Hey everyone!
Earlier today I attended a session called 'Make Yourself Employable which was moderated and lead by Alex Ehmcke, the Chief Operating Officer of PinkNews alongside Samuel Tallant, a Talent Acquisition Manager at AVIMIND, Claire Donaldson, a recruitment consultant from Give A Grad A Go and Helen Kelly, Student Attraction Advisor who was representing EY. Each of the panellists were able to introduce themselves along with their respected pronouns, and were also able to speak briefly about each of their roles and during the 1 hour session, there were a variety of questions that were asked by both the live audience, and moderator Alex!
The first question asked about traits and skills that individuals have on their CV's and how candidates can stand out. Helen explained that there are no CV's used for student recruitment in her company, but instead the applications are completed through forms, with no specific degree or classification needed, with the only requirement being 3 A Levels or equivalent. She went on to explain that it was a method to gather details and know more about what the individuals want to do or why they want to join a specific company. She also explained that a lot of research should go into applications, with tailored emails, and she added that 'generic emails don't help you stand out'. Helen went on to say that applying for a lot of things is very time consuming, but even having a paragraph with interchangable words or specific details about the job could help you stand out. Her example was that if somebody was applying for a job in consultancy, and they explained that they wanted to work in audit, the application wouldn't make any sense as there is no detail or tailoring. Helen was also asked why her company chose not to use CV's and she said that they recruit based on strengths and they ask for information such as gender, sexuality and religion to see who they currently have in their teams, and to see what each individual can bring to the table. She explained that if people all had the same type of degree then they would deal with things in the same way, so having more diversity means that people are more able to solve problems for clients, which is what they want to do.
The next question asked about hints and tips for when applying for jobs, and Claire was the first person to answer the question. She said that when applying to a client, think 'why them', adding that it's your chance to sell yourself, and it might be weird to sell your skillsets, but explaining how you contributed to a team and including numbers, would help your CV to 'jump off the page'. Some examples she brought up included how many followers you were able to retain through social media pages or sales revenue figures, adding that '40% of employers are using robots' so adding buzz words or key words would mean that your CV doesn't get rejected, but you would also be explaining to the employers what they wanted to hear. Sam added that it's important to have your key skills listed on a CV as a lot of companies look for indirect skills, and he added that when he's looking at CV's, he wants the document to have structure or be easy to follow, as this can often lead to finding out the type of person you're speaking with or how they might work in a particular way, beneficial to a company. He said 'from a recruitment perspective, it's difficult to understand why this role is important or interesting for you...don't just blanket apply for everything!' Sam also discussed the variety of opportunities for young people, especially when it comes to job hunting, networking and up-skilling. he said it's always important to be working on skills, and for a lot of recent graduates and first time applicantgs, one of the first skills that a lot of people need to work on is communication. 'It doesn't matter about University experiences, it's more important to be able to communicate' along with developing soft skills. He explained that at University, nobody explains the importance of networking or building your own network, but you never know when you connect with somebody, whether there could be an opportunity available. Sam said 'you're opening a lot of doors for yourself' and recommended connecting with people who work in the industries that you want to work in. Helen added that communication skills are key and that it's important too vary your communication style depending who you're talking, as she explained that a lot of emails she had received sound like they could be for a friend. Helen added that commercial awareness and also understanding the company you're wanting to work for are also very important aspects, such as thinking about external factors including the political, social or environment impacts of the business. She added that she is looking for people who can work in a team and that are able to give good client service, for example in a cafe where you would be dealing with customers all day long or a clothes shop, gaining the skills you need to be able to come and work for her company. She also said 'all work is experience, and it's all relevant'.
