Keele University
Careers and Employability
Explore this Section
Online Applications
First Steps
Before you put your fingers to the keyboard it helps to be clear about your career goals and employers requirements.
Begin by thinking about yourself, finding out about the role you are applying for and the organisation that you want to work for. To convince an employer of your motivation and suitability you will need to be sure about what you want to do and why you want to do it.
Think about what you want to say about yourself, the experiences that you can highlight and the skills that you want to demonstrate. Don't forget to mention what you have gained from work experience, voluntary work, your academic study or travel.
Practice
Try an online form without actually applying for a job by going to www.selectsimulator.com. This site will allow you to complete a realistic online form as a practice exercise so that you know what to expect from the real thing.
Now tackle the form
Employers report that students sometimes are less rigorous with their PCs than their pens, keep in mind these simple rules:
- Prepare a draft.
- Be accurate with your grades and dates.
- Use reverse chronology - your degree is more relevant than your GCSEs.
- Follow the instructions, check whether you can register and return to the form until satisfied, keep a note of your password.
- Spelling and grammar are extremely important, use the spell check if there is one, if not you can copy and paste into Word or use an old fashioned dictionary!
- As with a paper form, don't leave it until the last minute, allow plenty of time to complete the form, bear in mind that the website you are accessing may be busy, your PC may not cooperate or there may be problems with the network!
- Check it, find a friend to check it or come to Careers and Employability to have it checked, you can use one of the regular drop-in sessions to talk to a careers adviser.
- When you are happy that you have completed it all press that submit button!
