How to prepare for psychometric tests

How to prepare for psychometric tests Employers have many ways to screen applicants, from the standard CV or application form to video interviews and assessment centres. If you are applying for an insight week, internship or graduate job, the chances are that psychometric testing will form part of the selection process. Although it sounds like a scary term for analysing the depths of your mind, in reality these tests can be anything from a simple numeracy test to a situational judgement test to see how you would react in certain situations. Are you questioning the relevance of psychometric tests to the role you have applied for?   As these tests can form one of the first parts of the application process, often just after you have submitted your initial application, it can seem very disheartening to be rejected on the results of these especially if you can’t see the relevance of them to the job you have applied for! Although it may seem reasonable to be asked to do a numeracy test for a financial role or a verbal reasoning test for a marketing role, for most roles it can feel like your skills and experience on your CV should be enough to prove you are worth interviewing. Employers use tests for different reasons and they aren’t always the most obvious. You may not have applied for a role which requires mathematical ability, but the job description may have asked for analytical skills or the ability to process information quickly and accurately. You can tell the employer that you can do this on your CV but they don’t have any way of actually checking that without testing you, so may give you a numerical reasoning test with lots of data to analyse or lots of questions to work through quickly. The good news is that in this case, they are likely to be interested in your ability to analyse data and work quickly and accurately rather than your actual maths ability. So the tests are unlikely to be harder than the maths you did at age 16 (GCSE level in the UK). Although this might not sound too bad to some people, for others the thought of a maths test of any level may bring on a cold sweat. It is worth doing some practice to familiarise yourself with the types of questions you’ll get, especially if it is several years since you worked out a percentage or added fractions together. What are the specific tests you may be asked to complete during the application process? Verbal reasoning tests (where you may be asked for a word definition or given a passage of text to analyse) may also be used to test your ability to process information quickly or understand arguments. As the tests may include passages about unfamiliar topics, it’s worth practising these as well. Have a look at some example questions online or just go and buy a broadsheet newspaper and read an article you wouldn’t usually look at. If you would never normally touch the financial pages then give them a quick read, or maybe choose a book or theatre review if that isn’t something that would usually interest you. After a quick scan through, try writing down or explaining to a friend what the main points or arguments of the article are and you’ll soon become adept at quickly picking out key information even if it isn’t about a topic you are familiar with. Logical reasoning is another way employers like to test how applicants analyse information. By showing abstract shapes in sequences, they can see how applicants make decisions based on the information provided without relying on their numeracy or literacy skills. As these types of tests are unlike anything you will have studied before, it’s worth practising them to familiarise yourself with the sorts of questions you’ll get. Some people will find these easier than others but practising will always improve your score. Situational Judgement tests are an increasingly used type of test and unfortunately are the ones you can practise for the least. These usually consist of a description of a situation you might face and then give you options for what would be the most likely and least likely course of action you would take. The only way to prepare for these is to do your research on the company and really understand what their values are as well as what your role would be. For example, you may be given details of a situation where you have a customer complaint and a report due for the CEO as well as staff sickness to deal with. If you are going for an HR role or general management of a team, then the staff sickness might be your first priority to deal with. For a customer facing role, you will probably choose to put the customers first, and for a strategic role then the CEO might take priority. By really understanding the priorities of the company and role, you can start to answer the situational judg ement question effectively. Although all these types of test might initially seem daunting, practice will make perfect (or at least improve your success rate!). There are lots of  links to on-line resources   at the University of Warwick Careers Skills website  . Employers may test you almost as soon as you submit your application so make sure you start practising as soon as you start writing your applications. Employers may also re-test you at assessment centres so keep up the practice (don’t be tempted to get your housemate to do the online test for you the employer will easily work this out if they re-test you!). For more help look out for ‘Practise Psychometric Testing’ workshops through MyAdvantage. Good luck!!

