Application Letter

[Darren]

Aimed at Farmers / Managers
What do You look for in a letter of application to a job You have advertised? What catches Your eye, what sends it straight to the bin?

 

[nick...]

Are you applying for a job or receiving an application for a job.im my mind experiance is more important than loads of qualifications.i would not have a clue what to put on a cv or what one even looks like
Nick...

 

[Darren]

@nick... Application for a job. If someone wrote to You applying for a job You had advertised (hypothetically) what would make You think "that's one for the interview stage"

 

[nick...]

Obviously name,previous experiance and what responsability youve had.age,married or not.interests and try to show keenness aswell.probably loads more that i cant think of that others hopefully will.good luck anyway
Nick...

 

[Brisel]

Handwriting. Typed is fine but handwriting tells me much more & seems to be a neglected skill these days. When applying for my last job before this one I was the only applicant to handwrite a covering letter - the boss commented on this at my interview (I got that job). I don't know if this is the right thing to do, but I put a short paragraph on what I am doing now, job-wise. The letter is the first thing they should be reading so that's your chance to get their attention. If you can't do that in 10 seconds of starting to read it then you're already on the back foot.

Tailor the CV to the job description. Google the farm & names on the advert. Ring any contacts you have that might know them. Don't get too close - it's just research & the outgoing person might have an axe to grind. The world of farm managers is quite small - you'd be suprised how close you are! Personally, I don't bother much about the paragraph near the top of the cv. The careers teachers will say that's where you say how determined, motivated you are, blah blah. Keep that bit very short - name a few major achievements you have accomplished e.g. cut 10 days off the drilling period, saved 3 passes for osr establishment, doubled the profits, found another 3 contract clients etc. Don't claim anything you didn't actually achieve - your current boss will probably be giving a reference eventually & there's a small risk that they know each other.

If you are applying for a manager's job then how many GCSEs you have isn't going to have much weight. List professional qualifications like leadership courses, BASIS, Health & Safety etc. Experience is what they will want to see evidence of. What you did 8 years ago isn't as important as what you are doing now & what responsibility you have.

A gap year's backpacking in Oz driving a chser bin can be spun into "experience of extensive arable cropping in a very different climate." Chasing cattle on a motorbike is definitely "stock management." Shooting 3 days/week is "conservation!"

Good luck!

 

[Old Boar]

A tip I used to give when I taught how to write a CV is to buy some expensive white or off white paper, and use that in your application. It is subliminal, the reader does not really know why they put you on the "keep" pile, but something in their brain says "quality".
A prospective employer takes on average 6 seconds to make two piles - keep and discard, and you want to be on the first pile.
Highlighting your name at the top of the CV in very dark blue has the same effect - it looks "official".
I used to discard the ones with spelling mistakes straight away so get someone to check your work.

Not telling the truth on your CV is grounds for instant dismissal. Something Ian Duncan Smith should have thought about!

One of the worst ones I ever read had given his social worker, Miss Annie Hore, as his reference. Shame he put it Ref:A lady.

No, he did not get the job!

 

[Kevtherev]

@nick... Application for a job. If someone wrote to You applying for a job You had advertised (hypothetically) what would make You think "that's one for the interview stage"

Free shag at bait time....

 

[Kevtherev]

If it's a lady!!!!!!

 

[Farmer Dod]

Doing the simple things - spelling,grammar and punctuation is a good start. Tailor your CV to each application as its too easy these days for people to fire off applications from their computers and some won't put in much effort- will just click send.

Brisel has given a lot of good advice- only other thing I would add would be to highlight how your skills and experience make you suited for the role.

Good Luck!!!

 

[Darren]

Free shag at bait time....

If it's a lady!!!!!!

Sorry Reverend, We have to take Your first answer

 

[Old Boar]

Just seen my post has been altered. The ref bit should read A W hore, if you get my drift.
Interesting that W hore gets changed to Lady!

 

[Nell]

It was probably policy but when I had my interview t'other week, I was asked to bring evidence of my qualifications. They didn't bother looking. They were far more interested in what I could and why, with examples to back it up. In fact, I don't think they were really concerned about previous jobs. What skills did I have that could directly translate to the role that I was applying for.

When I used to shortlist applications, I would discount the unintelligible ones, or the ones that weren't filled in correctly -they've already shown that they can't follow instructions/ can't be arsed. I paid particular attention to the personal statements - have they given examples about going the extra mile, or good teamworking skills. It's their chance to stand out from the others. I like to see a bit of effort and thought having gone into it.

 

[multi power]

not sure if im understanding the OP correctly, but if im intrested in a job i find a quick chat on the phone gets me a lot further than sending a letter

 

[Welsh Farmer]

O

Aimed at Farmers / Managers
What catches Your eye, what sends it straight to the bin?

Straight to the bin are unexplained gaps in work or education history; it just makes me suspicious. I would rather see a period of 18 months unemployment or even time in HMP listed then it just be left as a gap. Another straight-to-the-bin for me are dates which don't add up to what is being claimed and outrageous embellishments. Also when someone treats the application form as somewhere to have a bit of a laugh on with their answers .... another no-no I'm afraid.

I'd be impressed by someone who said they did not like school and could not list any GCSE qualifications but could go on to show a good and reliable working pattern and who perhaps had even gained some agri. qualifications during this time (spraying, welding, chainsaw etc etc etc) it would at least show they were receptive and able to training needs.


We were a fully equal ops., anti-ageism, anti-illiteracy discriminatory company to work for .... I couldn't stand smart-alecs, know-alls or liars and I used to find their mistaken belief that they had the ability to pull the wool over my eyes with their deceptions unbelievably insulting and arrogant I'm afraid it was a case of ... Door .... next ...

 

[multi power]

O


Straight to the bin are unexplained gaps in work or education history; it just makes me suspicious. I would rather see a period of 18 months unemployment or even time in HMP listed then it just be left as a gap. Another straight-to-the-bin for me are dates which don't add up to what is being claimed and outrageous embellishments. Also when someone treats the application form as somewhere to have a bit of a laugh on with their answers .... another no-no I'm afraid.

I'd be impressed by someone who said they did not like school and could not list any GCSE qualifications but could go on to show a good and reliable working pattern and who perhaps had even gained some agri. qualifications during this time (spraying, welding, chainsaw etc etc etc) it would at least show they were receptive and able to training needs.


We were a fully equal ops., anti-ageism, anti-illiteracy discriminatory company to work for .... I couldn't stand smart-alecs, know-alls or liars and I used to find their mistaken belief that they had the ability to pull the wool over my eyes with their deceptions unbelievably insulting and arrogant I'm afraid it was a case of ... Door .... next ...

sounds like i would be a model applicant, no GCSE, no sorry i think i have 1 or 2, had done the exams before i realised i didnt have to bother turning up for the rest, but did do some much more usefull stuff over the years, PA! PA2, sheep dipping, tete handler, foot trimming etc etc

 

[Welsh Farmer]

I guess it's the same for most farmers ... you are looking for the best person for the job. If the best person is the one with a clutch of GCSE's, A' Levels, Uni Degree and experience then that's whom I would choose .... but equally so, if I was getting a good feeling from the illiterate person with the relevant experience then a lack of qualifications would certainly not deter me from choosing them. Rightly or wrongly I nearly always go with my gut instinct

 

[Old Boar]

Qualifications can open the door, but experience and the willingness to learn are what employers are looking for.
Read up what you can about the company and use their tone and words in the application can make a huge difference.
I was asked to list my 3 major faults in an interview. I replied "Gin, gin and more gin!" I got the job!!!