In Blocks 1 and 2 you’ve carried out some activities that should have increased your self-awareness, and you have been guided to explore opportunities. You’ve probably put a lot of time into analysing your life and career, and you should have considered your strengths, skills and experience, and researched the occupational areas that interest you. This block is designed to help you to take decisions and develop a plan detailing how to put them into action. The advice, guidance and activities below will help you to consider the advantages and disadvantages of different decisions, find sources of help and plan for action.
Here’s a video to introduce this block, followed by an activity designed to get you to consider whether your SWOT analysis needs updating.
Welcome to Block 3. In the last block, we looked at what’s important to you and what would enable you to create a better future for yourself. You may have found that once you started considering these aspects, your career or life plans have changed or are more of a challenge. So you’ll start by looking back at your SWOT analysis again.
Everyone’s personal situations and challenges are different, and in the last block, you spent a lot of time considering your options and exploring different sources of information. In Block 3, you will develop realistic plans, which will help you to achieve your goals. We hope you enjoy Block 3 and that you find the next steps section just as enjoyable and useful. We hope that you found this course interesting, and good luck with planning a better future for yourself.
There are a couple of reasons why you may want to take another look at your SWOT results. It may be some time since you completed the SWOT analysis at the end of Block 2, and lots of things may have changed. For example, you may have addressed some of your weaknesses, or some of the threats might have disappeared. If anything has changed, amend your SWOT results to reflect the current position.
However, even if you have recently completed your SWOT analysis and it’s still fresh in your mind, just take a few minutes to review it before you start Block 3. Ask yourself questions such as:
Once you are happy with your SWOT and have noted down any priorities, you have a sound basis on which to move forward.
By completing this block and the associated quiz, you will:
identify your goals and the actions that you can take next to reach them.
Obviously, you have to be realistic about what is possible, because life imposes restrictions on us all, but many people don’t achieve all that they’re capable of because they’re not clear about what they want to do and how to make decisions. It’s important to aim for what you want, while being aware of what’s actually achievable. One way to consider the range of options is to look at your goals alongside your personal restrictions and resources.
Whenever you’re in a situation you’re not happy with, you have four basic options. It can be useful to think about the short, medium and long term when you consider them.
For example, you may be clear that you want to change jobs in the long term, but in the short term you might be able to ‘change yourself’ to make things easier, while embarking on some training that will provide you with a relevant qualification in the medium term.
Consider the four options listed above. Note down how each of them may help you to move on from your current undesirable situation in the short, medium and long term.
You've now completed Section 1 - well done! We hope that you have found your study useful and are motivated to carry on with the course. Remember, if you pass the quiz at the end of each block you will be able to download a badge as evidence of your learning and a statement of participation that recognises your completion of the whole course.
Whatever your decision about the four options listed on the previous page, you need a goal and a plan to get to where you want to go. We are now going to look at your goals and then examine the restrictions and resources that may affect how you reach them.
What is a goal?
What are your goals? You may not have identified them fully yet, but note them down in the space below in as much detail as you can – you can add to them later as you define them more clearly.
We’re all affected by our own restrictions and resources. Sometimes the same thing can be both a restriction and a resource. If you’re buying a house on a mortgage, it’s both a liability and an asset; a friend or relative might need support but might also be a source of support to you.
What are your restrictions and resources?
Think about your resources – the things, people and attitudes that could help you. Then think about your restrictions – the things you need to take into account, or that may be problems.
Go to the template for this activity in the resource pack and note them down. An example is shown in Table 1.
Resources | Restrictions |
---|---|
Money Financial resources |
Responsibilities |
Equipment, tools, premises I have … |
I haven’t got … |
People, family, contacts Who can help me? |
Who needs my help or support? |
Health Good points |
Bad points |
Beliefs, outlooks Positives |
Negatives |
Consider your answers in the table you filled in.
Now look again at the restrictions and resources you listed in Activity 4. You probably noted some factors that would help you to move in the direction that you want to take and others that you need to find a way round. You now need to consider each of your goals in terms of all the resources that could be helpful or restrictions that might hinder you. The next activity will help with this.
Look first at the example in Table 2. It was produced by someone who wanted to apply for a promotion. Each restriction is set against a helping resource, giving a balanced picture of the situation.