Claire was asked about job applications, with somebody stating they had applied for jobs with 100's of applicants, and whether there are smaller companies that people might not have heard of that could also be hiring. She said that a lot of graduate jobs and companies often pay a lot for SEO which is why they often up up first on a Google search, but there are some websites who will name companies, such as working start-ups of Escape The City as well as having Linkedin recommendations that comes up with a list of 'similar companies' whilst you're browsing on there for jobs or professionals. Claire explained that attending different networking events and tapping into a lot of different things, helps you to meet a lot of connections, and sometimes even contacting people directly through an email address, whether there are vacancies or not, could give the impression that you're proactive, and an employer could think 'this looks great' and then invite you to an interview. She was also able to clear up the confusion of how to start professional emails, admitting she uses 'Hello' and only begins with 'Dear' if doing a reference check, which is usually to another client. She added that 'Hi' is a bit too chatty, and for those emailing a recruiter, it would sometimes be beneficial for them to send some links to other types or roles, giving the consultants a bit more direction whilst on a call with a job seeker. Alex added that he often likes to address people by first name, something like 'Hello' or 'Hello hiring manager', avoiding things like 'Sir' and 'Ma'am'. Helen said that 'Good Afternoon' or 'Good Morning' are nice if you don't know someone's name, and Sam explained that it's dependant on the company, but also the individual themselves, with start up companies usually being less formal thatn bigger companies.
Each of the panel were asked about advice that they needed at the beginning of their careers and whether they had any regrets. Helen explained that she wished she had 5 different lives so that she could venture into different roles including being a chef and interior designer, but explained that it's best to have an open mind and not expecting to go down an exact route to find your dream job. She explained that she studied event planning, thinking she wanted to become a wedding planner and move out of London, but when looking into the industry, the salary wasn't at the level she wanted it to be, and she fell into one role, met professionals from a variety of sized accountancy firms thinking 'what the hell is a chartered account' and then began working, networking and now she's in charge of events and marketing in an accountancy firm. Claire explained that her dream was to perform in the Westend but she can't sing or act and she hadn't heard about marketing at University. She studied Psychology and realised she wanted to work with people, so began applying for graduate jobs and schemed that all of her friends were applying for, and that's when she went into recruitment after networking, chatting to people and still being in recrtuiement 5 years later. 'be open minded because there's job roles in industries and sectors that people won't know about...just because you've accepted the interview, it doesn't mean you have to accept the job'. Sam also explained that he didn't have dreams of becoming a recuirter and that with his linguistics degree he was pointed to go one of 2 ways; teaching English or something to do with language therapt, but 'you don't have to be in that mould or go that way. Don't think of it as a rejection, think of it as a diversion!'.
The next selection of questions were to do with being part of the LGBTQ+ community, with the first question from Leo, asking for advice and allowances for LGBTQ+ graduates. Sam stated that applications and networking is intense and very draining, especially if you're putting in all of this effort and not getting anything from it. He added that it's easy for people to say 'don't get demotivated and be confident' but it's not as easy as that, and said that if graduates start getting used to applicatins, it will become less demoralising and you'd be able to see the results. He also said that the more you practice networking, going to events and speaking to different people, you'll feel that your confidence with naturally build, especially when you put yourself in situations you're not used to. Claire added that with rejections, it's important to be resilient, and think about what you can control and what you can't control. She added that it's important to have a plan for what you want to achieve each day, explaining that one day the aim might be to send out 10 applications for jobs and network on LinkedIn, and then thinking about how many hours you have spare and whether you did what you set out to do. Another question asked whether there are Do's or Do Not's for LGBTQ+ applicants. Helen stated that it's believed companies want to ask for information to discriminate, but that's illegal and she said she believes companies gather this information as they want to see how different groups of people are doing during the application process. She also explained that her company has an LGBTQ+ network called Unity and that dedicated people are good people to have on teams, adding that 'you have skills in your life that other people don't' such as resilience, creativitiy, easily able to network or just the fact that they are a driven individual and to be proud of who you are, making it relevant to an employer. Alex stated that 'there's only one you' and Sam said that it's important to look at equality sections of company websites to see their structure. Usually if companies have a 50/50 split when taking traditional genders into account, they'll inclusive and have equal opportunities. Sam added that it is sometimes important to identify individuals who work at the company you're wanting to work for, to see if they're openly out, an ally of the community, whether they share their pronouns online or are involved with fundraising or pride, which are good indications to see if the employers are all inclusive.
