CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

1. CAREER OPPORTUNITIES Professional Development and Research February 2011 Lecturer: Rositsa Milyankova Lectures 1, 2 and 3

2. Aims of the unit“Professional development and research” • To provide the opportunity for students to acquire management skills that will assist them in implementing career decisions • To equip students with research skills that they will need to develop and use effectively in order to write a dissertation or undertake a research project

3. Learning outcomes of the unit “Professional development and research” • Draft a Curriculum Vitae, a Letter of Application and an Application form for a new job • Produce a personal development portfolio • Write a research proposal and research plan that have the potential to provide the basis for the production of a dissertation or a project at undergraduate level

4. Course outline • Preparation for result-oriented job application • Research, understanding and dissertations philosophies of research in the social sciences • Accessing and reviewing literature as part of research • Methods: Desk based research, interviews, grounded theory, visual and observational research methods

5. Course outline • Preparing a questionnaire. Designing a schedule for research • Samples and sampling • Analyzing and presenting quantitative data • Analyzing and presenting qualitative data • Research planning and management

6. Indicative readings • Fisher, C (2007) Research and Writing a Dissertation. FT Prentice Hall. London. Second Edition • Smith, M (2003) Research Methods in Accounting. Sage Publications. London. First Edition [E-Book • Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2003) Research Methods for Business Students, 3e, FT/Prentice Hall • Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R. and Lowe, A. (2002), Management Research: An Introduction, 2e, London: Sage.

7. CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

8. Recruitment process Research Online applications Pre-screening Screening First-round interview Applicants should consider all stages in the process to be equally important Assessment centre

9. Selling yourself Main objectives: • To explore personal traits and establish strengths and areas of potential development • To consider how personality characteristics, knowledge, skills, abilities and values are likely to affect career aspirations and choices • To know yourself in order to better sell yourself

10. Traditional Methods for advertisements • Employment agencies • Web-information • Newspaper advertisements • Online vacancies / job boards • Career exhibitions • Internal search (in the organization)

11. CAREER MANAGEMENT PATH(1) Know yourself – using diagnostic psychometric instruments as: • Personal audit (personal SWOT analysis) • The Big Five Model • Meyers Briggs Type Indicator • Locus of control test • Tolerance of ambiguity test • Career orientation inventory • Belbin self-perception inventory

12. CAREER MANAGEMENT PATH (2) Plan your career • Research into the graduate employment market • Design future career plans and their critical application • Personal learning objectives (at least three), related to self-diagnostics and career opportunities and challenges

13. CAREER MANAGEMENT PATH (3) Sell yourself • Identify your generic success criteria for business or for your chosen occupation • Design a C.V. • Design a Motivation letter • Access a Career service web-site for job-openings • Examine critically the requirements of an on-line application for a chosen job (Application Form)

14. CAREER MANAGEMENT PATH (4) Prepare for selection interview • Selection interview as a structured conversation • Selection committee • Interviewing methods • Preliminary preparation, dress code, behaviour, manners

15. CAREER MANAGEMENT PATH (5) Participate in assessment centers • Role of the AC in the selection procedure: • Group discussions / panel interviews • In-tray (in-basket) exercises • Group work • Case studies

16. CAREER MANAGEMENT PATH (6) Lifelong planning • How to improve your competencies in order to be successful in achieving your personal development objectives • Reflective and critical review of your personal progress achieved • Further development needs identified

17. Application Documents • C.V. or Resume • Motivation Letter / Cover Letter • Application Form • Copies of Diplomas, Certificates and other documents

18. CV Design • Gathering information • Deciding what to include • Choosing a format • Sections of resume • Write a resume draft • Critique your resume

19. CV Design • General approach (European, American) • Language (NEVER NEGATIVE) • Section by section • Contact details • Career summary / profile / history • Academic results • Hobbies & interests • NOT LONGER THAN ONE PAGE

20. General Approach • To be specific / personalized • Achievement based • Employer benefits from your application • Relevant evidence

