Clarity Learning and Development

New Year - New Learning

There are two occasions each year when our thoughts turn to learning - the first comes at New Year when we make our resolutions and start planning what we want to achieve in the next 12 months. Often our January learning is about career planning or personal growth (or personal shrinkage for those of us who want to learn how to lose weight and keep it off!)

The next comes in August / September when, whatever age we are, the back-to-school mode kicks in and our attention is drawn to college prospectuses and adult learning brochures.

Whenever we are considering learning something new it is worth asking ourselves the following questions:

1. What changes am I trying to make and what will happen if I do make these changes?
2. What do I need to learn in order to make these changes?
3. Why do I want to change this and therefore learn how to change it? (What's in it for me? What's in it for others?)
4. How much time can I afford to invest?
5. How much money can I afford to invest?
6. When the going gets tough, how will I keep myself motivated?
7. What support is available for me? Who can help me?
8. What are my short, medium and long-term plans and how does this learning fit in?
9. What sacrifices might I need to make and am I willing to make them?
10. When will I start and when do I plan to finish?
11. How will I measure my progress and reward myself for the small successes along the way?

One of the many definitions of learning says that we have only learned something when we have a sustained change in our behaviour. This definition inextricably links change and learning - maybe that's one of the reasons that change feels hard - because it's about changing what we do and how we do it - it's about learning to do things differently.

So, as we enter 2011, think about what you might want to change and think about the learning that you will need to do to help you do this. This applies equally well to life and to business, to individuals and to organisations.

Clarity Learning and Development is all about helping organisations and individuals to learn - give us a call or drop us a line - we'd be delighted to talk to you about what you hope to achieve this year and how you might do it.

 

The interview is your chance to shine!

This article was published in the East Anglian Daily Times

 

In his book “How to Succeed at Interviews” Dr Rob Yeung* says “Anyone can improve their performance at interview. Being invited to an interview is a significant step. Many employers see hundreds of CVs and application forms and shortlist only a handful of candidates”.

Jackie Clifford of Clarity Learning and Development, a local company that works with organisations providing training, coaching and consultancy, agrees.

“It is essential to review and hone skills before going to that all-important interview. You have put the time into the job application – proved by your invitation to interview – now it’s time to put some real time and work into preparing for the activities that could get you that job.”

Jackie suggests that interview candidates should prepare for three stages: the beginning of the interview (the first impression), the middle (questions from the interviewer) and the end (their chance to ask questions).

She says they need to think about:

What to wear

First impressions count. Any prospective employer wants to see that you have made the effort. You may choose not to wear a business suit - it depends on the role you’ve applied for and the culture of the prospective employer. Obviously you can look smart and well-groomed without one, but always consider what your clothes say about you.

It goes without saying that personal hygiene is essential.  But don’t overdo the cologne or perfume. This is an interview, not a first date!

Looking good will make you feel good and in turn will boost your confidence.

What you may be asked

The interviewer is likely to base at least some of the questions on the information in your application. Review what you said in your CV or application form and covering letter. (You have, of course, kept a copy!)

Go over the job description and person specification for the job. Take time to think about the kind of questions the interviewer will ask.

How you will respond

“There are lots of websites that can provide information about interview questions, such as monster.co.uk or jobsite.co.uk. Have a look at these questions and think about the type of answers you might give. Remember to respond honestly and in a way that is positive and confident. You are not preparing a story - you are preparing to show yourself in your best possible light,” said Jackie.

What you will ask

At the end of most interviews you have the opportunity to ask questions. You may be tempted to talk about money at this point, but don’t make this your first question.

Think about what you need to know so you can make a decision about taking the job, should it be offered to you. Demonstrate that you have done some research about the employer by asking questions about what you’ve seen on their website. Show the interviewer that you want to progress. Show that you have specific skills or knowledge that they will find useful by asking them about career prospects or a technical aspect of the work.

