Good afternoon friends, its been a while.
After a
good six months out of the game, I've decided to come back to my blog.
I'm not entirely sure what caused me to stop in the first place, perhaps
a general summer malaise and a bad case of writer's block, but I
return. I would like to say triumphant, however that is unfortunately
not exactly the case. Not to say that Autumn 2012 through Winter 2013
has been an unmitigated disaster but the fact remains I'm still
searching for a graduate job.
To give you a brief
update of my circumstances and general activities these past months: I'm
still working at a nearby theme park for close to minimum wage; I've
recently started as an education volunteer at a local charitable
organisation and I also ventured to London for a rare interview in
December. I'll begin my return to the blogosphere by discussing the
latter, which turned out to be a particularly surreal experience.
It
was an interview for a role as a trainee researcher with a TV
production company. I'd applied for the job in March on a whim, without
having any experience in television or having shown any previous
inclination to work in the media. I'd long since given up on hearing
anything back when, out of the blue, I received an email informing me
I'd been shortlisted. It was in fact so much of a surprise that I had to
go back and double check precisely what I had been shortlisted for. But
without further ado, I accepted their offer of an interview and set
about preparing. I researched the company, their programmes and the role
of a TV researcher in general, and when it was time to journey to
London I felt thoroughly prepared.
I arrived on a cold,
crisp December morning and made my way to the production company's
trendy central London offices. Feeling a little awkward, apparently
being the only person in the building wearing a suit (probably should
have anticipated that), I introduced myself at reception and was given a
pop culture questionnaire and a newspaper exercise to complete prior to
the main event. Easy peasy - weekly attendance at my local pub quiz had
prepared me well and I knew all but one of the answers (knowledge of
the US X-Factor let me down!). The newspaper exercise required me to
select two items from the papers to form the basis of discussion on a
morning panel show; again, not too tough so I set about sourcing one
serious and one light-hearted story. So far, so good. Then came the
interview...
Feeling a little nervous, I made my best
attempt at striding confidently into the interview room, remembering to
maintain eye contact and give a firm handshake. I didn't trip over, so
this felt like an early success. The questions started innocuously
enough: 'Why did you apply? What can you bring to the role? What do you
know of the company?' Earlier prepared facts at the ready, I set about
responding and gave some fairly decent answers. Then things took a turn
for the worse: 'What do you like watching on TV? What's the first thing
you turn to when you put the tele on?' Now, it's safe to say that my
television viewing habits are fairly mundane: I like the news; I like
documentaries; I like panel shows and awkward comedy. Knowing full well
that said company produced almost solely light entertainment
programming, I felt I was in a pickle. I decided the truth was the best
option, hoping to steer discussion away from my viewing habits and back
to my skills and experience. This was wishful thinking. I was grilled
further: 'What do you watch on a Thursday night?' I was beginning to
feel a little sheepish as I foolishly revealed my love of Question Time.
By the time I was eventually released, I was flustered but felt sure
that they wouldn't base the decision solely on my TV viewing habits. I
always had my excellent pop culture quiz scores to fall back on!
As
it turns out, I didn't get the job - or at least I don't think I have.
They said I'd hear back by the end of the year; I'm still waiting. Then
again, seeing as it took them 6 months to respond to my application,
maybe I'll be in for a nice surprise come August. Frustrating as it is
not to hear back (particularly considering the hefty rail fare!), the
experience has clarified one thing for me: I really don't think I'm
suited to working in television. In turn, this has made me focus more
clearly on what I do want. Since New Year I've been focusing more on
applying solely for political research jobs.
This
brings me neatly on to my next subject - that of the political
internship, a topic on which I have previously poured scorn. I'm
beginning to think I might need to sell my soul...
More to come.
Tuesday, 12 February 2013
Sunday, 26 August 2012
Horses for Courses
In a week in which the newspapers have been opportunistically filled with pictures of fresh-faced young women proudly clutching their A-Level results and the furore over the changing of GCSE grade boundaries, I recall my own schooldays and the path I followed through the education system.
It is now over seven years since I opened the envelope containing my own GCSE results. It was a moment that for so long seemed so distant, reserved for the older siblings of my school friends. It is true to say, when my own moment arrived, I was incredibly nervous. I had much the same feeling upon collecting my A-Levels and when awaiting the arrival of my degree results. At the time, these moments seemed so important, as if my entire future hinged on the contents of those envelopes.
