Making the most of your choices

Your Name ________________________ Mentor’s Name _____________________ Today’s date _______________________ Citizenship Teacher _________________

What could your road map look like?

Your Destination

Sixth Form College

Training Course

Family

Friends

Career

Adult Education

University

Retake

Pass

Full Time Job

School Sixth Form

Gap year Further

Education College

‘A’ Levels

Part Time Job

Choice! Training

course that prepares you for work

The Hewett

School

Self Employment

Apprenticeship

Volunteer Work

Specialist College

Welcome to a day dedicated to

YOUR FUTURE!

Today we will begin a journey into the future. As with any journey we will decide upon a destination before we set off. This destination will be different for everybody but equally important whatever your choice. You have the ability to influence your destination. You have the choice to determine your future. Along this journey you will need to make many choices. Some of them will be simple ‘yes/no’ choices; others will be more challenging, with many options to consider. Today we will plan the route ahead, anticipating these choices and looking at ways of making your road to success a smooth and enjoyable journey.

Ladies and gentlemen …………………

Choose the Destination

Any journey is made easier if you have a clear idea of where you are going before you set out. The clearer your destination, the more control you will have over how you get there. You have been transported forward in time exactly five years. You think about your situation. You have made it! Everything is exactly as you want it. Congratulations! As you look around you, thinking “My life is fantastic”, you think about all the circumstances that make your life fantastic…..

How old are you? _____________________________________________

Where do you live? ____________________________________________

Who is with you? ______________________________________________

What can you see? ____________________________________________

What are you doing? _________________________________________

What transport do you own or use?__ ______________________________

What job do you do?____________________________________________

What can you smell? ___________________________________________

Who do you work for? ________________________________________

What did you have for breakfast? _________________________________

What are you doing this weekend? ________________________________

What are you feeling proud about? ________________________________

What can you hear? ____________________________________________

Listen again! - What else can you hear? ____________________________

What are you thinking about? ____________________________________

Who are you thinking about? _____________________________________

How did you get to where you are? ________________________________

Take a few minutes to recap on your answers. Imagine yourself in the situation you have just described.

How do you feel?

Choose the words that describe how you will be feeling. Write them or circle them below. You may wish to use your own words or refer to the words provided to get you started.

Content Happy Secure Fulfilled Pleased Satisfied Overjoyed Ambitious Positive Excited Proud Popular Successful Elated Good Great Excellent Fantastic Accomplished Pleased At ease Comfortable Joyful Cheerful Delighted Jovial Glad Noble Cheery Ecstatic Lucky Fortunate Safe Assured Fine Thrilled Determined Motivated Bold Uplifted Virtuous Worthy Decent Nice Respectful Respected In control Empowered Organised Influential Worthy Wealthy

Close your eyes …

Picture yourself in your ideal future…

How does it feel?

Remember this feeling – DOUBLE IT!

Summarise this feeling below

Congratulations!

This feeling is your destination.

Copy it into the “YOUR DESTINATION” box at the start of this booklet.

The Starting Point (This is me now!)

Now you know where you are going! In order to plan your journey you need to know where you are starting from!

I am…

Others see me as…

I’m a bit scared of…

I am not…

I enjoy…

I’m great at…

I’d love to be…

I dislike…

I’m not so good at....

This is Me!

Use the information on the page opposite and the advert above to write a personal statement that describes the REAL YOU to any potential employer.

You can include: Skills, Attributes, Hobbies, Achievement

Building My Personal Statement

Fix Your Personal Advert Here

Skills Attributes

Hobbies Achievements

Curriculum Vitae

Personal Details Include:

Name Address (including postcode) Date of birth Telephone number(s) Email address

Education Include:

Schools since the age of eleven including start and end dates School qualifications including grade and date achieved Other qualifications including grade and date achieved

Start with most recent first.

Employment / Work Experience

Include: Employer’s name and address The nature of the work Start date and end date Personal responsibilities Reason for leaving (if applicable)

Start with the most recent first

Personal Statement

Include: Use personal statement from previous pages Tailor to specific job – link your skills to their requirements Skills Attributes Hobbies Achievements

References

Include: List two references including name, address and job title

Get Proactive!

Don’t just wait for jobs to come to you – chase the job, company or sector that you would like to be involved with.