Resources | Restrictions |
---|---|
Line manager’s support | Colleagues’ reactions |
Personal ambition/determined | Limited mobility |
Prepared to take responsibility | Little experience of managing people |
Project management experience | No experience of managing budgets |
Now return to the template and balance the resources and restrictions for the goal(s) you listed for Activity 3. Which of the goals are the most important? Highlight them.
What actions would help you to make the most of the resources you listed? And what would help you to reduce the effects of the restrictions?
You’ve listed the actions you can take towards your goals. You should now bring actions and resources together, listing the resources that can help you to carry out each step. Look at the example in Table 3, where ‘no experience of managing budgets’ was listed as a problem.
Actions | Resources |
---|---|
|
|
Now do this for each of the actions you listed in the template for this activity in the resource pack.
You should now have a clear picture of what you really want and what ideas you want to develop. You should also be clear about the main helping forces and problems you need to deal with.
You've now completed Section 2 - well done! We hope that you have found your study useful and are motivated to carry on with the course. Remember, if you pass the quiz at the end of each block you will be able to download a badge as evidence of your learning and a statement of participation that recognises your completion of the whole course.
The next stage is to bring everything together into a detailed plan of action. This means you will need to:
If you monitor your progress by checking your plan from time to time, you can identify what you have achieved and then revise your targets if necessary. And of course if you change your mind about your end goal, then you can go back to your original plan to make necessary adjustments.
When drawing up your action plan you should consider:
One way to deal with this is to break each activity down into small steps and keep it manageable. Action plans need to be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-based). Using a structure like this helps you to break big tasks down into smaller, more manageable ones so that you stay in control and have the confidence that you can manage them.
You should always try to have a back-up plan, so keep an eye on progress and adapt your plan if necessary. If you don’t manage to meet your goals, it may be that your first plan wasn’t good enough. You may need to improve it or change it completely. If, after doing that, you still find that you’re unable to reach your goal, you might have to reconsider it. Ask yourself, ‘Is it realistic?’ If it isn’t, you’ll have to revise it.
To achieve what you want, it might be necessary to go through several stages. You might need to gain experience or qualifications, gather information, or get access to a particular resource.
You may have to cope with setbacks and frustrations, but you’re setting out on a potentially exciting journey, taking the first steps towards a new life. Set aside time at regular intervals to review your goals and see how you are progressing.
Look at the example in Table 4 and then fill in the template for this activity in the resource pack.
My long-term goal | Short and medium-term goals | Actions required | Constraints | Resources – who or what can help me | Target date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Retail management | Secure intermediate-level apprenticeship in retail environment Secure full-time job with further training and/or prospects at the (successful!) end of the intermediate apprenticeship |
May need to improve my GCSE Maths grade for an intermediate apprenticeship Need to explore opportunities in the local area Will need to get practice at my application and interview techniques |
Have to wait for an opportunity to resit the Maths GCSE Reliant on public transport, which limits employment opportunities |
Teachers and family | Next August |
You've now completed Section 3 - well done! We hope that you have found your study useful and are motivated to carry on with the course. Remember, if you pass the quiz at the end of each block you will be able to download a badge as evidence of your learning and a statement of participation that recognises your completion of the whole course.
In its 2011 report, Building for Growth, The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) identified seven core employability skills that most employers value:
According to the report, four out of five employers value these skills. Underpinning them all is a positive attitude and enthusiasm. We have categorised them into four broad areas:
Table 5 shows the skills that employers want and how they can be developed.
