Author Archives: Carol Macdonald

Could a difficult relationship with your boss impact on a future reference?

Applications No Comments

When applying for a new role we all hope that we will be given a positive and supportive reference by our current, or previous, line manager. However, even the most conscientious and easy going individual can have an occasional difficult working relationship. So, what do you do if you have not always seen eye to eye with your line manager?

A good first step is to talk to them. Tell them about your plans, your motivation for the roles you are seeking, and ask them what kind of reference they would provide for you. You may find that they are much more supportive than you expect. Asking them for a copy of the reference they will provide may also allay your fears. If they are prepared to focus on your strengths and achievements you will no doubt be reassured.

An alternative approach is simply to ask someone else to write a reference for you. This could be a colleague you have worked with closely either on a day-to-day basis or on a specific project. You may have plenty of people who could do this for you and would be happy to comment on you work ethic, professionalism, knowledge and ability.

Bear in mind that professional references do not have to be written by a direct work colleague. You could approach other industry professionals who know you well, or maybe even contacts from clubs or voluntary bodies in which you participate or volunteer. And, of course, don’t forget that you can also ask your academic supervisor who will have got to know you and watch you develop throughout your degree.

Regardless of who you decide to approach, ensure that they are clear about what you are applying for, why you are interested, and what makes you suitable for this role. You may wish to remind them of some of your most relevant knowledge, experience and skills. It can also be helpful to forward them a copy of your application.

Middle-aged interns  

Career Management Researching careers No Comments

It’s not unusual to associate internships, or structured work placements, with young undergraduate students. A large percentage of this group do undertake internships and find them to be an excellent way to develop relevant workplace experience, gain contacts in the sector they wish enter and to check out their career ideas. However if you think that internships are only for this group, you are mistaken. Many postgraduate students also take advantage of internships – and age is no barrier.

If you are unsure about whether an internship could be a realistic option, you may gain some encouragement from a BBC article ‘The rise of the middle-aged intern’ by Kate Stanton Business reporter. This provides examples of how middle aged professionals have used internships as a way to remarket themselves and to start a new phase of their working lives.

More information on internships and work experience, and how to find them, can be found on the Careers Service website.

How to anticipate interview questions

Interviews No Comments

A key part of interview preparation should be anticipating the range of questions you are likely to be asked. My colleague, Suzanne Agnew, explains how you can approach this task:

Part of the service the Careers Service offers is tailored practice interviews (which are available via Skype and telephone as well as face to face).  How do we know what to ask?  Obviously, it’s down to professional experience but the way that we anticipate interview questions is something that you can do too.

Go back in time

What made you apply for this job in the first place?  Interviews are used as a way to explore your motivation and fit for the organisation.  Questions here shouldn’t be a surprise!  Be able to articulate why you are right for the role and what attracts you to this organisation.  No organisation exists in a bubble so be prepared for questions which look to discover how much you know about the sector. What are the current challenges and opportunities for the sector and for this employer?

Return to the vacancy

Look carefully at the job description and person specification.  What is it that really matters to the employer?  Some examples of phrases from a vacancy:

  • ‘a talented analytical individual with strong numerical capabilities’,
  • ‘have a passion and excitement for the industry’,
  • ‘have flair for problem-solving and teamwork’
  • ‘adept at delivering drive improved performance’

These are the qualities they are looking for in their ideal candidate.  They will use the interview as a way for you to demonstrate that you have what they are looking for.

The skills and qualities they are looking for can help you identify what competency questions they could ask.  Questions such as ‘tell me about a time when you used a creative approach to problem solving’.  They will want to you to use concrete experiences to demonstrate that you meet a specific competency.  If you have ever completed a CPD plan you will be familiar with this!

Know the employer

Many organisations have key competencies, qualities or values which underpin the way they operate.  Some organisations make these highly visible both to clients and staff via their website.  If they are particularly high profile then you can expect probing around these.  Employers will want you to demonstrate that you meet these competencies and/or share their values.  Think about it from their point of view: they want to ensure you are a good ‘fit’.

Tell your story

Fundamentally interviews are about making a connection.  One of the best ways of building a connection is through story.  What is your career story?  If asked ‘Tell me about yourself’, having an engaging story ready can be a good way for the employer to get a sense of your strengths and get a better understanding of who you are.  Can you demonstrate that you are someone they want to work with?

 

If you have got this interview through networking or via a speculative application your strategy for interviews may be different.  You obviously won’t have a vacancy to refer to but you can still anticipate questions around motivation and how you will add value to the organisation.  Competency questions can still play a part and this is where it makes sense to have a good understanding of the role and/or organisation.

There will always be questions that you hadn’t prepared for but by ensuring you have a good level of self-awareness and can easily articulate your experiences and strengths you can ensure you won’t be caught off-guard.  While these all focus on what an employer might ask you be sure that you have questions to ask them.

