Your road to success

ABE LEVEL 2
AWARD IN
EMPLOYABILITY
SKILLS – MAKING
THE MOVE TO WORK

BE •
• A
OF

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FICI

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STUDY
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 © ABE 2017

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ISBN: 978-1-911550-05-1

Copyright © ABE 2017

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ii © ABE
 Contents
Using your study guide iv

Chapter 1 What Employers are Looking for in Prospective Employees 2

1.1 Employability skills desired by employers 4

1.2 Why employability skills are important 10

Chapter 2 What I Have to Offer 16

2.1 Assess your own skillset 18

2.2 Gap analysis 24

Chapter 3 Presenting What I Have to Offer 30

3.1 Complete a job application 33

3.2 Prepare for interviews 44

Glossary
48

© ABE iii
 Using your study guide
Welcome to the study guide for the ABE Level 2 Award in Employability Skills –
Making the Move to Work.
Below is an overview of the elements of learning and related key capabilities (taken from
the published syllabus), designed to support learners to assess their own skillset in terms
of employability and to develop their own personal development plans.

Element of learning Key capabilities

Element 1: What employers Be able to explain what is meant by
are looking for in prospective employability skills and explain why employers
employees want people with these skills in addition to
qualifications and/or experience.

Willingness to learn; integrity; confidence;

humility; awareness of health and safety at work
Element 2: What I have to offer Ability to analyse your own skillset in terms of
employability and provide examples to support
your strengths and personal preferences.

Confidence; self-esteem; self-motivation;

awareness of abilities and limitations; desire to
make a positive contribution
Element 3: Presenting what I have Complete a job application and prepare for an
to offer interview based on your skillset.

Desk research; enthusiasm; commercial

awareness; written and verbal communication;
active listening; adaptability; initiative; integrity;
confidence; respects equal opportunities and
diversity

This study guide follows the order of the syllabus, which is the basis for your studies.
Each chapter starts by listing the overarching syllabus learning outcomes covered and
the assessment criteria.

L2 descriptor
Knowledge descriptor (the holder…) Skills descriptor (the holder can…)
• Has knowledge and understanding of • Select and use relevant cognitive
facts, procedures and ideas in an area and practical skills to complete well-
of study or field of work to complete defined, generally routine tasks and
well-defined tasks and address address straightforward problems.
straightforward problems.
• Identify, gather and use relevant
• Can interpret relevant information and information to inform actions.
ideas.
• Identify how effective actions have
• Is aware of a range of information been.
that is relevant to the area of study or
work.

iv © ABE
Contained within the chapters of the study guide are a number of features which we
hope will enhance your studies:

‘Over to you’: Activities for you to complete – just print out the page and use
the space provided. You can write out longer answers on an extra piece of paper.
 ase studies: Realistic business scenarios to reinforce and test your
C
understanding of what you have read.
REVISION
on the go
‘Revision on the go’: Use your phone camera to capture these key pieces of
learning, then save them on your phone to use as revision notes.
‘Need to know’: Key pieces of information that are highlighted in the text.
Examples illustrating points made in the text to show how it works in practice.
Tables, graphs and charts to bring data to life.
Source/quotation information to cast further light on the subject from
industry sources.
Highlighted words throughout and glossary terms at the end of the book.

Note
Website addresses current as at March 2017.

© ABE v
Chapter 1
What Employers are Looking
for in Prospective Employees

Introduction
Specific technical skills, qualifications and previous work experience are important to any future
employer. However, employability skills, which can usually be transferred directly from one job to
another, are also highly valued by employers when choosing potential new employees. Employers
value these generic skills as they help to distinguish between prospective job candidates and
can highlight those who are most likely to succeed in a new role. This chapter outlines the main
employability skills that are favoured by employers and helps candidates to appreciate why these
skills are just as important as any technical skill or qualification.

Learning outcomes
On completing the chapter, you will be able to:
1 Describe what is meant by employability skills and why employers want people with these
skills in addition to qualifications and/or experience

Assessment criteria
1 Describe what is meant by employability skills and why employers want people with these
skills in addition to qualifications and/or experience
1.1 Outline the employability skills that are most frequently desired by employers, such as:
1.2 Describe why employability skills are important to employers

© ABE
 ABE Level 2 Award in
Employability Skills – Making
the Move to Work

Background
Making the transition to work from a study or non-work environment is both exciting and daunting,
but you are not likely to be in that one job forever. Most people don’t stay in one job throughout
their working lives and this is no longer a realistic expectation in today’s job market. During your
working life you can expect to work in a variety of jobs, with a number of different employers.
This means you need to develop a number of skills that can be transferred from one work context
to another.

The type of work available has transformed because of changes in the economy, in society and
organisations. The trends which shape our working lives are far-reaching. On a local labour market
level, job opportunities will be influenced in part by government policy, the health of the economy,
shifts from manufacturing to services and rising incomes. Population changes also have a huge
impact, including trends such as an ageing workforce, increased female participation and migration.

Globalisation and technological change have probably had the biggest impact on our working lives.
Many of the jobs that are done today simply didn’t exist ten years ago. The jobs that the children
starting school today will be doing haven’t even been invented.

These trends provide a challenge for governments, businesses and individuals. Skills requirements
are changing fast and qualifications can quickly become out of date.

Flexibility and the development of transferable employability skills are essential if you are going
to remain relevant in the job market. Employability skills are transferable interpersonal and
behavioural skills that make you more attractive to a potential employer.

NEED TO KNOW
Transferable employability skills are skills that you can develop in one job role and
organisation which can be transferred to another job role or organisation. Some
good examples are time management or communication skills, which are attractive
to all employers, no matter what the job involves. REVISION
on the go

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 Chapter 1  What Employers are Looking for in Prospective Employees

OVER TO YOU
Activity 1: Changing employability skills

Identify a job that did not exist 25 years ago.

Now write down three transferable skills that are important for that job.

For example: Virtual Assistant. Skills include: listening and understanding, solving problems
and managing time and priorities.

OVER TO YOU
Activity 2: Transferring employability skills from outside work

Interpersonal and behavioural skills are not exclusive to the workplace. Think about an
activity that you have taken part in, during the last week, and list the skills you used
that could be transferred to the workplace context.

For example: Booking a trip to the cinema – planning, organising, time management,
decision making, attention to detail.

1.1 Employability skills desired by employers

The skills that an employer believes make a good employee will vary depending on workplace
context and job role. The underemployment of individuals with good qualifications suggests there
is a difference between what employers want and the specific skills that potential employees have.

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What Employers are Looking for in Prospective Employees Chapter 1

Individuals need good communication skills if they want to do well in the

workplace. Many of my new hires are lacking in writing proficiency and
essential public speaking skills.

The use of social media and text for personal communication has meant that many people
have not developed the ability to write a business email or conduct a professional phone
conversation. It is essential that you can speak confidently and professionally to customers,
suppliers and colleagues. You must make sure you have developed this skill if you are to
interview well. Sharing information, through reports and presentations, is key to success in
business. Employers seek out such essential skills as being able to get your message across
clearly to avoid any misunderstanding.

It’s alarming that a significant number of potential

employees lack basic self-management and
functional skills.

