Demonstrate You Fit the Job Criteria

Sample Job Description

Researcher - The ABC Group Graduate Programme

We are specialist advisers to corporate owners and high net worth individuals. We have built a strong reputation for working with companies and individuals, to enhance their business and personal finances. This has been achieved through the development and design of highly specialised services  for our clients.

As a researcher you will work closely with and support our client advisory teams, conducting in-depth research and due diligence to help them provide specialist and comprehensive advice to our clients. 

Job Requirements:

• Achieved (or predicted) a 2:1 or above in any degree discipline
• Very strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work well in a team environment
• Strong attention to detail
• Ability to multi-task and manage workload and responsibilities
• Interest in business and finance 
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite

My Evidence

• Achieved/Predicted 2:1
  • Yes
• Communication skills
  • Written: Author of college bi-weekly Arts Newsletter; social media manager for college drama society; weekly essays and dissertation 
  • Verbal: Private tutoring GCSE/A-Level students; school debating team; presentation of 2nd year project 
• Ability to work well in a team environment
  • Member of college drama society, working with cast members and technicians to stage annual summer play
  • Vacation job at restaurant, working with team of 6 other waiters to ensure smooth running of food service
  • Worked with team of 4 to advise client (local cafe owner) on how to increase number of customers as part of the Oxford Strategy Challenge (TOSCA) programme
• Strong attention to detail
  • Editing bi-weekly college Arts Newsletter; writing and editing drama society social media posts; vacation job, ensuring customer orders are correct and reconciling till receipts
• Ability to multi-task and manage workload and responsibilities
  • In vacations, balance restaurant job with private GCSE tutoring; research and write x 2 essays per week alongside college drama society responsibilities and training and competing as member of college 2nd XI Hockey team.
• Interest in Business & Finance
  • Member of OU Finance Society; Participant in Careers Service programme "The Oxford Strategy Challenge" (TOSCA);  managing finances/income from private tutoring 
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Suite
  •  As part of TOSCA project, recorded survey responses using Excel; presented findings and recommendations to client via PowerPoint presentation.

Include these and other relevant examples when writing your CV, cover letter, application form and at the interview. At interview, don't be afraid to make reference to examples used in your written application - just make sure you expand on the information and make it relevant to the question. 

Structuring responses: the STAR technique

In cover letters, application forms and interviews, you may find the STAR approach (Situation, Task, Action, Result) helps you to frame a clear structure when providing an example experience.

• Describe a situation (very brief)
• Explain the task you had to do
• Set out clearly, specifically and with detail – the actions you took. Make sure it's clear what YOUR specific responsibilities/tasks were
• And finally, describe the result  - quantify if appropriate eg: increased member attendance numbers by 45%

Action verbs

In written applications, you can convey your relevant skills and experience with impact by using action verbs. These can help make an application stand out, particularly if you start bullet-points with them. Here are some examples:

Accomplished • Achieved • Administered • Advised • Advocated • Analysed • Assembled • Authorised • Awarded • Budgeted • Captained • Chaired • Coached • Completed • Conducted • Co-ordinated • Counselled • Created • Decided • Delivered • Demonstrated • Designed • Determined • Developed • Devised • Directed • Discovered • Earned • Edited • Employed • Enabled • Encouraged • Engineered • Enjoyed • Ensured •  Established • Evaluated • Examined • Expanded • Explained • Facilitated • Founded • Gained • Generated • Handled • Identified • Implemented • Improved • Increased • Initiated • Instituted • Instructed • Interviewed • Invented • Launched • Led • Managed • Marketed • Maximised • Mediated • Negotiated • Obtained • Operated • Organised • Oversaw • Performed • Planned • Prepared • Presented • Prioritised • Produced • Promoted • Raised • Ran • Recognised  • Recommended • Reconciled • Recruited • Represented • Responsible • Saved • Set up • Simplified • Solved • Supervised • Targeted • Transformed

If you feel you lack experience and don’t have time before an application to gain more, don’t panic! Think about relevant transferable skills  - you may have gained these as part of your course/studies. However the majority of employers want to know what other experience you have gained outside of your studies, so try to not to focus just on your academic studies - especially if your degree subject is not a requirement for the role.

For example, you could:

• Mention particularly relevant subjects/modules; extended essay/dissertation/thesis; field work and other research projects.
• Remember skills gained from personal study: time management; research skills; analytical and critical thinking; identifying key points; summarising/synthesising information; structuring arguments.

If you're still struggling to find examples to demonstrate you fit the job criteria.....Pause and reflect about whether this is the right job for you to apply to at this time.

Don't forget, you can use the job criteria as a guide for skills you may need to develop for future applications to the sector and/or similar roles. It may also be a better use of your time to focus on applying to other roles, where there is a closer alignment between your experience and the job description.