I guess it's the same for any business but there are set times during the year when we're inundated with speculative applications from school and college leavers, and graduates looking for work.



I run a public relations and marketing agency in Chester, Cheshire - de Winter PR & Marketing. We've been going now for 19 years.



I've got three young children and I know that one day they'll find themselves in the same situation. Many employers or HR managers have clearly lost their memory or have no imagination. It's heartbreaking to go to all that effort and not even get a response. We should be encouraging the next generation, not ignoring them.



I always respond, if only with a quick email and an explanation that we're not recruiting but wishing the individual well and even sometimes offering advice should they want it.



But there's a more fundamental issue to discuss, and that's the quality of the applications and CVs that I and others like me are being sent.



Public relations and marketing are sectors that revolve around innovation, creativity and effective communications. I have to tell you that there's not much evidence of these in the applications I've been receiving over the last few years looking for work with de Winter PR and Marketing in Chester.



Sometimes I get as many as twenty speculative letters and emails a week looking for work experience as well as permanent employment in the PR, marketing or design teams within my business. Talking to my competitors, it appears this number is about par for the course within businesses of our size.



Can we blame the applicants? ñ You could argue that some of graduate age and having completed relevant courses should know better. Maybe itís not their fault. Maybe they should have been taught better?



Are these young people being prepared thoroughly enough? Are they receiving guidance, enough of it, of the right calibre and from the best sources?



As a governor of my local village high school I take part in mock interview sessions with older pupils. They prepare letters of application for imaginary job and prepare a CV. We then try to give them a taste of interview and share some top tips.



I hope the following might make the difference between a rejection and an interview for someone, somewhere!

- Remember that preparing a CV and a letter is an exercise in communication not a chore or something that just has to be done.

- Imagine the person youíre writing to - think about how can get and keep his attention.

- Understand that yours is just one of possibly hundreds of applications that will be landing on the employerís desk. Obvious? Yes, but I can tell you that the vast majority of CVs that land on my desk are 'samey', uninspiring and dull. And many of then are from intelligent, well educated people. So make me sit up and take notice!

- Be yourself and not who you think the employer wants you to be. The employer wants to see honesty, integrity and personality shine through. He wants a glimpse of who you are and what makes you tick. He wants to see something different.

- Be bold and confident, but donít let arrogance come across in your CV.

- Get the employerís name right!! Donít put ëDear Sirí if you have, or can find a name. Use your initiative.

- Do your research and find out about the business, and let that inform your letter writing.

- Remember (you'll be amazed how many people don't) that if you write to a named person, the letter should end with 'Yours sincerely'. If you write to an unnamed individual for example 'Dear Sir' the letter should end with 'Yours faithfully'.

- Don't be predictable in the way you put the CV together. You may have been taught a formula but make it your own - it should be a reflection of your personality, not a cold, clinical witness statement.

- Make your letter come alive! Make it stand out from the crowd. Donít make it look as if youíre just going through the motions. Itís your career weíre talking about here!! Demonstrate that this is the job you want more than anything else in world.

- Be creative but don't be too clever. Be confident but don't be arrogant.

- Convey your personality in your letter and CV; make it come to life; get some passion in there. If you get me interested in you, you're that much more likely to get called for an interview.

- Take the trouble to check your spelling and grammar. Obvious, but the mistakes I see every week are just depressing and put me off immediately.

- Think about presentation - don't present a prospective employer with pages of closely packed text. Would you read something like that? Short, crisp sentences; good margins; space between the lines and choose an appropriate and clear typeface.

- Neat, well presented, accurate, interesting, informative, complete - that's what you should aim for.


We can't guarantee you the top job, or even an interview, but if you take these basic principles on board, you'll at least be giving yourself the best possible start in the process. Good luck!