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Career Advice
Present your skills
Making a great first impression in your application
24. May 2023  |  
Reading time Min.
So, you’ve figured out what you want to achieve in your career and what skills set you apart from the crowd. You also know which employers might interest you, what types of jobs could suit you best and have drawn up a plan to help you get started on your job search.

Now, let’s shift our focus to the next stage: introducing yourself to a potential employer and impressing their HR Manager with your expertise and competencies. This traditionally involves writing an application. Hold on! Don’t just start writing right away. First, we need to go over a few of the fundamentals.

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Discover the following topics in this article:

  • The application process – 6 stages that await you
  • How to read a job ad
  • Analyzing the job ad
  • What goes into your application portfolio?
  • The perfect CV – 3 things to consider
  • Your CV – Three sample CVs
  • How a recruiter reads your CV
  • Gaps and changes in your CV
  • Disability or chronic illness – how to handle that in an application
  • Starting work with a disability – Interviews with two alumni
  • Your cover letter – Why it is so important
  • Errors in your cover letter
  • What to keep in mind when applying by email
  • Unsolicited application
  • Why PhD graduates are in such demand
  • CV´s for PhDs and starting a job after my PhD
THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Make sure you know what the classic application process looks like. The first step is to analyze a job advertisement in detail. You need to figure out what skills a suitable candidate must have to perform the duties stated in the ad. You can distinguish between must-haves, which are essential for the job, and couldhaves, which are also very much appreciated but not absolutely necessary.

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