In reality, each step merely facilitated the next stage in my education with the diffuse aim of eventually establishing a career. As soon as that next stage arrived, the marks, grades and results that seemed so fundamental a few months previously soon faded into irrelevance. Once at university, UCAS points meant nothing. Similarly, now I'm entering the job market, my academic achievements seem relatively insignificant to many employers. They bear little relevance to my ability to perform a particular role. Having a certain classification of degree is a requirement to apply but it is demonstrable 'soft skills' that secure jobs. The question I'd like to consider today is whether my path from GCSEs to Master's Degree has sufficiently furnished me with these cherished skills ('leadership', 'teamwork', 'organisation' etc.) and given what I know now, would I follow the same route?
I never really doubted that upon completion of my schooling I would go to university. In many ways, I was institutionalised. I was always a strong academic performer and I was fortunate enough to attend good state schools. Moreover, with both my parents having gone to university, it seemed an inevitability. I'm certain that attending university was the right choice for me, however the fact that while at school I never considered the alternatives is indicative of a wider problem. An ever greater proportion of young people have been drawn to higher education, while apprenticeships and other vocational courses have been neglected by comparison. University certainly isn't suited to everyone; schools must do more to make young people aware of the options open to them when they approach important academic milestones. Academic capability shouldn't be the only factor when considering whether an individual is suited to higher education. Amongst my friends and colleagues, I have encountered many who feel that they would be in a better position if they had entered the job market at 18. What is more, many of the 'soft skills' that employers are looking for are more obviously developed in the workplace.
The current state of the graduate job market and ever increasing levels of student debt are leading many to ask why they bothered with university. Personally, I shall cherish my student days as a formative period in my life. I can only hope that it won't be too long before I can put the skills and experience I gained to use in the workplace.
As ever, thank you for reading. I'd be particularly interested to hear from anyone who has been to university and subsequently regretted the decision. Please comment below.
It is now over seven years since I opened the envelope containing my own GCSE results. It was a moment that for so long seemed so distant, reserved for the older siblings of my school friends. It is true to say, when my own moment arrived, I was incredibly nervous. I had much the same feeling upon collecting my A-Levels and when awaiting the arrival of my degree results. At the time, these moments seemed so important, as if my entire future hinged on the contents of those envelopes.
In reality, each step merely facilitated the next stage in my education with the diffuse aim of eventually establishing a career. As soon as that next stage arrived, the marks, grades and results that seemed so fundamental a few months previously soon faded into irrelevance. Once at university, UCAS points meant nothing. Similarly, now I'm entering the job market, my academic achievements seem relatively insignificant to many employers. They bear little relevance to my ability to perform a particular role. Having a certain classification of degree is a requirement to apply but it is demonstrable 'soft skills' that secure jobs. The question I'd like to consider today is whether my path from GCSEs to Master's Degree has sufficiently furnished me with these cherished skills ('leadership', 'teamwork', 'organisation' etc.) and given what I know now, would I follow the same route?
I never really doubted that upon completion of my schooling I would go to university. In many ways, I was institutionalised. I was always a strong academic performer and I was fortunate enough to attend good state schools. Moreover, with both my parents having gone to university, it seemed an inevitability. I'm certain that attending university was the right choice for me, however the fact that while at school I never considered the alternatives is indicative of a wider problem. An ever greater proportion of young people have been drawn to higher education, while apprenticeships and other vocational courses have been neglected by comparison. University certainly isn't suited to everyone; schools must do more to make young people aware of the options open to them when they approach important academic milestones. Academic capability shouldn't be the only factor when considering whether an individual is suited to higher education. Amongst my friends and colleagues, I have encountered many who feel that they would be in a better position if they had entered the job market at 18. What is more, many of the 'soft skills' that employers are looking for are more obviously developed in the workplace.
The current state of the graduate job market and ever increasing levels of student debt are leading many to ask why they bothered with university. Personally, I shall cherish my student days as a formative period in my life. I can only hope that it won't be too long before I can put the skills and experience I gained to use in the workplace.
As ever, thank you for reading. I'd be particularly interested to hear from anyone who has been to university and subsequently regretted the decision. Please comment below.
Thursday, 2 August 2012
Olympic Dreams
In a week when the nation has been gripped by the euphoria of the Olympic Games, I have come to an unfortunate realisation; I am unlikely to ever fulfil my childhood dreams of becoming an elite athlete.