Emma Rosen Portfolio careers and creating your dream role - Debut

Emma Rosen Portfolio careers and creating your dream role - Debut Have you ever been confused about what career path to take? I certainly have! Choosing your professional direction after university is confusing, ESPECIALLY if you have multiple things that you want to try out. We’re often put under pressure to know exactly what steps to take in our career, but this is the dead truth: nobody really knows often the ‘right’ course to take. We’re all muddling through, crossing our fingers and hoping for the best. But here’s a crazy idea, what if you didn’t just have to pick one thing? What if you could follow multiple paths, and have them all make up the equivalent of a full-time job? Because guess what, that can be done! Debut Real Talk speaker Emma Rosen took a little more left-field path to the so-called ‘traditional’ career. Emma is the creator of the 25 before 25 initiative, a goal which challenged her to work 25 different careers before she turned 25 (hence the catchy name). Prior to the challenge, Emma was working on the Civil Service grad scheme. On paper, it seemed like the ideal choice. It was competitive, a good salary, a well-known company… but truthfully it just wasn’t for her. Instead she decided to sit down and make a list of all the jobs she’d ever wanted to have, letting go of the thoughts of logistics and boundaries. Within a month, she’d already started ticking some off of her list, starting with a role as an Archaeologist in Transylvania! She sat down with me to discuss her extraordinary professional life and more. How did you find launching 25 before 25? Throughout your adult life, your career is a part of who you are, it becomes a part of your identity. So when I started again from scratch, is was really hard. I sat down and wrote a list of all the jobs that I had wanted to do, without giving much thought to it. When I finished, I looked down a realised there were 25 there, and that number sparked the idea for the project. It actually fitted in really well, because I could give myself a time-frame to take action as soon I could, and finish the whole project before I turned 25. The reaction to the project was quite varied. I went into some companies and they were forward-thinking, where as other people thought it was a crazy idea! For me, the media and creative arts are much more progressive about the way we work. I think that’s why I’ve ended up working in those sectors. A big part of the project is looking at the concept of Portfolio Careers. Could you expand on what that is exactly? A portfolio career is the concept of having multiple jobs (part-time, freelance or contract) that all together make up the equivalent of one role. And they don’t all have to be in the same industries! You have the right to ask your employer to work flexibly, so anyone can take gradual steps towards a portfolio career. It can be four hours one Friday afternoon, where you look into taking an online course, or starting up your own jewellery company etc. Gradually over time you can up the hours and delegate time the way you want, providing that you have the money in place to take a pay cut and more. It’s hard work, takes time and definitely isn’t a replacement to a 9-5. However, for me it’s a more liberating way of living as you get to choose your own hours and even your own pay. You’re now an author, speaker and writer. Were these things you ever set out to do? It was not ever something I set out to be doing! My friends mum said; “Oh, this sounds like a book!” and at first I didnt take it seriously. But then more and more people said it, and it got me thinking more about the idea. In the end it got to a couple of months before the end of the project, and I saw a competition from a literacy agency and I entered. I didn’t win, but fortunately I’d sent the proposal out to multiple agencies and one said yes! In terms of speaking, many schools and universities got in contact with me after seeing my work and asked me to come along and share my story. I used to really hate public speeches, but I’ve gotten better over time as I’ve gone on, and I enjoy it so much more now! Your book,  â€œThe Radical Sabbatical”, will be coming out on January 4th 2019. Can you give us a quick preview into what readers can expect? The book is split into three streams in total. The first stream is anecdotal, showing my full story of 25 before 25 and how I got through it. Some of the careers I experienced included being an alpaca farmer, a movie extra, an investigative journalist and a police dog officer. The second stream is all about self-help, guiding people through their own journey and asking the right questions. It’s quite interactive, and has lots of exercises that people can use to help themselves, demonstrating how they can turn all of these elements into a career. This stream also discusses the benefits of work experience, and takes the reader through the entire process of how to undertake it, which will in turn help bring them into the career they love. This section also focuses on portfolio careers; looking at how to set one up and how you budget for it. The final stream talks about strategic government advocacy. It examines Millennials as a generation and why the stereotypes about this generation exist. It looks at factors such as the slow growth of earnings compared to the spike of property prices. Generations before us would earn to afford a home, but nowadays it’s much harder. So the importance of loving your job is vital. What is the biggest learning curve of 25 before 25? Learning not to glamorise jobs or make assumptions about what they’re like, particularly with grad schemes and professional level jobs. It’s only when you get there and learn for yourself that you see what its really like, and there can be a big disparity between the two images. The first time you experience that should not be straight after you’ve been studying for three years! The work experience that I undertook has radically changed the way I think about practical career experiences. I think it should be a major part of the curriculum from the age of 14 upwards, and I think you should have multiple experiences throughout your life in a diverse range of sectors. The importance of networking is also vital. It’s undervalued by most of us, and we never know if someone knows someone. It’s all about mutual relationships, and asking how do we know each other and how that can help you progress in your field. As an example, I met another blogger, got to know her and now we’re running a writing workshop in the Pyrenees together! You don’t just need to choose just one job, or one career. And lots of people don’t realise that that is a practical or feasible option. Do you have any advice for our Debut readers who are currently deciding on their next career path? Talk to as many different people as you possibly can, and try some of the things you’re thinking about. Don’t start by thinking about jobs, but rather think about the type of person you are. Too often we think “how can I fit into this career?” as opposed to “how does this job or career suit who I am?”, and I think that’s why we often find we’re in the the wrong jobs. Be honest about what you enjoy and what you’re good at, and find a crossover between the two. Emmas book, The Radical Sabbatical: The Millennial Handbook to the Quarter-Life Crisis, is now available to pre-order on Amazon. Connect with Debut on  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.

