Employability Skills

1. Employability Skills Finding and Applying for Jobs

2. Finding and Applying for jobs The first step in securing your new role as an SLT is finding and applying for jobs. Generic information is available from the BCU Careers Service at: http://www.bcu.ac.uk/alumni/careers/make-your-applications A dedicated Health professionals career specialist Katie Holmes is available and this service is available for up to 5 years at BCU and you can also access the careers advice service at other Universitiessfor up to 1 year after graduating. This contains information on making applications and CVs and covering letters.

3. We know that SLT jobs are not the same as all jobs and so this section will contain information on: • Where to look  • Understanding applications • Matching a personal statement to a person specification • Writing Personal statements • Writing CVs   • Finding related roles • Networking and making contacts (including social media) • Working abroad              • Part time work and child care • Making the most of your previous experience  • A year on – evidencing the gap?

4. Making applications

5. It is important to note • Applications including CVs should always be tailored to that role • Applications should relate directly to that person specification Local employers said, On your application: • These are anonymised by HR; if you have worked in that Trust say so in your statement • Give examples of what you have done including work, voluntary roles and placement (especially if a gap following graduation, fine to use more recent, related examples). • Show related skills e.g. working as a carer, Teaching Assistant, SLT assistant, voluntary roles, placement roles • Demonstrate your skills by providing examples • Demonstrate your learning from other contexts and how it relates to the SLT job you are applying for.

6. Being professional • Email is often best for therapists who may not easily be able to get to a phone during the working day. Give the therapists a while to reply but fine to chase after a week. Be persistent but professional. • Check your spelling and grammar are faultless – applications are being rejected on this basis.  Get someone else to check • If for any reason you can’t make the interview, telephone to apologise in advance. Therapists share information; this will affect your chances for other roles • Read the requirements for the day carefully and make sure you have everything asked for • Bring examples of your work to show and discuss at interview • Don’t apply if you can’t do the role e.g. you are unwilling to relocate for the role • Give full contact details ; if you want someone to call you back give them a phone number you are actually on in the day and an email

7. Making the most of your previous experience Local employers value previous experience in the NHS and previous work experience. They feel this makes graduates aware of the environment they will be working in and makes them a flexible member of the team.Graduates who have worked before can evidence professional skills such as:• Timekeeping• Self-management of work load• Flexibility• Prioritisation• Communication skills• Problem solving• Managing difficult situations• Examples of clinical skills and how they could apply these in the setting• Working successfully in a team

8. Local employers also indicated that graduates who have worked or volunteered in a related role are felt to be more successful in the application process than those without this experience. • Birmingham City offers a hand out on recognising your skills at: http://www.bcu.ac.uk/_media/docs/Making-Yourself-Employable-1.pdf • You can also try asking family, friends and employers for ideas of skills you would have that are related to clinical roles. • Think about hobbies, activities and family life; there is likely to be evidence of professional skills such as prioritising, time  management and working in a team in there. • Try looking through job descriptions for band 5 therapists for the skills they are looking for and write a list of the skills, noting examples that you can evidence. • Think about the unique skills and experiences you have that you can offer an SLT team.

9. Personal Statements

10. Writing a personal statement Your personal statement is an opportunity for you to demonstrate that you meet the qualities identified in the person specification for the job. Here are some tips that we have put together. It is up to you whether you follow them. Some of this can be done in advance or you may prefer to have a generic personal statement although this MUST be tailored for each job or it may not be shortlisted.  Don’t copy and paste as these can be spotted and may be rejected! Local employers said stick to 2 pages max and focus on the essential then desirable things stated in the person specification.

11. Guide to writing a good Personal Statement We wrote ours by printing off the person spec., highlighting the key words and then writing those down. Get rid of anything covered on the application form elsewhere. This might leave you with: Essential:1. CPD2. Clinical work with range of relevant communication / swallowing problems.3. Working as a member of a multi-disciplinary team.4. Able to quickly assume independent responsibilities commensurate with Specialist role5. Excellent interpersonal skills.6. Time management, Prioritisation & organisation.7. Ability to problem-solve.8. Highly developed auditory /  perceptual skills.9. Self-reflection.10. Sustain intense concentration11. Awareness of and adherence to RCSLT Professional Standards and Clinical Guidelines12. Management options for range of disorders.13. Enthusiastic.14. Flexible.15. Empathic.16. Self-motivated.17. Tolerant of occasional working in highly unpleasant circumstances.18. Able to manage the emotional consequences of working in distressing conditions19. Good hearing.20. Ability to travel to a variety of destinations during the working day.

