JobsAndCareersWithJamesCaanAutumn2016 - 231

FOCUS :

SKILLS

Being able to work
effectively as part of
a team is an essential
workplace skill

that line in an application letter. But just
how true is it to claim that?
'Working well as part of a team means
supporting other people and letting
them support you in return, as you
work to achieve a goal,' says James.
Teamwork is essential for sharing
knowledge, establishing and building
relationships and supporting all the
people involved in a project. It requires
interpersonal skills and, at times,
leadership qualities, so you can consider
and respond appropriately to the
behaviour and motives of others, adapt
your personal style accordingly or step
out in front to bring others with you.
If it's your first or second job, you
may not have much work experience to
draw on, but you could use experience
gained at school, college or university
to demonstrate your teamwork skills
at interview stage.
'Do you captain or coach a sports team?
Do you work closely with other people? Are
you leading a college project that involves
working with your mates?' asks James.
If you need to gain more experience,
you could set up a group project, maybe
with a charitable goal in mind, such
as getting some of your friends to join
you on a sponsored fun run, or starting
a campaign to make a change that
matters in your local area.
Anything that shows you can work
alongside others, and generate ideas
while listening to other people, is a very
important skill that you will need to
employ both personally and professionally
throughout your life.

Time management,
planning and organisation
Are you one of those people who always
gets their 'to do' list done by dinner time?
Or does it seem as if there are just not
enough hours in the day and you end
up getting stressed out because you still
have loads of stuff to do?
Good planning and organisational
skills are essential, in order to manage
tasks on different projects with different
deadlines and competing priorities.
If you are able to plan effectively, you
should find it perfectly possible not

only to anticipate any problems and
challenges, but also to transform them
into positive opportunities.
Employers will want to see evidence
that you'll be able to manage your own
workload, so you need to show examples
of how you allocate time to individual
tasks, anticipate challenges and issues
which could arise, and plan contingencies.
Again, these can be personal if it's
your first job, but make sure they are
relevant, such as meeting a college
deadline, or taking part in a group
event while undertaking a college
course, for example.

If you need to
gain experience,
you could set up
a group project
with a charitable
goal in mind
'Do you juggle a busy work and home
life? When did you have to meet a tight
deadline? Showing you can manage
your time effectively will make you more
attractive to employers,' says James.

Problem solving and
decision making
In a nutshell, this means you need to
have the ability to spot problems, identify
the root causes, and then gather enough
relevant information to come up with
appropriate solutions.
But problem solving goes beyond just
resolving issues. The ability to apply both
logic and creativity to solve problems is
highly valued by employers.
If you are the kind of person who
tries to see the solution as well as the
problem, this will always stand you in
good stead in the workplace.
So as well as finding solutions when
things go wrong, you may also need to
suggest ways to improve existing
J O B S & C A R E E R S /// 2 3 1
JobsAndCareersWithJamesCaanAutumn2016

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