21. C.V. HEADING Includes: • Photo, name, surname, local address, E-mail address, mobile / stationary telephone number with the international dialing code, if you apply for over seas jobs • C.V. objective (not always) – a short concise statement, that may show the employer what kind of position or role you are looking for

22. Targeted C.V. • This kind of CV is a way to focus your career towards a particular objective, within a specific industry or a specific company. • A targeted CV is written in a way that highlights skills, qualifications and experience that match the requirements of the advertised position. Writing a targeted CV is effective when: - You know the requirements of a particular position - You know which company you will be sending your CV to - You are sending your CV in reply to a specific job advert - You need to compose different CVs each corresponding to a different career objective

23. The chronological format of the C.V. • The chronological CV shows your career progression and growth. The information flows from the present situation to the beginning of your career. The CV is easy to read and one can easily go through the career history. • The chronological CV is advised when: - When you have a solid career history, your career has flowed on the same area and there are no major gaps. - Your responsibilities have increased in each career change - You had high profile Job Roles - Your most recent jobs are the most important in your career history - The job advert specifies this kind of CV

24. Functional C.V. • The functional CV emphasizes your accomplishments, skills and qualifications at the beginning of your CV. The timeline is not an issue. Your career history is positioned at the end of your CV where you could also list small details about your previous jobs. The functional CV focuses on your skills and accomplishments rather than your life history. What you have done rather than when and where. • Employers are not happy with such CVs as they are often an indication that a candidate is trying to hide a gap or defect in his career history. • The functional CV is used in the following situations - You are looking for your first job - You do not want to advertise your age - Your major achievements happened a few years ago - You have been unemployed for a period of time - You are changing careers - You are returning to your previous career

25. C.V. to Resume • The main difference between a CV and a Resume is brevity. If you are applying for jobs in the US, recruiters will scan your CV for less than thirty seconds. US recruiters do not like lengthy job descriptions and personal profiles. If you have a 10 page CV you need to re-write it. • In the US, more than in other countries, time is money and recruiters do not have the time to spend 11 minutes reading your life history. Your resume should be: a teaser, the hook, pass on the essential information. Do not go into lengthy descriptions of how you saved your previous employer from bankruptcy. Just say “Implemented”

26. Cover Letter / Motivation letter or Business Proposal? • Grab attention • Appeal to their self interest • You are the solution (to their problem) • Be specific • Remember HR checklist • Call to action

27. WHAT IS AN INTERVIEW? • A two party conversation in which (at least) one of the parties has serious, specific purpose (goal)

28. OBJECTIVES FOR INTERVIEWING: • Selection procedure • Information gathering • Performance appraisal etc. • Disciplining (bringing under control) • Consulting Which results in different types of interviews

29. INTERVIEW’S CHARACTERISTICS: • Always purposeful • Always structured (in different degrees) • Has several distinct phases and involves question-and-answer format • Has an element of control • Is bipolar – 2 parties participate • Amount of speech - Pareto principle • Is NOT longer than 2 hours

30. PREPARATION FOR THE INTERVIEW • Yourself • The Organisation • The Job • The Interview

31. PLANNING THE INTERVIEW(the interviewer) • Define the goal • Identify and analyze the other party • Prepare a list of topics: long/short term career goals, knowledge about the company/products • Choose the best interview structure • Consider the possible questions

32. THE STRUCTURE OF THE INTERVIEW • Highly scheduled (structured conversation) – standardized list of questions • Nonscheduled – free conversation • Moderately scheduled – directed by interviewer

33. INTERVIEW STRUCTURE • Rapport • Structure/length of interview • Preamble about organisation/job • General discussion about you • Finding out about your character • Detailed discussion about job • Terms and Conditions • Summing Up • Next Steps

34. CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW • OPENING - DO NOT FORGET THAT: • 50 % of decisions are made during the first 30-60 seconds • Next 25 % - in the first 15 min • The rest 25 % are very difficult decisions

35. CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW • OPENING • Greetings and self introduction – the 4 elements of the “magic” greetings • Orientation to: • Explain the reason for the interview • Explain what information is needed and how it will be used • Mention the length of the interview • Motivation

36. CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW • BODY: exchange questions and answers • Interviewer: • Controls and focuses the conversation • Listens actively • Uses different types of questions

37. CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW • BODY: exchange questions and answers • Interviewee: • Reviews and clarifies the results • Corrects any misunderstanding • Covers his/her own agenda

38. CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW • CLOSING • Review and clarify the results • Establish future answers • Conclude with pleasantries

39. The 12 steps of the irresistible interview Step 1: Get acquainted with the company • Formal way: corporate sites • Bigbook.com • Bizweb.com • Businessweek.com/search.htm • Businesswire.com • Companiesonline.com • Sec.gov/edgarhp.htm • Fortune.com • Hoovers.com • Joboptions.com • Jobsafari.com • Morningstar.com • Prnewswire.com • Vault.com • Westfeet.com

40. The 12 steps of the irresistible interview • Step 1: Get acquainted with the company Bulgarian sites for job-seeking: • Jobs.bg • JobTiger.bg • Rabota.bg • Jobs.gbg.bg • Zaplata.bg • Jobs.neogen.bg • Rabota.dir.bg B) Non-formal way: call the company itself You can even receive instructions from the person at the phone

41. The 12 steps of the irresistible interview Step 2: Dress appropriately – conservative style of dress MEN: Dark suit, white shirt (long sleeves), dark stripped tie, black shoes (clean and shining) WOMEN: Dark suit, trousers permitted, pale long-sleeve blouse (chemise), dark shoes (not very high heels)

42. The 12 steps of the irresistible interview Step 3: Go alone, no boy-friends or girl-friends (this is not professional) Step 4: Arrive on time a/ coming earlier – drink coffee, use the mirror b/ coming late – the interviewers never shout, they just filter out

43. The 12 steps of the irresistible interview Step 5: The four magic greetings: • Smile • Direct eye contact • Hi, I am (first name) (last name). It is a pleasure meeting you. • Firm handshaking

44. The 12 steps of the irresistible interview Step 6: Do not accept the role of a subordinate or a superior Ask the interviewer for an interesting object in his room – a picture, photograph, vase, flower. The more he/she speaks, the more you understand for him/her.

45. The 12 steps of the irresistible interview Step 7: Have a liking forthe interviewer – we like people who are just like us a/ observe the body language of the interviewer, in order to attract him when necessary b/ present your C.V. only in case of their request c/ start leading he conversation towards the offer for the second interview, using phrases like: we have a good match here, my background is very suitable for this position, I am exited about this position, this looks like a long-term situation

46. The 12 steps of the irresistible interview Step 7: Have a liking forthe interviewer – we like people who are just like us d/ Develop your own dictionary (72 words recommended): aggressive, active, analyze, proficiency, careful, lead, establish, affect, generate, pride, dynamic, diplomatic, direct, discipline, eliminate, energetic, effective, strengthen, vital, common sense, peform, initiate, control, focus, motivate, monitor, reliable, guide, train, provide, simplify, responsible, evaluate, win, improve, potential, innovate, recommend, conceive, efficiency, professional, develop, solve, streamline, results, conduct, attitude, systematic, tactful, accurate, accelerate, persuade, expand, skill, ability, participate

47. The 12 steps of the irresistible interview Step 8: Speak positive things about your present / previous employer It is not easy! Winners focus on passed successes and forget the passed failures The thing that matters is the constant success, not the failures

48. The 12 steps of the irresistible interview Step 9: Admire the achievements of the employer, especially if he really deserves it. Ask questions about the production results, try to be impressed Step 10: Be very observant! 80 % of the decision is taken by now The good humor is very useful at this point

49. The 12 steps of the irresistible interview Step 11: Radiate power Show personal traits like enthusiasm, confidence, energy, reliability Underline your loyalty, honesty, pride of your work, of your profession Talk about your last strong characteristics: effectiveness and efficiency, following procedures, cheapness, thrift, profit

50. The 12 steps of the irresistible interview Step 12: The four magic elements of taking farewell • Smile • Direct eye contact • It sounds like a great opportunity. I look forward to hearing from you… • Firm but polite handshaking