After trying my hand at a number of sports as a youth, I soon found that I was distinctly average at pretty much all of them. At the humble age of 23, in sporting terms, I am past it. Take the example of Michael Phelps: the man has won 19 Olympic gold medals, amassed a small fortune in career earnings and is about to retire at the age of 27. I've got 4 years on Phelps, so I either need to get training for Rio 2016 or make my living like a mere mortal.
This highly topical preamble brings me round to the main point of this post: the trade off between earning a decent living and pursuing your career goals. I have always been envious of professional sportsmen; to make a career from something you love doing, something that may well have started off as a hobby or pastime, must be immensely satisfying. Unfortunately, for the majority of individuals, there must be at least a degree of sacrifice. To earn in a year even a fraction of what a footballer may earn in a week, graduates may find their way into careers they may not have originally foreseen. This is not to say that people cannot grow to love and enjoy their jobs, but I find it difficult to believe that many young children lie awake at night dreaming of becoming a management consultant or chartered accountant.
Everyone has different motivations. For some, a generous salary and the accoutrements of wealth are the only motivation. For others, job satisfaction and a healthy work/life balance are of more concern. As for myself, I want the nice house and the foreign holidays but not at the sacrifice of everything else. There are plenty of supposed 'graduate jobs' out there. As I've discussed before, jobs boards are full of advertisements from recruitment consultants offering immediate starts, £20k salaries plus £30k+ OTE; what is more, they require no previous experience and aren't specific about the subject of your degree. If you can handle the intensely competitive and commission based nature of the job then it certainly seems tempting.
I've been seriously searching for approaching 8 months and it's true to say I've been fussy. I've so far avoided the scatter-bomb technique of sending out CVs speculatively to as many employers as possible. Instead, I have focused on jobs that engage with my interests. As frustrating as it is to be earning £6.13 per hour (a generous 5p above minimum wage), I'd rather not sell my soul simply for the sake of a graduate job I have no interest in. To spend 40 hours a week working in a role that you dislike must be utterly soul destroying. I need to put my efforts into something I care about, something that engages me. If it pays well that will be a bonus.
For now, I shall continue as I have been. I might also try a few more sports, there's time yet...
After trying my hand at a number of sports as a youth, I soon found that I was distinctly average at pretty much all of them. At the humble age of 23, in sporting terms, I am past it. Take the example of Michael Phelps: the man has won 19 Olympic gold medals, amassed a small fortune in career earnings and is about to retire at the age of 27. I've got 4 years on Phelps, so I either need to get training for Rio 2016 or make my living like a mere mortal.
This highly topical preamble brings me round to the main point of this post: the trade off between earning a decent living and pursuing your career goals. I have always been envious of professional sportsmen; to make a career from something you love doing, something that may well have started off as a hobby or pastime, must be immensely satisfying. Unfortunately, for the majority of individuals, there must be at least a degree of sacrifice. To earn in a year even a fraction of what a footballer may earn in a week, graduates may find their way into careers they may not have originally foreseen. This is not to say that people cannot grow to love and enjoy their jobs, but I find it difficult to believe that many young children lie awake at night dreaming of becoming a management consultant or chartered accountant.
Everyone has different motivations. For some, a generous salary and the accoutrements of wealth are the only motivation. For others, job satisfaction and a healthy work/life balance are of more concern. As for myself, I want the nice house and the foreign holidays but not at the sacrifice of everything else. There are plenty of supposed 'graduate jobs' out there. As I've discussed before, jobs boards are full of advertisements from recruitment consultants offering immediate starts, £20k salaries plus £30k+ OTE; what is more, they require no previous experience and aren't specific about the subject of your degree. If you can handle the intensely competitive and commission based nature of the job then it certainly seems tempting.
I've been seriously searching for approaching 8 months and it's true to say I've been fussy. I've so far avoided the scatter-bomb technique of sending out CVs speculatively to as many employers as possible. Instead, I have focused on jobs that engage with my interests. As frustrating as it is to be earning £6.13 per hour (a generous 5p above minimum wage), I'd rather not sell my soul simply for the sake of a graduate job I have no interest in. To spend 40 hours a week working in a role that you dislike must be utterly soul destroying. I need to put my efforts into something I care about, something that engages me. If it pays well that will be a bonus.