Being job ready means that you have a solid foundation in the basic functional skills required
by employers such as numeracy, information and communication technology (ICT) and
communication. You must always get to work and meetings on time and deliver tasks to
deadline as these are the qualities that employers expect of a reliable employee. Personal
qualities which contribute to a positive work environment are a must-have for individuals who
wish to progress and are also highly valued by bosses.

Potential new recruits at all levels need to improve their

interpersonal skills and must be able to work together
with other people.

Some people naturally have good interpersonal and social skills, while others learn and
develop these skills over time. In either case, it is possible to improve the way you interact and
engage with other people. It is important to develop team-working skills so you can work well
with others, build relationships and develop rapport in order to make sure you can get tasks
completed efficiently and on time.

I need people who can solve problems and make

decisions.

Dealing with challenges to achieve business goals are daily tasks in the modern workplace.
Understanding what the business is trying to achieve, finding reliable information, evaluating
the information for suitable solutions and choosing the most appropriate solution
for the situation are critical in the fast-moving modern workplace. People with
these skills are extremely desirable because they add value to the workplace. REVISION
on the go

It is clear that there is a wide range of employability skills that make a good employee and which are
applicable across a wide range of job roles. There are frequent reports of business leaders complaining
about the lack of key employment skills in school-leavers, graduates and prospective employees. The
employability skills that are most frequently desired by employers are shown in Table 1.

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 Chapter 1  What Employers are Looking for in Prospective Employees

Self-management skills
Effective self-management is a key life skill, which involves individuals monitoring, controlling
and directing aspects of work and work life for themselves.

Elements Important to employers because it…

• Punctuality Demonstrates dependability and reassures the

employer that you will do the job and do it well.
• Time management
• Planning and organising

• Self-confidence Demonstrates reliability and shows the employer that

they can trust you and the work you do.
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Reliability

• “Can-do” approach Demonstrates that you are motivated and have a real
interest in the job.
• Enthusiasm
• Commitment

• Good personal presentation Demonstrates that you can recognise, control

and adapt your emotional reactions and respond
• Coping with pressure
appropriately to the situation.
• Emotional intelligence

Problem-solving skills
Solving problems on a daily basis at work and in your personal life, means that you can
evaluate information or situations, consider various solutions and decide on an appropriate
resolution.

Elements Important to employers because it…

• Attention to detail Demonstrates that you have the right analytical and
creative skills to respond to workplace challenges,
• Negotiation
research and implement change and find a better way
• Decision-making of doing something.
• Analysis

• Initiative Demonstrates that you have the perseverance to get

a task done, without relying on other people to draw
• Achievement
appropriate conclusions.
• Drive

Working together
Working together with others requires that you can contribute positively to productive
relationships and work as a member of a team.

Elements Important to employers because it…

• Collaboration Demonstrates that you can work well with others to

get the job done.
• Co-operation
• Conflict resolution

6 © ABE
What Employers are Looking for in Prospective Employees Chapter 1

Elements Important to employers because it…

• Flexibility Demonstrates that you can make good connections

and develop positive relationships to get a task done.
• Responsiveness
• Involving others
• Equality and inclusion

• Taking responsibility and being Demonstrates that you are honest at all times and that
accountable you are willing to say what work you have completed
and why you have completed it in a particular way.
• Trustworthiness

Communication skills
The ability to get your message across clearly, to a diverse audience, so that everyone can
understand what is being communicated.

Elements Important to employers because it…

• Verbal communication Demonstrates you are able to work with other people
to complete work tasks. Excellent skills in reading,
• Non-verbal communication
writing, speaking and listening are essential for good
• Active listening communication in all areas of life.
• Giving and receiving feedback
• Presentation skills

Business skills
Developing skills to maintain and grow the business where you work improves your ability to
contribute to business success.

Elements Important to employers because it…

• Commercial awareness Demonstrates that you are able to understand how to

provide customers with high levels of service, and your
• Customer focus
part in delivering the organisation’s promises to the
• Service orientation customer.
• On-time delivery

Functional skills
Contributing to the effective execution of tasks requires that you have basic functional skills.

Elements Important to employers because it…

• Numeracy Demonstrates that you can operate independently and

effectively in the workplace.
• Language
• Communication
• ICT

Table 1: Employability skills that employers want in their workers REVISION

on the go

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 Chapter 1  What Employers are Looking for in Prospective Employees

Developing the right skills will contribute to your overall employability in the job market. Employers
will use the job interview to assess your job-specific and employability skills. You will improve your
chances of success if you can recognise the employability skills that are most important for the
job you are applying for and can communicate how your skills match those required during the
interview. If you have desirable employability skills it will increase the likelihood of you getting the
job that you want, staying in that job and progressing your career.

Self-
management

Problem
Functional
solving

Employability
skills

Working
Business
together

Communication

Figure 1: Employability skills that employers want REVISION

on the go

CASE STUDY
Demonstrating employability skills: working together
Karmaria was a member of her college drama
group. Each term, the group would work toward
putting on their own version of a play, ending the
term with a show for family and friends.

Situation
The group was working on a production of
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Each week they
would spend time developing their acting skills and
working towards the final show.

8 © ABE
What Employers are Looking for in Prospective Employees Chapter 1

A new member, Ravi, had just joined the drama group.

Task
Karmaria was asked by the drama leader to buddy with Ravi. The idea was to help Ravi to get to
know the rest of the group, make new friends and develop acting and storytelling skills for the
final show.

Activity
Karmaria made time outside the drama group to meet with, and talk to, Ravi. During
these discussions, Karmaria discovered that Ravi was keen on getting involved in the stage
management. Karmaria helped Ravi to connect with the Stage Management Team, which
enabled the new member to get involved in the stage lighting for the final performance.

Result
Ravi was given the role of assistant light technician and given responsibility for the equipment
for stage lighting. Kamaria helped Ravi to set up the lighting rig for the final performance and in
turn Ravi supported Kamaria in learning her lines for her role.

Employability skills demonstrated:

• Self-management: “can-do” approach
• Working together: co-operation, collaboration, involving others, inclusion, taking
responsibility, trustworthiness
• Communication skills: verbal and non-verbal communication, active listening.

OVER TO YOU
Activity 3: Demonstrating problem-solving skills

Think about an example where you have demonstrated problem-solving skills outside
the workplace. Use the structure in the case study and answer the questions outlined in
the STAR approach below:
• Situation: What were the circumstances?
• Task: What did you need to do?
• Activity: What did you do?
• Result: What happened as a result of what you did?

© ABE 9
 Chapter 1  What Employers are Looking for in Prospective Employees

1.2 Why employability skills are important

Some long-term trends have been identified as impacting employer recruitment activities.
These suggest that the way in which employers think about recruitment and selection has changed;
see Table 2.

Trends What does this mean for employability?

Information and communication technologies This means that effective communication skills
have transformed the way we work and the are highly desirable.
type of work available.

Competition and globalisation is changing the This means that employers are seeking
nature of employment and skills required. individuals with key transferable skills who can
adapt to a fast-moving business environment.

Demographic changes have increased the An ageing workforce means that people stay
number of people competing for jobs. employable for longer, resulting in fierce
competition for those seeking employment.
This means the job seeker must demonstrate
they have the required qualifications and
experience.