Type of skill | Examples of how the skills can be developed through interests, work and education |
---|---|
Self-reliance skills |
|
Self-awareness: purposeful, focused, self-belief, realistic, assessing your own performance Pro-active: resourceful, drive, self-reliant Willingness to learn: inquisitive, motivated, enthusiastic Self-promotion: positive, persistent, ambitious, accepting responsibility Networking: initiator, relationship-builder, resourceful Problem solving: how you approach problems, finding and implementing solutions Planning action: decision-maker, planner, able to prioritise, identifying areas for improvement
|
Study: carrying out self-directed projects Roles within work Involvement in community groups or charities Roles within the home: planning, coordinating others |
People skills |
|
Team working: supportive, organised, coordinator, deliverer, reliability, adaptability Interpersonal skills: listener, adviser, cooperative, assertive Oral communication: communicator, presenter, influencer Leadership: motivator, energetic, visionary Customer orientation: friendly, caring, diplomatic, respect Foreign language: specific language skills |
Caring responsibilities Work responsibilities in a team Fund-raising for charity Voluntary work Member of orchestra or drama group Sport Guide/Scout leader Travel |
General employment skills |
|
Problem solving: practical, logical, results orientated Flexibility: versatile, willing, multi-skilled Business acumen: entrepreneurial, competitive, risk taker, customer service IT/computer literacy: office skills, keyboard skills, software packages Numeracy: accurate, quick thinker, methodical, dealing with data Commitment: dedicated, trustworthy, conscientious |
Roles within the home: budgeting Roles within work: use of IT, work experience Project work through study Membership of local clubs, committees and societies Self-employment |
Specialist skills |
|
Specific occupational skills: specialist relevant knowledge, e.g. languages, IT Technical skills: journalism, engineering, accounting, sales |
Study European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) Language skills Web design skills: use of programming or coding languages Using social media tools First aid at work qualification NVQ qualification |
The requirements that an employer sets out in a job advertisement are likely to be much more specific, but it’s worth bearing in mind that candidates who apply for jobs are also expected to demonstrate at least some of these skills.
You’ve seen a vacancy advertised that you’d like to apply for. Now you want to make sure you have a ‘match’. So, before finding out more about the position, analyse the information you already have. Even a brief advertisement can reveal a great deal of useful information if you read between the lines. Look at the advertisement and analyse it under these headings:
What vocabulary is used to describe the organisation? How does the organisation see itself and what image does it want to project? Do you feel comfortable with its choice of words? Will your personality fit the organisation? Are your values similar?
Qualifications: are qualifications preferred or essential? For example, do you need a driving licence or other specified qualification?
Experience: is experience preferred or essential? Will you be ruled out? What experience can you offer from any aspect of your life that demonstrates close or transferable skills?
Once you’ve analysed your advertisement, decide if it interests you, and then request further details, such as the job description and person specification. You need to try to match yourself to the requirements of the job to judge whether or not you want to apply for it.
The job description and person specification are usually set out under headings such as ‘Experience’, ‘Qualifications’ and ‘Personal qualities’. They should specify what the employer is looking for, so you need to consider how you can show that you meet the requirements.
Look at the example in Table 6, where the vacancy is for a fund-raiser for Scottish Wildlife Preservation Society. Here the key experience requirements are listed, and the second column shows how a candidate would provide evidence of having the necessary experience. This is a useful way of approaching any job advert, as it helps you to focus on the important aspects as you complete your application form or prepare a CV.
Key experience requirements | My evidence |
---|---|
Numeracy | Drew up budget bids or plans within agreed guidelines and procedures for submission to internal and external bodies. Responsible for assessing potential expenditure in terms of value for money and taking appropriate action to ensure this is achieved. |
Keyboard skills | Self-taught packages in order to produce a dissertation for my degree. Worked in Windows-based environment for numerous holiday jobs. |
Marketing knowledge | Temporary job (with full induction and training) over two summer holidays as a market research interviewer. Marketing module completed as part of my degree studies (12 months) identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably. |
Ability to work on own | As a part-time student I have worked within a 32-week study calendar and managed a weekly workload of reading, assignments, tutorials and revision alongside a part-time job and voluntary work. I have worked unsupervised as a treasurer for a local Residents Association for two years and have always met deadlines for reports. |
Interest in wildlife | I have organised several meetings between the RSPB and the local branch of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England to look at the decline of the blue tit in Cheshire and preventive measures. I am a regional fund-raiser for BTCV and the PDSA. I work alternate Sundays at the local animal hospital as a volunteer. I am an avid reader and subscriber of The Warbler, and make regular contributions to this national magazine. |
Presentation skills | I have used PowerPoint to present information on the decline of local bird populations to a community group and to councillors. |
Begin by looking at an advert or job description for a position that interests you. (If you don’t have a specific one in mind, you could look in a national or local newspaper, or on a website such as jobs.co.uk.)
