Archives for January 2018

The Skill of Selling Skills

January 15, 2018 by herc

(This article originally appeared on the website Jobs.ac.uk in May 2015)

We careers advisers tend to trade in skills. Being able to identify, articulate and sell your own skills is an essential, well, skill! Especially when it comes to moving beyond your own field of work, or area of expertise. This is never truer than for those working in the Higher Education sector, where the emphasis is often on progression within your field as your knowledge develops.

But what if you want to move out of H.E.? Gasp! Or maybe your task is to move from industry into an education role. Either way, you’re going to have to qualify your aptitudes and format them in a certain way so that they are readable and relevant for your new audience. I don’t have a magic wand to wave; otherwise I would dutifully package your experiences and accomplishments into what your favored employer is wanting. In lieu of that, consider these three steps when looking to sell, rather than tell, your skills.

Understand what you’ve got

How familiar are you with your own work life? Your current and previous responsibilities, successful projects, challenges overcome. What have you learnt? Think about the highs and lows. It’s essential to reflect on what has brought you to this point. It’s useful to take an investigative approach, mapping it out. As well as your own thoughts, gather feedback you’ve had from others. Dig out old person specifications or course syllabuses. Take your current role; what do you actually do day to day? Have far beyond your job description have you gone? Explore the different perspectives on what you do, from your manager to your student or client. As you go, jot down any skills you think you may have been using. You don’t have to think too hard on this initially, but add to the list where you can.

When you’ve got a concise (but perhaps messy!) picture of your work and education in front of you, then you’re ready to start digging a little deeper.

Draw out your skills

At this point you may want to call upon a trusty skills framework. You’ll find plenty available on the internet. A list of competencies won’t mean much on their own, but as you apply them to your own experiences you’ll learn what they mean in your terms. Take communication for example, which is a pre requisite for the majority of job roles. You may think that delivering lectures & seminars demonstrates communication skills. Which of course it does, but it’s so much more than that. Delivering a lecture involves project planning and organisation as you will have used the available time to convey a succinct message, without losing important details. You will know how to appeal to different people, to be able to speak in a clear yet engaging manner. Informing and inspiring. Responding under pressure is paramount as you answer to probing questions. Leadership is showcased as you manage your students, the course content and delivery style.

Break down your duties into tasks. What are the outcomes of those tasks? Which skills are needed for you to fulfil those outcomes?

It may feel a little odd to think of your role in these terms. Marketing yourself isn’t always an intuitive task, but the more you learn about the skills you’ve developed, the more comfortable and confident you’ll feel in talking about them.

Sell, not tell

What’s the difference? Once you know what your skills are and how you can evidence them, the next step is to package them for the employer. How can your skills work for them. Inspect the job description; when they say they need excellent communication skills, what does that actually mean? What aspects of the role require them? Who are you going to be communicating with and to what purpose? You can also visit your employer, ring for an informal discussion – don’t be afraid to ask for a breakdown of the requirements. Where are the challenges in the role? Can you see where your skills might be needed?

Determine what the employer needs and how you can use your skills to meet that need.

This kind of project probably isn’t something that will be completed in your lunch hour. But with a little investigative endeavour and self-reflection you’ll have a better handle on what you’ve got to offer.

Thinking about your next career move?

Check out our latest job postings or create a free account to save job searches, upload your resume, and get daily job alerts.

This article was provided by HERC Trustee Partner Jobs.ac.uk. As the leading International job board for careers in research, science and academia, jobs.ac.uk can help you access, attract and engage with the best faculty talent from around the world, whilst providing a time- and cost-effective solution for optimizing your institution’s recruitment.

Five Questions to Ask Yourself to Improve Your Personal Brand

January 13, 2018 by herc

Branding is a concept best understood by looking at companies and products. However, in the digital age, it’s not just CEOs that should be concerned with branding, you too have a personal brand. When you go for an interview, you are selling yourself. When you post on social media, you are selling a personal story that people can choose to like or not. When you create an online profile, you are adding to your brand.

We all have a personal brand, whether we intend to or not. It’s out there, and it is a good idea to cultivate it and turn it into something we can use to help us, not hinder us. Everything we do online leaves a footprint, and this is forming the basis of our brand. Have you ever googled yourself? Try it, do you like what you see?

Ok, so now you know you have a personal brand, you need to turn it into something that is going to sell you like everything you want to be.

Ask yourself these five questions to make sure your personal brand positions you for success.

What do you want to be? Are you an expert in something and does this come across? For example, when you google yourself, do you come up in the searches for the thing you most want to be known for or is it still that article that you wrote at a previous job that isn’t relevant to what you do currently? If your expert area isn’t coming across, you need to get onto all your platforms and make sure it’s clear what you do and why you are so good at it.

What’s your story? Everyone has a story, and yours is your ticket to your next great role- if you tell it well. Where you’ve come from, your experiences and skills and where it’s all leading you is unique and is your selling point. Make sure your experiences follow a clear path and are weaved together to tell the best story possible.

Are you consistent? You’ll have profiles on multiple platforms. Are they all up to date? If your current role is Head of Faculty, but you haven’t updated your profiles since you were a trainee teacher, chances are you are still positioning yourself as your old role, which isn’t going to sell you. Update LinkedIn and any other platforms you use or have used in the past and make sure everything is consistent with your current resume. Your story needs to be the same across all platforms for it to become your brand.

How are your privacy settings? When creating a personal brand, there are likely to be some things that you are going to want to keep private. Make sure your social media profiles have the correct privacy settings so that they can’t be accessed by potential employers or anyone you don’t want to look at them. Chances are, last weekend’s activities or your dog are not something you want popping up and influencing your personal brand when you’re looking for your next job.

