Please can you help me with an application form?

[tefal]

It is for an admin role 2 days per week.

The question is:

Please give details of any skills, knowledge of experience you feel is relevant to your application, including any voluntary or unpaid work. You should refer to the Job Decription and Person Specification and tell us how you meet the criteria. You should also use this section to explain why you are interested in this job.

Short of saying I can do the job standing on my head, I need the work and it is only 2 days a week what can I say?

I am useless at answering these sorts of questions.

and how long should the paragraph be? Quite detailed or short and to the point?

It sounds like a job I applied for recently, and got.

If you look at the job spec just go through all the skills it says you need.

Here is an example of the kind of thing I wrote.

Job description asked for experience in computer packages.
I have several years of clerical experience within my previous jobs. I am fully experienced in using MS Office packages. I have used Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Access for many years in different environments.

Diary management and minute taking were important too.
I have a wealth of experience of typing letters and other documents. Diary management has been part of most of my roles, as is organising meetings. For a few years now I have been part of local committees and have taken on secretary and treasurer roles. This has given me a lot of experience of minute keeping and petty cash control.

Role asked for someone who can manage own time.
I am very good at managing my own time and working to deadlines for projects. I learn new skills quickly and can settle into new environments very well. I am a very reliable person, and also professional at all times.

WOW! You are kind. Thank you.

And well done!

Depends how much space they have given you. Quite often this sort of question wants an example type answer, showing you've done it before, including what the problem was, what YOU did and what the (successful) outcome was.

Make sure you link it carefully to the criteria they've specified.

Also, a career guidance person gave me some very wise advice; basically, when the person selecting is going through the pile of application forms, and wants to get it done asap, they're not going to be looking for reasons you can do the job, they're going to be looking for evidence that you can't do the job and they can put you in the 'no' pile. His advice was, if you stand in their shoes and imagine you were recruiting this job, think about what your worst fear would be if you cocked it up and recruited the wrong person (ie in this example, that you're totally disorganised, unreliable, have no IT skills, go off sick a lot and are rude and unpleasant...) Go through your application form making sure that you've demonstrated, with evidence, that you're not that nightmare person!

Sorry if that's a bit rambly - I thought it was really useful. Good luck!

It is the space of approximately 3/4 of a piece of A4 paper.

Won't put in any negatives.

As a former recruiter of people, what we are looking for is evidence you can do the job. Saying you can do the job isn't good enough or worth anything.

For example: I have used a variety of IT packages , and have used these to produce spreadsheets, flyers and monthly reports.

They'll also go through the person spec and check that you hit the majority of points on it, so linking your examples to those works best.

For example: Spec says - Must be able to prioritise own workload
"In my previous job I was responsible for collating the monthly stats for an inflexible deadline. However due to team changes I was allocated extra duties which impacted on my ability to meet the deadline. I explained that I would be able to complete the extra duties but not until the timebound task was completed as this affected wider parts of the business in terms of financial decisions."

How does this sound: Please feel free to comment!

Having worked in admin for several years, I have many of the skills and qualities you are looking for. My previous post with ????? was a new position and I created and made it into what it is today which is a technical admin support role.

I possess the ability to work independently as well as in a team environment as previous roles throughout my career have given me these challenges. I have good organisational skills and I am fully experienced in using MS Office packages. I have used Word, Excel and Outlook extensively and feel that I am proficient with these applications.

Diary management has been part of most of my roles, as is organising meetings, taking minutes and actively being a part of the meeting process. These skills mean I have the ability to communicate clearly both in writing and orally to others.

As Receptionist at >>>>, one of my main tasks was dealing with the office switchboard which was often very busy. I had to be clear and concise with callers to ensure they talked to the correct person in a timeous manner. Also dealing with legal matters meant I was required to produce accurate work daily so I do have good attention to detail.

During 2004 I spent time caring for my mother with cancer. Although much of this care was with the support of Marie Curie and MacMillan, I do believe I am sympathetic and understanding of the needs and concerns surrounding carers and the assistance organisations such as yours provide.

I love working with people and I am determined to find a position that allows me to work with others both within the office team and with those requiring the services you provide. I know I would do a wonderful job and believe my experiences both in my working life and the time spent caring for my mother would be of benefit to you.

Tefal some good pointers here, but FWIW - as a recruiter - the following bit doesn't make sense and would annoy me....

"and I created and made it into what it is today "

don't ever put 'I feel that' or 'I believe that'- no-one cares what you feel or believe, and this sounds un-confident. I AM I DO not I FEEL!!!

Don't start a sentence with 'These ' - grammatically incorrect and if you are applying for an admin role, then this will go against you.

"Diary management has been part of most of my roles, as is organising meetings," needs to read 'as has' instead of 'as is' - also grammatically incorrect.

replace "timeous" with "timely" - timeous sounds strange!

"so I do have" - change to "I have"

"I do believe" sounds silly. No-one cares what you believe, again use 'I am'

Remove "I know I would do a wonderful job " and put "My skills, gained both professionally and while caring for my mother"

Sorry if I am being pernickity, just trying to help.

.

Hi
~Thank you for this. Much appreciated.

Re-worded. I really want this job so thanks again.

Good luck tefal! Hairytriangle's suggestions and your own work will get you to your target.