Your Job’s On-line

The Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) has just produced a video to help students and graduates make better online applications.

Your job’s on-line is a 25-minute video which dispels myths about applying for jobs on-line. It shows two major employers selecting graduates using only their electronic applications. We hear the selectors assessing the candidates’ performance, and see the candidatesí reactions to those comments.

The video, sponsored by KPMG, was launched to an enthusiastic audience at AGCASís conference in September. Most university careers services have already bought copies for their libraries.
Many of the students interviewed for the making of the video admitted that they took less care and undertook less preparation when completing online forms than they would when applying on paper.

ìThey are used to using email and web-based forms for quick, informal interactions and are often genuinely shocked to see how their applications are perceived by employers,î says Chris Jackson, AGCASís Information Manager. ì We hope that this video will help applicants avoid some common pitfallsî.

AGCAS has also been working with careers publisher, GTI on select simulator, a system on which students can practise online applications before doing it for real.

ìWe want to help students make applications which accurately reflect their skills, abilities, experience, motivation and potential. Careers services work closely with employers and academic staff as well as directly with students and graduates. Hopefully these products will be useful to all four groupsî, says Chris.

Your job’s on-line is available from AGCAS, priced 70 including p&p. There is a subtitled version and plain version on one tape. Go to www.agcas.org.uk for full ordering information or contact sales@agcas.org.uk .
Select simulator is also accessible from the AGCAS website.