Complete the following table regarding the four prevalent methods of presenting personal information. Ensure you describe in detail the different methods and identify the advantages and disadvantages from the perspective of the employer and interviewee. Describe and provide examples of the written methods of providing personal information.

There are many different ways that you can provide information through written methods. One would be an application form; this can include personal details, qualifications, past and presents employment, hobbies, interests, job reference number/name of job, references and personal statements (why somebody is suitable for a job). An application form is sent to an employer but could also be sent to managers and sometimes HR.

A CV has similar information to the application form; it should usually include personal details, qualifications, past and present employment, hobbies, interests and references. A CV gives more information about a person rather than answering questions about the specific job. It states what skills a person has rather than what skills a person has for a specific job. A CV is usually accompanied by a supporting letter which will then state why a person would be good for that specific job.

A letter is a piece of writing that can support a cv. It usually contains specific information that may be needed for the job, an example would be if they have had past experience or not, if they have a specific qualification for the job, ect and also details regarding the job. The letter is usually quite short and it is a formal letter so it should be formal language that is used. The structure is usually importrated and is usually retained by the employer along with the cv.

What are the advantages of the written method from the perspectives of the employer and interviewee? The advantages of an application form would be that you can put all your basic information down to an employer before having an interview. The employer then has basic information so they can pick people out by their past experiences or if their personality would be suitable for a job. It is the 1st point of contact between the employer and interviewee; it makes it easier for an employer to pick people that are suitable for a job rather than having all of them come for interviews. Almost every job that a person applies for will have an application form; this mostly comes before the interview stage.

A CV is a better way for a person to give details about themselves, it states pretty much the exact same as what an application form does, however the information is about this person rather than writing about the job. Also a CV is easier for an employer to understand what a person’s personality is like from how they have set out and written about themselves. A CV is more personalized and is a person’s personal profile, so how they set it out is important to an employer.

The advantages of using a letter to accompany a CV are that it is there to clear up anything that hasn’t been put into the CV. This could be why a person is good for that specific job, it could be giving specific details that an employer has asked for, it could be details regarding that specific job. What are the disadvantages of the written method from the perspective of the employer and interviewee?

The disadvantages of an application form are if it has been hand written, the employer may not be able to read the details. Also application forms could be easy to lose. It also doesn’t give information about what a person’s personality is like through simple questions. The disadvantages of a CV would be that an employer may not be able to see if they are the right person for the job based on the personal information that is given through a CV, some employers prefer to have a CV because it gives information on why a person could be good for that specific job rather than what skills they have overall.

The disadvantages of writing a letter could be a person’s IT skills; it could be that a person could get easily confused when setting out a letter in the correct way. A person might not be able to correct any spelling mistakes if they don’t know how to use spell check. Also a person might not be able to save the letter to use as a template for other job applications. The computer that somebody is working on might have a hard drive problem and they might lose any work they have done because they haven’t photocopied it.

Describe and provide examples of the interview/panel method of providing personal information. To have an interview is usually the 2nd stage of an application process; it usually comes after the application form has been submitted and employer has shortlisted from a number of people. At the interview a set of questions is asked to each applicant and different questions could be asked based on the applicant’s personal application an example of this would be their experience or their past jobs.

The interview can last up to an hour and the interview would normally be with one person or it could be with a panel. A Panel consists of more than 3 people and most of the time each person specializes in a different area in the workplace. The person having the interview (the applicant) would normally have their details at the interview (sometimes this could be a CV) and then after the interview they could be shortlisted for the job or they could be compared to everybody else that attended the interview.