Which is the Most Rewarding Primary or Secondary School Teaching

Which is the Most Rewarding Primary or Secondary School Teaching Which is the Most Rewarding: Primary or Secondary School Teaching? How rewarding a career is depends as much on personal goals, skills and ambitions as it does upon the profession or job itself. So it is impossible to make a call as to whether primary teaching is more rewarding or if secondary teaching is. However, what we can do is look at some of the salient features of each teaching profile and then perhaps make a comparison between the two. Primary school teachers can teach students between the ages of 3 through to 11, divided into three stages, foundation stage â€" that is nursery or reception for children between 3 to 5 years, Key Stage 1 â€" which is for children between 5 to 7 years, or years 1 and 2, and Key Stage 2 â€" which is mainly children between 7 â€" 11 years of age, or years 3 to 6. The role of a primary teacher includes teaching the primary curriculum, motivating students through their teaching style, organisational duties, and other duties such as providing feedba ck to parents or carers, organising school trips or events etc. Secondary school teachers teach the national curriculum to students from ages 11 to 18 years. As teachers, both secondary and primary teachers, they must try to motivate pupils to learn and perform to the best of their individual ability. Secondary teachers teach older students and are particularly expected to keep up to date with new developments in their teaching area, and devising effective ways of teaching using different technologies like podcasts, films, interactive teaching etc. A teacher is meant to support and motivate a pupil to learn and explore new areas of knowledge and understanding. A teacher is also meant to be a mentor and support a student’s growth as an individual. As such, the main difference between the nature of secondary and primary teaching is the age of the pupils, the stage of life they are at, and the problems, issues and needs that come with that.   According to the personal experience of a primary teacher, the best part about primary school teaching is that every day is completely different, and the job never gets boring mainly because of the children, their curiosity and their desire to learn new things. The most satisfying part of being a primary teacher according to this individual opinion is seeing how her young students progress through the year â€" and knowing that she has helped them achieve it. Teaching at secondary school level can be more hard work simply because of the level of the curriculum, as well as the demands and needs of the students, who are older. Secondary school teachers particularly need to be more effective in dealing with difficult students. There is often the added responsibility of having to deal with student’s personal problems or issues. These are often delicate areas and it becomes important to take into account students’ home and social life as well. Teaching in general can be one of the most rewarding professions there are. Ment oring students and watching them learn new things, and helping them achieve their goals can be a very satisfying thing. But unsurprisingly, teaching is also a highly demanding profession. Which level of teaching would be more satisfying for a teacher would depend on their personal skills and their priorities.   This entry was posted in Career Advice. Bookmark the permalink. Richard How to Attract Clients As A Virtual AssistantWhat to Wear to that All-important Interview?

Trends in Resume Writing - What Is the Most Popular Trends?

Trends in Resume Writing - What Is the Most Popular Trends?There are no easy answers to the question of what are the most popular trends in resume writing in 2020. Every company is looking for their own unique needs and wants when it comes to job searching. Many companies are taking steps to ensure they offer their employees the best qualifications and experience available in the open positions.However, for many people, the introduction of the modern day resumes has created a world of confusion. Most companies see resumes as an opportunity to provide information to the next potential employer of the person being considered for a position. This has caused some people to believe that the popularity of resumes is on the rise. The truth is that the trends in resume writing has been fairly consistent throughout the past year or so.Some of the trends that have been prevalent include: changing the format, adding an executive summary and listing of accomplishments in addition to the requirem ents section. There has also been an increase in the number of industry-specific sections such as health care, life sciences, and technology. One of the trends that has been noticeable for those who have been writing resumes is that there is more information to fill the gaps between the requirements and the summary section. The requirements are now filled by the executive summary, which can be helpful in making the hiring decision.If you have not made a decision about what sections you want, the overall resume will reflect your personality and your career goals. You will be able to make decisions that are personalized to meet your needs.When listing your achievements, list only those that are of significance to you. While some employers may be interested in the accomplishments, you will have a hard time convincing them that the achievements are important to you. Listing accomplishments which you do not find personally significant is one of the trends in resume writing. It helps you appear professional and authentic when it comes to a career change.When it comes to including a short paragraph on accomplishments, make sure it has a professional tone to it. Be sure to outline the specific areas where you feel you have excelled in. When writing your cover letter, you want to include all the pertinent details for the job that you are applying for. A professional resume will show off your expertise for the position in addition to having excellent communication skills and the ability to meet deadlines.When listing the achievements, be sure to include those that you enjoy and those that were most meaningful to you. Make sure the achievements you list are based on your abilities and not the accomplishments of others. Even though the trends in resume writing does not reveal what exactly these characteristics are, it is still important to take into consideration those aspects.Regardless of the trends in resume writing in 2020, always remember that you will get through th is part of the job search with or without guidance from a professional. You will get through the process of finding a new position whether it is easy or hard.