You‟ve found the job or course that you want to apply for. Now it‟s time to market yourself successfully and maximise your chance of obtaining that all-important interview. This Information Leaflet gives a brief guide on how to put together great applications. For more detailed help, have a look at the Getting a Job section of our website, www.careers.ox.ac.uk. Research and target! Carefully tailoring your application to the organisations that you are applying to is far more likely to be successful than firing off many nearidentical applications. Research the organisation thoroughly, and use the information you gain. Demonstrate your understanding of the job, the employer and the sector in which it operates in your application, and allow your motivation and interest to come through. Research the organisation and sector at the Careers Service Employer (red) Files and Career Briefings. Oxford Careers Network – there may already be an Oxford graduate working for the employer, whose brains you can pick. Use the online database to get contact details and read what they have to say about their job, and perhaps contact them personally, www.careers.ox.ac.uk/students/ocn. Elsewhere Employers‟ websites – read them! Annual Reports – some are published on employer websites, some are held on file at the Careers Service, others you will need to request from the organisation itself. The online LexisNexis news service is a useful way of researching companies and accessing recent press reports. Access via http://solo.ouls.ox.ac.uk/ with Oxford Single Sign-on. www.rocketnews.com is a five-day international news archive, available free of charge. Useful if you are away from Oxford and cannot use LexisNexis. Searches 6,000 news services. Attend presentations. Many recruiters visit Oxford in Michaelmas Term – don‟t just go and listen; talk to them afterwards. See the What‟s On section of our website for details; log in to the password-protected area of
You‟ve found the job or course that you want to apply for. Now it‟s time to market yourself successfully and maximise your chance of obtaining that all-important interview. This Information Leaflet gives a brief guide on how to put together great applications. For more detailed help, have a look at the Getting a Job section of our website, www.careers.ox.ac.uk. Research and target! Carefully tailoring your application to the organisations that you are applying to is far more likely to be successful than firing off many nearidentical applications. Research the organisation thoroughly, and use the information you gain. Demonstrate your understanding of the job, the employer and the sector in which it operates in your application, and allow your motivation and interest to come through. Research the organisation and sector at the Careers Service Employer (red) Files and Career Briefings. Oxford Careers Network – there may already be an Oxford graduate working for the employer, whose brains you can pick. Use the online database to get contact details and read what they have to say about their job, and perhaps contact them personally, www.careers.ox.ac.uk/students/ocn. Elsewhere Employers‟ websites – read them! Annual Reports – some are published on employer websites, some are held on file at the Careers Service, others you will need to request from the organisation itself. The online LexisNexis news service is a useful way of researching companies and accessing recent press reports. Access via http://solo.ouls.ox.ac.uk/ with Oxford Single Sign-on. www.rocketnews.com is a five-day international news archive, available free of charge. Useful if you are away from Oxford and cannot use LexisNexis. Searches 6,000 news services. Attend presentations. Many recruiters visit Oxford in Michaelmas Term – don‟t just go and listen; talk to them afterwards. See the What‟s On section of our website for details; log in to the password-protected area of