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These suggestions are intended as general information, drawn on years experience of dealing with countryside job advertisers and seekers.
NB: For specific questions and answers please go to
'Frequently Asked Questions'
A rule of thumb for everyone: It's mostly common
sense. Follow instructions exactly, if you're the person responsible for
writing the instructions make them clear and easy to follow; proofread your
advert / CV / application.
100 people send Application Forms for a job of which
90 will arrive before the Closing Date of which
85 will be readable of which
80 will be completed
fully of which
40 will have all of the Essential Requirements of which
20 will have most of the Desirable Requirements of which
10 will also have some additional skills, qualifications or experience of which
8 will be invited for Interview of whom 6 will actually attend of whom
1 will get the job!
You can improve your chances of being in the final running by paying attention to the following points:
Think - you are being assessed at all times: from your very first phone call or letter, to the very last moment.
Speak clearly when you phone - nobody will post you an Application Form if they can't make out your name and address. Speak slowly and clearly, spelling any unusual words. Remember that B sounds like C / D / E / G / P / T and V, so use the Phonetic Alphabet, especially for your Postcode.
Concentrate - never phone while you are involved in something else: eg when driving; on a train / bus; near a loud radio / TV / stereo; eating lunch or having an
argument with a third party (you may laugh, but we have had ALL of those)!
Be considerate - when giving your phone number give your area dialling code as well (not just 'Colchester 123456').
You may know what your area code is, but busy employers have better things to do than look it up before they can ring you back.
Be prepared - never phone to ask for more information and then interrupt the reply with 'Wait a moment, I'll just go and look for a pen...'
Write clearly - Nobody will post you an Application Form if they can't read your name or address. Type or print or write very clearly.
Do it yourself -
never get someone else to make those all important 'phone calls, remember
you're being assessed from the first contact and this could be a very black
mark before you even start.
Follow the instructions - if a phone number is given, phone that number (and no other). If an address is given, write to that address (and no other). If a Reference Number is given, quote it. When an employer advertises a job they also set up special lines of communication (perhaps even a special phone number and a special member of staff) to deal with all the expected enquiries.
You will annoy the the entire organisation if you mess up all their arrangements
by inventing your own system. Not the best way to make a good impression on the Personnel Officer who is about to decide your future!
Similarly if the advert says application forms from don't send your CV and
if the advert says CVs then don't phone for an application form.
Check your CV - most CVs contain several silly mistakes in spelling, punctuation and /or grammar.
Swap your CV with a friend, mark it like a piece of homework, then correct it. Then do it all again!
Communicate - most job descriptions require someone with 'good communication skills' - this also means
reading carefully and listening carefully. Make sure that you pay attention to ALL of the above points, as well as any other instructions, before
you make contact.
SAEs - send a BIG* Stamped Self-Addressed Envelope with the required postage.*(YOU try stuffing half a dozen sheets of A4 paper into a
small postcard sized envelope)!
Standard paper sizes - never send anything smaller than a postcard. Office filing systems are designed for standard paper sizes and anything smaller will probably slip through, come unstuck,
stick itself to some other bit of paper from someone else, fall off and / or get lost.
Email addresses, your best friend might know that crazy_jumping_snails@mailserver
is a flippant comment but the Personnel Officer reading your application
won't. If necessary set up a new bland email address, eg cjs_mail@mailserver
Ticking the Boxes - Personnel
Officers (who may not know anything about Countryside Management) are no longer
allowed to 'read between the lines' of an application form. They can only give
you credit for what you write down on the form. If you assume that they will
know what 'One year Volunteer Ranger experience' means, you will miss out
because they will not be able to tick off all the 'Essential Requirements' on
their list. If you don't say that you have chainsaw experience then they can't
tick the box that says 'Chainsaw.' If the job description requires skills A and
B and C then you must write down that you have skills A and B and C. Go
through their list of 'Essential Requirements' and mention them all
individually (and in the same order if possible) on your application. If you do not, then
you probably won't even get short-listed. Do the same for 'Desirable
Requirements' but this time if you don't actually have the specified
requirements, then mention any similar ones instead.