Which sector would you like to work in? Which company would you like to work for? What kind of work would you be doing? What would make you a great candidate for this sector / company / job? Where could you find out more information about this sector / company / job? Who would you need to speak to for more information? What could you do to get the ball rolling? As a group list AT LEAST 10 different “First Steps” you could take to move you towards working in the area you have chosen. Feel free to list more than 10 if you can!

When will you make this first step? Date: ____________ Time: _________ Chosen First Step: _____________________________________________

References Most sixth forms, colleges and future employers will request two references when you submit your C.V or application form. One of these should be someone you have been taught or mentored by during your time at The Hewett. Have a think of who that person might be: Now complete the reference form below HONESTLY (as you think they would!).

Were you HONEST? Any surprises or areas in which you feel you want

to improve before “Referee” time?

Punctuality

Presentation

Clear communication

Listening skills

Creativity

Responsibility

Teamwork

Attendance

Initiative

Reliability

Reasoning skills

Self motivation

Respect for others

Ability to follow rules

Following instructions

Attitude to feedback

Get The Edge

As well as your academic qualifications, employers will look for evidence of other skills. These are skills that demonstrate that you will be a positive addition

to their team. Evidence of these skills will give you the edge over other candidates.

Score yourself in each of the sections above based on how many personal examples, relating to the heading, you could share with a potential employer. Score ‘0’ for no examples to ‘10’ if you have several really good examples.

Draw a line through each section to indicate your score (an example of a score of “5” has been drawn into the “Flexibility” section as a dotted line).

0

10

10

DIRECTION

What do you want for your

future?

FLEXIBILITY

How well do you cope with

change?

PERSISTENCE

How well do you cope when the

going gets tough?

MOTIVATION

How self-driven

are you?

OWNERSHIP

How do you take responsibility for

your own actions?

RELIABILITY

How well can you be trusted?

COMMUNICATION

How effectively do you listen and how

clearly do you

communicate?

TEAMWORK

How well do you work as

part of a team? 10

10

10

10

10 10

When might this be necessary?

It’s all about choice – on your journey towards your chosen destination you will be faced with a number of choices. The better

prepared you are when you come to these junctions, the more choice you will have.

Preparing for the journey is essential: Plan your route and

anticipate the choices that you will face along the way.

Use the boxes to make a note of a junctions / choices you may have to make in your journey through education.

Look back at the map at the start of this booklet. What choices do the various junctions represent? Make a note of three coming “junctions” at

which you anticipate you will need to make a choice.

Within 1 Year

After 5 Years Within 5 Years

Within 3 Years

Ideal Candidate Complete the following statement using the criteria identified on the previous page.

I am the ideal candidate for this position because ……………..

Identify the key facts and requirements outlined in the job advertisement.

What skills and attributes do you think will be beneficial for this role?

Identify your skills / attributes that match these requirements (use your personal profile and your personal advert to help

you).

You may need to telephone the company for more information. This is your opportunity to make a first impression.

First Impressions Last!

Look at the following phrases as a group Circle the phrases that you believe will make a good first impression. Draw a line through the ones that will make a bad first impression.

Come up with some of your own:

Hi there Hello It’s about

that job

I’m calling about the advert in the

Evening News for ‘support staff’.

It’s John

calling

My name is

John Smith

Who’s that?

May I speak to

Susan May please

I could easily

do that.

I’ve had experience of

working in a similar

field.

You’ll have to send me

some more details

I’d be very interested to

hear more about the role

When’s the

interview?

Cheers. Bye

then.

Thank you. I look

forward to receiving

the information.

Goodbye

The Covering Letter or Email It is likely that you will be asked to include a ‘covering letter’ or ‘send an email’ with your application and CV. This is your opportunity to demonstrate a further skill! The choices you have: To make your letter LOOK good To make your letter RELEVANT and PROFESSIONAL Discuss the following letters in your groups:

10 The Main Street

Bungay

Suffolk

Dear Sir / Madam,

I would like to put in for the job that was in the paper last week. It looked

like the sort of thing that I can do. I’ve done some jobs like that before.

I got the application form you sent. Most of the stuff is coverd in my CV so I have

filled in the bit’s that aren’t (at the other bits I’ve put “see CV”).

I’m available for interview on Tuesday or Wednesday but after that I’m away for a

week (I’m going to the Lake district on holiday). I’ll be back after the 23rd

.

I know that this is a job that I can do. I’d realy like the chance as I’ve been looking

for a job for over three weeks with no luck.

Thank you.

John.

p.s. I have experience with computers.

Which letter do you prefer and why?

Discuss with your mentor the similarities and differences between

emailing and sending a letter.

