Job-hunting: Cover letters, Resumes, and Interviews.

Student Guide
CONTENTS OF THIS GUIDE
Part 1
Writing a cover letter
Part 2
Writing a casual resum
Part 3
Preparting for Interviews
This guide provides resources for students searching for casual
employment positions while studying.
NEED MORE HELP?
The Employment Service is located on the Ground Floor of the Lady Symons Building (University of
Adelaide, North Terrace Campus). Contact auu.employment@adelaide.edu.au or (08) 8303 4406
to schedule an appointment.
Part 1: Writing a cover letter
What is a cover letter?
A cover letter is a short and specific letter that should always accompany any resum or
other applications documents. A cover letter introduces yourself and highlights relevant
skills,
qualifications and experiences you have that will make you suitable for the role.
Top 5 tips for writing a cover letter:
1. Tailor your cover letter to every position
2. Ensure your resum is positive in tone (dont include your weaknesses)
3. Highlight your key skills/qualifications
4. Where possible always address a specific person
5. Your cover letter must not have any spelling or grammatical errors
Cover letter structure
Employment Service
AUU
auu.org.au/employment
Your address
Suburb State Postcode
Phone/mobile number
Email address
Date
Name of contact
Title (eg. Manager)
Name of organisation
Address
Suburb State Postcode
Job title and/or reference number
Dear Mr/Ms (full name). If name is unknown Sir/Madam
OPENING PARAGRAPH
Introduce yourself and explain why you are writing. If responding to a job advertisement, include the
position title and where you viewed the advert. If you are submitting an unsolicited application briefly
outline your current employment circumstances.
( continued over page )
Employment Service
AUU
auu.org.au/employment
Formatting and layout
Une A typed pae
Use 1o1z pont standard Ionts (e. Ara, Tmes New Roman}
Wrte n pan busness Lnsh (avod abbrevatons or san}
Have a cear structure - one man dea per pararaph
Lnsure there s penty oI whte space between pararaphs
1oo% accurate spen and rammar
Cover letter checklist
1. Make sure there are no spen mstakes or rammatca errors
z. Make sure you have taored your cover etter to the specIc roe and have mentoned a the reevant sks you have
]. Make sure the cover etter s we ad out, easy to read and prnted on cean, whte paper n a standard Iont
. Make sure you've provded specIc exampes oI your achevements and how you've used the sks you've mentoned
_. uet Ieedback Irom the AUU Lmpoyment Servces team
Easy to Read
Hard to Read
auu.empoyment@adeade.edu.au (o8} 8]o] o6
MIDDLE PARAGRAPHS
Hhht the sks, expertse, quates and empoyment experence you have ncuded n your resum that
you beeve are most reevant to the requrements oI the poston. Make sure you demonstrate how you
meet the seecton crtera.
Incude other Iactors that hhht your key enera sks (e. communcaton, ntatve, teamwork}
throuh your experences n vountary or communty roes.
BreIy cover your current area oI study, your panned Inshn date, your ma|or or any outstandn
academc resuts. Aso ncude any courses you have successIuy competed.
Show that you know or have researched somethn about the oransaton and the poston.
CLOSING PARAGRAPH
ConIrm that you have ncuded your resum and other documents as requested. Insh on a postve note,
thank the empoyer Ior ther tme and express an nterest n attendn an ntervew.
Cose
ours sncerey
(ncude your snature}
our name
Part 2: Writing a casual resum
What is a resum?
A resum (sometime also called a Curriculum Vitae or CV) is a summary of your skills, educa-
tion and work experience. A good resum demonstrates how your skills and abilities match up
with the requirements of a job.
Top 5 tips for writing a casual resum:
1. Keep your resum brief approximately 2 pages
2. List your education and work history in chronological order
3. Tailor your resum to each position
4. Dont go into detail about your academic history
5. Ensure your resum is formatted and looks professional
OBJECTIVE
This section is optional and should be short, targeted
statement that is specific to the job. No longer than 2-3
sentences.
SKILLS AND QUALITIES
List skills that are specific to the job (eg. teamwork,
problem solving). List these in dot-point form and
include a short summary/example for each.
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
e:oc o wo:k
[ob e
Busess ame
ey :esosbes co os}
/chevemes ooa}
List all jobs chronologically in reverse-date order.
Availability: Available up to 20 hours per week in semester time

Objective:
Seeking a part-time role where I can utilise my skills in hospitality and my passion for
customer service.

Skills & personal qualities:
Good interpersonal skills and teamwork skills, demonstrated through debating club
activities and university deal projects.
Ability to deal with people in a friendly manner, developed through my role as the
debating club secretary
Good numerical and cash handling experience gained through fundraising activities with
the debating club.
Experience in food handling through being involved in debating club BBQs.