The panellists also discussed any potential barriers in employment and being able to push past them. Helen explained that there are professionals at the top level, but you don't know someone's sexuality and how they identify and with a lot of companies you won't be able to see how diverse they are until you actually go and see them in person. She added that looking at Stonewall's website to see which inclusive employers have been listed, and attending online sessions, through networking and also asking people at interviews, will help you find out more information that could decide whether you want to work for a particular company or not. She also said that you shouldn't rule yourself out of something, with an example of lots of people not completing their online tests for jobs as they thought they would fail anyways, and said that 'whether you think you can or you can't, you're right', adding that she doesn't want an individual to not be valued because of who they are, and there are often a lot of inclusion and diversity policies which shows what employers are in the community. Sam added that 'if you don't put yourself out there, you're always going to fail', and said that when he was initially applying for jobs, a lot of companies would have mission statements of how they were helping the LGBTQ+ community, and if you're able to see what the companies does outside of the office; such as the clubs and external organisations you can become a part of, you're able to get more information that way. Claire also said that you shouldn't be afraid to challenge employers, asking them what there commitment is. She also said that if you're applying for jobs in smaller companies, if they don't have any specific roles set out, you could be an LGBTQ+ champion, able to run with the idea of a new role, and be a beneficial role model for other people applying to roles within the company.
Somebody asked how they can make their CV's stand out and whether to include colours or use particular fonts or just to keep it simple. Claire said that it's best not to include a photo on the CV as people don't care what you look like, and jazzy elements can often be distracting. She said that a traditional format, with a personal statement, section n education, experience and interests and skills are what she is looking for, and she said that she would always skip to the bottom to have a look at somebodys extra curricular activities as it allows you to see an individual's personality. She said that having buzz words like 'coordinating', 'organising' and 'managing', and bullet points with stats and numbers would be benefiical additions. Sam said that hobbies can sometimes become part of an interview, so don't lie about what you're interested in. He said that it's also important to add contact details including phone and email address, but things like birthday and gender are not important. 'we shouldn't be judging people on that, so don't put it in'. He added that hiring managers often take about 10 seconds to look at a CV and decide whether you're relevant enough for the role. Helen said that when it comes to cover letters, it's important to tailor what you want to say, and a quick Google of 'cover letter templates' is the best place to start. She added that a CV is more of a list of experiences and skills, whereas a cover letter is more of a narrative of who you are and what you're passionate about. Helen explained that she applied for 60+ marketing and events roles when she left University, and decided to be creative and use Prezi to make a virtual CV to try and stand out from the crowd. She also answered a question about when it's reasonable to ask for feedback after a failed interview or application, stating that she will never understand employers who don't give feedback, and in her company, they give feedback at every stage of the process, especially as job seekers are putting in too much effort to get nothing back and 'it's in your rights'. Claire said that her friend applied for a big firm and had 4 rounds of interviews and she wasn't given any feebdack when rejected, but received an email from the company to ask how the service was. It leaves individuals thinking 'what could I have done better/different' without knowing where you went wrong.
Sam also stated that one of the common mistakes with cover letters are that they are very general, and you can often tell when cover letters have been made to try and mould for every job somebody is applying for. He suggested that tailoring it to every single job would be more beneficial, with an example of marketing; and the need to suggest what skills you have and what skills you align with for the role you are applying for, and why you should be selected to go through to the interview stage. The panellists were also asked about whether it was offputting when companies explain that their salaries are 'competitive'. Helen stated that they don't publish exact salaries as they differ in both Newcastle and London, but they usually have an 'upto' salary amount, and explained that some people might want to give context as to why they need to know the salary. She said that she would also explain the salary to somebody before coming to an interview, just so neither side wastes their time, especially if it's not the right salary level for somebody. Claire said that she had recently put up a role as competitive as it would get a variety of people looking at and applying for the role, but with clients they have to include the salary so that they know what revenue they are getting, and it's always over the London living wage.
Each of the panel were asked to give their final piece of wisdom before the session was drawn to a close. Sam said that it was important to network and for people to not give up, adding that 'if rejection comes your way, don't give up and let it stop you from what you want to achieve'. Claire said that it's important to practice interview skills especially as most of them are done through video calls, un-natural environments and often leaves people confused as to where they should be looking, adding that it is important to 'have that confidence and prepare in advance. Helen stated that all experience is relevant, and can include work experience, volunteering, any societies and clubs that you've joined, and to also be able to draw examples when going to different interview stages, and Alex said that his final words of wisdom was to attend Samuel's CV consultation which was starting in 30 minutes time...but I wasn't able to attend that session!
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