 

Flexible working

Career Management No Comments

Flexible working patterns have become common in recent years.  This has been a result of both employee requests to amend working hours, in order to achieve a better balance between their work and home life; and also employers efforts to meet the needs of their customer and staff.  Within the UK, all employees who have worked for their employer for 26 weeks continuously can request that a change to their working hours be given consideration.   My colleague Lindsey McLeod provides an insight below: 

Flexible working is something that you may want to consider when looking at your career planning.  A great resource to understand what rights you have when it comes to Flexible Working is the ACAS website which gives a detailed breakdown of policies and processes involved in flexible working.

The benefits of flexible working are often talked about, achieving a better work/life balance, more efficient working whilst carrying out your employee duties but there are also arguments to the contrary, such as the pressures to deliver more in a shorter time that some flexible workers place on themselves.  Often flexible working is associated with mothers returning to work, but flexible working isn’t aimed at solely this demographic.  Working Families.org aim to increase the visibility and viability of flexible working for all.  A particular focus they have this year in Scotland is increasing the potential for flexible working for Fathers, in the Year of the Dad.  They recently held their Awards on the 10th March for the best Flexible Working employers.  Check out their upcoming National Work Life Week campaign.

It is worth speaking to your Line Manager and HR department, or checking the wording of a job advertisement if you aren’t currently employed, to establish where and how flexible working could be incorporated into your place of work.  Look out for this logo:

logo flexible working

Leadership skills … lessons from business leaders.

Leadership Skill development Uncategorized No Comments

Leadership skills are a key requirement for many professional careers … but what makes a good leader?

I came across an interesting article “10 leadership lessons from the world’s biggest business leaders” by Raj Tulsiani,  in the journal Recruitment Grapevine (December 2015).  Raj cites adaptation as the key to success, along with learning from your peers and those who have been there and done it already.  With this in mind he presents one piece of advice from 10 global business leaders. A summary of this advice follows below:

  1. Look at the big picture:  Think deeper and rather than focussing on the day-to-day issues look at the bigger picture. (Bill Gates, co-founder and former CEO Microsoft)
  2. Be passionate:  If you do something you are passionate about, you are naturally going to succeed. (Mary Barra, CEO General Motors)
  3.  Create valuable networks:  Surround yourself with only positive people who are going to lift you higher. (Oprah Wimfrey,  talk show host and business woman)
  4. Find Focus:  Focus on consumers and professionals. (Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO Apple)
  5. Hire Smart: You don’t need another you! Creating a diverse team with people from different backgrounds can give you  a well-rounded approach when it comes to decision making. (Claire Watts, CEO QVC)
  6. Inspire your staff:  Leadership is the ability to inspire others. (Jeff Weine, CEO LinkedIn). Jeff is said to inspire his staff by encouraging them to take time out from their work everyday just to think!
  7. Listen: Lead by listening – to be a good leader you have to be a great listener.(Sir Richard Branson, founder and CEO Virgin)
  8. Never give up:  Even when the going gets really tough – never give up! (Anne Mulcahy former CEO Xerox)
  9. Be compassionate:  Show you care. If your team think you don’t care, it can be a rocky road. (John Shilifske, CEO Northwestern Mutual)
  10. Embrace change: It can be hard for business to keep up with the scale of changing products and services … but what’s dangerous is not to evolve. (Jeff Bezos, CEO Amazon)

The original article by Raj Tulsiani, CEO and co-founder of Green Park Interim and  Executive Search, can be found on Recruitment Grapevine, December 2015, p40/41, via the following link:  Recruitment Grapevine

Interview Simulator

Interviews Job hunting No Comments

An invitation to a job interview can bring a mix of emotions. An initial rush of excitement can also be accompanied by feelings of concern; especially if you haven’t had an interview for some time. One of the resources you may find helpful is called Interview Simulator.  I referred to this in our recent post about video interviewing but this resource can have wider benefits.  My colleague, Jane Challinor, explains how Interview Simulator works below:  

As a University of Edinburgh student you’re able to access Interview Simulator, an online interview preparation module we subscribe to for your benefit. Find it in the Resources tab of MyCareerHub.

When you’re in Interview Simulator, a short video gives you an overview of how to use it.

Simulator

Watch the video – but here’s an outline to give you a quick impression of what Interview Simulator can do for you.

You have two main options – to go straight into the “Mock Interview” option, or to browse through a list of questions. These questions are grouped into categories and for each question you’re given a written explanation of why the employer might ask it, and what they’re hoping to hear in response. You can also choose to hear an employer outlining the purpose of the question, and their expectations.

