Thinking about applying for a new job? Check out these tips to help you get started!

Whether it's a move to a completely different school or an internal promotion, the prospect of applying for a new job and beginning a new chapter in your career can be just as nerve-wracking as it is exciting. Having recently gone through the application process myself, here are a few tips to help make the whole thing a bit less daunting.

Before you Apply

If you are thinking about applying outside of your own school, get in contact for more information and, if possible, visit the school to have a look around and talk to some of the staff. Not only will you be able to get a better idea about the school culture and the job itself to ascertain whether they're the right fit for you, visiting the school beforehand will make any future interviews slightly less daunting. The school management will also definitely appreciate the effort and the opportunity to put a face to any applications.

As a rule of thumb, if you decide that you're applying for an external role and haven't already done so, speak to your current Head Teacher as soon as possible, especially if you're including them as a referee. This is really just a common professional courtesy, because the last thing you need is someone letting it slip to them before you get a chance! You don't want to end up looking secretive and sneaky, as this will just reflect badly on you. Also, it helps with the school's big picture and forward planning if they already know that they might need to recruit a new member of staff themselves, especially if you do get the job. This last part is especially important if your application runs close to school deadlines for resignations - although it won't really be your problem, you still shouldn't want to leave your current school in the lurch because your replacement can't start in September!

If you are applying within your own school, it's equally important to speak to your head teacher, line manager or the person currently within the post to ensure that you know what it entails and what they are looking for. Although I'm a big believer in aiming high and applying for promotion just before you're really ready, I've also heard numerous horror stories about applications from relatively new teachers, who have applied for every promoted post going, despite not meeting the criteria, not having relevant experience and/or not understanding the posts. There's no point in setting yourself up for failure and, although it shouldn't be the case, you don't want your school management questioning or scrutinising future applications you submit because of an injudicious decision earlier in your career.

The Application: Writing a Cover Letter

A CV or job application is where your potential employer can glean a lot of factual information about your experience and ability; however, your cover letter is the crown jewel of your CV and is your big opportunity to make like Rihanna and 'shine bright like a diamond'.

Before you start, make sure you have read and understood any guidelines about length or presentation before you begin. When I've spoken to head teachers about application letters, they've all said that they typically expect between 1.5 to 2 sides of A4. Anything longer than two sides tends to show a lack of concision, whereas anything shorter won't be detailed enough. Aesthetically, 1.75 sides is the ideal length for a letter that is long enough to include all the details, but concise enough to look nice on the page.

Structure and presentation are your next steps to success: this is a formal letter and you are a professional. Make sure that you consider the following when looking at how you present your writing:

• Recap or learn how a formal letter is meant to be structured, ensuring that information like your address, the date and the general layout of your writing are correctly presented on the page.

• Make sure that your writing is readable and looks effective by using a reasonable size and style of font (size 11 or 12 Arial or Calibri are ideal). Don't go below size 11 font, as this might be difficult to read and the last thing you want to do is make life difficult for the person shortlisting your application!

• When considering layout, you should ensure that all of your text is left aligned; justified alignment, centre alignment or worse, right alignment just don't look quite right and, at worst, look like you lack attention to detail. Margins are also something to consider, especially if you're struggling to fit everything into two sides. Do not be tempted to widen these out beyond 1 inch, as it will be very obvious that you've been trying to squash more in and your letter just won't look professional. Instead of widening out the margins, look at what you've written - have you repeated yourself or is there anything that you could say just as well in fewer words?

Although preparation and structure are important, ultimately it's the content that will get you through the door for interview. My preference is to plan everything before I start writing, by printing out the job specification, highlighting key criteria and annotating the spec by mapping my own experience and skills against the relevant section. As I say to students going into an exam, it will be easier to be concise and still get everything in if you plan your writing out first! When it comes to writing the letter itself, this is how I typically structure my letter sections:

1. Opening: Open your letter appropriately is key here. 'To whom is may concern' and 'Dear Sir / Madam' are both suitable, formal openings, but they are becoming rather archaic and stuffy. As a teacher, your best bet is to address the Head Teacher of the school to which you're applying, especially if you're applying outside of your current school. This shows that you've taken some time and made the effort to do your research. The first paragraph following this should then cover which post your applying to, before outlining your reasons for applying.

2. Teaching Philosophy: If you don't have one, you really should take some time to sit down and think about your teaching philosophy and approach to education. This paragraph is a chance for the Head Teacher to see if your philosophy fits with the school, whilst getting a sense of who you are as an educator in general.

3. Job-specific skills: This is where you can get into the nitty-gritty about how you fit the criteria for the role in question. At this point in my career, I'm applying for middle-leadership positions and promoted posts, so I often split this section into specific skills and experience related to the post, followed by a general overview of my skills and experience of managing and leading people. One very important part of this section is not to just outline what you can do, but include some information about what you will do in the new role. This is where speaking to management, doing some online research or visiting a new school will come in useful, as you can use your understanding of the role and the school to shape your plans.

4. Wider Contributions: Before closing my letters, I like to give a general overview of how I contribute to the wider school community in my current role, considering how this could continue or evolve in the new post. It's important to show that, although you are applying for a specific role, you are willing to feed into the community of the school beyond that post.

5. Closing: When finishing my letters, I like to include a brief closing recap of the main points of my letter, before thanking the reader for their time and consideration of the application.

The final thing to do before submitting your application is to make sure that you re-read and check your work. We are often blind to our own mistakes, so it's also a good idea (and certainly not a sign of weakness) to get someone else to look over it too. During my career, I've proofread numerous application letters, CVs, UCAS personal statements and references for both colleagues and students (possibly because I'm an English teacher and I am pretty picky with spelling, punctuation and grammar). In general, almost every one of them has been missing some punctuation or has included typos or spelling errors. Even with my own attention to detail, I don't think I've ever had someone double check my work without including a suggestion for improvement or correction - none of us are perfect!

So, this brings my application advice to a conclusion. If you have any application tips of your own, please feel free to include them in the comments and if you're currently completing your own application - good luck!

Until next time,

E.E.