For now, I shall continue as I have been. I might also try a few more sports, there's time yet...
Sunday, 8 July 2012
CV Writing
After a two week hiatus from life as a graduate job seeker and part time blogger, it is time to once again put metaphorical pen to paper. I would like to say I've returned from Barcelona revitalised and ready for a fresh assault on the job market, but after a few days back at work I feel myself slipping back into the same old ennui. Best get to work applying for jobs and writing blogs...
As promised prior to my departure, I thought I would write about the difficult art of CV writing. For the majority of us, condensing all of your achievements on to two sides of A4 is certainly a challenge. With many people taking the route of GCSEs and A-Levels followed by a degree, simply listing your education can take up valuable space. Add in a few extra-curricular activities, work experience placements, part-time jobs and personal interests then writing a detailed CV becomes a serious exercise in brevity. Nevertheless, it is likely employers will only take a fleeting glance at your details when it lands on their desk so maximum impact is a necessity.
The first draft of my own CV was a definite fail in this respect. As someone who listed one of their strongest attributes as their lucid writing style, I set about proving this point with paragraphs of text. My CV eventually clocked in at a hefty four pages; I imagine any employer who looked at it for thirty seconds would remember little more than my name. So I set about ruthlessly editing, cutting and condensing; gone was my beautifully crafted prose only to be replaced by ugly bullet points and half sentences. The many sections were reduced to just two: education and relevant experience, arbitrary categories that erased many personal achievements dear to my heart (it seems my Thomas Alleyne's Community Service Award will be wiped from the slate of history). It was a trying experience, but after extensive formatting, my CV was a mere two pages and I'd like to think had a little more impact.
I am now in the situation that every time I find something worthy of a place on my CV, I must remove something less relevant. In fairness, that isn't too difficult seeing as a short period of exam invigilation still somehow makes the grade. Nevertheless, it is a little frustrating to be cutting things out when all you really want to do is demonstrate your strengths by telling potential employers as much about yourself as possible. I tell myself that is what interviews are for, but I can't help but feel my two pages of bullet points forms a document without a personality, a piece of paper that says so little about the person it is supposed to fully represent. Then again, if I were to write my CV in the same manner I write this blog I fear I may never get a job. Bullet points are perhaps a necessary evil!
Thanks once again for reading, your comments are encouraged as always!
As promised prior to my departure, I thought I would write about the difficult art of CV writing. For the majority of us, condensing all of your achievements on to two sides of A4 is certainly a challenge. With many people taking the route of GCSEs and A-Levels followed by a degree, simply listing your education can take up valuable space. Add in a few extra-curricular activities, work experience placements, part-time jobs and personal interests then writing a detailed CV becomes a serious exercise in brevity. Nevertheless, it is likely employers will only take a fleeting glance at your details when it lands on their desk so maximum impact is a necessity.
The first draft of my own CV was a definite fail in this respect. As someone who listed one of their strongest attributes as their lucid writing style, I set about proving this point with paragraphs of text. My CV eventually clocked in at a hefty four pages; I imagine any employer who looked at it for thirty seconds would remember little more than my name. So I set about ruthlessly editing, cutting and condensing; gone was my beautifully crafted prose only to be replaced by ugly bullet points and half sentences. The many sections were reduced to just two: education and relevant experience, arbitrary categories that erased many personal achievements dear to my heart (it seems my Thomas Alleyne's Community Service Award will be wiped from the slate of history). It was a trying experience, but after extensive formatting, my CV was a mere two pages and I'd like to think had a little more impact.
I am now in the situation that every time I find something worthy of a place on my CV, I must remove something less relevant. In fairness, that isn't too difficult seeing as a short period of exam invigilation still somehow makes the grade. Nevertheless, it is a little frustrating to be cutting things out when all you really want to do is demonstrate your strengths by telling potential employers as much about yourself as possible. I tell myself that is what interviews are for, but I can't help but feel my two pages of bullet points forms a document without a personality, a piece of paper that says so little about the person it is supposed to fully represent. Then again, if I were to write my CV in the same manner I write this blog I fear I may never get a job. Bullet points are perhaps a necessary evil!
Thanks once again for reading, your comments are encouraged as always!
Sunday, 17 June 2012
It's Not All Bad...