In the Mock Interview section you can choose a pre-built version, or custom-build one by selecting questions yourself. It’s a good idea to set the timer, so you experience genuine time pressure! If you want, you can record your answers, or type them on screen. At the end, view the explanations given by employers – as seen in the “browse questions” section – and assess for yourself how close you’ve come to meeting their expectations. You’re not being given personal, 1:1 feedback on your performance but you are getting a good idea of the sorts of things to say – and not to say – to increase your chances of success. So why not see what you can learn from it?

For more advice on interview technique see http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/careers/using-careers-service/cvs-apps-interviews/interviews/overview

 

Video Interviewing – a growing trend

Interviews No Comments

Approaches to recruitment interviewing have evolved over time and in recent years it has become fairly common for initial screening interviews to be conducted by telephone or Skype. Over the last two years we have seen yet another development –  the video questionnaire interview. Although this is a relatively recent innovation, it’s an approach which seems to be growing in popularity. The UK Association of Graduate Recruiters have recently reported that 20% of their members are now using video interviews.

With video questionnaire interviews all candidates are asked the same set of questions. These questions are usually viewed as text on the screen, rather than via a live connection with an interviewer. This will take place either at a company office or off-site location with a webcam and microphone setup.

You are usually be given around 30 seconds to read each question and one to two minutes to record your answer. Before you complete the video interview, you may be given the opportunity to practise online until you feel comfortable with the process. This can really help as it can take a bit of time to get used to talking without getting any of the feedback which you would normally receive in a face-to-face interview. You can also make use of ‘Interview Simulator’, a Careers Service resource which lets you practise interview questions and learn what employers are hoping to hear. You can access it this through MyCareerHub:

What are the benefits of this approach?

  • Video interviews are seen as a particularly fair approach to selection. Every candidate will have exactly the same interview experience and this reduces this chance of any assessor bias.
  • Video recordings can be viewed by a number of assessors including those based in different geographic locations.
  • Video Interviews are quick and easy to set up. There is no need to schedule interview days taking pressure off both companies and applicants.

If you would like to find out more have a look at the Careers Service web pages on video interviewing:.

Online Resources – Vault Career Intelligence

Careers resources Researching careers No Comments

In our last post featuring our online careers resources we discussed some of the occupational information www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/careers/explore/occupations available on the Careers Service website and how to use that information to inform your choices. This post, also from my colleague Janet Onyia, will focus on Vault which provides careers information and company intelligence worldwide. You can access Vault via the Myed Careers channel. Vault

 Vault is a popular international careers information resource that the Careers Service subscribes to so that you can benefit from free access.

Vault provides career, industry and advice guides covering a huge range of industry sectors including; law, veterinary medicine and animal care, medical equipment, computer software, wealth management, energy and much more. You can use these guides to research the sector which interests you and have a look at its structure, outlook and key trends.  You can also identify leading employers, explore specialisms, rankings and get up-to-date news. Vault guides are particularly helpful if you’re interested in US employers, job postings and resume advice; but the guides also cover the UK, Europe, Asia and Australasia.

The things I have found particularly useful are;

  • The search box

There is so much information on the site that it can sometimes be quicker to use the search box for what you may be looking for. In addition to that, I have often found a lot of resources I didn’t know Vault had (or that I was looking for) when using this feature, as the search returns related guides and other related material. Try it and see what you find!

  • The interviews section

Vault has a comprehensive section on succeeding in interviews – from behavioural to competence and strengths-based. It even gives you examples of the top interview questions asked by certain industries.

  • The Blog

 The blog is so interesting because it offers so much. From titles such as ‘Top 5 Skills Needed For a Job in Software Development’, ‘A Day in the Life of a Peace Corps Volunteer’ through to ‘Pushing the Curtain Aside for an Encore Career’, it makes an interesting read every time! Some of the information in the blog is North America based (i.e. top 50 internships) but on the whole the blog spans several regions.

These are the parts of Vault I find most useful but, but that may be entirely different for you. Get onto it, navigate through its various sections and decide for yourself the parts you find of most use.

Vault can be accessed from the Careers channel on MyEd.

More advice from Edinburgh distance learning graduates

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Welcome to the final day of Innovative Learning Week.

Photo - graduatingThis week we have been sharing the thoughts and experiences of Edinburgh online distance-learning graduates. I would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to all of the graduates who supported us with this initiative.

The final question that we asked them was a rather free ranging one:

What other insight or advice you would like to offer current ODL students?

Here’s what they said:

Recognise the opportunity you have:

  • See your course as a great opportunity!
  • Enjoy the course – my Edinburgh journey was very fulfilling and motivating
  • Online distance learning offers the best avenue to exploit personal abilities. Working with studies keeps one upright and alert.

Consider what to focus on and the opportunities that your choices will present:

  • Again, pick a topic that truly interests you. Look for a programme that builds a bit of a community, you will be alone most of the time and this can help.

