| {MyTalentPlace}Recent research from the US indicates that students joining the world of work now will have 14 different roles by the age of 38. Admittedly, they won’t all be with different organisations, however if we look at the challenges presented by the changing world of work as well as a tough economic environment, it seems that 3 things are clear:
1. Students entering the world of work will have many more interviews in their working lives and will need to sell themselves constantly. In the project driven world we are moving towards, those people that are well connected and able to sell their skills will get the lion’s share of the work.
2. Interviews are increasingly more competitive. The numbers of applicants per vacancy have risen sharply and graduates are increasingly prepared to consider entry level roles that they might have turned their noses at 3 or 4 years ago. This is turn puts pressure on school leavers without tertiary qualifications who filled these roles historically.
3. Interviewers are becoming more skilled. As our personal details and backgrounds become more public, there is less “wriggle room” for candidates. Interviewers are becoming more skilled in identifying skills or lack thereof and can often choose the safe option – those people who have deep experience in the particular field.
If this is the context for today’s entrants to the labour market, the need for interview coaching become clear. Most students will learn the basics of interview process and preparation at school or University. What they really get though, is the basics.
In order to stand out as good candidates, students will need to be able to:
• Understand the company they’re applying to
• Understand the skills required in the job they’re applying for
• Appreciate and communicate their own skills persuasively
• Write great CV’s and cover letters
• Understand the basics of personal branding and selling oneself
• Develop the assertiveness that is likely to lead to success
These things don’t come naturally – many of them are skills in their own right. The more interviews we have, the better we should get at it (theoretically). Self help is certainly one way to go. If we have the right attitude, we can learn a few of the skills and techniques required to do well in interviews. Check this out as an example of a self help resource - http://www.mytalentplace.co.uk/career-resources/interview-advice.
Is it worth it though to risk a lot of failure and learn the slow way? There’s absolutely no reason why a student faced with an interview should not get coaching. Although prices vary, there are affordable options out there. For example, consider the online interview coaching offered by MyTalentPlace at http://www.mytalentplace.co.uk/interview-skills/interview-coaching. Rather than travelling a distance to go and sit in an office, this approach combines the benefits of the efficiencies of using technology together with the fact that students are comfortable with this way of doing things.
Lastly, developing interview skills through interview coaching will mean that a young adult has these skills in their toolkit and can use them again and again as they progress through their career. Interview coaching or not? It’s a no – brainer!
Dr Grant Crow is founder of My Talent Place a specialist provider for students. For more info please Visit at http://www.mytalentplace.co.uk to know more about interview skill , interview-advice or Email to:info@mytalentplace.co.uk |
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