It has come to my attention, while perusing my first dozen or so posts, that perhaps my blog has taken an overly cynical and negative tone. This was by no means my intention when I set out to document my thoughts on the graduate job market. While it is certainly demoralising to make so little tangible progress in my search for meaningful employment, I will in future endeavour not to let this frustration colour my writing. I certainly do not want anyone to feel sorry for me, there are many other graduates in far more testing circumstances than my own. And so, I feel I must write this short and positive assessment of my current situation.
When I look at the facts I am in a healthy position. I am living at home and so face no costs such as rent and bills, giving me a more than adequate disposable income. I also know deep down that I have good qualifications that will eventually land me a graduate job. In addition, as much as I may sometimes complain, I do enjoy my work and it is gaining me a degree of useful experience in managing a small team and dealing with the general public. Anyone who knows me will also realise that I have for a long time been a little bit of a theme park enthusiast (the shame!) and so operating a £12million rollercoaster is significantly better than stacking shelves! It bears absolutely no relevance to what I want to do in future but we can't have it all. In some very tough economic times you must take what you can get.
I'm generally of the opinion that if I'm still struggling to find a graduate job by the end of the year, I'll likely leave the country on an elaborate travel adventure to some far flung and exotic corner of the globe. With time, the economic climate will improve and jobs will be more plentiful. Moreover, by then I would hope to have attained a little more relevant experience. Incidentally, if anyone reading has managed to combine travelling with gaining something meaningful and relevant to put on your CV I'd very much like to hear your suggestions.
To summarise this post: in future I'll be ditching the cynicism and reigning in the sarcasm. I may be frustrated but I'm also happy: I have a job, a home, a lovely girlfriend, lots of mates and decent prospects for the future. I have no excuse to be a miserable sod. What is more, I'm off to Barcelona on Thursday to enjoy some 28 degree sunshine and more than a little sangria!
I shall return next week when I intend to discuss the complicated art of CV writing. Until then, thanks for reading and keep commenting.
When I look at the facts I am in a healthy position. I am living at home and so face no costs such as rent and bills, giving me a more than adequate disposable income. I also know deep down that I have good qualifications that will eventually land me a graduate job. In addition, as much as I may sometimes complain, I do enjoy my work and it is gaining me a degree of useful experience in managing a small team and dealing with the general public. Anyone who knows me will also realise that I have for a long time been a little bit of a theme park enthusiast (the shame!) and so operating a £12million rollercoaster is significantly better than stacking shelves! It bears absolutely no relevance to what I want to do in future but we can't have it all. In some very tough economic times you must take what you can get.
I'm generally of the opinion that if I'm still struggling to find a graduate job by the end of the year, I'll likely leave the country on an elaborate travel adventure to some far flung and exotic corner of the globe. With time, the economic climate will improve and jobs will be more plentiful. Moreover, by then I would hope to have attained a little more relevant experience. Incidentally, if anyone reading has managed to combine travelling with gaining something meaningful and relevant to put on your CV I'd very much like to hear your suggestions.
To summarise this post: in future I'll be ditching the cynicism and reigning in the sarcasm. I may be frustrated but I'm also happy: I have a job, a home, a lovely girlfriend, lots of mates and decent prospects for the future. I have no excuse to be a miserable sod. What is more, I'm off to Barcelona on Thursday to enjoy some 28 degree sunshine and more than a little sangria!
I shall return next week when I intend to discuss the complicated art of CV writing. Until then, thanks for reading and keep commenting.
Wednesday, 13 June 2012
Work Experience
As every day of job searching passes by, it becomes an ever greater frustration that I didn't spend more of my time at university accumulating that all important 'experience', rather than focusing the majority of my attention on my academic work. I simply didn't have the dedication to take up the unpaid summer placements and internships that seem so highly valued by employers. Instead, I spent my summers gallivanting around Europe with my friends. Fun but not exactly much of a CV filler.
Today it seems students must be prepared to dedicate those long summer months to personal improvement rather than rest and relaxation (don't they know its tough working 30 weeks of the year!). However, while those like myself lack the motivation, many more simply can't devote 12 weeks to working and living for nothing. For employers, summer student placements are a great trick; they gain an eager and intelligent workforce with no addition to their overheads. What is more they can claim they are acting entirely selflessly, helping future graduates gain valuable experience! But enough of my cynicism for now, the point of this little diatribe is that, in short, I did not take the time to pursue these opportunities. I lack relevant experience.
