The nature of the Leicester Award for
Employability was to improve my chances of getting a graduate position after
university, which in my case would be a training contract within a law firm. My first experience of the application process for these positions came
slightly earlier than I expected as I had been applying for Summer Vacation
Placements. Luckily, the current Leicester Award task was aptly timed and very
useful; we were required to apply for one of four jobs and then be interviewed
for them.
Firstly, we were required to choose one of
the four positions and send a request for information email as the
advertisement stated. As I haven’t had much previous experience of applying for
roles in such a way, I relied upon logic and what I thought would be the
correct content and layout. I asked for the job description, person specification,
application form and any other information using the job title and addressing
the contact by name. However, from my feedback it was clear that I had missed
some vital elements most notably that the job title alone is not sufficient, if
a reference number is given ensure that is quoted in both the subject title and
email content to guarantee the correct information is sent. Also, I was
informed that using an email signature of my contact details is also helpful in
case of any issues, which is something I have since create and stored on my
email account.
Next, using the job description and person
specification it was time to complete the application form which included a
personal statement section which would be used to assess the selection
criteria. When it comes to completing application forms I tend to complete the
general form first including my personal details, previous work experience and education
as I know these details and I find that by completing these first it appears to
me that most of the form has been done. I then opened another document and
imported in all the information which was highlighted as a selection criteria
for the application form from the person specification and also the important information
from the job description. I tried to match my experience to the key assessment
areas and explain the use of my skills using the STAR (situation, task, action,
result) technique. In total I think the completing the application form took
between three to four hours over different days as I like to come back and
reread sections with fresh eyes.
Instead of getting direct feedback for our
application form we were instead treated to learning about the method by which
many employers shortlist their application forms. The most shocking point I
found whilst taking part in this activity was the lack of people proof reading
their work and instead sending in a form with silly grammatical and spelling
errors. I remember speaking to the Human Resources Manager of firm at the
Leicester University Law Fair who said the most common rejection of application
forms is if there are spelling and grammar errors; with some applicants even
misspelling the name of the firm. We looked at different types of application
forms used including personal statement forms and competency questions forms;
the ones used most frequently by law firms. I learnt that the reasons for using
the forms can vary but it is important in both that you not only adhere to any
word limit but that you answer the question asked and use any information given
to you. This is most useful when answering “why do you wish to join…?” as if
you research the company and read the job description there will be
characteristics and types of people they want to join their team such as
ambition and drive. Since completing this exercise I have looked upon my
answers to such questions in a different way and am critical of my own answers
to ensure I give myself the best chance of getting through stage one of any
application process.
The final part of this mock application
process was the interview, which even though it is a mock interview for a fictitious
job, I was still nervous. This may be as I treated it as if it was for a real
position and therefore dressed accordingly because I believed that in order to
improve my skills I needed feedback on a true representation of how I would act
in an interview. My nerves did go away after the first couple of questions as I
felt more comfortable within the situation and because I was happy with my ability
to answer the questions asked even those I wasn’t expecting. My other main issue
during interviews is how much to say in relation to a question as I am quite
concise and to the point with my answers and sometimes I am unsure whether I
have said enough.
The feedback I received from this interview
though was very positive, which was a pleasantly surprised about given my
concerns. My body language, eye contact and voice were good and made me seem
confident and positive. The answers I gave were coherent, concise and used the
STAR technique well linking in personal experiences and examples adequately to
demonstrate skills and abilities. Overall I was said to be composed and
impressive when interviewed, which was not the feedback I expected. Fortunately
I was given a point to improve for future, research the role well so when asked
by the interviewers for any questions, an impressive and informative question
can be given which will make me memorable to the interviewer.
When looking back at the whole process I have
learnt such a great deal about the process as a whole and importantly for me
how the process is looked upon by those short listing applications and taking
the interview as this helps me to think about my answers in future. I have
started using all of the feedback given to me and will continue to do so in
future applications. I will also ask other people look over my application to
spot any errors I have made and to look critically over my answers noting
whether I have demonstrated the skills appropriately as I feel that from my
ability to interview well I need to make sure my application form is strong
enough to get me to that stage of the process. However, the most important skill
I have learnt throughout the whole of the Leicester Award process is the STAR technique;
it allows me to demonstrate my skills and qualities in a way I had not
previously used. I can only hope that this process will aide me in my dream of
getting a vacation placement and training contract.
