Category Archives: guest blogger

guest blogger, Personal Statement

Getting to university – interview and admissions advice

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Securing your place at university is a challenge. Once you’ve got the grades, then there are application forms and even interviews to get through before you can celebrate. So here’s some advice to help guide you through this academic minefield.

Personal Statement

The personal statement is possibly one of the most important parts to your application – no pressure here then – so if you think it’s never read then think again. This is your chance to put into words why you ought to be at that university.

Tell the reader what drives you to study this subject. Perhaps there’s a specific field that interests you? And what skills or experience have you had that the course could build on? And for essay tips on structure, then check out tools and advice available online.

References

References are an important part of any application. For those going with your UCAS form, it’s important whoever is writing yours knows you. If it’s a teacher who has no idea who you are then be proactive and schedule in some time to talk about your university application. In particular, explain to them about why you want to study that subject.

Now, depending on your course, it could be that the application process includes that other stress-inducing obstacle: the interview. So if this is you, then here are some tips for this stage of the process.

Prepare

Don’t just turn up and think that’s enough. If you’ve been asked along for an interview, it doesn’t mean your place at the university is secure. You’re going to have to impress the interviewer and stand out from all the other applicants they’re seeing that day. Part of this comes down to decent preparation.

UCAS and Prospectus

Go through your UCAS form and remind yourself of what you included, specifically what you noted in your personal statement. Reread the prospectus and familiarise yourself with the university as some take pride in a specific element or area of academic work.

News

Has the university been in the press recently? Check to see if there has been any research or even activities on campus that have been reported. This question could be thrown at you and if you know what the interview is talking about it shows that your interest is high.

And while you’re at it, read up what’s in the news. What’s topical? It doesn’t necessarily have to be student or university related but it will show that you’re an informed citizen.

Questions

Consider the questions that could come up, and write your answers. There’s no way to knowing exactly what you’ll be asked but you still prepare. It could be that you’ll be asked why you chose to study a certain subject.  And is there a specific point you want to make? Perhaps you have experience in the field you wish to highlight?

It’s About You

The interview is a chance to get a sense of you so there’s every chance that you will be asked beyond your academic achievements. This could be as seemingly conversational as talking about the last book that you read, or it could be much more intense like giving your opinion of the work the university does. Whatever is thrown at you, it’s important not to panic. Take a breath and consider the question before answering. Hold eye contact and remember to smile and be enthusiastic. Universities are looking for people who are interested in their chosen subject and aren’t just there because they feel they have to be.

Now, it could be that you don’t know the answer. Don’t panic. You’re not expected to know everything on a subject. Try asking the interviewer to explain what they mean might help. Or just be honest and say you don’t know.

And finally, it’s worth preparing a few questions to ask your interviewer. Asking questions shows that you’re keen and interested.

Sarah MacLennan freelances for a variety of different websites and frequently writes for UKEssays.com. Since it was set up in 2003, it has helped students from all over the globe with essay writing, offering expert guidance and useful tools.

 

Careers Advice, guest blogger, Internships, Recruitment

12 Steps To Make The Most Of Your Internship

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An internship is an opportunity that’ll prepare you for the rest of your career. An internship takes you out of your ‘student mentality’ and brings out the young professional in you. Still, an internship won’t mean much if you don’t know how to leverage one. Here are 12 steps to make the most of your opportunity.

1. Think Of It As A 10-Week Reverse Interview

Consider each day as just another day of your interview so that you’re sharp, focused and diligent. Would you lax off on your interview day? No you wouldn’t. Continue to impress each day and you’ll win.

2. Make An Impact

Make a measurable impact by thinking ahead and beyond, asking astute questions, showing your intelligence, willingness and dedication. Volunteer for advanced tasks and spend extra time to learn stuff from your superiors.

3. Ask For Help When You Need It

If your boss is the kind that expects you to learn on the job, don’t feel intimidated. If you’re stuck with something, don’t waste precious hours. Ask for help –your initiative will be noted, along with your efforts to save time.

