When you submit a job application, you should send a short covering letter to explain which job you are applying for and where it was advertised. There may be an application form for the post in which case it may not be appropriate to send your CV as well. Nowadays some firms do not advertise at all and you could send in your CV with a covering letter explaining that you would like to work for them if they have any suitable post. You should use an A4 or A5 envelope clearly and correctly addressed. Your aim is to present an honest but favourable impression of your abilities, qualities and skills and to convince the reader that you are adaptable and responsible.
Most people will change jobs several times during their working lives. A good CV is an essential tool in your survival kit.
Your CV should be word-processed and printed on plain white A4 paper. It should run to 2 pages. The front page contains the key facts and high priority information. The back page contains backup and low priority information. A good CV should
attract attention
create a good impression
present your relevant skills and qualities clearly and concisely
Keep it short; keep it clear; keep it relevant.
Avoid sending photocopies. Avoid spelling and grammatical mistakes. In particular make sure the name of the person and company you send it to are spelt correctly.
A good sample CV is provided by the University's careers service: Sample CV
In addition to the activities mentioned there, you should mention your project work, your ten-minute presentations and poster work.
Name two referees. Staff members expect to be asked to write references for you and are pleased to do so. Your final year supervisor, project supervisor, class head, Adviser of Studies are all frequent choices. If you have worked eg in a shop for an extended period, then it may be appropriate to ask the manager to be a referee, depending on the type of job you are looking for. It is considered polite to ask your referees if they will be prepared to write references for you, before you post off your CV. I have never heard of anyone refusing to write a reference, although very occasionally they may suggest that someone else may be more appropriate.
An academic reference is likely to give a summary of your performance at University and state when you will (or did) graduate. It will state the class of Honours you got or are expected to get, whether you did BSc or MSci and whether Combined or Single Physics. Your lab work, written and oral skills, attention to deadlines will be commented on. Also your project work will probably be mentioned in some detail. Your interaction with staff/students, membership of clubs/societies and sporting activities may be mentioned, and whether you have had vacation employment.
Your undergraduate course:
Describe details of major projects, field work or course work.
Where do you rate/rank yourself within your undergraduate course in comparison with others?
Other interests and activities
Give details of any previous employment. Include information on the work you did, the duration of the employment and the benefits you derived from it.
Apart from vacation employment, how have you spent your University vacations?
Give details of your main activities and interests outside the immediate scope of your course work, indicating the level of involvement and the time you spend on each.
Which of your achievements has given you the most personal satisfaction and why?
What are your three main strengths?
What aspects/events in your life illustrate these?
What do you regard as the three areas you feel you need to improve and why?
What do you expect from your job? Consider interest/challenge, remuneration, management/technical/marketing content, work environment, status.
Any additional information?