The Season Workers Guide: Filling in Application Forms
Active recruiters in the ski industry contributed to this section. The application form is the first hurdle and probably the easiest bit to get right so read this guide and help increase your chances of an interview.
Tailor your CV and send a covering note
Take a few minutes to tailor your CV to the ski resort job you are applying for. If you are looking for seasonal work in a ski resort but are an engineer by trade then your student work experience behind the bar at Pontins may actually be more relevant than your most recent suspension bridge project.
In addition always send a covering note with your CV, even if it’s brief. A CV alone doesn’t say why you want the job and why you think you’d be good at it. You don’t need to write pages – just enough to spark a bit of interest in the employer and get an interview.
Check your punctuation and spelling
Double check your CV and any covering letter or e-mail. If you’re not that confident about the quality of spelling or punctuation make sure you use a word processor spell check and ask a friend or relative to give it a once over. An employer in the seasonal sector is probably not too bothered about your day to day spelling ability, but they do want to see the application is important enough to you that you have taken time over it before clicking send or popping it in an envelope.
What does your e-mail address tell an Employer?
You probably picked your e-mail address a few years ago and mostly use your account to e-mail close mates. However, it is the first thing a potential employer is going to read. Opening a new e-mail account for job applications will take seconds and an e-mail from Joanne_Taylor@hotmail.com is going to look a lot better than one from dirtygirl69@hotmail.com. Trust me, it does make a difference.
Keep your Bebo/Facebook profile safe.
This is an issue that has had a reasonable amount of coverage in the press recently and it’s not just media hype. A potential employer may well Google you (even for a seasonal job). If you have things you’d rather were private on your Bebo or Facebook pages then make sure your privacy settings keep them safe. The messages you exchange with mates (or some of your pictures) may not put you in the most favourable light. If your name is “John Smith” you’re probably OK as Google will turn up so many results you’ll almost certainly remain anonymous. If you’re a “Yasmin Oliphant-Caruthers” log on now...
Beware the smiley
We all want to hire friendly people but a job application is probably not the place for an e-mail starting “Hiya” and signed off with a grinning J and a few kisses. You can put across that you are a sociable person without letting the professionalism slip.
Remember that your application has one aim – to get you through the employer’s door for an interview. Keep it relevant, concise and professional. There’s a lot of competition for seasonal roles this year and a few simple measures can increase your chances of success massively.