This is the forth video in a series of videos that offers information and top tips applying for an Employ.ed on Campus internship. All videos included in this series can be found on the Careers Service website: Employ.ed on Campus | The University of Edinburgh.​

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Hello, my name is Claire and I'm based in the Internships and Work Experience Team at the Careers Service I support with the running of the Employ.ed on Campus programme.

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If you choose to apply for an Employ.ed on Campus role, you will be required to submit a CV and a cover letter, and in this video, I'm going to share some top tips to help you get your application to the top of the pile.

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This video is part of the Top Tips Applying for an Employ.ed on Campus Internship series.

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All videos included in the series can be found on the Career Service website, which you can access by scanning the QR code which is on this slide.

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The top tips in the following slides have been pulled together based on feedback we received from Employ.ed on Campus Hosts last year.

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These host reviewed applications and reported in the most common mistakes students were making in their applications.

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We're sharing these with you today so that you're aware of them and can be sure to avoid these pitfalls when writing your own applications.

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The mistakes included students writing generic applications and not tailoring their application to the internship,

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a lack of attention to detail, for example, cover letters addressed to the wrong institution, students not addressing the criteria outlined in the job description, and students not providing clear examples of where they've demonstrated the criteria listed on the job description.

Transcript: 

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I'm going to share with you 4 tips to help you avoid these common mistakes.

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The first tip is to ensure that you tailor your application to the role.

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If you submit the same cover letter and CV for every internship, you're not going to get anywhere.

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The recruiter needs to know why you were the best candidate for the role. To tailor your application

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make sure that you have read the job description and understand the essential and desirable criteria.

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These are the criteria the recruiter will use to select candidates for interview along with your motivation for the role.

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Provide evidence for how you either do or have the potential to meet each of the criteria.

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You can use your cover letter and your CV, but you must see how you meet the criteria to make it personal but professional.

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Use a name if you have one.

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Say the role you're applying to and the area you will be working in.

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These are simple ways to let the recruiter know that you have made an effort. Before moving on to the next tip,

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I want to briefly just touch on generative AI as more and more of us are using this nowadays.

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Technologies such as ChatGPT

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can provide a reasonably basic structure for you to build upon, but what they give you is unlikely to be tailored convincingly and will be bland and generic and unlikely to impress Employers.

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Use them as a support and a starting point if you like, but edit their product to make the end result your own.

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The next tip is on motivation and this is another way to personalise your application.

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Ask yourself the following questions and form them into a paragraph that will start off a strong cover letter.

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Why are you interested in the role at this time?

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What are you going to bring to the role?

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Why does this excite you?

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Why do you want to work here?

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For example, is this an area of work you would like to explore to find out if you want to work here when you're older?

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Or maybe this is an office rule and you want to see if you would enjoy this working environment?

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Recruiters are busy people and the easier you make their job, the more successful you will be getting their attention at the beginning, letting them know why they should employ you will give you an advantage.

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The next tip is to always use plain professional language.

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Avoid acronyms and only use terminology if it's directly relevant to the rule.

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For example, if it's a technical role, is there a particular software you would need to be familiar with and you would need to use that language to demonstrate this.

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Otherwise, keep it simple and concise.

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You can also make your application clear and easy to read by making use of headings, bullet points and using bold to highlight particular words.

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But don't go overboard and draw attention from the content.

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The aim is to make it easier to read and not to distract.

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Use the active tense.

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Use ‘I’. This application is about you, don't be modest.

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Talk about what you've done.

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Use ‘I’, avoid ‘we’ and talking about yourself and the third person.

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For roles like an internship, the length of your cover letter should be around 500 to 700 words, no more than one side of A4.

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And don't use a small font.

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Your CV should be no longer than two sides of A4.

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If this is your first job, you may have just got one side of A4 and that is absolutely fine.

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Always save your document as  a PDF and with a suitable file name.

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For example, you could save it with your name and the role you're applying to.

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Remember that the recruiter will be looking at lots of documents.

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This will also make it easier to ensure that you're uploading the correct documents when you're submitting your application.

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Once you've written your cover letter and your CV, put it to the side for a while and then come back to it.

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You will likely see one or two edits, but it's always a good idea to have someone else's opinion too.

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Ask a friend to review it, try using CV360, or come along to one of the career service drop insurance.

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And remember, spelling, grammar and formatting do matter.

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Thank you for listening to this video on the top tips for building your application.

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Here is a list of the videos in the Top tips applying for an Employ.ed on Campus Internship series.

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Please scan the QR code, which will take you through to our website where you can find all of the videos.

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We recommend watching the checklist before submitting your application video next.

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If you have any questions about the information covered in this video, please contact the Internships and Work Experience Team using our email address, which is the bottom of this screen.

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Thank you very much for listening to this video today and good luck with your application.