Have you thought about getting your first job yet? If you’re on a PGCE course, the answer cannot help but be yes, as the course lasts an alarmingly short 37 weeks. The answer must also be yes for the BEd course, because “education” is such a peculiarly vocational degree that people entering the course as undergraduates must already be able to envisage themselves in the classroom.

Sifting through the TES jobs pages or trawling the internet site takes a few minutes; filling in application forms can take forever, as can producing an interesting personal statement for prospective employers. But this time can pale into insignificance compared to the amount of time spent (often during your final school placement) attending interviews. This can, in some cases, interfere with training as students struggle to prepare for lessons, complete planning and assessment, and create resources - as well as prepare for those all-important interviews.

Despite what the newspapers tell us about teacher shortages, students still feel a huge amount of pressure when they are thinking about securing their first post. The competition is immense, and there always seem to be some students who get lots of crisp letters inviting them to interviews, and others whose postbox is always empty. Speaking from my experience as a personal tutor, this does not always seem justified.

Sometimes (but by no means always) the students who look the most impressive on paper will not make the best teachers. I have met students who have at first found it quite difficult to secure interviews but have made excellent teachers, and others who have had no problem getting to the interview stage, but still fail to land the job. Both situations are incredibly frustrating for the students in question, and sap morale and self-esteem. Combined with the pressure of the course itself, some students can feel quite defeated by either situation.

But neither problem is insurmountable. This is where your university tutor can come in useful (no bitter laughter, please). Ask your tutor, if he or she has not done so already, to have a look at your personal statement. Without making any false claims, it is important that this letter “sells” you adequately. It is worth spending time getting this right, as it may be this statement that sets you apart from the general pile of applicants.

Mention the following: Qualifications What was your degree specialism, and how is this related to the teaching you hope to do? What is your PGCEBEd course specialism - subject or age group? If you studied music and have any certificates for grade exams, make sure you include this information - musicians are always at a premium in primary schools.

Experience What teaching experience - age groups and subjects - do you have? Include any experiences from university placements. Don’t forget to talk about planning, evaluation, assessment, whole-class teaching, group teaching, special needs provision and so on.

Also include any relevant experience outside teaching, such as voluntary work, summer and weekend jobs - these can all demonstrate your commitment to working with young people. If you have run a drama group or church youth group, or worked for an organisation such as Camp America during a year out, this is the place to mention your experience.

Knowledge and understanding Underpin the details of your teaching experience with the theory of teaching as gleaned at university or on placement. Be careful not to use terms that you do not fully understand - you may get asked for more details during an interview.

Knowledge of the national curriculum Concentrate on whatever has relevance for this post - an application for a primary post, for example, should refer to your experiences with the numeracy and literacy strategies at the relevant stage.

Skills Talk about any personal skills that would make a difference to your teaching such as expertise in record-keeping, differentiation and inclusive teaching, or use of assessment to inform future planning.

Other comments Explain how you create a positive atmosphere in your classroom - how, for example, you use display to make the classroom an exciting, welcoming and inclusive place; how you communicate your expectations and praise to the children through circle time, co-operative games, or achievement chartsstar charts. Talk about your commitment to parental involvement, building professional relationships with other teachers and other relevant information.

Most importantly, remember that you must underpin your glossy personal statement with a flavour of what you, personally, have to offer.

Interview panels have built in bullshit detectors, and if you fill your application with all manner of jargon that you don’t understand, or buzzwords that you don’t believe in, they will find you outI and it will be embarrassing.

Lynn Huggins-Cooper is a lecturer on the PGCE course at Newcastle University