Tips on applying for jobs

Your complete job application should include the following:

Cover / motivation letter

Your written application is your personal business card, giving you the opportunity to demonstrate your communication skills and express yourself. A good cover letter provides a potential employer with an overview of your skills and qualifications as well as your personal motivation for wanting to join the company.

Your cover letter should contain the following information: 

• your postal address
• the company’s postal address
• date
• subject heading
• form of address
• close and signature

CV

Your CV (Curriculum Vitae) is the most important component of your application. It should not contain any gaps and be clearly and carefully presented.

Content and structure of a CV:

• title (i.e. Curriculum Vitae)
• personal data, including photograph
• professional experience to date
• education and training
• language skills
• special know-how or activities
• personal interests or hobbies
• references (see below)

The CV gives you the opportunity to make a good impression on a prospective employer. It should be no longer than three pages and structured chronologically, with your most recent job mentioned first.

Work references, diplomas and certificates

It is important to have a complete summary of all your references. Therefore, always request your references from employers in good time. The references must be available in chronological order (the latest or most recent comes first) as a single PDF file. The same applies to diplomas and certificates.

Personal references

You should note in your CV that personal references will be provided upon request. A separate sheet with the relevant references can also be submitted during the interview.

Checking and sending your application

Before sending or uploading your application, carefully check all your documents again for spelling or formatting mistakes. Check that all documents are complete and that all files have been correctly labelled. The documents should be saved as a PDF file. Use a reliable email address (ideally containing your first name and surname) to send the application file.

Preparing for an interview

If you are invited to a job interview, the following checklist can help you prepare.

About yourself:

• How should I present myself?
  List your personal qualities, professional experience (in chronological order), skills, know-how, interests, strengths, etc. 
• What are my professional goals and expectations?
  List your professional goals, your expectations of the job, your salary expectations, etc.
• Why did I apply for this job?
  Make a note of your reason for applying for the job, your suitability and your aptitude.

About the employer:

• What information do I want from the employer?
  Information about the job itself, the place of work, the working conditions, the employer’s expectations of its employees, the company’s values, its policy on reconciling work and family life, etc.

Important:
Make sure you are well informed about the company, e.g. the branch, its products and services, its market position, its website, its business objectives and structure, the number of employees, etc.

Interview questions:

Make sure you prepare yourself for a wide range of questions. You should have a clear answer for questions concerning the following topics:

• Your professional career up to now (including your education and training)
• Your personal abilities and qualities (skills, character, ability to work in a team, leadership qualities, self-perception)
• Your search for a job, your job application and personal motivation (Why are you looking for a job? Why did you apply for this job? Why did you choose this company?)
• Your suitability for the job and your professional goals (Why should the company hire you? Do you want to further your professional development? What are your career plans?)

Salary negotiations:

Negotiating a salary often proves to be a challenging and unaccustomed part of the interview. Prepare yourself accordingly and define your salary expectations beforehand. Find out what salaries are customary in the relevant industry and for the position. You can do this by asking the appropriate professional association about benchmark salaries. Try to be realistic and use your performance as a basis and argument for your expectations.

The following two websites can help you when assessing your salary expectations:

Compare your salary (in German)

National wage calculator

Presenting yourself and non-verbal communication

Your appearance and body language play a key role in the job interview. They shape the employer’s overall impression of you and are decisive for the success of your application. Here are some general tips:

• Make sure your clothing is appropriate and clean
• Seek and maintain eye contact
• Show that you are interested but don’t be pushy
• Maintain a friendly and open body posture
• Listen attentively
• Do not interrupt when others are speaking and reply when appropriate
• Greet others and say goodbye in a friendly manner

In order to stay professionally up to date and acquire new skills, further training can be a good idea. This shows that you are willing to learn and are open to new things.

Further training can help you to realise your professional ambitions or even make a career change. It also gives you the opportunity to make new contacts and thus expand your network.

You will need sufficient preparation time to start further training that lasts some time or to change careers. You will need to check out different training courses and go through the application procedure. Compare further education and training programmes and career options. There are usually several paths that will lead you to your goal.

When thinking about further training, consider the following points:

• Costs: You must take into account not only the tuition fees and teaching materials but also the loss of wages. Budget for these costs early on so that you can build up reserves.
• Time: Further education takes time. Regardless of whether you decide on a full- or part-time course of study, both will have an impact on your work performance and availability. Will you have to reduce your working hours in the long term? Take this into account when planning.
• Programme information: Is the programme information clear and concise? Are the learning objectives and admission requirements clearly defined? What is the maximum class size? Are the terms and conditions as well as the costs transparent?
• Admission procedure: For certain training courses you will have to go through an admission procedure, which also takes time.

Further education and training are always a good option because it keeps you professionally competitive and improves your chances on the labour market.

Helpful links:
berufsberatung.ch - Further education and courses (not available in English) 
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI - Continuing Education