CAREERS NEWSLETTER 2018-19
Drama, music, sport, debating, Young Enterprise et al all offer so much opportunity to show individual skills and team cohesion, both facets that employers will very much love to see in any prospective employee. These activities also create unforgettable, dramatic moments like the tension in the penalty flicks our U16 Hockey girls experienced earlier this week in the super win over King’s High… until that decisive moment of victory above!
WHAT IS YOUR BRAND?
ISSUE 9 – Friday 15 February 2019
CV CHALLENGE 40 of our Y11/ 5th Year students entered this year’s CV Challenge, although over 10% of these were submitted after the deadline, including arguably the best submission, which was sent in via a friend and missed the cut! We always say the best CV and Covering Letter will be a pairing that is targeted to the role being applied and has an immediate marketing punch. This paperwork is a professional marketing brochure and we are pleased to report this year’s candidates offered excellent prose, almost without exception. The better entries were clearly targeted to the ‘job’ on offer, and punchy 1 or 2 page chronological CVs – with impressive design and jaw-dropping qualifications, voluntary work, part-time work and achievements – stood out. Correctly addressed, quality A4 envelopes and 100gm+ paper also impressed us. Students had the opportunity to see where their entry could be improved or stood out in comparison with the rest, but we wonder why fewer than half of the candidates remembered to pick up the individually ‘marked’ entries before school’s deadline for scholarship applications! An opportunity missed to add a ‘gold’ overlay? CONGRATULATIONS! Winner: Harrison. Runner Up: William. ALSO COMMENDED Branding: Kira, Namuun, Tom P. Covering Letter (Reasoning): Bhavna, Crystal, Ellena, Evina, Jay, Joe, Manav, Milly, Namuun, Rebecca, Reef. CV: Greg, Namuun, Sam H. Design/ Creativity: Crystal, Oliver, Ria, Sam B. Envelope: Georgia, Namuun, Paige. Initiative: Rishi. Paper: Emma, Jonathan, Paige.
Many advisers say you cannot really search for a career path until you understand your own strengths and abilities. Aston University has developed a very straightforward set of questions to aid students in this task: What Is Your Current Brand? Use 3 words friends or teachers would use to describe you.
1 2 3 What would you like your brand to be? Use 3 words you would like people to use to describe you.
1 2 3 Do Your Brands Align? What can you do to change your personal brand? What skills do you need to develop? What work experience do you need to do to develop your brand and employability skills?
@BablakeCareers