Table 2: Trends impacting on employer recruitment REVISION

on the go

For recruitment and selection

Although qualifications are important when searching for a job, employability skills help employers
distinguish between people with similar qualifications and/or experience during the recruitment
process. Employability skills are important because they provide you with the flexibility and
adaptability to respond to changes in the market place. You can also use employability skills in
future roles as they are transferable.

Employers don’t just value what people know:

they value what they can do.
Rod Bristow – President, UK and Core, Pearson

Having the qualifications and/or industry experience may mean you are eligible to apply for a
particular position, and that the employer will consider you as meeting the criteria for interview.
But you will need to demonstrate in your curriculum vitae (CV), application form and
interview that you have the necessary personal skills to carry out the work to the required level.
Employability skills are a key ingredient, which can determine whether or not the business
recruits you.

10 © ABE
What Employers are Looking for in Prospective Employees Chapter 1

Employers consider employability skills to be the key assets needed to close the gap between
qualifications and experience and the skills needed to succeed in the workplace.
Applicant 1

Applicant 2

Relevant
experience Employability
skills

Required Relevant
qualifications experience
Required
qualifications

Figure 2: Tipping the balance REVISION

on the go

Employability skills open up new opportunities for people to achieve employment, develop
their careers, improve their earning potential and make the move into more highly skilled work.

The key responsibility for a recruiting manager is getting the right people into the right job. They are
concerned about identifying individuals who can perform in the role and contribute to the success
of the organisation. Hard skills may indicate that you are able to do the job, but soft skills will
increase your chances of being hired by the employer who is seeking a more rounded candidate.

If you can clearly show that you have a good work ethic and are responsible, reliable, honest and
enthusiastic, this will make you an attractive prospective employee for any employer.

A prospective employer will notice the effectiveness of your communication at every stage of the
recruitment process, including the quality of your CV and covering letter, telephone exchanges and
face-to-face encounters.

OVER TO YOU
Activity 4: How do you compare?
Imagine someone who has similar qualifications and/or experience to you is competing for the
same job position that you are applying for and answer the following questions.

Would you be strongly placed to compete successfully?

© ABE 11
 Chapter 1  What Employers are Looking for in Prospective Employees

Why?

In role
Regardless of the job role you have or want to do, employers believe that behavioural and
interpersonal skills contribute to business success. A key result of the CBI/Pearson Education and
Skills Survey 2016 was that “employers don’t just value what people know: they value what they
can do.” The majority of employers emphasise employability skills as a key area of concern because
they believe that these skills contribute to business performance.

People and skills are the heart of our economic prosperity. Equipping
everyone with the right knowledge, skills and behaviours sets them up
for career success, and means businesses can seize new opportunities
that drive growth and productivity.
Josh Hardie – Deputy director-general, CBI

Employability skills contribute to driving innovation and productivity in the workplace. They ensure
individuals are ready for the jobs that need to be done today, as well as those jobs that will need to
be done in the future. For business managers this is a key concern for the long-term health of their
organisation.

Self-management skills and a “can-do” approach to work mean that the individual, team or
organisation can respond positively to the challenges that the organisation faces. Individuals will be
ready to play their part, contributing to new ideas and solving problems. They will collaborate with
others within the team to see those ideas realised.

12 © ABE
What Employers are Looking for in Prospective Employees Chapter 1

OVER TO YOU
Activity 5: Improving outcomes

Think about a challenging situation you’ve experienced and how you handled it. How
could employability skills have contributed to an improved outcome? Read the example
and write your answer in the space provided.

For example: Completing project work for college, I ended up with three deadlines due at
the same time and the work took more time to complete than I had allowed. This meant
that I was printing my project out at the last minute. When I came to print out my report,
the printer wasn’t working, which resulted in me struggling to hand my project in on time.
Organising my time properly and planning a schedule of work to be completed would have
meant that the broken printer would have been inconvenient, but not a disaster.

Future roles
Transferable skills are skills that you can develop in one job role and organisation which can also
be transferred to another job role or organisation. From an employer’s perspective, transferable
employability skills provide workforce flexibility.

NEED TO KNOW
The emphasis on transferable employability skills means that even if you have never had
a job, or you are seeking a job in a new field, you may already have many of the skills
needed for the new job role. From an employer’s perspective, this means that they
can be confident in giving someone a role if they have well-developed employability
skills, even if they have no direct experience. This increases the pool of people from
which they can recruit. REVISION
on the go

If you can identify and give examples of the transferable skills that you have developed,
this will help to persuade prospective employers that you are right for the job.

© ABE 13
 Chapter 1  What Employers are Looking for in Prospective Employees

CASE STUDY
A tale of four careers: from sales to people development manager
It is thought that most people will have at least
three different careers during their working life.
Transferable skills made it possible for Charles to
overcome a lack of direct experience in different
industries and roles, and to switch careers several
times. Note that the words shown below in bold
italics are the particular employability skills that
employers want and that helped Charles to further
his career.

Career 1: Sales
Charles began as a sales assistant working in a small local food manufacturer. As he gained
experience he got another role as a sales representative in a national fast-moving consumer
goods (FMCG) organisation. Commercial awareness and customer focus led to Charles being
promoted several times, before moving to a national soft drinks manufacturer as a National
Account Sales Manager.

Career 2: Training and development

Charles was recognised for his problem-solving, flexibility and ability to involve others, and
was promoted to a role on a business transformation project. As part of that role, he was asked
to train the commercial teams on the new system, and was quickly recognised for his excellent
communication skills. After the project ended, Charles chose to take redundancy and switched
career to learning and development.

Career 3: People and organisation development

Drawing on the business skills gained in his sales career as well as the problem-solving skills
developed in his training and development career, Charles realised that he could deliver
improved organisational performance through specialising in people and organisation
development (OD). The self-management, communication, problem-solving and commercial
awareness developed over his career gave him the confidence to work collaboratively with
others to deliver OD projects, while also developing his knowledge in the field.

Career 4: Academic
After several corporate roles Charles started his own consultancy business – drawing on all
the employability skills he had developed over his career as well as his expertise and technical
skills. As part of his self-employment, Charles chose to share his subject expertise by teaching
at a local university. After 12 months working as a visiting lecturer, Charles was invited to
become the programme leader of the MA in Human Resource Management, bringing much
needed commercial awareness, problem solving and the ability to work together to improve
relationships with the local business community.

14 © ABE
What Employers are Looking for in Prospective Employees Chapter 1

OVER TO YOU
Activity 6: How do you compare?

Research two different job roles and consider how your transferable employability skills
match the key skills required for the different roles.

For example: Supply Chain Manager – negotiation, analysis, commercial awareness, on-time
delivery, planning and organising, coping with pressure and attention to detail.

In role:
Behavioural and
interpersonal skills
contribute to
business success

Recruitment and
Future roles:
selection: Distinguishes
Transferable skills
between people with
provide workforce
similar qualifications
flexibility
and experience
Why employability
skills are important
to employers

Figure 3: Why employability skills are important to employers REVISION

on the go

© ABE 15
Chapter 2
What I Have to Offer

Introduction
The first chapter identified and explained a range of employability skills that are common in many
jobs. This chapter now focuses on your personal skills through a realistic assessment of your own
strengths, areas for development and personal preferences. It means you must understand your
own capabilities and provide examples that show successful implementation of those capabilities.
This will help with future job applications and interviews, as well as highlighting any skills “gaps”
and opportunities for personal development.