Some practical tips:

  • Don’t shy away from getting clarity on the assignment questions
  • Take full advantage of the personal tutor you’ve been allocated, they are very friendly and very helpful when you have any academic queries.
  • If you’re struggling with the workload don’t be afraid to talk to your tutors about it.
  • Try to stay engaged with your ODL coursework throughout the week, even if it’s doing a little reading on your lunch break or commute.
  • Read and understand what constitutes plagiarism, a good number of my batch mates lost marks due to this.

 It may not always be easy, but keep motivated and you will succeed:

  • Even if times are hard, try to motivate yourself, you are able to do it!
  • If you think you would need certain number of hours per week for a course, it is likely double that in reality. Make sure you adjust your schedules!
  • It is hard to balance full time work and study. Your social life will suffer but the end will appear in sight!
  • Commit time to work and studies according to the time you have available.
  • Utilize the opportunity you have at Edinburgh, keep up with the work, submit assignments on time, discuss with other students, consult your mentors and tutors and the rest will be history.

 What advice could you offer to your fellow ODL students?

Post your Tweets at: – https://twitter.com/uofedcareers   # EdODLcareers

I hope that you have enjoyed this careers event.  Although we are now at the end of Innovative Learning Week, you can continue to ‘follow’ Career Connect – if you have not already signed up to do so by email, you will find our ‘follow’ tab at the top right hand side of the Career Connect home page.

Thanks to all who participated in this event.

Reflecting on your Values

Career Management Events No Comments

Welcome to Innovative Learning Week – day 4

Deciding on your preferred future career direction is often a challenging process. There will be a number of factors which will influence your conclusion, including what is important to you and what will give you satisfaction in your next role.  My colleague Lizzie Mortimer suggests an exercise to help you to reflect on your personal values and to identify which are most significant for you.

When did you last take some time to reflect on your values?

ValuesOur values play an important part in career decision making. Identifying what is important to us at a given stage in our life will help us assess whether a current or future role is a good fit for us.

In the book ‘Build your own Rainbow’ Hopson and Scally set forth an exercise to help individuals consider what their values are – and rank them in to levels of importance.

Try it for yourself:

  1. Label 5 columns: Very Important, Important, Quite Important, Of Some Importance, Not Important
  2. Using the list of values below, arrange them in to appropriate columns for you
  3. Add more values if you want to
  4. N.B. Hopson and Scally suggest that if you have more than seven or eight in the Very Important column, you haven’t been discriminating enough.
  5. You now have a tool you can use to analyse your current position or situation, and future possibilities
  6. As an extended activity, rearrange the cards the way you would have five or ten years ago – what has changed?

List of values

 

VALUE or MOTIVATOR
A well-known organisation: you like being part of a well-known organisation.
Artistic: you enjoy work involving drawing, designing, making music, making models, etc.
Being Expert: you like being known as someone with special knowledge or skills.
Challenge: you enjoy being ‘stretched’ and given new problems to work on.
Communication: you enjoy being able to express ideas well in writing or in speech.
Community: you like to live in a place where you can get involved in the community.
Competition: you enjoy competing against other people or groups.
Contact with people: you enjoy having a lot of contact with people.
Creativity: thinking up new ideas and ways of doing things is important to you.
Excitement: it is important for you to have a lot of excitement in your work.
Fast pace: you enjoy working rapidly at a high pace.
Friendship: you would or do like close friendships with people at work.
Help society: you like to think that your work is producing something worthwhile for society.
Helping others: it is important to you to help other people, either individually or in groups, as part of your work.
Independence: you like being able to work in the way you want, without others telling you what to do.
Learning: it is important for you to learn new things.
Making decisions: it is important to you to have to make decisions about how things should be done, who should do it and when it should be done.
Money: earning a large amount of money is important to you.
Peace: you prefer to have few pressures or uncomfortable demands.
Persuading people: you enjoy persuading people to buy something or change their minds about something.
Physical challenge: you enjoy doing something that is physically demanding.
Place of work: it is important that you work in the right part of the country for you.
Precise work: you like working at things which involve great care and concentration.
Pressure: you like working to deadlines.
Promotion: you like to work where there is a good chance of promotion.
Recognition: you do like people to appreciate you for the work you do.
Risk: you like to take risks.
Routine: you like a work routine which is fairly predictable.
Security: it is important to know your work will always be there for you.
Status: you enjoy being in a position which leads other people to respect you.
Supervision: you enjoy being responsible for work done by others.
Time Freedom: you prefer to be able to choose your own times for doing things, not having rigid working hours.
Variety: you enjoy having lots of different things to do.
Work alone: you like to work on your own.
Work with others: you like to work in a team alongside others.

 

This material is drawn from Build Your Own Rainbow – a workbook for career and life management by Barrie Hopson and Mike Scally, published by Management Books 2000 Ltd.

 

ã Lifeskills International 1996