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Free Time - Make it count? "Go to school, get qualifications, career plan and WORK HARD!" |
I'm not saying drop out of school and have a laugh. I'm saying that employers, colleges and universities don't just want to know about your exam results. They also want to know about you as a person, what you have done with your time and your personal achievements. This is where out of school activities can be really useful!
Whether you are applying for college or university, it is highly likely that
you will need to fill in an application form and then have an interview. On
most of these forms there will be a section asking about YOU.
What are you going to say?
"I got reasonable grades and spent most of my free time watching TV"
Just remember, lots of people apply for courses. Which part of the above is
going to make the course tutor or university think "Oooh yes, let's give
them a place"?
Aaah! The wonderful world of work. A simple word of warning. Just because you
got your qualifications and good grades doesn't mean that every employer in
a 10 mile radius will come running out of their offices, pleading with you to
start working for them. You don't have the shelter of school anymore, it's the
big wide world.
There might be 100 + people applying for the same job as you and probably 2
people sifting through all the application forms. You have to write yours as
if it is the 99th form to be seen by Mrs X at 5.30pm on a Friday afternoon.
It needs to stand out from all the others who have the same grades and experience
as you (or even higher grades and more experience than you) and really grab
the employers attention.
One of the sections of the form that can help you do this is the 'personal experiences
and skills' section (or something similar!) You can really show an employer
what you are made of by having plenty of personal activities, experience and
skills to write about. Don't get me wrong…..it's not impossible, you just
need to bear this in mind before you spend the next year or so becoming an expert
in gaming, Eastenders or researching how long the average human can lay on the
sofa!!!
There are absolutely loads of things that you can do that are fun, enjoyable and VALUABLE for your next steps.
Activities can include :-
Princes Trust Volunteers
Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
Millennium
Volunteers
Girl Guides / Scouts
Youth Club / Youth Group Activities
After School Clubs : Orchestra / Bands / Choirs
Sports Clubs / Teams
Debating Teams
Drama Groups
And many other subjects (check out your school)
YMCA
Community Groups
Cadets - Army, Navy,
Sea,
Police
Leisure Activities
And loads more. Check out your local activities in the local paper, on the web, with your Careers / Connexions Advisers, school, college, youth club, community centre or library.
Plenty! Not only do you get to do something that interests you. You also get to meet new people, have fun, learn new skills and gain experience. For example, have a look at these 'before and afters' for situations that you could be faced with.
JOB APPLICATION
Do you have good communication skills?
Before:
"Well….. I chat on the phone to my mates for hours"
After:
"I have been taking part in voluntary activities with my local community
group where I use communication skills to organise leisure activities for younger
children. This includes using the telephone to book venues, explaining details
of activities to the group and attending meetings with the community group workers.
INTERVIEWS (COLLEGE OR JOB)
This job / course can be quite stressful and hard work at times. What makes
you think that you have got what it takes?
Before
"Some nights, I can stay up till 2.00am playing on the play station…without
a break!"
After
"I took part in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme and I showed my commitment
by achieving my award. Sometimes we were put under pressure, but I have proven
that I can deal with difficult situations and finish the things that I start"
You can take part in local or national schemes that offer awards once you have completed them. Many of these can help you build your confidence, team building skills and much more. Local groups such as drama or science clubs show that you have personal interests…..if you want to work / study in a related field, then these types of groups will look great on your CV. Many of these activities will help build on your skills in a 'non-school' environment.
Don't forget, they count…so use them. Get out there and do something that:-
But most important of all :-
YOU ENJOY
Good Luck
Jennie Glitherow
At school or college? Look out for Jennie's future articles which we'll have
here for the first Monday of each month, and which we'll link to the best sites
we can find on the Web. Why not bookmark us now?
To get back to this page to use the links on it - enter http://www.careers-gateway.co.uk/mainpage.htm
and click on Magazine then Something For The Weekend!.
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