Inspire Guidance Careers Advice

What do you get when you buy a drill?  Do you think you buy a drill to get the drill? Yes you do but why..?  The answer is you do not buy the drill to keep the drill, you buy the drill to get the hole the drill makes!  In other words you by the drill for the BENEFITS the Drill provides to you . Fast forward to your interview... You need to sell the benefits you can bring to the organisation you have applied to. Most Interview candidates sell themselves on the skills and abilities they can bring such as I am good at communication. I am a good team player etc That is all good but you need to back it up with EVIDENCE. Imagine you are in a Court Of Law and present your case. For example... "I am good at communication, I did a sales presentation to x company where I pitched the key benefits of the product in a clear and concise manner and  as I had done my research thoroughly answered their questions confidently. It resulted in x orders which generated x...

One key tip when going for an interview is to be relaxed. However you are in a very stressful situation. So what do you do ? An old Alchemist tip is to use the Crystal Countdown. Read through the instructions several times until you are familiar with it, as you cannot open your eyes to read it whilst doing it.  Close your eyes and spend a minute breathing deeply and relaxing. When you feel centred keep your eyes closed. In your minds eye imagine a TV screen about one foot in front of you just above your eyelids. Keep with it. You are being trained to see with your eyes open. You must retrain yourself to see wit your minds eye.  Next picture on the screen a red number seven (7) If you have difficulty keep practicing. When you see it hold it for a moment, then release it.  Next bring up an orange six (6) then proceed down the spectrum of colours  Yellow (5) Green (4) Blue(3) Indigo (2) Orchid(1)  When you settle on Orchid count from 1-10 withou...

If the Brexit teaches us anything it should be that the world can change over night and we have to adjust to a new reality.  The world of work is no different it operates on the same dynamics of life.  Changes in world events and our careers may well happen several times over our lifetimes.  You have probably been told that if you study hard, get a degree and tweak your CV, you will make it the job market. However sadly it does not always work like that. The ratio of graduates to jobs is at an all time high. To use business speak in many areas there is more supply then demand. So having said that how do you load the odds in your favour? You first of all need to know what makes you tick, what is your passion and your strengths. Do you enjoy selling, working with information or things are you a people person? Get a handle on who you are. Analyse and reflect on this. What skills do you have and how can you demonstrate you have them. Are there any gaps in your knowledg...

How to choose A Level subjects . Remember when you had to choose your options at GCSE ?  Well narrowing down 8 subjects to 4 is even more important and often more of a pain. The following points might help you. Subject strengths. Y ou will need to look at  your strengths. The advice we would give you is to choose subjects you have at least a B grade in at GCSE.  However most sixth forms now offer  subjects such as Law, Psychology , Sociology etc. In this case talk to the tutors and past students to find out more about the subject. Also read around it to try to establish if you would enjoy studying it for several years.  What you enjoy. A levels are very intense. You will have more lessons in a week of a particular subject then you did at GCSE. You have to be passionate and enjoy the subject. Persistence and application are important here. Keep your options open. You may be  very passionate  on s...

How to choose a career area. ( I will expand on points in future postings ) 1. Begin by determining what you like to do. So what are your interests now, what makes you sit up and take notice, which classes do you look forward to. Do you like science, people, animals, plants, technology, softwear, hardwear, travel, languages etc. Do you enjoy being indoors, outdoors, working alone, working in a team, leading etc 2. Identify the skills you use when you're doing the thing(s) you enjoy. Are you practical, theoretical, caring, good communicator, musical etc. 3. Think of career areas broadly . A career area of work is far more than a single job. ie caring for people, caring for animals, using numbers, manufacturing, crafts, arts, environment, medical, teaching etc 4. Learn as much as possible about the qualifications/ job role required. What are the entry routes, tasks and activities in job and progression points? 5. Find people who work in the field and meet a...

If you are in Year 10 in school, now in the summer term of year 10 is a perfect time to start thinking seriously of your future career.  Year 11 will be a busy year and it will go by much faster than you think it will. In addition there will be exams and revision, applications to make and more pressures than this year. So give yourself some time out to think about what it is that you want out of your next few years and your life.  If you have access to a Qualified Careers Adviser then do take advantage of that and book an appointment to see them. Ideally they will be external to your school and be able to give you honest, impartial and unbiased advice about all the routes and options open to you, advise you on open days and vists and help you through the maze of choices and decisions..  If not then you will need to do more of your own research.  The main routes after year 11 are 1.School 6th Form College. If your school has a 6th Form and you wish to c...