4. Ask For Feedback

Ask your manager to give you feedback at the end of each week. Write down the feedback and the next week, show your manager what you did with the feedback given. Then ask for that week’s feedback.

5. Make Friends

Smile often and always make some pleasant conversation, though respectful and limited. It’s ok to be friendly with everyone, even your superiors. Make friends of everyone, from the mailman to the top man. All your friendships can be turned into your network later on.

6. Explore The Company’s Culture

Understand how your company works – the working culture, the dress culture, holiday culture and so on. Then compare this data with other companies. You’ll find many parallels within the same industry. This due diligence will help you follow the right culture when you begin your career.

7. Be Visible

One of the biggest complaints from managers is that their intern is invisible. Be visible. Be seen. Be known. Make yourself visible by voicing your thoughts and opinions respectfully, with confidence. Don’t hide.

8. Understand The Context

Learn how the organization operates. Interact with various teams and find out how everything works as a whole. . Learn about the various functions behind the running of the business. You will earn newfound appreciation for your employer and have a better understanding of what you’re doing as well.

9. Impress With Your Hard Work

This doesn’t mean you have to kill yourself with 90 hour weeks. Still, be willing to work hard and after-hours at times. Offer total support to your manager, such that he or she sorely misses you once the internship is over.

10. Watch The Clock

When assigned a task, do it within the given time. If you have doubts, get them clarified immediately. Find out if your manager will be available to clarify, or get the name of another person you can approach with doubts.

11. Understand Your Own Needs And Limitations

An internship is the perfect opportunity to pinpoint what kind of work you’d like to do, and what kind you don’t want to do. This understanding will help you fine-tune your resume and your inclination for your future career.

12. Don’t Duck Your Responsibility

Be bold, and admit to your mistakes. If you’re criticized, accept it and see about improving your work. Don’t look for a trophy – it’s not Little League. Sometimes it’ll be unfair, but you have to take it on the chin and do your best.

Gagan works for http://tictwo.com/,an internship training administrator and facilitator, who works with young college students and college grads from all over the world who apply for internship in China.

Careers Advice, Change, guest blogger, Observations

What Career Suits You?

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How many times have you asked yourself what career is right for you?

Forget the qualifications, forget your previous employment, forget your experience in a field. We’re talking about finding that type of career suits your personality. After all, skills can be taught. Passion comes from within.

Psychologists and sociologists have, for years, tried to identify the ‘perfect’ job depending on your personality. But we’re naturally complex as humans, and have more than one – often conflicting – characteristics.

How then, can we decide what career suits us best? Here we will take a look at the ‘main’ personality types, and the careers they suit best:

Careers for realists

If you’re a ‘doer’, with a hands-on attitude and a realistic approach to problem solving; you would probably be described as a realist. If this sounds like you, aptitude tests and psychologists would tell you that you’re suited to a whole host of possible careers.

You would thrive in the fierce world of business, as your level headed approach would help you always make the right decisions. Jobs in a finance or marketing department, as well as computing would also be a good fit.

Careers for sociable’s

Some people prefer to work closely with others, throwing about ideas and generally working as part of a team; you would be classed a sociable personality.

For the outgoing and confident personality types, there are a whole host of careers that would really make the most of these traits. Jobs in sales will require you to really make the most of you social skills, as will jobs in the creative industries.

Make the most of your bold personality, and put those enviable traits to good use. Just be careful not to come across as pushy and overbearing. You want to be one of those bubbly characters everyone enjoys working with, not dreads!

Careers for the caring

If you’re the caring sort, there really is no better career path than a job in healthcare. Whether you’re a nurse, social worker, or GP; this is a highly rewarding career that will put your best personality traits to good use.

You obviously need to be extremely committed and hardworking too. These kinds of careers are certainly not suited to those who possess a ‘work hard, play harder’ mentality.

If you’re still not sure what the best career path is for your personality is, there’s a plethora of online quizzes designed to help you pick the perfect career. But do they really work?