Learning outcomes
On completing the chapter, you will be able to:
1 Assess your own skillset in terms of employability and provide examples to support your
strengths, preferences and areas of development

Assessment criteria
1 Assess your own skillset in terms of employability and provide examples to support your
strengths, preferences and areas of development
1.1 Identify your own skillset in terms of employability and provide examples to support your
strengths and personal preferences
1.2 Carry out a “gap analysis” between your current set of employability skills and what is
required for specific employment positions

© ABE
 ABE Level 2 Award in
Employability Skills – Making
the Move to Work

Background
Each person has their own unique talents, strengths and skills which can help him or her to be
a success in different job roles and contexts. Cristiano Ronaldo’s skillset may be outstanding on
the football field, but his ability to kick a football means he is unlikely to add much value to an
engineering company seeking technical engineering skills.

Understanding your skillset, talents and capabilities will help you to think clearly about what you
have to offer to potential employers. This will enable you to state clearly what you have to offer in
your CV and application letter and then later face-to-face in an interview situation.

By analysing what you have to offer now, and the job you would like, you can examine the gap and
take steps to develop yourself and your skillset. This will help you to make sure you can offer what
potential employers are looking for, and that you can meet your goals.

OVER TO YOU
Activity 1: What roles do you currently play?
If you are looking to make the move to work you may think you don’t have an active skillset. But
like an actor, you still have different roles that demand different things of you.

Write down five roles you have played in your life, e.g. parent, friend, team member.

© ABE 17
 Chapter 2  What I Have to Offer

What skills and activities are associated with playing these different roles?

Write down the kinds of skills and activities that you would like to continue with.

2.1 Assess your own skillset

It is possible to believe that you don’t have a skillset because the acquisition of knowledge and
skills occurs throughout life and is unplanned, but this is not the case. Although it is important to
develop and learn the skills and knowledge for the job you want to do, it is also important to have
self-awareness about the knowledge and skills that you already have. Conducting an audit of your
existing skills, and assessing how well you do them, will provide a starting point for your move into
work. It will help you to appreciate your strengths and give you confidence when communicating
with potential employers about what you can offer.

Identifying personal preferences

Many of us can find it difficult to describe what their strengths are. Too often, people focus on what
they are not good at. They will say: “I’m not a people person” or “I’m afraid to speak in public”,
but they forget to focus on their strengths.

18 © ABE
What I Have to Offer Chapter 2

NEED TO KNOW
To find out what your personal strengths and preferences are, consider the following factors:

Effectiveness What are you doing when you feel like you are at your best?

Enjoyable What activities do you actively look forward to and want to do?

Interest What activities make you feel like you want to know more and where
you can focus on what you are learning?

Fulfilling What activities make you feel satisfied and like the real you?
REVISION
on the go

OVER TO YOU
Activity 2: Like and dislike

• Consider the tasks that you have done over the last month. Divide the activities into
“liked” and “disliked” and write them in the corresponding column – make sure you
focus on the things you do, not the things people do to you. We will refer to this
exercise later.

Liked Disliked

Baseline employability skills

You should now be starting to think about the range of skills that have been developed in your life,
work and education experiences. There will be some skills that you feel more confident about and
others that you feel you may lack or need to strengthen. An audit of your transferable skills will help
you to establish a baseline for your employability skills.

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 Chapter 2  What I Have to Offer

OVER TO YOU
Activity 3: Employability skills audit

• Complete the employability skills audit below by ticking the boxes. Identify
whether you believe that you are inexperienced, a beginner, intermediate or
experienced in each skill area.
Employability
skill area: Self- Inexperienced Beginner Intermediate Experienced
management
Punctuality
Time management
Planning and
organising
Self-confidence
Honesty and
integrity
Reliability
“Can-do” approach
Enthusiasm
Commitment
Good personal
presentation
Coping with
pressure
Emotional
intelligence
(understanding
yourself)

Employability
skill area: Inexperienced Beginner Intermediate Experienced
Problem-solving
Attention to detail
Negotiation
Decision-making
Initiative
Drive
Analysis

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Employability
skill area: Inexperienced Beginner Intermediate Experienced
Working together

Collaboration

Co-operation

Flexibility

Responsiveness

Involving others

Equality and
inclusion

Taking
responsibility and
being accountable

Trustworthiness

Conflict resolution

Employability
skill area:
Inexperienced Beginner Intermediate Experienced
Communication
skills

Verbal
communication

Non-verbal
communication

Active listening

Giving and
receiving feedback

Presentation skills

Employability
skill area: Inexperienced Beginner Intermediate Experienced
Business skills

Commercial
awareness

Customer focus

Service orientation

On-time delivery

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 Chapter 2  What I Have to Offer

Employability
skill area: Inexperienced Beginner Intermediate Experienced
Functional skills

Numeracy

Language

Communication

ICT

Analyse current skillset

It is important to be realistic in your assessment when doing an audit. This includes not devaluing
your skillset and strengths because you lack confidence. You could discount yourself from work
opportunities that you are interested in because you don’t believe you have the skills to do it.
Be aware of this: it is usually their transferable skills that people undersell. Sometimes, it is worth
asking relatives, friends and colleagues for feedback about your skills. This may help you to be
more objective when completing your audit.

It may also be useful to compare the areas you highlighted as “Experienced” in the Employability
skills areas with the activities and tasks you said you liked in Activity 2. It will highlight how you use
these skills to get things done, and should get you thinking about how your areas of skill strength
link to your preferences.

OVER TO YOU
Activity 4: What can you offer?

Research the skill requirements of different job roles. Consider yourself as an individual
and what you can offer to an employer:
• Research job roles on the internet.
• W
 rite down the key skills, gifts and qualities that you think you can offer in relation to
those roles.

Identify what it is that the other people should know about you in order to get the best
from you when working in those roles.

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What I Have to Offer Chapter 2

The components of a skillset analysis are:

Skills you are interested Previous experience
in developing of using your skills

Identifying your
skill level

What can I do?

What would I
like to be able What do I like
to do? doing?

Figure 4: Analysing your skillset REVISION

on the go

Areas for development

The skills audit can be used to highlight those areas that you want to develop for making the move
into work. These areas for development will include skills that you have an interest in and, if you
successfully develop them, may contribute to achieving your career aspirations.

OVER TO YOU
Activity 5: Skills audit areas for development

Think about the employability skill category descriptions described in 1.1 Employability
skills desired by employers and compare with the areas identified as Inexperienced,
Beginner, Intermediate or Experienced Level in Activity 3.
• Write down which particular skills you would like to develop further in the table.
Skill area Particular skill you would like to develop
For example: Communication skills Being confident giving a presentation

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 Chapter 2  What I Have to Offer

Skills for specific positions

As you increase your self-awareness of what skillset you have, you may have begun to expand your
thinking as to what kind of work you might like to do. It is worthwhile putting your skillset into
context, and considering the qualities and skills required for specific employment positions.

OVER TO YOU
Activity 6: Skillsets for specific job positions

Research the skill requirements for a job that you would like to do.
• What would you like to do? Write down the job areas you would like to work in.
• What skills might you need? Research the skills required for the job area you have
identified.

For example: Community Arts Worker – creativity, the ability to generate new ideas,
communication skills, project management, and planning and organising.

