Application advice

Your job application is your first contact with a prospective employer, so it is important to make sure that you review the role carefully and submit a considered application. With this in mind, we have put together some advice to help when applying for jobs online.

Assess your suitability for the role:
Read the advertisement carefully and while the job may appeal to you, keep the following in mind:

• If a certain number of years experience is listed, only apply if you have this number of years experience. Many ads will describe the personality traits they want and you may well have them, but when assessing the applications it is the experience employers will evaluate first, and without it, it is unlikely you will be seen as a fit for the role. Enthusiasm and passion for an industry does not of itself qualify you for any job, experience does.
• If you are unsure if you qualify for the role you should try to speak with the hiring organisation and clarify any questions you may have.

Review your CV

• Ensure your Curriculum Vitae reflects your experience and skills concisely. Try and keep it to 2 to 3 pages.
• Always check for spelling mistakes, there is no reason for them. If a role requires attention to detail and your application has more than one typo, immediately your attention to detail comes into question.

Include a Cover Letter

• Send a covering letter with your application to support why you are a suitable candidate for the role. Keep this letter concise and to the point. If the advertisement gives an individuals name to apply to, address letter to that person.

Follow up your application

• Remember, there is nothing wrong with following up on your application. It shows interest, but is best left until a few days after the closing date.

Not suitable but want to apply anyway?

• If you know that you are not a candidate for a particular role, but want to be considered by the employer for future positions, don’t apply anyway. If the purpose of your application would just be to get noticed, wait a few weeks after the deadline and write to the organisation, advising that you noticed their recent advertisement but would not have qualified for that role. However advise them that you are interested in their organisation and ask they keep your details on file for the future.

We hope this is of help to you when applying for jobs, but if you think there are other issues or topics we should look at, just email us at enquiry@sportsjobs.ie and we will do our best to address them.

A Curriculum Vitae is your personal marketing material. It indicates to a prospective employer why you are a potential candidate for a particular position. In common with all sectors the sports industry has many people vying for each role, so irrespective of whether you are senior or junior , making your application stand out from the rest is vital.
Below are some tips to follow when writing your CV.

What to Include:
In general, the following information should be included in your CV:
 :

• Contact Details
• Education and Professional Qualifications
• Work Experience, which should show the company name, the dates you worked there, your main responsibilities and any accomplishments achieved
• Interests
• Referees details or a line saying references are available upon request
• For senior candidates, a brief personal profile (4/6 lines) at the beginning of  the document is recommended.

Highlight relevant experience for each job:

• Try and highlight any experience you have that directly relates to specific responsibilities of the advertised position

Layout and Length:

• Try and keep your CV to 2 or 3 pages and write your duties for each role in bullet points.

Include a cover letter:

• A cover letter should be sent with your application to support why you are applying for the role. The cover letter is often the first thing the prospective employer or recruiter will read so it is your first chance to impress. If the advertisement gives a person’s name do make sure to address the letter to that person and not “To whom it may concern”. The letter should be brief, less than a page, but should include the reasons why you think you are suitable for the job with examples of how you meet the competencies required. A unique cover letter should be written for each application as it is likely that every role will have a different emphasis.

Avoid Spelling Mistakes:

• Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors are one way to get yourself a “Dear John” letter. Spelling mistakes are inexcusable and can be interpreted as showing a lack of judgment and attention to detail. Always make sure to check for these before sending off a CV and don’t rely on your spellcheck to pick them all up – it won’t

Choose your adjectives with care. :

• Don’t over gild the lily. For example, do not say you have ‘vast’ experience of a certain function, when you only have two or three years work experience – chances are you do not yet have what is actually considered to be vast experience!

Photo or Not ?

• That’s really up to you. A photo can help the reader remember you but be careful, you don’t want someone to judge ‘the book by the cover’. So if using a photo make sure it is an appropriate picture.

Fill in the gaps

• Do not leave gaps in your CV – if there was a year where you were out of work/travelling etc., state it in your CV. Don’t leave the reader with unanswered questions.

Interests

• List your interests as it provides the employer with a more complete picture of you. Only list real interests however as you may be asked in detail about them.

The basics:

Be on time! If unfamiliar with the location , check it out beforehand,  If driving by car don’t over rely on sat nav., give yourself extra time in case you have difficulties finding it / get stuck in traffic etc.  Being late will not only annoy the interviewer and probably  make him/her question your planning and organisational ability ( which may be a required competency)  but it will also be stressful for you which could affect your performance during the interview.
No matter what type of job you are interviewing for you be aware of first impressions and always dress smartly and professionally even on Zoom, Research the company. Look at their website and at relevant press articles and if appropriate refer to in the interview. Research should be conducted a few days before the interview to ensure you have enough time to research and commit relevant points to memory.
It may sound silly but make sure to read over your CV.  Remember this is the document the interviewer has in front of him/her. You should be able to match previous experiences to required responsibilities in the job specification.

The Interview:

You need to be able to discuss what you have accomplished and in particular how it relates to this organisation. You must be able to demonstrate your competencies and how they relate to the job.

It is important to understand that the interviewer/ interview panel , through the very many questions they may ask, is ultimately trying to assert:

• Can you effectively deliver the responsibilities  of the role ?
• Will you add value to the organisation ?
• Will you fit ?
• Will the role deliver what you want?

Therefore you need to be able convince the interviewer that the answer to each of these questions is YES.

To do that you need to demonstrate

• Your  Knowledge and Experience
• Your Skills and Competencies
• Your Motivation
• Who you are and what makes you tick

Make sure that you can show why you should be the successful candidate with examples  to demonstrate  all the above. Relate them to the responsibilities and requirements of the role and the organisation.

Be prepared to discuss mistakes you’ve made and be able to explain how you solved them – the interviewer will be more concerned with how you rectified the problem rather than the problem itself.

Understand the things you don’t like doing, or are not so good at. There is nothing wrong with knowing what you like and dislike.  Equally be able to demonstrate why and what you have enjoyed, got the most from in previous roles.

Most interviewers will give the candidate an opportunity to ask questions.

Use it – Asking questions shows a genuine interest. An example of such questions could include:

Is this a new role or why has the position become available?

What are the key challenges facing this role?

What will success in the role in Year 1 look like?

Don’t expect in-depth salary discussions in an initial interview itself, however be prepared to indicate your expectations.

Video Interviews:
If your meeting is to take place over video, a few additional things to think about.
Firstly, all of the above apply, including dressing appropriately.
In addition:
Try and have a place that is quiet and has a reasonably clutter free background.  If you are using a filter , check it. Some filters have a halo/ shadow affect which can be very distracting to the interview every time you move.
Do not sit too close to your screen, no one wants to be eyeballed.
Do not turn and stare out the window when thinking of the answer to a question, you wouldn’t do in a face to face interview.
Remember every gesture is amplified and exaggerated on camera.

And Lastly:

Be confident – you were called for the interview for a reason – your CV impressed – so just stay calm and show them why they should hire you!

We hope you found this useful, but if you think there are other issues or topics we should look at, just email us at info@sportsjobs.ie and we will do our best to address them.