Jobs at UWA

Quality of the written application

Further information

Your written application

The quality of your written application is an important factor in determining whether you are shortlisted for an interview.

What to do

There are a number of things you can do to ensure that you produce a top quality application.

  1. Make it as attractive as possible to look at in terms of layout and quality of copy. There's nothing worse than a badly set out or photocopied application.
  2. Make it easy for the selection panel to find the important information by careful use of:
    • titles and headings
    • different font sizes
    • bold
    • underlining
    • white space
    • point form rather than long paragraphs.
  3. Pay particular attention to correct use of grammar, spelling, punctuation and language:
    • use plain English and short to medium-length sentences
    • avoid using jargon, abbreviations or acronyms (such as HRS), which may be unclear to some or all members of the panel.
  4. Be brief but precise.
  5. Be positive:
    • focus on what you can do rather than what you can't do
    • use positive language
    • don't use qualifying statements, for example 'Although I don't have', or 'My experience in .... is limited'.
  6. Use active rather than passive phrases, such as 'I organised a conference' rather than 'A conference was organised'.
  7. Let the panel know what your role was. Talk about what you've done and use 'I' statements rather than 'We'.
  8. Make sure that what you write down is a positive and complete picture of you.
  9. Proof-read it thoroughly and make any necessary corrections or adjustments.
  10. Try to look at your application from the reader's point of view and ask yourself whether it:
    • creates a good impression
    • presents all the relevant information about you
    • talks in terms of what you can offer to the job rather than what it can offer you
    • demonstrates that you are a strong candidate for the position and worth interviewing.
  11. Have someone who knows you well proof-read it, both for accuracy and content. They may come up with useful suggestions of things you could add.
  12. If possible, ask someone who doesn't know you well to proof-read it. As well as checking for accuracy and appearance, they may identify things which are unclear, or ambiguous.
  13. Before sending the application off, check that all the necessary attachments are included, that you've signed the covering letter if you're sending it in hard copy.

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