My first taste of unpaid employment came in Year 10 when I sallied forth from my High School to find a placement for a week: I lazily opted to spend time at my local primary school, which was enjoyable but bore little relation to my future career plans. Skip forward to my graduation in July 2010 and this remained the only workplace experience I could draw on, bar a few months working in a local restaurant.
It was time to organise something more significant: using a couple of local contacts I managed to arrange some time working in several departments of Staffordshire County Council. I got off to an inauspicious start after being asked to review a policy brochure, which I diligently did finding a number of minor linguistic criticisms, only to discover my supervisor for the morning had written it. Not the greatest way to endear yourself! But from that point onwards, the experience was useful and interesting. I was not made to feel like a tea boy (an often heard complaint of interns) and gained a good overview of local government. However, the placement, by the standards of employers, was not long enough. I've seen many supposed 'graduate' job adverts demand upwards of one year's experience in a relevant field; this seems unfair.
And so I reach the stage I am at today, having two degrees but very little 'real world' experience. It is not feasible for me to work and live for nothing so I must attempt to balance my minimum wage job with finding regular doses of more relevant (but unpaid) positions. This is easier said than done: while businesses are often prepared to take on someone for a week or two, or employ an intern for 12 weeks, it is more difficult to arrange one or two days per week over an indefinite period, which is ideally what I require. Given my personal interests, I have written to a number of local(ish) MPs of my particular political persuasion enquiring about any opportunities, but this is a very competitive field.
Work experience is the panacea that will cure my ills as a graduate job seeker. Nevertheless, who knew it could be this tricky to give away my services for nothing! If you're reading this and happen to have any work experience success/horror stories I'd love to hear them. Thanks for reading and keep commenting...
Today it seems students must be prepared to dedicate those long summer months to personal improvement rather than rest and relaxation (don't they know its tough working 30 weeks of the year!). However, while those like myself lack the motivation, many more simply can't devote 12 weeks to working and living for nothing. For employers, summer student placements are a great trick; they gain an eager and intelligent workforce with no addition to their overheads. What is more they can claim they are acting entirely selflessly, helping future graduates gain valuable experience! But enough of my cynicism for now, the point of this little diatribe is that, in short, I did not take the time to pursue these opportunities. I lack relevant experience.
My first taste of unpaid employment came in Year 10 when I sallied forth from my High School to find a placement for a week: I lazily opted to spend time at my local primary school, which was enjoyable but bore little relation to my future career plans. Skip forward to my graduation in July 2010 and this remained the only workplace experience I could draw on, bar a few months working in a local restaurant.
It was time to organise something more significant: using a couple of local contacts I managed to arrange some time working in several departments of Staffordshire County Council. I got off to an inauspicious start after being asked to review a policy brochure, which I diligently did finding a number of minor linguistic criticisms, only to discover my supervisor for the morning had written it. Not the greatest way to endear yourself! But from that point onwards, the experience was useful and interesting. I was not made to feel like a tea boy (an often heard complaint of interns) and gained a good overview of local government. However, the placement, by the standards of employers, was not long enough. I've seen many supposed 'graduate' job adverts demand upwards of one year's experience in a relevant field; this seems unfair.
And so I reach the stage I am at today, having two degrees but very little 'real world' experience. It is not feasible for me to work and live for nothing so I must attempt to balance my minimum wage job with finding regular doses of more relevant (but unpaid) positions. This is easier said than done: while businesses are often prepared to take on someone for a week or two, or employ an intern for 12 weeks, it is more difficult to arrange one or two days per week over an indefinite period, which is ideally what I require. Given my personal interests, I have written to a number of local(ish) MPs of my particular political persuasion enquiring about any opportunities, but this is a very competitive field.
Work experience is the panacea that will cure my ills as a graduate job seeker. Nevertheless, who knew it could be this tricky to give away my services for nothing! If you're reading this and happen to have any work experience success/horror stories I'd love to hear them. Thanks for reading and keep commenting...
Sunday, 3 June 2012
(In)Competence
Its been almost a fortnight since my last instalment and in case any of you were wondering, I remain in search of graduate employment. However, despite my silence on the blogosphere, I have at least some positive news having had a telephone interview for the graduate scheme of an unnamed (cough) entertainments company. This being only the first stage in a long and arduous selection process, I'm not hugely optimistic of a positive outcome but at least they haven't thrown my application in the dustbin just yet...