Whichever way you choose, ask yourself:
Using Table 6 as a guide, open the template for this activity in the resource pack and note down the key characteristics and requirements of your selected vacancy. Try to produce evidence of your suitability against each point.
Many employers are moving towards a competency-based style of assessment for evaluating candidates. This requires the candidate to adopt a particular approach if they are going to be successful. There are definite techniques that can be employed to greatly increase the chances of passing this stage. The first hurdle may be a difficult one, because many employers’ questionnaires are specifically designed to fail a certain percentage of applicants.
Competencies are the criteria that employers set for each job. They show what you ‘can do’. Stating this is not enough – employers want you to demonstrate your competencies through evidence. Some job descriptions don’t mention competencies at all, and talk instead about skills. Many employers use the terms ‘skills’ and ‘competencies’ interchangeably, so don’t worry too much about this. The basis of competency-based assessment is that if you can demonstrate you did something in the past then you can do it in the future.
As noted, in Block 2, a good technique to use when answering questions on application forms or at interview is STAR:
When considering which example from your experience to select when answering a particular question, it might be helpful to use the RAPPAS technique as a guide:
You've now completed Section 4 - well done! We hope that you have found your study useful and are motivated to carry on with the course. Remember, if you pass the quiz at the end of each block you will be able to download a badge as evidence of your learning and a statement of participation that recognises your completion of the whole course.
Application forms come in all shapes and sizes. Some are designed for recruiting people for a particular function or training scheme. Most are intended for a wide variety of posts in the organisation (e.g. an NHS Trust). Most large organisations now make their forms available online, which can save you time and postage.
Whatever format they come in, the principles for completing application forms are very similar. If you’re asked to submit an application form, don’t send a CV instead. Often – but not always – you’re told that you may also enclose a CV. If you do, it shouldn’t just repeat what’s on your form. Use it effectively to include or to emphasise information that you think is relevant and isn’t asked for on the form.
Keep the following points in mind when it comes to completing an application form:
When completing online forms you may find that some of your experiences do not fit neatly into the categories provided. We suggest you contact the employer for advice on how to approach this.
If you haven’t looked at employers’ application forms for some time, you may be surprised at the probing nature of some of the questions that they ask, and not only for senior jobs. You’ll come to some sample questions later in this section.
Bear in mind that employers often receive a large number of forms. This means that on an initial read-through they may spend as little as two minutes looking at your form – so it is crucial that you sell yourself effectively.
Here are some hints and tips for completing an application form:
It’s also important to focus on what you can do rather than anything you can’t. When writing an application you are advised to focus on the positives, selling your skills and abilities. You must be truthful, but are expected to omit any deficiencies, e.g. you should never state that you ‘don’t have relevant experience’. It is up to the prospective employer to deduce that from the information you provide.
These are genuine questions from application forms used by large companies:
What should you include in your answers? Note down your thoughts before reading the comments.
It is good practice to do the following before submitting your form:
You've now completed Section 5 - well done! We hope that you have found your study useful and are motivated to carry on with the course. Remember, if you pass the quiz at the end of each block you will be able to download a badge as evidence of your learning and a statement of participation that recognises your completion of the whole course.
Like an application form, a curriculum vitae (CV) is primarily intended to make the recruiter think it worthwhile interviewing you. The advantage of a CV is that you get to decide what information to include and highlight, and what to leave out or minimise. In addition, your CV doesn’t need to conform to any particular format, so you have more control over the impression it will create. You can tailor the style, content and design to show off your strengths and present you in the most positive light.
It’s most important that you keep in mind that one ‘all-purpose’ CV will not be much use to you. This is only likely to work if you always apply for the same job in several very similar organisations. It is often more effective if you adapt your CV to suit the particular organisation or job you’re applying for – something that’s easy enough to do if it’s word-processed.
Employers expect you to show that you’re responding to their own advertisements, not sending out a batch of identical CVs to a list of companies. You may in fact be doing just that, but it must look as though you’re targeting the individual company, and you can reinforce this impression by tailoring the covering letter.