Are you engaging? So, you’ve built your brand, now are you putting yourself out there? It’s time to get noticed and connect with the people who will buy into your brand. Use LinkedIn to engage with relevant people, blog for websites to show your expertise, comment on other people’s content and add value. This is a great way to get yourself noticed and to build the best connections.

Conclusion- Everyone has a personal brand, make sure you turn yours into a best seller.

Thinking about your next career move?

Check out our latest job postings or create a free account to save job searches, upload your resume, and get daily job alerts.

Nikki Vivian is a Career Coach and owner of From Kids to Career, which was set up to support women who are returning to a career, or looking to move in a new direction after taking time out to raise a family. Nikki works with Mums to find their true passions and to re-build confidence that can be lost after a break from the work place. She believes passionately that being a parent does not put you at the bottom of the pile when it comes to your career. Nikki owns CV writing company Confident CV and has 8 years experience working in Careers for Cardiff University.

Four Simple Steps to Perfecting Your Elevator Pitch

January 9, 2018 by herc

You know that creating a solid cover letter and resume are key components to the job search process – but what do you do if you “bump into” the perfect networking opportunity on the street, at the gym, in an elevator, or at a casual networking event? Having a quick “pitch” prepared for those surprise moments can help you make connections and find new opportunities – all without needing to carry a stack of resumes with you everywhere!

In the book, Blink, Malcolm Gladwell unpacks the notion of first impressions and shows that first impressions are overwhelmingly accurate. He uses the term “thin-slicing” to explain how people make first impressions based on just a thin slice, or quick interaction, with a new person. Gladwell argues that we do this out of necessity and that we can learn a lot from even the shortest interactions with others.

When it comes to finding the perfect job, first impressions are everything. Creating a solid elevator pitch is one easy way to put the “thin-slice” theory into practice!

What is an elevator pitch, and why do I need one?

“So, tell me a little about yourself.”

If you’ve ever struggled to answer this question during an interview, you’re not alone. However, a carefully crafted elevator pitch makes for the perfect answer!

An “elevator pitch” is just that – a short pitch that you could easily rattle off during an elevator ride (most people aim for 15 to 30 seconds). An effective elevator pitch takes full advantage of the thin-slicing concept. By creating a professional “pitch” centered on yourself, your background, your experiences, and your goals, you’ll be able to impress a hiring manager and position yourself as a strong candidate—all in those critical first few seconds.

An elevator pitch isn’t just for elevator rides – a job interview is the best time to break out your carefully crafted pitch. A thin-slicing study from the University of South Florida found that “Applicants who appeared attentive, not anxious, competent, confident, dominant, optimistic, and professional” during an initial 12-second impression were given “positive hiring recommendations.”

So, how can you maximize the impact of your first impressions with potential employers? By focusing on your micro traits—smiling, eye contact, hand gestures, visible, active listening—and crafting a solid elevator pitch!

Crafting a Compelling Elevator Pitch
Creating an elevator pitch takes a bit of time and preparation. Once you have, it completed and well-rehearsed, you can feel confident you will make a great first impression at your next interview or networking event. Here are four easy steps to help you create the perfect elevator pitch for your needs!

1. Know who you are addressing.

Just like you customize your resume or CV based on a specific job, it’s important to customize your elevator pitch to the person you’re addressing. Chances are, you’ll have a “core” pitch that you adjust based on the position, the institution, and the person to whom you’re speaking.

For example, if you’re creating a pitch to use at a networking event, keep it short (under 15 seconds) and general to any industry. If you’re working on an elevator pitch for an interview, it can be longer and more detailed (aim for around 30 seconds). In this case, consider how your strengths, interests, and experience pair up with the job description and the company’s motto or work culture.

2. Make a list and then cut it down.

Look at your resume/CV, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, and any other sources that outline your background, education, experience, and achievements. Create a bullet list of your top 20, most important details. Then, condense those to 10. Then narrow it down to just 5. The goal is to find pieces that will pique the interviewer’s attention. The rest of the information can wait until they read your resume or ask more detailed questions during an interview.

For example, if you’re applying to work for a travel company, the years you spent abroad may be more compelling than work experience or academic achievements. Focus on what matters to that particular institution and its culture—sometimes, it’s not the obvious superlatives.

3. Hit the key points…and do it quickly.

Every elevator pitch should accomplish the following goals:

Introduce yourself
Explain who you are
Articulate your professional goals and objectives
List a few reasons you’re the right candidate for the role

Be succinct and clear-cut—don’t inflate your experience with buzzwords, extraneous details, or a speed-read of your entire resume. After all, the goal of an elevator pitch is to leave your listener intrigued and eager to learn more!

4. Practice makes perfect!

Practice your pitch in front of a mirror and with friends or colleagues, and time yourself to make sure your pitch is somewhere between 15-30 seconds (depending on your purpose). Even better – film yourself giving your pitch, then play it back to look for any nervous habits or ticks.

Your goal is to sound confident and conversational—sounding rehearsed will come off stiff and disingenuous. The more comfortable you become with your pitch, the easier it will be to adapt and evolve it for individual hiring managers and positions.

One final tip: Smile!

A small, friendly smile can be a positive micro trait that leaves the interviewer with a good first impression. Beyond that, a U.K. study revealed that “we can hear a smile in someone’s voice” whether we’re face-to-face or not. That simple visual and vocal shift can help boost your candidate profile by maximizing that “thin-slicing” moment.

So get out there and tell everyone a little about yourself! With a solid elevator pitch, you can get the attention of potential employers at networking events, confidently set yourself ahead of the pack during job interviews, and hopefully land your dream job!