2.2 Gap analysis

A gap analysis provides you with the information you need to put together your personal
development plan. It examines the gap between your personal skills, strengths and preferences
and those required for specific job roles.

NEED TO KNOW
A gap analysis involves examining the difference between your personal baseline
of employability skills, as covered in section 2.1, and what is required for specific
employment positions. REVISION
on the go

The process of gap analysis is designed to help you find out what skills gaps you have.
It provides the basis for you to develop a plan to close those gaps to make sure you have the
necessary skillset you need for a job role you want.

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What I Have to Offer Chapter 2

The gap analysis involves four steps:

Step 1: Step 3: Step 4:

Step 2:
Analyse current Identify gaps and create Review your goals
Identify your goal
skillset a development plan and your plan

Figure 5: Gap analysis process REVISION

on the go

Step 1: Analyse your current skillset

OVER TO YOU
Activity 7: Personal SWOT analysis

To help organise your thinking for the gap analysis, capture your thoughts from the previous
activities in a personal SWOT Analysis.
• Strengths – What are your preferences and areas of strength?
• Weaknesses – What are your areas of weakness and skills that require development?
• Opportunities – What job roles are of interest to you?
• Threats – What barriers are there (skills and education) to you making the move into the job
roles that interest you?

Strengths Weaknesses
For example: Very organised For example: Numeracy

Opportunities Threats
For example: Working with people, especially For example: Confidence in communicating
in retail, specifically fashion clearly what I mean

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 Chapter 2  What I Have to Offer

Step 2: Identify your goal

The second step of the skills gap analysis process involves identifying what work you would like to
move into. Review your current skillset and preferences and consider what sort of roles you might
be suitable for and that appeal to you.

At this stage don’t dismiss possible prospective jobs just because you don’t “tick all the boxes”.
Think about what you would like to do. Identify the skills that you need to develop to apply for
that role.

You should also think about your short-term and long-term career aspirations. There might be
several steps required to get to the job you really want in the long term. When you understand
what you really want to do, you can research different career paths to get to your ultimate goals.

It may help to review your thoughts with a careers service, or someone in your network who may
already be doing the job you are interested in. Take time to research different options.

CASE STUDY
Researching career options: Mohammed identifies his career goal
Mohammed wasn’t sure what career he wanted. He knew that he
was interested in business, having previously worked in his family
business, but he wasn’t sure what type of business he wanted to
work in, or what type of work he wanted to do in business. There
just seemed to be too many options.
Mohammed discussed his options with his careers adviser at college
and developed a plan for researching different career options. So he:
• approached his network, friends and family to discuss potential
careers;
• took an online career assessment test;
• researched different careers online;
• visited a careers fair and discussed options with different exhibitors.

Following his research, Mohammed identified that he was interested in following a career
in logistics and supply chain management. This played to his strengths as he was a natural
organiser and was interested in both operations and the technical aspects of supply chains
within businesses.

OVER TO YOU
Activity 8: Research possible careers

• Research possible jobs and career paths.

• Collect as much information as you can about the skills that are relevant to your
desired sector, job or career. Make some notes in the space provided.
• If possible, also gather information about the descriptors for each of the skills and
write them in the box.

26 © ABE
What I Have to Offer Chapter 2

For example: Review Career Assessment Tools & Test at [Link]

quintessential/career-assessment

Step 3: Identify gaps and create a development plan

Once you have established a goal, and researched the skillset you will need for that job, you should
highlight the gap between the skills you have now and the skills you need for your desired job goal.

There might be a number of areas that require development, so you may need to set priorities as
to which personal development needs you will address first. If you have too many development needs
at once it is difficult to maintain motivation. Keep to around three development areas at any one time.

OVER TO YOU
Activity 9: Identify the gaps

Go through the descriptors for your desired job from Activity 8 and write down
your present level for each of the skills: Inexperienced, Beginner, Intermediate or
Experienced.
It may be useful to review your responses in Activity 3 to help you to identify the gaps.

For example: Accounting Skills – Beginner.

Your personal action plan should include various strategies for closing the gap between your
current skill level and the skillset required for your desired role. In order to develop your skills, and
enhance your experience, you could try to do some of the following.
• Volunteering: unpaid work for an organisation, working in the job you would like to do.
• Work shadowing: similar to work experience, but learning about a job by spending the day with
a person already in post; temporary and unpaid.
• Work placements: formalised placement in a workplace offering the opportunity for you to spend
time carrying out duties and tasks in a particular role over an agreed period. This is usually unpaid.
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 Chapter 2  What I Have to Offer

• Work experience: unpaid opportunity to work in a specific role to experience what it is like to
work in that field.
• Part-time or full-time work: paid employment.

There are various strategies you can adopt to develop skills and enhance your experience:

Volunteering

Part or full-time Work

work shadowing

Strategies to
close the gap

Work Work
experience placements

Figure 6: Opportunities to develop skills REVISION

on the go

Developing an action plan, or a personal development plan, is not something that is relevant
just for gap analysis. As we have identified in the trends in the labour market, the world of work
is constantly changing. As such, the skills that employers are looking for are constantly changing
too. Therefore, in order to keep your skillset up to date it is important that personal development
planning is something you do throughout your working life. Lifelong learning is important for
individuals at any level in an organisation.

There are plenty of tools available online to support personal development planning. However,
Activity 10 provides a simple template for you to use.

OVER TO YOU
Activity 10: Personal development planning

• Complete a personal development plan to close the gap between your current skillset
and your desired job goal.
• Consider the different opportunities to develop your skills, detailed on page 27.
• You should also consider training programmes and webinars that might assist you to
develop your skills.

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My goal:
What skill are you How? What action What resource or When are you going to
going to develop? will you take? support do you do it?
What do you want to need?
be able to do?
Write concise and • Review online • Colleague support Throughout the next
effective emails. sources on • Manager support month.
effective writing.
• Practise writing
emails to
colleagues.
• Seek feedback
from colleagues
on my emails.

Step 4: Review your goals and your plan

The final part of your gap analysis process is to review and monitor the plan. This requires that you
track your progress against your plan. First, you must monitor whether you are completing your
action plan objectives. Secondly, you should assess whether your skills are improving and check that
the gap between your skillset and the goal is reducing.

When you reach your target, remove that objective from your action plan, and add the next
objective for you to develop.

Work and careers are a large part of our lives. Therefore, as much as possible, you should seek to
shape your career rather than allowing your career happen to you.

This requires a mind-set of ongoing development. This may seem alarming when you are making
the move into work. However, learning how to plan development, and getting into the habit of
planning your development, will give you every chance of enjoying the career, or careers, you want.

Lifelong learning is the self-motivated pursuit of the development of new knowledge and skills not
just for professional reasons, but because you are motivated to learn new things.

Finally, don’t forget to celebrate your progress. Take time to enjoy and reward yourself as you meet
your goals and plan objectives. This will help you to stay motivated and to continue to develop your
skillset.

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Chapter 3
Presenting What I Have
to Offer

Introduction
Despite having good qualifications and technical skills, many job applicants often fail to demonstrate
their full potential to future employers during the recruitment process and, as a result, may not get
the role they are seeking. This chapter builds on the previous two chapters by taking you through
a generic job application process and preparing you for each step. This includes developing a
personal profile and professional curriculum vitae, as well as helping to prepare for a job interview.

