On Monday I attended the first session of Employability Week which this year is being organised by the University Careers Department along side PwC and Abintegro. To find out more information or sign up to workshops click here: http://www.swansea.ac.uk/careers/
Below I have outlined some of the key themes of the session and some of the top tips that I'll be using in future!
Employability session 1 - becoming a stand out candidate by Abintegro
Key message-ask people in your area of interest for help, it may be hard to do but is invaluable and you can learn from other peoples experiences.
Three questions to ask yourself when planning your career...
1.Do you know what you want to do?
Do you want to..
Stay in the Local area?
Or move Far away
What sector do you want to work in and in
What size of business?
In 10 years what do you want to be doing and where do you want to be?
This is very much like character visualisation and can help you project yourself forward into your career and help you make decisions.
Tip from getting away from average joe- think about your career now, apply yourself for it and don't worry about changes in your career path, very few people end up being able to do what they set out to immediately, remember, everything in the mean time is EXPERIENCE which makes you more employable in the long run- there is value in everything, you just have to find it.
2.Do you have the tools to get what you want?
Eg. Soft skills, first impressions,
First mistake may candidates make is being too focused on selling themselves and come across instead as a bit of a shark, unfriendly and not good to work with.
Get into the habit of asking about the company or interviewers not just talking about you and your attributes.
The greatest way to make a positive first impression is to demonstrate immediately that the other person, not you, is the centre of action and conversation.Use linkedin to find out about the interviewers and company- do your homework and research. Prepared a sentence such as If I were to work here I'd be interested in doing this, or changing that, or researching that.
First impressions are also key. Ones to look out for are your body language, dress, smile, confidence, eye contact and taking a notebook and pen. Keep in mind that the interview actually starts as soon as you walk in the door, even in the elevator the first impression is key!
Behaviour is often more important than knowledge, prove that you have the skills rather than just talking about them!
Something to work on, making your verbal business card, include:
Skills
Experience
Behaviour
All with good examples, get your attributes into the interviewers memory- short and sweet!
The university have worked with Abintegro to provide soft skills tests for you to take online via the blackboard site, log onto your blackboard account, click on the my future tab, then the business e learning link for the skills tests.
3. What will you do when you get there?
In work impressions, first 30 days? Think of your goals, smart objectives, tasks.
Learning about the organisation before you get there is also vital. Getting the position is the start, your progression within a company is dependent on your performance so maybe ask to implement an idea or Ask for experience or training. Remember to use your job to get the most for yourself!!
To get employer top tips videos log onto blackboard, click on huge my future tab then click on employer videos
I found this session hugely beneficial and instead of saying 'I don't know' when someone asks me what I want to do, I now know that I'd like to work within a national organisation, possibly within a charity, that I'd like to move away from home and that I'd like to progress in 10 years into a different profession in a smaller organisation where I can have a wider impact! For less than 45 minutes I learnt a lot more than I thought I could!
Remember if you want more information on careers log on here www.swansea.ac.uk/careers/ or email me on societiesandservices@swansea-union.co.uk