The general style of the CV should depend on the sector or organisation that it’s addressed to. For example, applications to marketing organisations or to the publishing industry can be successful if the style and layout suggest a flair for lively prose or graphic design. To use the same approach for a financial institution or a local authority, say, might have an adverse effect. Bear this in mind when you design your own CV.
How you organise and present information about yourself and your activities, will send key messages about your suitability as a potential employee. Be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time on creating and reworking an effective document. You want to make sure that you present yourself positively and accurately. So when it comes to preparing your CV, you need to ask yourself a few key questions:
Your CV is uniquely yours in style, content and layout – but you may find the following ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ helpful. CVs usually contain:
Give the name you want to be known by if you’re called for interview or appointed. However, you don’t need to give initials or middle names; they’re unnecessary at this stage and may confuse matters. Put your name in the centre in a larger, bold font instead of giving the document the title ‘Curriculum vitae’ – it should be quite obvious what it is.
Be sure to give a full postal address with a postcode, since invitations to interview are often sent at short notice and speedy delivery is in your interest. Include an email address, but make sure this reflects the image you want to project. Including the address ‘pinkfluffybunny@hotmail.com’ will not promote a professional impression to recruiters. If you include a link to your social media profile, such as your Twitter account; again, make sure this is professional.
It’s important to give a telephone number where you can be reached or where a message can be left. Include your mobile number if you have one. If you’re employed and prospective employers can contact you during office hours, give your number and say that it’s a work number so that the caller will be discreet. Always give the full area code, number and extension so that you can be reached as easily as possible.
There’s no need to include such details as your date of birth, nationality, gender, marital status or the number of children you have. These are irrelevant on a CV, where your aim is to get yourself invited for interview. You can discuss them at the interview if appropriate, when you have more opportunity to negotiate any difficulties.
Your aim here is to stress your achievements at work. Include the nature and place of your employer’s business if it isn’t obvious from the name, but don’t give the address or the name of your manager at this stage. For more recent jobs – during the last ten years, say – give more detail about particular responsibilities, projects, assignments and results achieved. Avoid jargon, unless you’re sure that the reader will understand it.
There are different opinions about whether you set your experience out in forward or reverse date order. So much depends on the nature and relevance of your previous employment to the job you’re applying for. But everyone agrees that the most relevant job should appear at the top of the list, so that the reader is encouraged to read on.
Some possible sequences are as follows:
However you present your employment experience, make sure it’s clear and that the way you present starting and leaving dates is consistent. Don’t leave any unexplained gaps. For example, if you’ve had time out of paid work to bring up a family, state this.
How far back should you go? School or young college-leavers should be quite explicit about their education since age 11, but it’s more appropriate for more mature applicants to include a brief summary of their education, including exams passed. There’s no need to include the full address of each school or college – condense the information to dates, names and towns. Present your qualifications in the way that makes the most of them:
Don’t give an exhaustive list of all the training courses and seminars you’ve attended. Include useful information about training and development courses of a week or more, or training in relevant specialist skills.
This section has various uses. It can show that you have a well-rounded life and don’t live for work alone; that you’re a sociable person who gets on with others; or that you keep yourself fit. Your hobbies may have given you opportunities to tackle roles and develop skills that you haven’t had scope for at work – perhaps you’ve helped out a school, run a computer club or done voluntary work that demonstrates organisational and management skills. An unusual hobby such as skydiving or family history research can be worth mentioning, even though it has no obvious relevance to the job. It gives your CV an interesting feature and makes it memorable.
The diversity of individual careers sometimes makes extra sections desirable: you can make up your own sub-headings. Include details you think a prospective employer really ought to know: if you have a driving licence, or additional skills such as foreign languages (if possible, give an indication of your level of competence), first aid training, and so on. It is also important to outline your level of IT and keyboard skills, including software you are familiar with, e.g. Word and Excel.
Including career aims and a skill profile can be particularly effective if you’re seeking a career change, you have an unconventional work record or you’re applying for a job for which the competition is particularly keen.
You’ll usually need two referees, and one of these should be from your present or last employer. Give their names, addresses and telephone numbers, and their status or relationship to you (e.g. line manager, course tutor). If you don’t want your employer approached at this stage, say so in your CV or covering letter. You might prefer to omit referees on the CV and put ‘available on request’.