10 The Main Street

Bungay

Suffolk

NR15 2BP

Mrs Susan May 16th

November 2011

Personnel Manager

The Big Company

Magdalen Street

Norwich

NR4 3CU

Dear Mrs. May,

I would like to express my interest in the position for “office assistant” as

advertised in the Evening News on Wednesday March 3rd

.

I feel that my skills and experience closely match the criteria outlined in your

advertisement. I am enthusiastic and reliable as demonstrated through my

previous work with ABC Motors last summer. I have experience of office work

and enjoy new challenges.

I know that gaining more experience in this line of work will be beneficial to

my long-term goal of working towards an office management position. I believe

that this role will provide me with relevant and valuable knowledge.

I enclose a completed application form and a copy of my CV. I would be very

interested to learn more details about the vacancy and opportunities for

development within The Big Company. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

John Smith.

Covering Letter Template

Your Full Address

Including Postcode

Recipients Name Date of letter

Full Address

Including Postcode

Dear Mr. or Mrs. [Surname],

Paragraph 1.

Background to application (Specify the job title; where you saw the advertisement; date

of advertisement).

Paragraph 2.

Relevant information about why YOU suit the job. (Refer to your skills, experience and

attributes).

Paragraph 3.

Relevant information about why the job suits YOU. (Refer to your goals and

ambitions).

Paragraph 4.

What happens next. (Refer to the documents that you have enclosed such as application

form and CV. Refer to future contact e.g. “I look forward to hearing from you”).

Yours sincerely,

Full name hand-written.

Full name typed.

Congratulations!

You have received an application form for the job you

selected earlier.

Tips for completing hard copy application forms:

Always photocopy the form and do a ‘dummy run’

Read through the form before you write anything

Use BLOCK CAPITALS

Use BLACK ink (it photocopies clearly)

Take your time

Check the form when you have finished

For on-line applications it is often a good idea to copy text into word in order to spell check it before pasting it

back into the application form. Complete your application form, with help from your

mentor, and keep hold of it – ready for your interview!

Once you have sold yourself on paper, potential employers will want to

get to know you in person.

The interview is your opportunity to sell the REAL you. Make notes on the following four preparation areas.

“To fail to prepare is to prepare to fail”

Dress Code & Appearance

Body Language

Location & Timing

Research & Questions

Questions

There are several questions that are frequently asked in interviews.

It pays to plan ahead for these questions.

Look through the questions below and make notes on your possible answers:

What appeals to you about working for [Insert Company]?

How much do you know about the company?

What strengths will you bring to the team?

What areas do you feel you need to develop?

Give me five words that best describe you.

Questions you would like to ask

It is often a good idea to have some questions ready for the interviewers. A little time spent preparing questions before the interview can pay dividends. Use the space below to write down two or three questions to use in an interview – these may include questions about opportunities, training or company background (to back up your existing research).

Your Interview!

Establish good eye-contact with your interviewer.

Firmly shake his / her hand.

Start with a pleasant and confident greeting.

SMILE!

Pass your application documents to your interviewer (this may include: application form, CV, personal statement, covering letter)

Go for it!

Use the box below to make notes during the interview if you wish to.

Interview Each Other

While you are waiting for your 1:1 interview and once you have completed it, use the time to ask each other questions. You must each ask and answer at least 5 questions from the interview questions provided.

You may make up your own questions if you wish.

Use the space below to record five questions you have been asked and

summarise each of your replies.

You have chosen the destination….

You have looked at the different routes….

Now….

Choose your vehicle!

As with any road trip, the vehicle you choose will impact the success of the journey.

It will affect the speed of the journey, comfort, image,

smoothness of travel and reliability.

On this journey your vehicle is simply the attitude you choose to take.

Choose it wisely.

Maintain a positive attitude and you will be driving the performance car of success.

Adopt a negative attitude and you will be sitting on the back of a milk float. Progress will be slow and you are

likely to go in circles.

The Moment of Consciousness. Find It!

A moco is a new perspective achieved through external prompts

using our unique MoCo approach.

The Moment of Commitment.

Own It!

Find your moco and keep hold of it. Immediate commitment to action maximises the full

potential of your newly discovered moco.

The Moment of Competence. Live It!

Bring your newly discovered moco to life in your workplace or personal life.

A new behaviour, a new realisation, a new way forward.

www.go-moco.co.uk

01603 513088

Copyright MoCo Development Ltd 2012