The purpose of the appointment

Our Applications Advisers are here to support you with the process of making applications now and in the future. But what will happen during a 20-minute appointment? Will your application, personal statement or CV be edited into a perfect document?

We would love to say 'yes'! But in reality, this will not be possible during a 20-minute appointment. We aim to help you to understand the process of making a good quality application and equip you with the tools for critically reviewing your CV, cover letter or personal statement.

We can do this by reviewing a CV, application, cover letter or personal statement that you are working on. We can offer feedback and suggestions for improving upon what you have done. We can help you to understand how you can fine-tune and tailor your applications to different jobs. Or we can help you to start the process of creating a CV or application from scratch by encouraging you to reflect and draw on the experiences you have.

What to expect from an appointment

An Applications Adviser can help you with a range of issues relating to making applications. The following list is not exhaustive but can give you an idea about some of the things an Applications Adviser can help you with.

An Applications Adviser can:

• talk you through the process of creating a CV
• help you to decide what experience and information to include in your CV or application
• give advice on document formatting and layout
• help you to tailor your application to the role/employer you are applying for
• advise you on how to use effective language to sell your education and experiences
• provide feedback on one draft document, e.g. a CV, cover letter or personal statement
• suggest resources and strategies to improve elements of your application

An Applications Adviser cannot:

• read your documents or research your chosen career path in advance
• provide feedback on more than one document per appointment
• check the spelling and grammar of your application
• tell you what to write or which format to use
• provide feedback on each application you send off to an employer
• provide email feedback on the changes you make on the recommendation of an Adviser

Find out more about our Application Advisers.

Having multiple appointments

Our CV and Application Advice appointments are extremely popular. During Semester One, there may be restrictions on how many appointments you can book.

Often it will not be possible for an Adviser to check each individual application before you send it off. This might mean that an Adviser can only provide detailed feedback on one document, such as your CV or cover letter before you need to send off an application. Or an Adviser might be able to provide you with more general feedback on both, depending on the length of the documents.

For this reason, we strongly advise you to reflect on what you need most from the appointment.

How to prepare for your appointment

Whether you are just getting started or if you are wanting to fine-tune your nearly-completed application, we will try to help you at any stage of the process. Please just bear in mind that each appointment may only help you to move a few steps forward in the process. And remember that there may be restrictions on the number of appointments you can book.

So, preparation can help you to maximise the benefits of your appointment. If you are able and willing to do a little (or a lot!) of preparation, you will inevitably find yourself further along the process.

The best way to prepare is by using our resources on MyFuture. Filter resources using topics such as 'CVs and cover letters', 'employer research', or 'personal statements' to see our resources in this area. We have resources here which can help you in the following areas:

• formatting your CV
• how to structure and plan your cover letter
• how to develop the commercial awareness to demonstrate this in your application
• writing personal statements for postgraduate study applications

For a comprehensive guide on writing applications and for good examples, view our Application, CV and cover letter guide in MyFuture.