Job interviews vs college & university interviews – the same or radically different?

Image courtesy of Wikipedia
'Handshake' by Hermandad

Having an interview for a job or college/university course can seem a daunting prospect.  And why wouldn’t it? The reason you will have applied for the job or course is because you want the opportunity to do something new to develop your learning and training, and to develop your experience of the world of work - all these combined with gaining related industry qualifications whilst being paid.

 

Unless you’ve had several interviews already, or you are very confident, the prospect of an interview which could influence the next few years of your life can be a scary thought. This blog is aimed at explaining the different types of interviews and to give you some practical tips on how to ‘survive and thrive’ in an interview situation.

 

So, you have been asked for an interview, which is excellent news! And that means you’ve already got an asset that the employer or college/university likes the look of. This is likely to be a combination of work experience, qualifications, skills and motivation. Hopefully recognising this will start to build your confidence and allow you to present yourself well at interview. There are different types of interview which you potentially face. The first two are usually only used by employers rather than colleges/universities, and if you are successful will be followed by an assessment centre or face to face interview.
 

Many job opportunities come after graduation

 

• Phone interviews – the answers you give will be used to filter whether you get onto the next stage of recruitment or not.

• Video interviews – these can be either live or recorded. The live ones will have an interviewer asking the questions and interacting with you. The recorded ones will have a set of questions which you will respond to with a set amount of time. The use of video interviews is increasing.

• Group interviews – these are mostly used to see how potential employees or students interact together. They will be looking for candidates who can interact well, without dominating or who do not really get involved.  

• Face to face interviews – these will happen in all recruitment processes one way or another. You may have several of these with different members of staff and you may be interviewed by one, two or three members of staff at the same time. 



Image courtesy of Wikipedia
'College interview' by B.P.Susf

The aim of these interviews is to help decide whether you would be a good ‘fit’ for the job or course. The main differences between an interview for a job vacancy and a course are that usually there will be several more spaces available on a course.

 

So what can you do to make the most of the interviews?

Firstly, you need to remember that interviews are actually a two way process. Not only is it a chance for others to see if you are what they are looking for, but it is also a chance for you to do the same! You need to show that you are a good match, with examples of your skills, motivation and experience, and how you would be a valuable addition to the team/course.  How to do this?  Follow the 3 P’s…Prepare, Plan and Practice!

 

Careers Coordinator helps student

• Prepare – find out as much as possible about the job vacancy and company, course and university. This will help you to show how you ‘it the job description or course requirements. What examples can you think of to meet the requirements? 

• Plan – your journey for the interview, what answers you might give, questions you can ask and what to do if something unexpected happens. Is there anything you feel less confident about the interview or assessment centre process? 

• Practice – can someone give you a mock interview? If you are having to do a presentation, practice it in front of friends, family or careers staff. If you are having a phone or video interview, check that the technology works and the environment is quiet with no visual distractions.

 

 

And lastly, however the interview goes, reflect on how you found it. How would you do it differently next time? And just as importantly, ask for feedback from the interviewers. They should be willing to offer you some.

 

 

Good luck!

 

Written by Mark Yates

Shape your future with an apprenticeship!

Writtle College Graduation 2015

Apprenticeships have been around as an option for a very long time! In fact, apprenticeships were first developed in the Middle Ages, as a way of developing skills in particular vocational areas like stone masonry or bakery work, often taking 10 or more years to complete. Nowadays, apprenticeships are available in a much wider range of areas – from Agriculture to Horticulture, and Finance to Health Care. And they will usually take a lot less time to work through than 10 years – most can be achieved within 12 - 18 months whilst some may take 3-4 years, depending on the qualifications being gained. It’s even possible to do a Higher Apprenticeship and get a degree!

So why bother doing an apprenticeship?

Employers are often reported as wanting employees who are motivated, passionate, have the right skills/be willing to develop more skills and have some commercial experience. An apprenticeship will give you the chance to demonstrate motivation, and gain the skills and commercial awareness, whilst also earning money! So whilst some of your friends are still in sixth form, college or university, you could be learning the skills for a specific career – and gaining qualifications from level 2 (GCSE standard) to degree standard. This will mean either going to college one day a week, or doing some study while you are with your employer. What’s there to not like?

 

What are the drawbacks to doing an apprenticeship?

There will always be potential drawbacks to any option. These might include:

·    Combining work and study - you will need to be organised!

