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Applying for a Job

Resumes and application forms are two ways to provide employers with written evidence of your skills and knowledge. Most information is common to both the resume and application form, but the way the information is presented differs. Some employers prefer a resume while others require an application form.

What Goes Into a Resume?

A resume summarizes your qualifications and employment history. It usually is required when applying for managerial, administrative, professional, or technical positions. Although there is no set format, a resume should contain the following information:

Name, address, and telephone number.
Employment objective. State the type of work or specific job you are seeking.
Education, including school name and address, dates of attendance, curriculum, and highest grade completed or degree awarded.
Experience, paid or volunteer. Include the following for each job: Job title, name and address of employer, and dates of employment. Describe your job duties.
Special skills, knowledge of machinery, proficiency in foreign languages, honors received, awards, or membership in organizations.
Note on your resume that "references are available upon request."

There are many ways of organizing a resume. Depending upon the job you are applying for, you should choose the format that best highlights your skills, training, and experience. It may be helpful to look at different examples. Examples can be found in a variety of books and publications available through public libraries or career guidance centers. Also, ask someone to read your resume and suggest ways to improve it.

In completing an application form, make sure you fill it out properly and follow all instructions. In general, the same type of information is included on an application form as in a resume. Don't omit any information asked for and be sure to check that all information provided is correct.

Cover letters

A cover letter should be sent with a resume or application form, as a way to introduce yourself to employers. It should capture the employer's attention, follow a business letter format, and should generally include the following information:

The name and address of the specific person to whom the letter is addressed
The reason for your interest in the company or position
Your main qualifications for the position (in brief)
A request for an interview
Your phone number

Interviewing

An interview gives you the best opportunity to show an employer your qualifications, so it pays to be well prepared. Each interview is different, however. The box below provides some helpful information.

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The Value of Summer Internships

Summer is a great time to relax. Some people can take the summer off altogether, while others are glad to be working without having to worry about school. However an increasingly valuable summer activity is an internship.

What's in it for me?

An internship provides you with the opportunity to gain on-the-job experience while earning money. Additionally, many schools will offer credit for time worked as an intern. Some schools even require intern work as a condition of graduation.

The best way for students to combine theory with practice is through an internship. While the employer gains quality assistance for the summer, the students are able to broaden their backgrounds and hone newly acquired skills and knowledge.

Many companies which use intern labor are so happy with the intern that they will offer them full-time work after graduation. Others are active participants in the education of their interns providing pay incentives for good grades and assisting with financing their education.

Jim Stutzman of Stutzman Chevrolet-Cadillac Company of Winchester, Va. says there are many benefits to a summer internship, "The benefits for the student are really twofold. I'm looking to bring young people into our business and have them see the professionalism and the opportunities are out here in the mechanical side of the automotive business in this day and age. I'm hoping that particularly with the students that get involved with this program that it will give them a goal and motivation to learn and to grow and try and get into our business. It's a stepping stone for them if they have a good internship to come on and work full-time with the dealership after they get out of school."

What's in it for the company?

Hiring a summer intern can be beneficial to an organization in many ways.
Summer interns are an excellent and economical source for completing short-term project assignments.
Summer interns provide new employers the opportunity to become better acquainted with how a school prepares its graduates. Summer interns who are pleased with their internship experience can add to a company's campus presence and act as their best emissaries.
Summer interns are potential employees. They give companies an opportunity to evaluate a candidate before committing to a permanent hire.
Summer interns bring an objective viewpoint and bright new ideas.

Stutzman agrees, "I'm hoping to grow some good young technicians because one of the biggest problems right now is finding qualified people to work in that field.

"That way I don't have to go out on the street and try and find somebody to bring in here that brings in all their old habits. It's a fresh mind to bring into our business
and mold into the type of technician and employee that we need for today.

"It's changed so much in the last 15 years with computers and everything else and you don't need someone who is just a mechanic anymore," Stutzman said.

Expectations of what makes a good summer internship may vary from one student to the next. However, it's good for a company to provide an assignment that will use the skills learned during the first year in the intern's educational program. A project that the intern can handle from initiation to completion, including both written and oral reports, is ideal. The internship stands on its own, and there is no obligation to make a permanent job offer. However, many of the students choose to return
to their internship firm when offers are made.

Many employers are willing to do the same.