Teach First – Skills Session CVs and application forms

1. Teach First – Skills Session CVs and application forms

2. Agenda • Graduate Marketplace • Insight into Screening • Assessment Preparation • Example - Teach First Experience • Example - Transferable Skills • CV & Covering Letter • Application Forms • Summary • Questions & Answers

3. Graduate Marketplace • Number of students receiving grade A at A-Level at highest levels • Number of graduates receiving a 1st or 2.1 at highest levels • Competition is fierce: currently there are 3 graduates for every graduate job. • Importance of CV / Application form cannot be underestimated - Primary purpose is to secure an interview - Must be well presented and clearly structured - No spelling mistakes!

4. Insight into Screening What is an employer looking for? • Right academic achievements – capable enough to do the job • Right set of skills, attributes and experience – able to handle the work and responsibilities • Right outlook – share the company’s value and goals The reality • Employer will spend 1-3 minutes reading your CV • Employer will have specific minimum requirements – if it’s not stated, you may not get interviewed • Employer will want to be clearly informed – if it’s difficult to read, employer will be frustrated • Employer will want to be impressed and engaged – you need your CV to stand out • The see–saw method – employers will then weigh up postivies+negatives on CV

5. Assessment Preparation Assessment Preparation Activity • Review your experience - Write down your life achievements in 5 mins! What have you done so far? - Catalogue achievements – academic / work experience / social activities / other - Expand on these achievements – skills and knowledge required for each achievement • Research Employer / Job role - What does the employer do? What makes them different to their competitors? - What are their values? What are their competencies? - What does the job entail? What will you do on a day to day level? - What does the culture feel like? Study the company’s recruitment website, history, and job specification

6. What is Teach First? • Unique 2 year graduate training programme • Challenging and rewarding teaching experience – real experience after 6 weeks of training • Gain Qualified Teacher Status af the end of first year • Innovative leadership development and management skills course • Unparalleled internships, networking and coaching opportunities • Exposure to over 90 prestigious supporters • Making a real difference in schools that need it the most • 3 Locations – London, The Midlands+ North west

7. Example - Teach First Experience • The Teach First experience creates many transferable skills • These will make you stand out from other Graduates and extremely employable to others • Identify ‘Transferable Skills’ What do you think? In 5 minutes, try to identify what transferable skills you could gain and why they are so attractive to an employer.

8. Example - Transferable Skills Skills / Competencies that are developed through the Teach First programme Communication Negotiation Resilience Tenacity Planning Organising Problem Solving Innovation Creativity Calm under Pressure Leadership Initiative Agent of change Ambition Confidence Presentation Energy Coaching Motivation of Others Commitment Self Belief Humour Positive Outlook Support Judgement Humility Respect Empathy Teamwork Integrity Influencing Professionalism Adaptability Delivery Challenge Drive Flexibility Tolerance Mentoring Fast thinking Resourcefulness Decisiveness Discipline

9. Transferable Skills – What Employers Want Teach First Survey of Times Top 100 Graduate Employers • What do they look for in their assessment process? Skills / Competencies included: Teamwork Leadership Client Communication Commercial Awareness Company Awareness Responsiveness Initiative Problem Solving Innovation Critical Thinking Creativity Task Management Ambition Confidence Adaptability Personal Effectiveness Influencing Integrity Thrives on Challenge Technical Ability Entrepreneurial • Top 5 skills that the Top 100 graduate employers look for? - Teamwork / Communication / Problem Solving / Confidence / Creativity

10. Showing evidence of the Top 5 skills that the Top 100 graduate employers look for • Spend a minute on each of the top 5 skills, and jot down your experience 1) Teamwork 2) Communication 3) Problem Solving 4) Confidence 5) Creativity How did you get on? Was it difficult, or did you think of a wide range of examples?

11. Showing evidence of the Top 5 skills that the Top 100 graduate employers look for Spend a few minutes discussing these experiences further with a partner. Consider: • If you have enough evidence to form the basis for a competency style question for each skill • What else you can do to increase your skills in these five areas • Would your evidence form enough of a basis for a ½ hr – 1 hr interview?

12. Curriculum Vitae Structure & Content • Personal Details – Name, contact details, etc. • Education & Qualifications – Degree back to GCSE’s. Always state most recent qualifications first. • Work Experience / Responsibilities • Notable Achievements / Relevant Skills / Interests / Extra-Curricular Activities Tips for writing a CV • CV must be clear / focused / relevant – spelling, grammar and punctuation must be correct • CV must never be in colour, or on coloured paper • CV must not be more than 2 pages long - standard typefaces (Arial / TNR) font size 9 or above • CV must be in a clear order (dates / duration), with sections and headings clearly marked • CV must make’ sense’ following your progression and experience. Do not leave gaps • CV must be targeted to the company and focused on the skills needed for the job • Never send a generic CV – an employer will spot this easily

13. Covering Letters Structure and Content • Introduce yourself in terms of your current situation • Explain why you are making the application • Provide a personal statement that demonstrates drive and suitability for the role • Highlight your key skills, experiences and attributes which are relevant to the role • Conclude the letter with a friendly “Look forward to hearing from you” Tips for writing a covering letter • Do not repeat your CV • Use it as a chance to align your skills with what they are looking for • Be positive and write a new letter for each application • Avoid spelling or grammatical errors as employer will be assessing verbal written skills • Letter must be interesting to read – tendency to become long-winded and lose focus • No more than 1 page with 3 / 4 justified paragraphs of short and simple sentences • Address to a particular person (ring up and get correct name / job title) • Align your address to the RH margin and the company’s to the left • Once completed, get someone else to read through to check for errors

14. Application Forms Before you fill out an application form • Research Employer – Company information and selection criteria • Research Yourself – Academic achievements / skills / experience etc Try and understand what an employer wants from a question (tells you how to approach the answer) Tips for completing an Application Form • Read entire form before you start and • Responses should be clearly laid out and ensure all instructions are followed • Link your answers to what you know the employer wants in an employee and give evidence • When describing a situation be clear how it arose, what your role was and the outcome • Do not assume employer will read between the lines – explain motivations – what and why • Do not under sell yourself but be honest when dealing with qualifications and experience • Keep things clear and concise – cut out irrelevant information • Ensure you have completed all relevant sections • Once finished, check for grammar and spelling mistakes • Keep a copy as it will be used in your interview

15. Summary • Competition is fierce – current market means it can be very tough to get the role that you want • Employer wants to know you have the right academics, skills, attributes, experience and personality • Employer has to be informed, impressed and engaged or no interview • Make sure you spend a decent amount of time when making an application: it’s very clear who hasn’t! • Assessment preparation is vital – Identify what makes you unique / Do your research • CV & Covering Letter – Primary purpose is to secure an interview - Clear / Focused / Relevant with NO spelling mistakes • Application Form - Research employer & yourself / Understand what an employer wants from each question

16. Interested? Teach First is currently looking for 365 graduates to join the “Class of 08”

17. Application Process On-line at www.teachfirst.org.uk Application Form Deadlines – Winter deadline – 30th November 2007 (History, Geography, Citizenship, Modern Foreign Languages, and Deloitte Teach First deferred entry scheme) Final deadline 28 March 2008. Assessment Centre Offer Subject Knowledge Audit Accept Offer Attend cultivation events

18. Please fill out our feedback form! Feel free to email me at: _______________@teachfirst.org.uk with any further questions you have about the programme, or stay behind to talk to me now.

19. Questions & Answers