The telephone interview took a very specific format and has prompted me to discuss a particular aspect of the graduate recruitment process: competene based questioning. With many large companies outsourcing the early stages of their selection process to recruitment consultants, the questions posed in initial telephone interviews are often vague and unspecific. They ask not about a candidate's suitability for a specific role, but instead ask for examples of certain key competencies, from leadership and teamwork to creativity and lateral thinking.
While I feel I am perfectly capable of demonstrating the majority of these faculties in given situations, I am frankly terrible at thinking of impressive and original examples, especially when prompted on the spot. No matter how many of these competencies I attempt to identify in advance and try to prepare for, I am invariably stumped by one or two I have neglected. In my case, this usually results in me bumbling my way through a fallacious and long-winded story loosely based on a distant past experience. In a recent unsuccessful interview, I created a largely fictitious (but very dramatic) tale of a teammate breaking an ankle on my gold Duke of Edinburgh's expedition as an example of my exceptional teamwork skills! Otherwise, I invariably resort to generic, unspecific and thoroughly unimpressive examples from my academic career which seem to go down like a lead balloon. Employers want substance it seems.
There is very little to stop candidates from simply making up examples of particular competencies. I have an old friend (who I hope is reading) that shamelessly added a charity climb of Kilimanjaro to his CV! It seems highly unlikely that any employer would take the time and effort to identify the veracity of a candidate's claims. So what are employers actually testing? This kind of questioning is just another meaningless way of filtering out a few more candidates, specifically those that lack the creativity or sheer gumption of others.
It is particularly frustrating to pass an initial screening process only to fall at the first significant hurdle, before you are given an opportunity to talk about the job or even company for which you have applied to work. It's just another one of the many hoops that graduates must jump through to land that first job. While lying is likely to land you in hot water further down the line, we've all been tempted to use a little creative licence to bolster our chances. For many of us, the reality of our day to day existence isn't quite enough to spark the interest of an employer searching for that 'unique' and 'special' candidate. Selling yourself is the name of the game and unfortunately it is a shameless and cynical process.
If any of those reading would like to share some of the tales you've told at interview that demonstrate what a talented person you are then I'd love to hear them.
Thanks once again for reading and don't forget to comment below...
The telephone interview took a very specific format and has prompted me to discuss a particular aspect of the graduate recruitment process: competene based questioning. With many large companies outsourcing the early stages of their selection process to recruitment consultants, the questions posed in initial telephone interviews are often vague and unspecific. They ask not about a candidate's suitability for a specific role, but instead ask for examples of certain key competencies, from leadership and teamwork to creativity and lateral thinking.
While I feel I am perfectly capable of demonstrating the majority of these faculties in given situations, I am frankly terrible at thinking of impressive and original examples, especially when prompted on the spot. No matter how many of these competencies I attempt to identify in advance and try to prepare for, I am invariably stumped by one or two I have neglected. In my case, this usually results in me bumbling my way through a fallacious and long-winded story loosely based on a distant past experience. In a recent unsuccessful interview, I created a largely fictitious (but very dramatic) tale of a teammate breaking an ankle on my gold Duke of Edinburgh's expedition as an example of my exceptional teamwork skills! Otherwise, I invariably resort to generic, unspecific and thoroughly unimpressive examples from my academic career which seem to go down like a lead balloon. Employers want substance it seems.
There is very little to stop candidates from simply making up examples of particular competencies. I have an old friend (who I hope is reading) that shamelessly added a charity climb of Kilimanjaro to his CV! It seems highly unlikely that any employer would take the time and effort to identify the veracity of a candidate's claims. So what are employers actually testing? This kind of questioning is just another meaningless way of filtering out a few more candidates, specifically those that lack the creativity or sheer gumption of others.
It is particularly frustrating to pass an initial screening process only to fall at the first significant hurdle, before you are given an opportunity to talk about the job or even company for which you have applied to work. It's just another one of the many hoops that graduates must jump through to land that first job. While lying is likely to land you in hot water further down the line, we've all been tempted to use a little creative licence to bolster our chances. For many of us, the reality of our day to day existence isn't quite enough to spark the interest of an employer searching for that 'unique' and 'special' candidate. Selling yourself is the name of the game and unfortunately it is a shameless and cynical process.
If any of those reading would like to share some of the tales you've told at interview that demonstrate what a talented person you are then I'd love to hear them.
Thanks once again for reading and don't forget to comment below...
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