Learning outcomes
On completing the chapter, you will be able to:
1 Complete a job application and prepare for an interview based on your skillset

Assessment criteria
1 Complete a job application and prepare for an interview based on your skillset
1.1 Use your skillset to complete job applications
1.2 Use your skillset effectively for pre-interview screening and to prepare for interviews

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 ABE Level 2 Award in
Employability Skills – Making
the Move to Work

Background
When making the move into work, the idea of getting involved in job applications and interviews
can sometimes feel overwhelming. You may also feel worried about the prospect of potentially
dealing with rejection.

Most people, regardless of the job position they are applying for, feel the same way. We all want to
be engaging and memorable – for the right reasons – and to be wanted; rejection is never pleasant.
However, thinking carefully about our experience when we are unsuccessful in a job application can
help us to identify areas that need to be improved when applying for the next job role.

If you have completed the activities in the previous chapters you will have a good understanding
of what skills you have to offer an employer. Remember, if you lack confidence in what you have to
offer, then why would a recruiter have confidence in you?

Some jobs require you to fill out an application form, which is the recruiter’s own template that
job seekers are required to complete. Application forms typically cover the same information as
a curriculum vitae (CV); including previous work experience, education and contact details. You
should complete an application form if asked to by the employer.

There are three golden rules when presenting what you have to offer:
1 Check and check again for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Simple mistakes make
you look careless, and create a bad impression.
2 Ensure your presentation is clear and uncluttered. Today, most application forms are
electronic, but if you do have to handwrite an application form, write neatly. Make your CV and
application letter easy to read.
3 Do not lie. If you secure a job by lying, it is highly likely you will lose your job because you did
not tell the truth in your application. Lying about qualifications and grades is a serious offence
and could have far-reaching consequences, such as a prison sentence for grade fraud.

Remember, securing a job isn’t about luck but persistence. By applying for as many suitable jobs as
possible, you increase your chances of getting interviews. The more interviews you have, the better
you get at interviewing. The result will be an improved chance of getting a job offer. Continued
effort will result in success.

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CASE STUDY
An author’s tale: If at first you don’t succeed…
You might read this study guide and think, how can this author be so
sure that continued effort will result in success?
Around ten years ago I was made redundant. I’m a graduate, with
plenty of qualifications, years of experience, and well-developed
transferable and technical skills. It would be easy to think that I could
walk into a job of my choosing. My previous job-hunting experiences
had been easy. I would send out a few job applications and then start a
new job within weeks of starting a job search.
This time, however, in a job search that took 11 months, I submitted over 800 job applications.
Some were speculative applications; others were for advertised roles. I also did a part-time
interim role for six-months to gain experience in the specific role that I wanted.
At one point I was told by a recruiter to stop applying because I would “never get a job” in the
field I was interested in. It was disheartening and at times I did wonder whether I would ever
get a job. But I decided to approach the job search in an organised and systematic way as if it
was my full-time job.
Finally, I got two job offers in the same week, and landed the job I wanted. My continued effort
meant that, eventually, I could prove that recruiter wrong.

OVER TO YOU
Activity 1: Why do you want to make the move into work?

Until you start applying for jobs you don’t know how long it will take you to find the job
you want. Write below all the reasons why you are seeking to make the move into work
so that, if and when you need some more motivation, you can remind yourself of all the
reasons why you started in the first place.

For example: Earn enough to get my own place.

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NEED TO KNOW
When applying for jobs, be persistent, check your application carefully, keep your
presentation clear and always tell the truth about your qualifications and
experience! REVISION
on the go

3.1 Complete a job application

Developing a personal profile statement
The personal profile is an opportunity to introduce who you are and what you can offer to a
potential employer. Often personal profiles lose their purpose, which is to make a statement about
who you are and what makes you different from competing candidates. It can be used in your
curriculum vitae (CV) but also on professional social media sites such as LinkedIn.

Like all elements associated with completing your job application, the personal profile must be
authentic while matching to the job you are hoping to get. The best format for a personal profile
is to develop a short paragraph of approximately four sentences. The profile is deliberately short
because you don’t want to bore the potential employer. At the same time you want to interest the
potential employer to read more. Table 3 shows some of the qualities and characteristics you may
want to describe.

What are your qualities and characteristics?

Adaptable Fearless Kind Positive

Analytical Friendly Level-headed Reliable

Assertive Frank Logical Resilient

Committed Genuine Loyal Resourceful

Conscientious Generous Mature Self-confident

Creative Genial Methodical Self-motivated

Decisive Helpful Measured Sincere

Dependable Honest Objective Thorough

Diplomatic Innovative Observant Tenacious

Entrepreneurial Interested Open-minded Tolerant

Enthusiastic Independent Personable Understanding

Experienced Keen Persuasive Versatile

Table 3: List of personal qualities and characteristics REVISION

on the go

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 Chapter 3  Presenting What I Have to Offer

OVER TO YOU
Activity 2: Developing a personal profile

Write a personal brand profile for yourself. Use the qualities and characteristics
identified in Table 3 to help you complete this.

For example: A highly motivated and committed individual, I have a positive attitude and
a keen interest in science. Known for my logical and methodical approach to work, I am
seeking an apprenticeship as a laboratory technician. I have an enquiring mind and I am
looking for the right opportunity to use my practical and technical skills to help carry out
tests, research and investigations.

Describe your essential qualities and characteristics in three or four words. “A [quality]
and [quality] individual, I have [quality] and [quality].”

A ________________________ and _______________________ individual, I have

___________________ and _______________________.

What do other people recognise as one of my core skills? – “Known for…”

Known for…

What are you looking for – “I am seeking…”

I am seeking…

What opportunity are you looking for? “I am looking for the right opportunity to…”

I am looking for the right opportunity to…

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Developing a curriculum vitae

A curriculum vitae (CV) or résumé outlines your skills and professional experience. It should help
you demonstrate to a potential employer that you meet the requirements for the position you are
applying for.

NEED TO KNOW

Curriculum vitae Résumé

Detailed document outlining education, Concise summary of your curriculum

qualifications, experience and achievements. vitae focusing on specifics relating to the
employment opportunity.

Expected to be used in the UK, Ireland, Frequently used in the USA and Canada.
Europe, the Middle East, Africa or Asia.
Also used in the USA in academia and
medicine.

Typically two pages. Typically one page.

Table 4: The difference between a curriculum vitae and résumé REVISION

on the go

The terms curriculum vitae and résumé are interchangeable in other English-speaking
countries, such as Australia, and also in India.

The important thing to remember about a CV is that it is a marketing document, where the
brand you are marketing is yourself! It needs to be written to “sell” your skills, qualifications and
experience to potential employers. You should use a CV when applying for a position where an
application form is not being used or when sending in a speculative application for a vacancy
that has not been advertised.

NEED TO KNOW
There are many templates available for writing your CV online, and there is not a single
correct format. How you choose to structure your CV, and what you include, will
depend on how you want to market yourself. However, unless you are applying for
a creative job, adopting a gimmicky approach might not be appropriate. REVISION
on the go

When writing and reviewing your CV, put yourself in the shoes of an employer and think
about what impression your CV will be making about you as a potential employee.

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What the employer wants to know

Who are you? How can I contact you if I want to
interview you?

Personal details: name, address, telephone and

email.