Do the quizzes and tests really work?

There have been countless pieces of research as to what character traits suit what career types. A quick online search brings up more aptitude tests and quizzes than you can count; each claiming to help you find your dream job based on your answers.

While there is obviously research and science behind the quizzes, it is perhaps not wise to base your next career move on the results of a test. Instead, take your personality, qualifications, and career aspirations into account to help find your dream job.

This guest post has been supplied by Outcomes UK. The company specialises in recruitment for the social care industry. To find out more, visit their website today.

guest blogger, Interviews, Motivation, Project Management Careers Advice, Project Management Interviews

How to Reduce Anxiety During Your Job Interview – Guest Post

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Sometimes getting that great job could hit the fan. Hurdles like anxiety occurring during a job interview can make it difficult to land that job that you like. Job interviews are indeed anxiety-inducing but not impossible to overcome. Facing strangers that can make or break your chance to get the job is nerve wracking. Never fear though, there are tips that you can use to reduce anxiety before you get into that interview.

Visualize yourself getting the job done

Visualize yourself able to overcome the anxiety of the job interview. Look for a quiet spot and try to visualize that you have successfully hurdled the interview. Basically this is tapping the power of positive thinking at work. Visualizing is getting your brain to behave accordingly to what you desire to achieve. Athletes are using this technique in order to improve their performance in a game. But, this technique can certainly be used as well in any other aspects of our life. Visualization helps you enhance your determination to reach your goals no matter how hard the going may be.

Keep yourself healthy

Make sure that you keep yourself healthy and ready prior to a job interview. Sleep well, eat well and get enough exercise. If you are well rested, you are able to focus on the task at hand effortlessly. A rested mind can easily thwart increasing levels of stress which can lead to anxiety. Getting enough exercise prior to the interview will give you high levels of adrenaline which boosts energy. More energy may coax the body to produce more dopamine which keeps stress levels at bay. Eating well is another way of keeping stress at a distance. Avoid drinking too much of those alcoholic beverages as well as cigarette smoking.  These vices only expose you to substances that ruin the chemical balance of your body and make you more vulnerable to stress and anxiety.

Relaxation techniques

It is possible that stress levels would rise minutes before the interview. In cases like this, it is important that you know how to calm your nerves. Breathing is great in keeping yourself calm. Breathe in using your nose and breathe out using your mouth. Repeat this processes until you feel more relaxed.  Whenever you feel that your nervousness is creeping into your system, just breathe deeply. Deep breathing clears up your brain from any cobwebs of negative thinking. Thus, you become more relaxed and more capable of thinking logically during the interview.

Think before you answer

You are actually allowed to think before you answer a question before an interview. It is okay for you to pause for a few moments to compose your thoughts. You can even tell the interviewer that the question is quite interesting and ask if you can be given a few seconds to think what to say. If you dread the fact that you could go blank as the interview is in progress, write some notes while the interviewer is talking. Writing something takes the focus off or away from you. You can refer to notes after the question has been delivered.

Letting anxious energy go

Anxious energy can leak out without the interviewer noticing it. Try to do something that can release anxious energy. Wiggling your toes is a good way of releasing tension. Smile and project a happy aura even if you feel that you are too nervous to do it.  Smiling helps drive away that anxious energy away from you while at the same time welcoming those positive vibes into your system.

Do not buckle down

Sometimes interviewers tests how well you respond to pressure. You need to know that every applicant is subjected to same treatment. If they try to ruffle your feathers, do not buckle down instead think and act positively because you might fall into the trap and spiral into a negative thinking situation that you are not the right fit for the job.

A job interview comes with a proviso that what you show is the best reflection of your personality. Anxiety can ruin it but with the right attitude you can easily ace it and get that dream job you want.

About the Author:

Ryan Rivera used to suffer from panic attacks for seven years.  He now dedicates his life helping those who suffer from stress, anxiety, panic attacks and depression through his writings.  You can read more of his articles at Calm Clinic.