One hour careers skills session focusing on recruitment process, making effective applications, understanding skills and writing a good CV.

1. www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers
Understanding Your Skills &
Making Effective Applications
BECKA COLLEY, CAREERS ADVISER

2. www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers
Overview of Session
How are you recruited and selected?
Understanding your skills
Making effective applications/writing a good CV

3. www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers

4. www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers
Recruitment and Selection Processes
 Staffing need arises/is identified
 Job role is created with person specification and job
description
 Role is advertised
 Shortlisting takes place
 Selection panel process, usually at least an interview
 Successful candidate appointed

5. www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers
Issues to Consider
Process will be very competitive
Recruiters doing this in addition to their day job
 Shortlisting can be very very dull
 How will you grab their attention?

6. www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers
When you see a job vacancy…
Read the details
Locate the Person Specification
Do you meet the criteria?
Do you want the job?
Get your application checked!

7. “Careers in sports psychology are varied. The work will usually be a mixture of
consultancy work (with individual athletes, national sports bodies, GPs, teams)
and will involve improving individual performance or encouraging the take
up of exercise amongst the wider population.” http://www.careersinpsychology.co.uk/careers-sports-psychology.
html accessed 4.12.14

8. www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers
Follow Their Rules!
 Do what they ask, how
they ask
 Don’t submit a CV if they
ask you not to
 Ensure you put N/A in any
sections that do not apply
 Use the correct font, size
of font or colour

9. www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers
Making Effective Applications
 Unpick the skills required
Match to your experiences
 Evidence all areas with multiple examples

11. www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers
Skills Audit
 Provide evidence of your skills and experiences against the skills on the
checklist
10 mins individually using STAR model to
evidence two or more skills
 Situation - brief background, context of the setting (1 sentence)
 Task – what did you need to achieve, with who and why (1 sentence)
 Action- what did you do, what steps did you take (3-4 sentences)
 Result – what did you achieve - always a successful outcome! (1 sentence)

12. www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers
Skills Most Commonly Sought By Employers
1. Self-management: readiness to accept responsibility,
flexibility, resilience, self-starting, assertiveness, self
awareness.
2. Team working: respecting others, co-operating,
negotiating/persuading, contributing to discussions,
awareness of interdependence with others.
3. Business and customer awareness: understanding of key
drivers for business success, importance of innovation and
calculated risks, need to provide customer satisfaction and
build customer loyalty.
4. Problem solving: analysing facts and situations, applying
creative thinking to develop appropriate solutions.
5. Communication and literacy: ability to produce clear,
structured written work and oral literacy including listening
and questioning
6. Ability to manage others: ability to direct other people to
achieve a goal
7. Time management: techniques for planning and
scheduling time to increase effectiveness and
efficiency
8. Decision making: process of making informed choice
among alternative actions that are possible
9. Ability to show initiative: ability to act on your own and
to show resourcefulness in planning, proposing and
carrying out tasks and activities
10. Working under pressure: carrying out tasks in stressful
conditions caused for example by time or resource
constraints
11. Adaptability/flexibility: ability to change successfully to
fit varying circumstances or situations
12. Ability to plan and organise: being able to design, plan,
organise, and implement projects and tasks usually
within an allotted timeframe and/or budget constraints

13. www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers
Useful language for your CV and applications
 Developed expertise in
 Demonstrated/used skills in
 Knowledge of/experienced as/in
 Extensive training/involvement in
 Proficient/competent at
 Assisted with/in
 Created
 Worked closely with
 Efficient at
 Regular interaction with
 Promoted to
 Succeeded in or successful in/at
 Experience involved/included
 In charge of
 Initiated
 Established
 Assigned to
 Achieved
 Devised
 Thorough/comprehensive understanding of
 Implemented
 Managed/led
 Collaborated with

14. www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers
CV Top Tips
Do
 Be positive
 Use action language
 Check for spelling and
grammar errors!
 Think carefully about
layout
 Maximise your skills and
experiences
Don’t
 Lie!
 Waffle
 Waste space, leave large
blanks
 Under sell yourself
 Use a template
 Make it generic

16. www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers
The Perfect CV?
 Is my CV interesting to read?
 Does it reflect the vacancy?
 At a glance will someone want to meet me?
 Have I provided proof with examples?
 Have I linked my experiences to the role I want?
 Does it demonstrate my excellent communication
skills and good use of IT?

17. www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers
Getting a job
Where do you lack evidence or experience?
 How will you develop these skills?
Do you know what you need to obtain your dream
career (or any job!)?

18. www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers
What Next?
 Email a Careers Adviser
Network, network, network!
 Stay motivated!

19. www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers
Resources
 www.edgehill.ac.uk/careers
 Vacancy Database
 Download Zone (booklet CC22 Options with a degree in Sport)
 Volunteering/Part Time/Summer Opportunities
 Making applications booklets & support from Careers Advisers
 www.prospects.ac.uk
 www.skillsactive.com