A CV gives facts that could be about anyone:

can you tell me something about yourself that
lets me know about you as a person?

Personal profile: a brief personal summary to

help you stand apart from the competition.

What can you do?

Key skills: highlight your employability skills and technical skills which are of relevance to the
job you are applying for.

What have you done? What experience do you have that is relevant to the job you are
applying for?

Work experience: highlight your key achievements on what you have done in previous roles,
and the end results achieved. Use accomplishment statements that are constructed so
they begin with a strong action verb and then capture the result of that action in terms of
an outcome. For example: I developed and implemented a process that ensured all clients
received their documents within three hours of a request being made.

What do you know? What qualifies you to do this job?

Education and qualifications: include qualifications by title, where you studied

and the grade you achieved. Start your list with the most recent first and any
qualifications you are currently studying should have an anticipated
completion date. REVISION
on the go

Buzzwords
For each accomplishment statement describing your key achievements in a role, it is recommended
that you use buzzwords, which include strong action verbs which express your skills in regards to
actions you have taken.

It is also recommended that you research specific buzzwords that are relevant to the
industry and/or role you wish to apply for. This has several benefits.
• If you use words in your CV that are in the job role advertisement or description your application
will, in the mind of the recruiter, match what they are looking for.
• If you register your CV with an online job board then the key industry terms will be found when
recruiters search the CV library.

36 © ABE
Presenting What I Have to Offer  Chapter 3

CASE STUDY
Sabhir creates a buzz: seeking out a marketing role
Sabhir was applying for a role in marketing but was
struggling to get any interviews. He decided to review
his CV and change his employment history to include
statements of achievement.

Current CV

Work history

• 2014 to Present Marketing Assistant ABC Design Ltd.

• 2010 to 2013 Marketing Admin Viva Designs

• 2007 to 2010 Student University of Glasgow

• 2008 to 2010 Cleaner The Royal Hotel

Tips
• For each position include: the name of the organisation, month/year of start and end dates,
job title and main accomplishments in the role.

• Remove irrelevant experience.

Revised CV

Work experience

ABC Design Ltd, Abingdon Feb 2014 – Present

Marketing Assistant

• Facilitated the launch of new products for key B2B clients, generating £50K in sales –
2670 units – within 3 months of launch through the marketing campaign.

• Delivered 39% brand awareness following the implementation of a new marketing plan.

• Organised multichannel integrated campaign plans, resulting in a 24% upturn in client

revenue.

Viva Designs, Oxford July 2010 – Dec 2013

Marketing Administrator

• Assisted marketing manager with the delivery of marketing strategy to launch a client’s new
product, which resulted in the most successful launch in the client’s history.

• Completed monthly summary reports detailing major client revenues, market share, product
positioning and channel development.

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 Chapter 3  Presenting What I Have to Offer

OVER TO YOU
Activity 3: Develop your CV

Develop your CV by refining your personal profile from Activity 2. Use the following
section headings:
• Personal details • Work experience
• Personal profile • Education and qualifications
• Key skills

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Looking for jobs

Knowing how to search for jobs efficiently is a skill in itself. There are lots of different places where
you can look for jobs. They include those shown in Table 5.

Online Look at job sites to find relevant vacancies. Also look at LinkedIn Jobs. Post
your CV online, so recruiters can find you.
Newspapers Read the jobs pages in local newspapers and job supplements in national
newspapers.
Journals Review the job vacancy section in journals relevant to your specific sector.
If you aren’t sure of the journal for your industry, research this in your local
library or online.
Agencies Sign up with recruitment agencies relevant to the sector you are targeting.
Meet recruitment agents to discuss your job aspirations and ask to be kept
up to date with any positions that come up.
Job centres Get job-hunting support, review the vacancies of local employers and identify
employers in the local area that you could target speculatively.
Noticeboards Employers advertise on college and university noticeboards. Take time to
scan the noticeboards to see if there is anything relevant.
Websites Identify organisations you are interested in working for and visit their websites.
Review the current vacancies and information relating to careers. You could
also identify those organisations that you could target speculatively.

Table 5: Where to look for jobs REVISION

on the go

Where to find jobs

Online

Organisation
Journals
websites

Looking for
jobs
Recruitment
Noticeboards agencies

Job centres Newspapers

Figure 7: Looking for jobs REVISION

on the go
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 Chapter 3  Presenting What I Have to Offer

Conducting desk research

The good news is that a lot of your job search can be done without leaving your desk. Desk
research uses secondary data to find out information about specific organisations. This information
can be found in your local library, online or through your personal contacts who may work for the
organisation already.

Develop a personal action plan

You should develop a personal action plan to search and apply for relevant vacancies. Without a
plan, your goal of making the move to work may stay just a dream.

An action plan consists of identifying what actions you need to take in order to achieve your goal.
These actions need to be SMART, as shown in Table 6.

Specific What action are you going to take?

Measurable How do you know when you have achieved the specific action?
Achievable Is the action something within your control and which you can do? If not,
revise the action.
Relevant Will the actions you are proposing help you to achieve your goal?
Timed When exactly will you have completed the actions you have stated?

Table 6: SMART actions REVISION

on the go

Your personal action plan will help you to keep a focus on your job search. Maintaining
motivation can be difficult and detailing the SMART actions you will take will help you to continue
with your efforts.

Screen for and apply for jobs

Chapter 2 helped you to identify the skillset that you have to offer an employer. After you have
researched suitable potential vacancies, you can start to look in detail at the skills required for each
job. Match your skillset to specific job opportunities in order to screen for and apply for jobs.

OVER TO YOU
Activity 4: Occupations that match your skills

Refer to section 2.1 to review the assessment of your skills. Write down five job
vacancies that you have found which are a good fit with your skills.
Job vacancy skills requirements My skillset
For example: School Administrator
Carry out filing. Self-management – planning and organising
Deal with school post and emails ensuring that Business skills – on-time delivery
both are delivered to the correct personnel. Self-management – honesty and integrity
Keep and update records as required and to
maintain absolute confidentiality of staff and
pupil records.

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 Chapter 3  Presenting What I Have to Offer

Job applications
Your job application is an opportunity to demonstrate to employers that you are the right candidate
for the role. The purpose of the job application is to create enough interest to make the recruiter
shortlist you for an interview.

Application letters and/or covering emails

The application letter or email is just as important as your CV. A poor letter is likely to mean that
your carefully crafted CV will never even be read. A good letter will make the recruiter want to find
out more about you, and highlight what an attractive candidate you are for the position. The three
key features of a well-written covering letter/email are that:
• it is tailored to the job you are applying for;
• you can demonstrate that you understand the post that is being advertised;
• it uses clear language and is presented neatly and professionally.