Jackie said, “The interview is the opportunity for candidate and employer to decide if they can work together.  It is about each gathering the information they need to make a decision.

“So both sides need to do some work beforehand. If this is a job you want, then there is no substitute for putting in some hard work. The key to success is to BE PREPARED,” she added.

A good reference point is: http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk/helpwithyourcareer/intshort/interviewquestions.htm

Standing out from the crowd

Article appeared in the East Anglian Daily Times on 6th January 2010

The jobs market is more competitive than for years. According to a survey from Kaonix published in September, the average number of applicants for every job has doubled in just a year. At the same time the number of jobs advertised fell by 69 percent over a two year period.

Official Government figures suggest that unemployment levels are hovering just below eight percent across the UK.

Jackie Clifford, managing director of Clarity Learning & Development, lecturer at Suffolk New College, author, coach and trainer, says that it is more important than ever to make your job application stand out from the crowd.

She said, “Put yourself in the shoes of the person screening those piles of job applications. What would you want to see if you were them? Make sure that an employer can quickly and clearly see that you are ideally suited to the role.”

Jackie says there are simple rules to follow:

Do your homework BEFORE you start preparing your application

Carefully read the advert, job description, person specification and company information. Then do your own research. Nothing demonstrates more clearly your commitment to this job. If necessary go into your local library and do that extra online research.

Then make notes about your experience, knowledge and skills. Make sure you address the points in the advert, demonstrating how you match up to what the company is looking for.

Then use your notes to prepare your application.

Give clear evidence of what you have achieved in your working life that matches the job requirements. Don’t forget to include voluntary work and work in the home. These are part of your experience and may contribute to your overall suitability for the role.

Using phrases such as “whilst working at… I was able to… and that demonstrates that…” will help to signpost your reader.

If you are filling in an application form – follow instructions to the letter!

Use the right colour ink (usually black), answer all the questions as fully as you can and be factually accurate.

If you are preparing a CV, tailor it to the job

Keep it short, clear, simple and relevant. Wherever possible, talk about achievements, not tasks.

Always include a covering letter

Use it to outline why you are applying for the role, why you want to work for this company (use your research to help you here) and finish with a positive statement about your relevant experience.

“Remember that the person reading your application is trying to assess whether to spend time interviewing you. So give them all the information they need to make that decision,” Jackie said.

Their key considerations are likely to be:

• Does this person have the qualifications to do this job?
• Has this applicant demonstrated that they have the skills, knowledge and experience to do this job?
• Have they demonstrated that they have the right attitudes?

For further help, a good place to start is http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk/helpwithyourcareer/findingajob/jobads.htm

“Whatever you do, put the time and effort into preparing your application. Your prospective employer will notice it. But thoroughness at the application stage will also help you to prepare for the next stage – the interview,” Jackie added.

EDITORS NOTE

Jackie Clifford is the Director of Clarity Learning and Development. She also teaches on the Certificate in Personnel Practice at Suffolk New College.

Jackie has worked in recruitment, human resources management and training for over 20 years. She is an author, lecturer, coach and trainer who works with organisations and individuals to help them achieve their business plans and work-related goals by learning the right skills, knowledge and behaviours.

Jackie can be contacted via info@claritylearninganddevelopment.com.

The survey was carried out by Kaonix Solutions Limited, a privately owned company and one of the UK's leading and most innovative recruitment technology businesses.

Do difficult times call for extreme measures?

For those of us who have been working in learning and development for a number of years and have observed the cycles of business and the economy we can all predict the reaction to the current economic situation. Organisations will be looking at ways to cut costs and they will take their magnifying glasses to look at any aspect of what they do that does not generate immediate results – whether that be financial results or achievement of other key performance indicators.

In the past this scrutiny has often led to learning and development budgets being cut and in some circumstances redundancies of whole learning and development teams. This is, of course, an option and may be an appropriate step. However, the decision about what to do should not be one taken lightly; it should be considered in the light of the business strategy and goals – both short-term (survival goals) and medium to long-term (development goals).