Employment history:
April-November 2009 , Shop Assistant, Aroma Caf, Adelaide
Duties:
Cash handling
Answering telephones
Customer service
Food handling
Achievements:
Awarded employee of the week for excellence in customer service

What to include
PERSONAL DETAILS
First and last names
Current address
Mobile phone numbers
(ensure your voicemail is professional)
Email address
(ensure your email address is professional)
Residency status (optional)
Availability
JANE SMITH

Personal details:
Address: 100 North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, 5000
Telephone: 0412 345 678
E-mail: jane.smith@student.adelaide.edu.au
Residency status: Australian Citizen
Availability: Available up to 20 hours per week in semester time

Objective:
Seeking a part-time role where I can utilise my skills in hospitality and my passion for
Dont include personal information such as your date of birth, sex or marital status.
Employment Service
AUU
auu.org.au/employment
Keep
it
brief!
2 pages = good
VOLUNTARY AND COMMUNITY WORK
Period of work
Tte
Busness name
Key responsbtes
Achevements ooa}
cuce a:cao commuy o:gasa-
os, cubs o: so:s assocaos
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Perod oI trann
Tte
Trann provder
/so cuce oeo :ag ha ca make
you sac ou eg Maua hacg, :s /c}
INTERESTS AND HOBBIES (OPTIONAL)
W:e a co o summa:y o you: e:soa
e:ess
Employment Service
AUU
auu.or.au/empoyment
REFEREES
Ls wo o: h:ee eoe who have see wha you a:e
abe o co a emoyme o: acacemc
ev:ome /ways :y o use oca :ee:ees whe:e
ossbe ac aways ask o: e:msso beo:e
cucg hem you: :esume
Name
[ob tte
Uransaton Phone number
Lma address
FORMATTING AND LAYOUT
Use 1o 1z o saca:c os eg /:a, Tmes New Roma}
W:e a busess Lgsh avoc abb:evaos o: sag}
Use subheacgs ac bueec s o :ovce a sasho o you: sks
Lsu:e he:e s ey o whe sace bewee a:ag:ahs
W:e he h:c e:so co' use '", 'me" o: 'my"}
Layou mus be cosse h:oughou
Resum Checklist
1 Make su:e he:e a:e o seg msakes o: g:ammaca e::o:s
z Make su:e you have ao:ec you: :esume o he secc :oe ac have meoec a he :eeva sks you have
_ Make su:e he :esume s we ac ou, easy o :eac ac :ec o cea, whe ae: a saca:c o
; Make su:e you've :ovcec secc exames o you: achevemes ac how you've usec he sks you've meoec
_. uet Ieedback Irom the AUU Lmpoyment Servces team

Easy to Read
Hard to Read
auu.empoyment@adeade.edu.au (o8} 8]1] o6
Part 3: Preparing for Interviews
What is a job interview?
A job interview is an opportunity for an employer to evaluate an applicants suitability for
employment at their organisation. The employer will expand on the applicants job application
and ask questions based on the position description. It is also an opportunity for the applicant
to learn more about the role and evaluate their suitability in the organisation.
Top 5 tips for acing a job interview:
1. Do your research
2. Practice your answers
3. Look the part
4. Ask questions
5. Smile!
PREPARATION
Preparation is essential to maximise your chance of success. The more prepared you are,
the easier it will be to cope with your nerves and the easier it will be for you to be able to
answer the questions.
RESEARCH
Employers will expect you to know something about them before you come to the inter-
view. So make sure you do some research on the organisation before attending the inter-
view. Do this by:
Lookg a he: webse
Takg o eoe who wo:k he cus:y o: sma: o:gasaos
Ensure you have read and understand the job description so that you understand the:
Roes ac :esosbes o he [ob
Sks ac cuacaos eecec
Lxe:ece :ecu:ec
PRACTICE
Think about the questions you might be asked and how you would answer the questions.
Choose a few key questions and try answering them aloud, as if you were in an interview.
Five common interview questions:
1. What attracted you to this role?
2. What skills & abilities do you bring to this role?
3. Do you believe you have any weaknesses you need to work on?
4. What do you know about our organisation?
5. What is your proudest achievement?
Employment Service
AUU
auu.org.au/employment
ATTENDING THE INTERVIEW
Bring all relevant documents with you. For example:
Dress appropriately. For casual jobs generally enclosed shoes, black pants and a smart top/shirt is
appropriate.
Aim to get to the interview about 10 minutes early. Plan your route and take into account any
delays you could encounter.
Make sure your mobile is switched off.
Use your chance to ask questions. Asking questions show you are interested and have confidence.
Prepare a list beforehand. Below are examples of questions you could ask:
1. Why is the position open?
2. How is performance measured?
3. What are the companys plans for the future?
End the interview on a positive note. Thank the interviewers for their time and dont forget to
smile!
Employment Service
AUU
auu.org.au/employment
ANSWERING INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Interview questions are designed by the employer to obtain
as much information from you as possible about your
suitability for the position. It is important when answering
questions to give fairly detailed responses and to include
examples where possible.
A good way of
structuring your
response is to use the
STAR method. This
stands for situation,
task, action and result.
This is a good method
to use to show what
you have learnt from
past experiences.
Still need a hand?
Get feedback from the AUU Employment Services team

auu.employment@adelaide.edu.au (08) 8303 4406
S (situation) Briefly describe the situation.
I was working for a small retail store as a
shop assistant.
T (task) Say what needed to be done
to address the situation and
what your role was.
I noticed that the store room didnt comply
with OHS requirements.
A (action) Say what you did and how
you did it.
Using my skills from my architecture studies I
drew up a plan to increase the space in the
store room and presented it to the store
manager.
R (results) Say what happened as a
result of your action.
The store manager got a quote from a
building company and implemented my
design.
Copy of the
job
description
Academic
Transcript
Copy of your
Resume
Written
References
Copy of the
job
advertisement
Q?
A
!