Q&A - Highly effective techniques to progress your career

The purpose of the cover letter is to show the employer you fit, it is your pitch to get an interview. Include information that shows your skills match the job qualifications. Bullet points also help to get the information noticed, they are easier to read than paragraphs of information. Make sure the bullet point is short and starts with an action word. Do remember that we don't want an essay of a cover letter, keep to 2 pages, and check formatting, font (you want these to match your CV) and spelling.

As part of the selection criteria these should be included in the cover letter, clearly seperated in it's section ensuring that you match your response to the criteria in the same order that they have been asked.

In addition to what is covered in the first question, this may depend on the position, and the employer. Do your research on the organisation and review the selection criteria to get a feel for what is important to them and tailor to this. The cover letter is an opportunity to show yourself, show your personality and strengths, not to just reiterate what’s in your CV. It’s nice to be able to see in a cover letter genuine passion and reasons why you want that role or would be a good fit for that role and for the organisation.

The resume should be tailored to the position, include relevant positions and qualifications, including extracurricular courses that you may have done to improve your chances of gaining this position. Check that there are no gaps in your career path, i.e. worked as xyz company 2019 - present, abc company 2015-2017, leaving 2 years unaccounted for, you are likely to be asked what you did between these years. Consider the need to include anything that’s more than 5 years in the past.

When choosing a referee, identify someone who knows most about your capabilities beyond key metrics – someone who has witnessed your soft skills (such as problem-solving, interpersonal skills, initiative, passion and relentlessness on the path to achieving results) from a more objective standpoint. They should be able to extend a positive impression of you, while clearly expressing how you have all the necessary qualities to fulfil the role. A referee who is warm, personable and well-informed about the potential new role will be key to communicating meaningful insights about your suitability and have maximum influence on your potential employer. Discussing the position with the referee will allow you to get a feel for how they may respond as a referee; they may also give you some valuable tips. Finally sure your referee is someone who is contactable and in not going to be on holidays or unavailable.

Always use an individual who has had the most positive experience with you and can inform you on what you will bring to the role. Someone who knows you well is more important than someone in a senior role who may not be able to provide information on you and your performance. Have a feedback conversation with your referee regarding your performance, this will give you an idea of what information they will provide. However, it is important to check the requirements of the role you are applying for; they may require certain references eg from consultants.

Check the requirements of the application, if it is specifically requesting to include the referee's, then yes this would be 'bad'. Whenever possible a referee is a good idea, you could withhold the contact details if you haven't discussed the position with your referee in order to prepare them for the possibility of a phone call.

Honestly, your genuine answer. A lot of interviewers for junior medical roles won't ask about that far into the future as it’s so unknown that early in your career, but some colleges or more senior roles may ask you this. Most employers want stability and commitment from employees, but mostly to know that you have thought about your plans and aren't planning on leaving after a few months.

Absolutely, remember this is also your opportunity to get a feeling for the company and if this is important to you, then ask how their graduate program works. This information may be on their website, and if so, reference this to obtain further information.

Unless these relate directly to a particular selection criteria, it is best to keep these in your portfolio. Also don't forget that clinical photos are patient records, and as such need to be treated carefully.

It will vary from organisation to organisation but in my experience, I would say very important. We want to see A) that you have hobbies or activities outside of medicine for your own wellbeing B) how you can engage and interact with the community C) how these skills from your extracurricular activities could be transferred into the workplace (ie leadership skills from coaching your local soccer club transferring into leadership skills to help lead your multidisciplinary team at work). With regards to particular activities just make sure in an interview you can talk about each one and how it relates to the role or your skills if asked.

A background is important, whichever medium you consider. The background can provide an insight into who you are, especially if you don't consider it! I prefer a natural tidy background. If you do select a virtual background, you could use this as an icebreaker by explaining why you selected the particular background.

If you have a question to ask the interview panel, make sure it’s not something they have already advised in the job advert, position description or website. Don’t ask a question for the sake of asking a question, make sure it’s a genuine question.

Whilst this perhaps isn't the most appropriate question to ask at the interview, if the interview has been 'conversational' there is no harm in asking for feedback. This would show insight that you are willing to learn and improve from your experience. There may also be the opportunity to gain feedback when you are notified of the outcome (assuming this is verbal).