Tips for success

Completing your application

1. Have the job advert and job profile handy to ensure you’re always referencing the job requirements.
2. Gather all the relevant information about yourself (work experience, qualifications and referees details) in one Word document before starting an application form. This means you can concentrate on tailoring your application to the job you’re applying for, rather than trying to remember key dates.
3. Tailor your examples to ensure you’re always providing evidence to show how you meet the requirements of the role you’re applying for.
4. Write your application in Word or another program first then when you’re happy with it, paste it into myjobscotland – but remember there is a 3800 character maximum (around 850 words).
5. Double check your application (or ask someone else to check) to ensure it’s free from any spelling and/or grammar errors, and to make sure what you’ve included is relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Interview success

Be confident – know where you’re going for the interview, how to get there and what time you need to leave home to arrive ahead of time – better to arrive early than late. Walk tall and remember to smile.

Be relaxed – there are a few things you can do to calm the nerves before an interview - from visualising you answering the questions well to deep breathing exercises and more – these can all help to reduce the adrenaline running through your system and put you in a more calm and relaxed state.

Be prepared – bring along a copy of your application form and job profile to read while you’re waiting. It’ll keep the job fresh in your mind and help you focus on what you want the panel to know about you.

Be ready – to talk about yourself and equip yourself with STAR stories.

Be honest – about what you can do and what you can’t! It’s always possible to develop your skills in a job and the main focus of the interview is to assess whether you fit with our culture. So be honest about what you’ve done and how you’ve done it rather than make up something you think the panel want to hear. A good interviewer will ask follow up questions and if the examples you give don’t stack up, then it’s unlikely you’ll have a successful outcome.

STAR stories

STAR Stories help you frame your answer to interview questions by describing what you did and how you did it:

• What was the Situation?
• What was the Task that needed to be done?
• What Action did you take to complete the task?
• What was the Result of the action you took?