What every covering letter needs

Who are you? How can I contact you if I want to
interview you?
Your details: Your name and postal address, in the
top right hand corner.
Who is this letter for?
Addressee details: Title (Mr/Ms/Mrs/Miss)
name, job title and address of the person you
are sending the letter to. In emails, full postal
addresses are not required. If you don’t know the person’s name then write Dear Sir/Madam.
What job are you applying for?
Job details: Include a job reference number, and/or a given job title.
How should you begin the letter?
Introduction: Open your letter. For example: Please find enclosed my CV in application for
the job of [insert job title], advertised in/on [publication or website]. I believe that I have the
required skills and experience, and that my experience in [outline experience] and my ability to
[outline key skill] make me the ideal candidate for this post.
Why are you suitable for this job?
Develop a suitability statement: Structure the main section of the covering letter around the
job description. Describe what experience and skills you have that make you suitable for the
job. Use examples and be specific on your role in achieving a desired outcome. You should
include your personal profile statement within your suitability statement.
How will you close the letter to leave a lasting impression?
Closing: As well as wrapping up what you have said, it is important that the close of your
letter will prompt the recruiter to take action. For example: “I hope this satisfies you that
I have the necessary skills and experience for the role of [insert position title].
I look forward to hearing from you.” REVISION
on the go

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When you’ve finished drafting your covering letter/email, review it carefully. It is worth asking
someone else to check it for you. A spellcheck won’t highlight all mistakes, for example the use of
there and their. Check that you are sending the letter in the correct format, and that it will arrive
before the deadline. When you are satisfied, send the letter/email.

OVER TO YOU
Activity 5: Draft a covering letter

Develop a covering letter and remember to include:

• Your details • Introduction
• Addressee details • Suitability statement
• Job details • Closing

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3.2 Preparing for interviews

Congratulations, you have been invited to interview for a new job. All that hard work has paid off.
However, don’t stop now. You still need to prepare to make the best impression you can at the
interview stage.

Remember that interviews are a two-way process. Not only is the organisation finding out if you
are suitable for the role, but you also need to prepare to find out whether the role and organisation
are right for you.

Pre-interview screening
Pre-interview screening tests may be used for some jobs. These are designed to help recruiters
filter out unsuitable applicants before scheduling interviews. There are two main types:

Personality tests assess your traits to predict the likelihood of you performing your job in a
certain way.

Aptitude tests test your ability to do specific job tasks in different situations. These tests are
more widely used. Test types include: numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, logical reasoning,
general ability, mechanical reasoning and spatial awareness. For example, if you are applying for
a job in design or engineering, you might be asked to complete a spatial awareness test which
assesses your ability to mentally manipulate images.

Practising to take these tests will help you become familiar with the types of questions being asked
and comfortable with the format of such tests.

OVER TO YOU
Activity 6: Have a go

Search for aptitude and personality practice tests online and try a few practice tests.
Make a note of any websites you find so you can come back and try again at a later date.
For example: [Link] or [Link]/Free-
[Link]

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Assessment centres and competency tests

You might be asked to complete your aptitude or personality test at an assessment centre.
Assessment centres are also used by recruiters to observe how candidates perform in a variety of
situations that simulate real-work situations. Depending on the job, they may include group work,
presentations and interviews. These activities are used so recruiters can test the skills associated
with the role that you are applying for. The specific competencies that you will be tested against will
be available in the person specification or job description of the position you applied for. It is also
worth noting that interviews may be competency based and can be used to explore specific skills
against a pre-determined set of criteria.

You will be asked to provide examples of where you have displayed a competency before. For
example, you may be asked to describe a situation where you have had to respond to pressure and
stress to demonstrate the competency of resilience. The STAR outline, used in Activity 3, can be
used to help you prepare for such questions.

There are several different methods that recruiters use in the selection process, including:

In-tray exercises Presentations

Group Assessment
Interviews
exercises centres

Selection
methods

Competency
based Aptitude tests
interviews

Pre-screening
Job interviews
tests

Personality
tests
Telephone
Presentations
interviews

Figure 8: Selection methods REVISION

on the go

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Preparing for interviews

The recruiter will assume that if you have applied for a job then you are interested in the
organisation. It will not go down well if, in the interview, you have no knowledge of what it is the
organisation does, its products, services or any current developments. Find out as much as you can
about the company by doing further desk research.

Possible sources of information include those shown in Table 7.

Organisation website Look for information about the organisation such as vision,
objectives and company values.
Company information Organisations often have a lot of information in the public domain,
especially if they are large PLCs. Search online for press releases,
marketing campaign information and any news reports on the
organisation.
Information pack/ You may have been sent an information pack as part of the
application documents recruitment process. If possible find out how the position you have
applied for fits into the organisation.
Friends, family and If you know someone who works at the organisation, try to find out
professional contacts some inside information to help with the interview process.

Table 7: Sources of information REVISION

on the go

Preparing a job interview plan

The old motto “fail to prepare, prepare to fail”, is probably more fitting for job interviews than at
any other point in your job search. It is important that you develop a clear interview plan, including a
set of tasks to complete and questions to ask. Your plan should include the details shown in Table 8.

Area How Why

Knowledge of the position Reviewing the personal You need to be clear about
specification and job what the position involves
description. and how your skillset
matches the requirements.
Questions about the From your desk research Interviews are a two-way
organisation develop a list of questions process. You need to ask
about the organisation, questions too.
the work, the team you
are working with and
the manager you will be
reporting to.
Standard interview questions Prepare for standard You don’t want to sound
introductory interview scripted, but it will give you
questions, such as “Tell me confidence if you are able
about your current job” to answer the introductory
and “Explain why you have questions well.
applied for this job”.

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Area How Why

Competency interview Prepare examples of where Again, you don’t need to
questions (if relevant) you have demonstrated write a script but you will be
the required competencies, able to articulate how your
describing the situation in skills match the requirements
one or two sentences or less. for the job.
Interview day plan Plan your travel Planning for the day will
arrangements, what you are ensure that you turn up to
going to wear and what you the interview unflustered,
will take with you. Know who calm and professional.
you are meeting, as well as
where you are meeting them
and when.

Table 8: Developing an interview plan REVISION

on the go

OVER TO YOU
Activity 7: Develop your interview plan

Develop an interview plan for your upcoming interview.

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 Glossary  

Glossary
Accomplishment statement A bullet Hard skills Specific teachable skills that can
statement highlighting an achievement and be defined and measured.
describing actions you took in a particular role.
Interpersonal skills Skills used to interact
Application form A form to be filled out with other people in order to get the job done.
when applying for a job.
Lifelong learning Formal and informal
Aptitude test A test to help determine a learning opportunities to continuously develop
person’s ability, skills or knowledge. knowledge and skills need for employment and
personal development throughout your life.
Audit A formal, systematic review of your
skills. Personal development plan An action
plan based upon goal-setting and planning
Behavioural skills Skills used to interact
for personal development for the purposes of
with others in the workplace to be successful
career improvement.
in a job.
Curriculum vitae (CV) An account of your Personal profile A personal summary at the
start of your CV to introduce who you are to a
education, qualifications and work history to be
potential employer.
sent with a job application.
Emotional intelligence The ability to Personality test Questionnaire designed to
reveal character or personality of an individual.
identify and manage your own emotions and
those of others, including emotional awareness Résumé A summary of a person’s education,
and the ability to control and apply your qualifications and work history.
emotions to tasks like problem solving.
Soft skills Interpersonal attributes that help
Employability Doing work which is you to interact effectively with other people.
recognised as adding value, enhancing your
Speculative application An application for
ability to find employment.
a job which has not been advertised.
Employability skills Transferable STAR approach Situation, Task, Activity,
interpersonal and behavioural skills that make
Result: a structured way to approach problem
you more attractive to current and future
solving.
employers.
Gap analysis Comparing current skill levels
with desired performance.

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