To produce an effective CV, pay attention to its appearance as well as its content.
There’s no right or wrong way to write a CV. The right one is the one that works for you in your situation and succeeds in getting you interviews. Here we will just provide some guidelines on good practice and offer some examples of possible formats:
We will also show some examples of targeted CVs for specific purposes. Most people tend to prefer one style over the others, but whichever format you choose, it should be flexible enough to allow modification to match the job you’re seeking.
For most jobs you need to make a decision about the kind of CV to use, as most employers will not specify. However, some job areas have expectations that a particular format is used. When researching jobs, look at what the expectations might be. It is important that you find out if there is a preferred format for the type of job that you are applying for by doing further research into the job and if necessary seeking advice from a careers adviser (or the professional body, if there is one). For instance, some professions, such as the legal profession, prefer CVs in a chronological format. When you have work experience that is directly relevant, it is useful to highlight this in a separate section as it draws attention to it.
You are probably most familiar with a chronological CV. This lists jobs by date, beginning with the most recent, showing the name of each employer, where you worked, the period you were employed, your job title(s), responsibilities and key achievements.
The advantages of a chronological CV are that it:
However, the disadvantages to a chronological CV are that any gaps in your employment stand out.
As a result, if you’ve changed jobs frequently, it can suggest instability and will require explanation, particularly if you’ve changed profession or career direction. In addition, with a chronological CV, it isn’t always easy to spot key achievements or skills that might get ‘buried’ under different job titles.
A functional CV focuses attention on your skills and achievements, presented according to the function or responsibilities you’ve undertaken rather than according to individual jobs. This CV shows that you’re conscious of the demands of the prospective employer and of what you have to offer. Its advantages are that:
The disadvantages are that it takes more thought to prepare a functional CV and you have to ensure that it is clear and relevant to the chosen job without looking as though you might be hiding something.
A targeted CV is even more closely matched to the needs of a particular employer, with the skills required and the evidence of them clearly laid out at the beginning, followed by the details, dates and so on. It combines elements from both the chronological and the functional CV. Most candidates for managerial posts use this format. The advantages are that:
The disadvantages are that, like the functional CV, this one isn’t easy to prepare. It has to change to match each job, with all the time, effort and skill that implies.
You've now completed Section 6 - well done! We hope that you have found your study useful and are motivated to carry on with the course. Remember, if you pass the quiz at the end of each block you will be able to download a badge as evidence of your learning and a statement of participation that recognises your completion of the whole course.
Your covering letter is your opportunity to market yourself. It introduces your application and draws attention to the main factors that make you suitable for the job. It will usually be read first, so make sure that the reader will want to find out more about you.
It should enhance your application, not repeat what’s on the application form or CV. Always include a covering letter unless the employer specifically tells you not to. Application forms often allow you reasonable scope to sell yourself and may need only a brief covering letter. A CV will usually require more of an introduction.
Mention the job title (including any reference number) and say where and when you saw the vacancy. Highlight your strongest selling points, such as a relevant degree, appropriate qualification and related experience. Stress how you think the organisation can benefit from employing you. Add some other detail to reinforce your suitability, without duplicating what’s on the application form.
In a speculative approach, you have to present your case in a letter, usually accompanied by your CV. State clearly what kind of work you’re seeking, your qualifications and what you have to offer. You’re trying to find out whether there are any vacancies, or whether vacancies will arise in the near future. At the same time you must leave the impression that you’re someone it’s useful for the employer to know about.
If there’s a vacancy, this will – if done well – translate into being someone the employer ought to see. So make clear who you are, where you are and what you’re studying, then highlight the relevant points in the CV such as work experience, interests and activities. Say why you want to work for that particular organisation, and when you would be able to start. Do not waste your time, or an organisation’s, by submitting speculative applications if they are specifically prohibited.
You've now completed Section 7 - well done! We hope that you have found your study useful and are motivated to carry on with the course. Remember, if you pass the quiz at the end of each block you will be able to download a badge as evidence of your learning and a statement of participation that recognises your completion of the whole course.