·    Fewer hours for social commitments.

·    Having to decide a specific area to get your qualifications in – for instance if you have a general interest in Horticulture you would have to apply for an Horticultural role to do the apprenticeship in. 

·    Focussing on a career area like this for some people would be a bonus, others may need longer to decide.

 

What would you get out of doing an apprenticeship?

As an apprentice you would gain valuable work experience, a qualification (or more often a range of qualifications) a salary, skills and plenty of opportunities to further your career. Once you have finished your apprenticeship you may well be offered a job where you have done the apprenticeship, or you could find a new employer with the qualifications and experience you have gained.

Apprenticeship in Horticulture

Which is better, college or an apprenticeship?

There is no right or wrong answer here! Partly it will depend on what vacancies are available locally to you for both college courses and apprenticeships. Some apprenticeships, like veterinary nursing or farriery can be very hard to find, so applying for a related college course can give you a very good plan B in case you do not get an apprenticeship straight away. Another aspect you may want to consider is how much practical experience you would get with either, to develop the skills for your chosen career. Also you need to think about how you learn best – would you prefer a work environment or a college environment more? Do you need any extra support with your learning – or to redo your English or Maths GCSE? Both these will be available through an apprenticeship and at college.

 

What next?

Mark Yates (left) Careers Coordinator

Now would be a very good time to start looking for an apprenticeship. You can contact employers directly to find out what opportunities there will be with them, and also register with http://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/ to find out more information and https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship to register for local apprenticeships. If you want more information about higher apprenticeships where you could do a degree as part of it, you can also use http://www.notgoingtouni.co.uk/?gclid=CNe8j-_skMsCFRBmGwodfAwKhA. It’s worth talking through your plans with your parents/carers and a careers adviser, to ensure you get all the support you need. 

  

Written by Mark Yates

Writtle College Careers Coordinator

How to best prepare for your future career!

Mark Yates (left), Careers Coordinator

Now that half of the academic year has passed, it’s a good time to reflect on what you are learning, how this will help with your future career, and what will make you stand out from the crowd.  There are several things to take into consideration...

How could you use your knowledge and skills relating to your course?

You will have picked up a lot of knowledge and skills on your course that you may want to use in a future career. If you haven’t started already, it’s probably a good time to start building links with possible employers that you might consider working for in the future. Find out about any work experience or internships that will be available in the coming summer, and ensure you swap contact details.

It’s not just about knowing facts and figures, but about your transferable skills and motivation too!

Employers tend to recruit staff that are motivated and keen to learn. They are also looking out for key transferable skills; communication, team work, problem solving and showing initiative, alongside some commercial awareness – how can your current studies and experience demonstrate these? If you need help with identifying what skills you have, ask!

Do you want to use your course in a related career?

Having now had some experience of studying the course, do you want to use it to find a directly related career? Or is it just a stepping stone to go in a different direction? If you want to talk this through, you can make an appointment with the careers department who will be happy to help: careers@writtle.ac.uk

Are you planning on studying another course after your current course?

Have you enjoyed studying? Are there parts of the course that you would like to develop more in-depth knowledge about? After your current studies there are several progression options for you to consider. You could look at another college course, a degree course or even postgraduate study!  All the skills and knowledge you have gained will help you in the next level of study.

What work experience or commercial awareness have you developed?

Regardless of the qualification you are studying, employers really like to see that you’ve got some relevant work experience – so now would be a great time to start looking for a work placement for the summer break. It will be a good chance to put into practise what you’ve learnt at College, and also give you something else that employers really value – commercial awareness. What’s commercial awareness? It’s about understanding how businesses work, and how your role in the organisation will help it run as best as possible.  By gaining some experience you can also start to build up your awareness of labour market information, i.e. what opportunities are out there that you might be interested in, and how to access them!

Next steps…..

After some thinking about your course and how you might want to use it in the future, now comes the ‘planning’ part, regardless of whether you have a definite goal in mind or not. Make sure your CV and social media profiles are up to date and professional looking. If you would like support and guidance in writing a CV, developing your social media profiles or you would like to discuss work experience options and/or further study options, please email the Careers department on careers@writtle.ac.uk. It’s never too early to start planning, and never too late to actually do something about your future – it’s just a case of developing the ‘career planning’ skills to make the most of your opportunities. 

 

Written by Mark Yates