I’ve had a fair bit of
experience now with regards to job applications and interviews (she says
somewhat mournfully), so apologies if this post rambles on!
One of the very hardest
parts of job applications for me is indeed that very feeling of boasting. I
find it difficult to get my head around the sort of ‘I’m really good because…’
type aspect of this part of the process. I’m just not terribly good at giving
myself praise! The best piece of advice I was ever given for overcoming this
distasteful state was given to me by my marvellous sister and has really helped
me gain a different perspective. I shall now pass this pearl of wisdom on in
the hope of aiding others who feel as I do. Her sage advice goes as follows…
pretend you are writing about someone else! Works very well with me! I imagine
I am simply describing someone who has the experience and skills that I have
(spooky that)…I look from the outside in, as it were! It helps me to back-off
and evaluate things properly without the feeling of blowing my own trumpet.
Simple but effective!
I am nothing if not
meticulous with the whole job application/ interview process- I go through the
job description and person spec. with a fine toothed comb- I like to print this
out and scribble notes all over it, linking in my experiences and identifying
skills and strengths that I think I possess that will be of benefit and keying
it into the description. As for interviews I am the epitome of ‘always be
prepared’, I research the roles and institutions, think carefully about the job
and try to pre-empt likely questions.
I’ve been fortunate so far
to have been chosen to interview for a few positions, but alas despite my
preparedness I have not yet squared the circle and gained the all-important
(and much longed for) job. I always make a point of asking for feedback as to
why I was unsuccessful in that particular instance and then endeavour to work
on the issues raised (although they have only ever been minor points, which in
itself can be quite frustrating). I have to say though that the most difficult piece
of feedback I ever received was to be told that actually I was over qualified
for the traineeship. This was hard simply because I didn’t (and still don’t)
know exactly what to do with this ‘advice’. I feel that I would benefit hugely
from a trainee position; it would give me a chance to capitalise on all that I
have learned so far, extend my skills even further and give me invaluable
professional experience in readiness for my next step. So I have endeavoured to
get voluntary experience and qualifications which I thought would really
improve my chances of gaining such a role, but then to be told that in effect I
may have rather over egged the pudding was a bit of a kick in the teeth to say
the least! What am I to do? I find myself
in an uncomfortable catch-22 position. I can’t rescind my experience (I
wouldn’t want to) but I’m left in an awkward no man’s land- too ‘qualified’
(supposedly and certainly not in my view) for a traineeship but if I applied
for more professional roles I imagine I would
be told I lack enough experience. It’s a
bit of a pickle! I know what I want to do and how I think I can get there but
I’m afraid I won’t be given the chance and that, sadly, is really disheartening
especially when you are as passionate as I am. I have found ‘the love of my
working life’ (I want to be a librarian), but alas at the moment it is unrequited!
Changing tack a bit now, I
shall attempt to answer the questions posed at the beginning of the cpd23 post:
Q: What do you like to do?
A: Crafts (sorry not strictly
work related, but it did give me pause for thought thinking about the
transferable skills I can glean from this).
Q: Do you remember the last
time you felt that feeling of deep satisfaction after creating, building,
completing something? What was it about?
A: In ‘crafty’ terms, I’ve
just learned how to do pick-ups on my inkle loom (here’s a bit about inkle weaving if anyone is interested), which means I can create pretty designs in my
weaving and thereby extend my repertoire!
Q: What skills do you need
to do the things you like?
A:
- Attention to detail
- Ability to follow instructions
- Ability to learn from mistakes/problem solving
- Concentration
- Creativity
- Patience
- Enthusiasm
- Self-motivation/ perseverance (blimey crafts are really rather good for self-development!)
Q: What do you dislike?
A: Goat’s cheese, but that’s
beyond the point! Rudeness though is a big one…but I always try to counter this
with politeness!
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