12. Writing a good personal Statement Think about any you can group together and evidence quickly, so that you have more room for areas you want to prioritise. e.g Clinical work with range of relevant communication / swallowing problems. Links with placement and voluntary work which includes working as a member of a multi-disciplinary team and CPD Then do the same with the desirable e.g1. Postgraduate training in Paediatrics.2. Working through others.3. Teaching / training others4. Good presentation skills.5. IT Skills.6. Specific schemes and programmes relevant to post.7. Car driver.8. Welsh speaker.

13. Writing a good personal Statement Write a short sentence for any short points that you can group, linking to the essential e.g.Full clean driving licence and access to own car; available to travel to and work at any site.Which evidences: • Ability to travel to a variety of destinations during the working day. • 2. Car driver. Remove these from your list each time you evidence one so you can see what you have covered. Then try and bring it all together so it makes sense. Get someone to check it.

14. Writing a good personal statement Your draft may have points under key headings suggested by the job description/person specification such as those above:1. CPD:    a. How you have kept skills up to date    b. Extra work you have taken on    c. Self-reflection. 2. Clinical work with range of relevant communication / swallowing problems.    a. Placement    b. Voluntary experience    c. Range of other experience    d. Management options for range of disorders. 3. Career development, motivation 4. Excellent interpersonal skills: Empathic, team player 5. Clinical management skills including Time management,    Prioritisation & organisation, problem solving, flexibility6. Why this role: enthusiastic, awareness of context, 7. Personal qualities: what you can offer as well as how you cope with the role inc extra skills e.g. IT8. Any other relevant experience: project work, training etc

15. Creating job opportunities

16. Creating job opportunities Graduates can write speculatively to SLT departments. They may hold details and then send out job opportunities when available • You can start with a part time role and then look to take on extra hours or create a full time role out of a second part time job • Some trusts may be forced to advertise internally first. As long as you are paid by that Trust, whatever role you are in, you will be eligible to apply • Departments are taking on volunteers: this could be in a  related role as long as you can show how the skills and knowledge you have learnt could be transferred to an SLT role • Start networking and volunteering alongside your degree

17. Childcare and part time work Local employers said:Your own restrictions: Hours should be negotiated after you have accepted the job: "I can only work Mondays" is not a winning opening line (this question was asked specifically in relation to childcare and the suggestion was that for the right candidate employers may be flexible). Other:- Being a car driver is useful although not specifically requested often (suggest bringing your driver’s licence as ID)

18. Working abroad The RCSLT has an agreement with some equivalent organisations abroad including: • The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) • Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) • The Canadian Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA) • The Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists (IASLT) • The New Zealand Speech-Language Therapists Association (NZSTA) • Enabling full members of the RCLST to join the others. To apply for membership of the professional organisations overseas:• check the requirements and application processes for that country’s organisation• contact the RCSLT to let us know you are intending to make an application using the Mutual Recognition of Credit Agreement (MRCA)• Complete the application from the RCLST to get a letter of good standing.  • Get a reference from your manager using the form provided • Send your application to the professional association for that country

19. Writing CVs This isn’t generally done if you are applying for jobs via NHS jobs. This may be required for a job within the RCSLT applications or if you are sending them out speculatively.Information from BCU on writing a CV is:http://www.bcu.ac.uk/alumni/careers/make-your-applications/cvs-and-covering-letters You might wish to send a covering letter explaining why you are interested in that team, area and what you can offer them. It needs to be worth their while following you up and they may receive many approaches.If you are not sure who to send them to, ring the department to explain your interest and ask who you should address this to. It is worth asking them if any jobs are available; even if they aren’t would they let you come for a visit to find out more about what they want to do? Remember to leave your full contact details/best method by which to contact you!