Choose your jobs carefully - apply only for those jobs where you meet
ALL the Essential Requirements and most of the Desirable Requirements. The alternative is the 'Broadside' approach (also known as Spray and Pray)
where you apply for every job in sight, no matter how inappropriate your skills
and experience may be. This is a waste of time, effort and money for you - and for them - and it is very bad for your own morale. You will limit your chances if you limit your choices - if you only apply
for one specific job title or only for jobs in your home town or county,
then your chances of success will be greatly reduced. Spread your net as
widely as possible: be prepared to move to the other end of the country if
necessary (yes, I do know about family ties, mortgages, etc) and also be
prepared to apply for 'similar' job titles to your dream job. Once you have got
a job (almost any job) with a conservation organisation, it
becomes much easier to transfer within that organisation (or even to another
organisation) to get your ideal job.
Otherwise - Good Luck!
For an idea of what employer are
looking for follow this link
http://www.naturenet.net/people/getajob.html
Keep your ad short
- the more words you use, the smaller the print size becomes, the harder it is to read and the fewer people will even try.
Leave out - as much repetition as possible. If you have to use the name of the organisation more than once, try using its initials, or even 'we'.
Leave out - if your ad is going under the section headed 'Vacancies' then
there is no need to start your ad with 'The Society for the Conservation of
Words (or whatever) is seeking to fill a vacancy for...'
Leave out -
all purple prose. Environmentalists are highly motivated people, unlikely to
apply for a job just because it also offers 'An exciting place to live with a
wide range of retail outlets, a vibrant nightlife and convenient access to several motorways.'
Use plain English - dressing it up in Important Speak just takes more words. If you want to say 'The successful applicant will have responsibility for the dissemination of information to members of the general public and others who are visiting the Park facilities'
(25 words) why not just say 'You will be responsible for informing Park visitors'
(8 words)?
Choose your words accurately- in natural science the word 'environment' has a precise meaning, so please do not devalue it with phrases like: '...in a busy office environment...' when 'in a busy office' would suffice.
Choose your words carefully - a water company once advertised a Ranger post with us and their job requirements included the immortal words 'Must have an in-depth knowledge of the water industry.'
Its true!
Essentials first - include all the essential requirements in the initial ad. That way neither you nor lots of unsuitable applicants will waste time, effort and money
asking for Further Job Details and Application Forms, when they had absolutely no chance in the first place.
Playing 'Diaries' - YOU probably know when the Interviews will be, so please include the 'Interview Date' in the ad. Some applicants may already have another interview booked that day - probably at the other end of the country.
Not enough applicants - the number of applicants is declining but the answer is simple. Like all vocations, Environmental Conservation has always suffered from low wages for highly qualified people. The average Countryside Ranger earns £14,000 pa - just 2/3 of the UK national average wage. So try offering more money,
or failing that,
more benefits!
Reduce your workload - avoid postal delays, reduce demands on your time and cut postage costs by offering Further Job Details and Application Forms by email, as well as by post
or even easier ask applicants to apply online.
Reduce costs - some employers now state on their ad that 'Only successful applicants will be contacted...' or 'Only those selected for interview will be contacted...'
That's fine, but please add '...by 30/2/06' (or whatever final date you choose), so that all the UNsuccessful applicants will know when
to stop being optimistic...
Any more hints? Your suggestions are welcome...
Never
generalise.
No sentence fragments.
Avoid clichés like the plague.
Always avoid annoying alliteration.
It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
Apostrophes' position's are'nt random.
Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary.
And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
Proofread carefully to check if you any words out.
Never use a big word when a diminutive one will suffice.
Obviously you should avoid the most over-used word, which is 'actually' - although actually, it could be 'obviously'...
There are really only six questions in the whole world:
Who? What? Where? When? How? Why?
Try to give some information about each.
Any more hints? Your suggestions are welcome...
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