How you can Net your dream job

JARED WELLS — personal adviser, Jobcentre Plus

YOU can still send your CV to prospective employers by post, but these days many employers prefer you to e-mail it.

The application process is so much faster when you use the Internet, as when you e-mail your CV, it arrives with your potential employer almost instantly. Don’t worry if you’re not very confident with computers. Follow these easy top tips and it all should become a lot clearer.

Having problems finding access to the Internet? Make sure you visit your local library, where you will be able to log on to a computer access the Internet and search for jobs on the Jobcentre Plus website for free.

The importance of preparation

It’s very important that you put the same amount of effort into your online application as you would a postal application:

::Do some research — look at the company’s website and read about the industry. Find out what skills are relevant to the job for which you are applying.

::Make sure your CV is up to date.

::Write an e-mail covering note, and give the reader a reason to look at your attached CV by telling them key points about why you are right for the job.

Make a good impression

As the cliché goes, first impressions count. You need to remember that this e-mail will be your potential employer’s first impression of you and so it needs to be a good one:

q Keep the content of the e-mail brief and to the point.

::Say why you think you are suitable and refer to any relevant work experience

::When including your CV, it is best to send it as an attachment to the e-mail, rather than pasting it into the body of the e-mail as it is an important document that your potential employer may want to print off and file.

Make sure you have attached the right file before hitting the send — there’s nothing worse than e-mailing your potential employer a letter to your friend.

::It is up to you whether you include a photograph of yourself with your application, but if you do, remember that sending large files will not endear you to your potential employer. Keep files sizes small.

::Before you send the e-mail, read through it for errors and spelling mistakes.

It is always a good idea to ask someone else to read through it as well, in case they spot anything that you miss.

All-important finishing touches

It’s all too easy to make mistakes when sending an e-mail, so take your time:

::When you’re ready to send your e-mail, put your name, job title and any reference numbers in the subject line.

::Always remember to include your full name, address and contact details in the body of the e-mail.

::Make sure your e-mail address gives a good impression, If it’s something amusing like cheekygirl@hotmail.com or obscure like x23hgt@hotmail.com you may want to create a more formal sounding e-mail address specially for job applications.

::Don’t wait until the last minute to sent your e-mail application. E-mails can sometimes be delayed, so send it at least a day before the deadline.

And finally . . .
::Before you press ‘send’, check that you have the right e-mail address.

::Call your potential employer to check that they have received the e-mail and to help make a good impression.

For further information:

Visit www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk for information on the services that Jobcentre Plus provides employers and people of working age and to search for a job online.

You could also call Jobcentre Plus on 0845-60 60 234 (or textphone 0845-6055 255) to search for a job over the phone. Lines are open weekdays 8am-6pm and Saturdays 9am-1pm.

What you need to become . . . . . . . a secretary

Secretaries can be given a wide selection of titles including secretary, administrative assistant, personal assistant (PA) and executive secretary, depending on the employing organisation.

By the same token a secretary may be a very junior member of staff on an average salary or a highly paid, senior person with many responsibilities.

Some secretaries are so important to their employers, they have executive status, almost level with board members.

The work of any secretary can be hard to define. It can range from maintaining routine paperwork, answering the telephone, dealing with the post and arranging appointments, to handling their employer’s confidential files, collating, organising and editing material for reports, presentations, researching material for agendas and meetings, administering the petty cash and simple bookkeeping, maintaining office systems, negotiating with suppliers, ordering supplies, taking minutes at board meetings and standing in for their boss in his or her absence, plus dealing with and monitoring the resolving of complaints and generally being their boss’s right hand.

A really senior secretary may also be involved in personnel work, interviewing, appointing and supervising other office staff. Some secretaries are required to travel with their employers and some to travel in their place.

Secretarial work can be routine, mundane and boring. It can be challenging, satisfying, highly pressurised and often stressful.

Secretaries must be familiar with the whole range of office machinery used in business today.

In particular, however, she or he (more and more men are choosing this as a career) must be completely computer literate and able to use the word processor, send e-mails, consult appropriate web sites and use the Internet as required. Their telephone manner must also be impeccable.

Shorthand is used less and less these days but a working knowledge of it is invaluable. Many employers still use dictating machines and the ability to work from these is also essential.

All secretaries must have basic keyboard and word-processing skills and this, together with a sound command of the English language, will be enough to get them a basic secretarial job.

There are a number of qualifications which may be worked for, including Pitman's, Royal Society of Arts as well as NVQs to Level 4.

Further information on secretarial careers may be obtained from the Institute of Qualified Professional Secretaries Ltd, Suite 464, 24-28 St Leonards Road, Windsor, SL4 3BB. The telephone number is 0844-8000 182.


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