjects you studied at school and college?
•  What did you enjoy about your college life?
•  Which of your achievements has given you the greatest pleasure?
•  What do you think are the most important qualities for a person taking up this position?
•  What skills and experiences do you think you would be able to bring to this company?
•  Do you consider yourself to be a good team member or do you prefer to work alone?
•  You lack experience. How do you think you will make up for that?
•  Is there any part of the job on offer that you would feel worried about doing?
•  What do you think is the most effective way of motivating people?
•  How do you spend your spare time?

Remember that interviewers are usually trying to find out the same information: Can you do the job? How interested are you in the job? What are your Strengths and weaknesses? Would you fit into the company? What sort of a person are you?

What question should I ask?

Before the end of the interview, you should be asked if you have any questions. Have some questions for the interviewer worked out in advance. Here are some ideas:

•  Ask for further information about something that is mentioned in the job advertisement.
•  Pick up on something you have found out about the company in your own research. Ask how this will affect the job.
•  Pick up on something that was said in the interview that you would like to be explained further.
•  Ask about the company’s procedures concerning assessment and promotion.
•  Add any information in support of your application that you feel you have not been given the opportunity to bring out in the interview.
•  Say that you did have some questions, but these were covered in the course of the interview.

Don’t ask too many questions at this stage. The interviewer may well already be running late, or maybe hoping to grab a cup of coffee, and could be annoyed if the interview drags on for longer than is necessary. Don’t ask about holiday entitlement and pay rises. This may make you seem grasping and uninterested in doing the job for its own sake.

Group interviews

In some interviews, you will be invited to take part in a discussion or activity with a group of other candidates. On such occasions you are being assessed for your ability to cooperate as much as to lead, so act accordingly:

•  Don’t try to dominate the discussion.
•  Don’t get angry or dismissive if people offer opposing views.
•  Make our point clearly and then let the other candidates have their say.
•  If you can’t think of anything new to add, simply say that you agree with one of the previous speakers and ret his or her point.

Residential courses

Some interviews may even involve an overnight stay, with some form of social activity included. Remember that you are being assessed for the whole of the time:

•  Try to appear alert and interested at all times.
•  Enjoy any social activities that are laid on.
•  Don’t get drunk in the hotel bar.

Tests

Some employers use tests to find out more about the candidates. If you are invited to take a test at the interview, make sure that you are well prepared:

•  Study the invitation to the interview and find out what form the test will take.
•  Revise or practice -for the test as appropriate.
•  Follow the usual guidelines for taking examinations.