Interviews remain the most common method of filling vacancies. There are several types of interview that you may be asked to attend:
Here are some initial tips for interviews:
From the vast amount of research into interviews as a selection method, some important insights for candidates emerge. For example:
Below we list the four main types of interviewers you may come across. Don’t let your own stereotyping of the interviewer affect your interview technique. Remember that when managers interview they’re playing a role to a set of social rules, and may not be entirely their usual selves. Their perspectives may differ according to their job function:
You could read all the books ever written on how to do well at interview and still not be good at it. Practice is essential. Even experience as an interviewer doesn’t make for a flawless performance, for insight often leads to heightened anxiety. How you project yourself through your social and communication skills will determine your success whenever you speak with potential employers.
Find out all you can about interviewing techniques and be ready to cope with them:
Here are some things to think about in the run-up to your interview:
Things to remember:
Whatever the nature of the job, the interviewer will be focusing on three related groups of characteristics: your personal, professional and achievement profile. It’s your task to provide evidence in your answers that demonstrates these characteristics.
You also need to be prepared to adapt your responses to the different kinds of question:
An increasing number of companies are using the telephone in the first stage of the interviewing process. They do this in several ways:
The advice that follows about face-to-face interviews applies just as much to telephone interviews, but some things are especially important:
Everyone has a different understanding about what a tough question is. Here are some tips to help you through them, followed by some examples and how to approach them.
In general:
Here are some more examples of interviewers’ questions to think through yourself.
Note down your responses in the space below.
You've now completed Section 8 - well done! We hope that you have found your study useful and are motivated to carry on with the course. Remember, if you pass the quiz at the end of each block you will be able to download a badge as evidence of your learning and a statement of participation that recognises your completion of the whole course.
If you are not getting selected for interviews, you can take various steps to improve your chances:
If you are getting interviews but are not getting any further, you should do the following:
If you have done all of the above, having asked for feedback to make sure that you have interviewed well, the next thing to remember, if you are rejected, is to try not to take it personally. It is not a criticism of you; it is simply that in this instance you have been unsuccessful. It doesn’t mean that they thought you couldn’t do the job.
That may mean that someone with more relevant experience has got the job, or that there was a strongly favoured internal candidate. If you were invited to interview it means that, on paper, the recruiters believed you could do the job. Interviewing is expensive, so employers won’t waste time interviewing someone they feel is not qualified for the role in question.
It can help to make notes as soon as you come out of an interview. You could make a list of what did and didn’t go well, and suggestions of how you might improve. Once you relax after an interview, you may not remember as much detail. You can also compare your notes to any feedback you get by asking, ‘How could I strengthen any future application?’ Try to treat the whole experience as something you can learn from.
Remember, it took J.K. Rowling a year to find a publisher for her first Harry Potter book and some of the publishing houses made what was, with hindsight, an enormous mistake. It is important to try to stay positive and focused, and persevere with your job search.
You've now completed Section 9 – well done! We hope that you have found your study useful and are motivated to carry on with the course. Remember, if you pass the quiz at the end of each block you will be able to download a badge as evidence of your learning. If you collect the full set of badges, you can download a statement of participation that recognises your completion of the whole course.
Well done; you have now reached the end of Block 3 of Planning a better future, and it is time to attempt the assessment questions. This is designed to be a fun activity to help consolidate your learning.
There are only five questions, and if you get at least four correct answers you will pass the quiz.
You can now choose to move on to one of the other blocks.
If you feel that you’ve now got what you need from the course and don’t wish to attempt the quiz, please visit the Taking my learning further section. There you can reflect on what you have learned and find suggestions of further learning opportunities.
We would love to know what you thought of the course and how you plan to use what you have learned. Your feedback is anonymous and will help us to improve the courses that we offer.
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The material acknowledged below is Proprietary and used under licence (not subject to Creative Commons Licence). Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources for permission to reproduce material in this unit.
Introduction: © Grigvovan/Shutterstock.com; Section 2.1: © maridav/Bigstockphoto.com; Sections 5 and 6: © Flynt/Bigsstockphoto.com; Section 5.1: © Rawpixel.com/Bigstockphoto.com; Section 8: © Wavebreakmedia/Bigstockphoto.com.
Introduction: Amy Winter: © The Open University 2017.
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