Background

In other sections of this portal, we have discussed at length the importance of identifying your strengths, preferences, challenges and work values, and also we discussed how to prepare for work by gaining work experience. The next step is searching and applying for jobs which may feel itself like having a full-time job. Unfortunately, it is not easy to guide you through this process, as how you search and apply for jobs will depend on the type of job you are looking for.

The best course of action is to seek help from a professional job coach either from your school, the Job Centre, a mentor or a family member. They may be able to provide advice on how to search for a job and also with writing job applications, cover letters and CVs.

The following two clips provide some useful advice on how to search and apply for jobs.

Why is this relevant?

Searching and applying for jobs can be time consuming, frustrating and exhausting. First you need to find job opportunities that suit your preferences and your strengths. Then you need to apply, which sometimes can be difficult as it involves adapting your CV to the job description, writing a cover letter and completing complex job applications. Then you will need to go through a usually stressful recruitment process or interview. And after all that, you may not get the job. After a few of these cycles, you may feel tempted to give up, so it is important that you keep sight of the reward at the end and not to take rejections as a reflection of some shortcoming on your part; more often than not, it is just that there was someone that fitted the job description better. During this process it really helps having someone at hand to provide moral support.

Your application and CV will contain factual information about the skills and qualifications you have gained through education and work and life experiences, but it is also important to state your best personal attributes. Several research studies have investigated which attributes employers look for in their employees. As it would be expected, not all studies agree on what are the top attributes valued by employers, as it depends on the profession. But overall, this research shows that the most valued attributes are: having a positive attitude, being confident, a can-do attitude, passion for the role, adaptability, willingness to learn, being resilient, being hard-working and motivated.

Although it may be tempting to state, in your CV and cover letter, that you posses all those attributes, it is important that you can demonstrate them during the recruitment process, so you need to be accurate. If you are not prone to boasting or have low confidence, it may feel quite daunting to have to write a cover letter highlighting your positive attributes and strengths. So it is important that you ask others to help you review your applications to ensure you do not 'under-sell' (or over-sell!) yourself.

Below we provide an activity to identify the attributes you may have that are viewed positively by employers. but also help in writing cover letters and CVs.

Practical tips

In addition to listing your work experience, qualifications, skills and hobbies, it is helpful when applying for jobs to mention - in your CV or your cover letter - which are your best attributes. The following activity will help you identify these:

The following lists attributes that are generally viewed as positive:

• Likeable, thorough, adaptable, hard-working, proactive, cheerful, logical, thoughtful, clear-thinking, flexible, loyal, can work under pressure, tolerant, clever, mature, punctual, tough, compassionate, methodical, productive, trusting, competent, meticulous, quick, trustworthy, frank, moderate, quick-witted, unassuming, confident, friendly, modest, rational, understanding, motivated, realistic, conscientious, generous, reasonable, considerate, gentle, observant, reflective, good-natured, open-minded, relaxed, cooperative, reliable, creative, resourceful, curious, honest, responsible, orderly, daring, funny, organised, self-motivated.
• Reflect on the attributes listed below and circle eight attributes that you think best describe you. If you have trouble deciding consider what makes you unique or special, you may ask friends, family or people that have worked with you in the past.
• Write the attributes you circled in a document. If you don’t see an attribute that describes you, add it.
• Next to each of your attributes, write a statement that illustrates how you have demonstrated it. It is easy to say ‘I am motivated’, but what employers want is for you to be able to say how you have been adaptable by giving specific examples like, for Motivated: "My motivation is evidenced in my volunteering work at..." or, for, Punctual: "During my work experience, I was praised for always being on time". This will help you build useful sentences when writing cover letters.
• Revisit this assessment at least once a year to see if there are qualities that you have developed recently that more accurately describe you.

Questions to think about

• Have you considered doing a video CV? Video CVs can make you stand out, demonstrate initiative and creativity so they can be helpful when applying for creative or digital jobs.
• Have you considered creating a portfolio with examples of your work to complement your CV? If you find it difficult to communicate, you may want to create a portfolio with examples of your work.
• Have you included in your CV, or cover letter, examples of your attributes and examples of when you have demonstrated them?
• Have you highlighted, in your CV or cover letter, your skills with evidence of when or how you have demonstrated them?
• Have you reflected on whether it is relevant or not to disclose your diagnosis on your job application? If you need to do an interview, and you feel you may need support, or you need to alert them of any particular communication support or sensory issues, you may want to disclose it at this stage. Otherwise, you may want to do it later, or never.
• Do you feel you will need support during the interview? You may want to request bringing someone with you, to be provided the interview questions in advance or certain sensory or communication adaptations.

Additional informational and links

• You can find information about different types of CVs and CV templates from the Prospects website.
• Prospects also provides helpful guidelines about when and how to create a video CV.
• You can find examples of cover letters here.
• Prospects also offers top interview tips, examples of common questions you may expect, examples of questions you can ask and helpful advice on how to prepare for the interview.
• The National Autistic Society workbook offers a comprehensive guidance on how to write your CV (pages 68-81), cover letters (pages 82-84), completing application forms (pages, 87-89, and 99) and advice on interviews (pages 101-124).
• If you think you may need support for an interview, you can request support from Access to Work.

Acknowledgements

The attributes assessment exercise was adapted from Lantz, C., Croucher, K., & Duncan, A. (2012). Psychology student employability guide.

You may want to read after

• To disclose or not to disclose