In its 2009 Learning and Development Survey the CIPD comments “almost two-thirds [of respondents] (65%) anticipate that learning and development activity will become more closely integrated with business strategy and 60% feel that there will be a greater emphasis on the evaluation of training effectiveness.”

The authors of this article believe that this is the route to success and recommend that organisations implement the following steps to review their learning and development provision:

1. Look at the current situation:

a. Identify what learning and development activity is currently taking place. How are people in the organisation learning the skills, knowledge and behaviours that they need to achieve their individual and team objectives?

b. What documented learning and development plans exist? How do these relate to the activities that are taking place? How do these relate to the overall business plans?

c.   What evaluation of training and learning activities takes place? What are the measures of success for any L&D activity?

2. Look at the short-term business goals and what will be needed to achieve them:

a. What skills, knowledge and behaviours (let’s call these competencies) will the business need to survive?

b. To what extent do the right individuals have these competencies?

c.   Where are the gaps in the competencies?

d. What resources are available to plug the gaps? How can these resources be used most effectively?

3. Look at the medium and long-term business goals and what will be needed to achieve them:

a. What competencies will the business need in the medium and long-term?

b. To what extent do the right individuals have these competencies?

c.   Where are the gaps in the competencies?

d. What resources are available to plug the gaps? How can these resources be used most effectively?

4. Formulate a practical learning and development strategy with a time-framed action plan that can be achieved using the resources available. Within the action plan include clear measures of success.

Senior managers in organisations are well aware of these steps and are generally clear on strategic processes; however they may struggle to think about what options are available to them in terms of developing the competencies required in order to survive and thrive. This is where good learning and development advice comes in and here are some tips to help support the generation of options:

1. Consider whether the required competencies exist anywhere in the organisation.
It is often the case that someone somewhere will have the competencies needed. Will it be possible for this person to transfer the competencies to where they are needed? Perhaps they could be seconded to another area or perhaps the individual could train others in the area of the organisation where their competencies are needed.
If the competencies don’t exist in the organisation, consider cost-effective ways of developing them which may involve training, but may involve a range of other activities such as implementing action learning sets or setting up job exchange programmes with other organisations.

2. Consider the type of competency required.
Is the gap a skills gap, a knowledge gap or a behaviour gap?
Training is great for filling skills gaps, but it doesn’t have to be a full-blown external training course. Using on-job training, delivered in-house, can be an extremely effective way of filling skills gaps. Job shadowing / observation can sometimes be enough to refresh the skills of someone who is a bit rusty in a particular task.
To fill a knowledge gap, reading a professional journal or other reference material can often be sufficient. Finding an expert in the field and having a telephone conversation or meeting could be the answer.
To change behaviours, good line management or coaching can be an extremely effective way of supporting individuals and teams to change the way the work.

3. Consider how to make individuals aware of their competency gaps.
On many occasions, learning and development activities fail because the individuals with the learning needs are not clear that they have the learning needs! Line managers often fall at the first hurdles in the performance management process i.e. deciding what they want the person to do and identifying the competencies required to do it, then communicating these requirements to the individual involved. Even if they clear this hurdle, there is often lack of feedback, so that if the individual is not performing to the required standard, they are not told about it and even if they are sent to “be trained” they are not sure why they are there. If line managers only do one thing to support the learning and development process, it should be to ensure that their team members are completely clear of why they are being asked to develop their skills or knowledge or change their behaviours.

It is 150 years since Charles Darwin published ‘On the Origin of Species’ where he identified that evolution is driven by natural selection – “survival of the fittest”. If organisations are going to survive, they need to “get fit”; continuing to learn and develop is one of the ways in which they can achieve this. By continuing to invest wisely in learning and development activities organisations will be able to develop what they need to ensure that they benefit from natural selection and do not become one of 2009’s dodos!