Job-seekers: what’s the best advice you’ve received? 

The best advice I would give a job-seeker is to spend some time identifying what makes them stand out from the crowd. 

When there are numerous applicants for a role then the ones with skills, knowledge and attributes that stand out have the best chance of getting to the interview stage.

Of course identifying what makes you special - your unique selling points to use marketing jargon – is difficult.   Natural modesty makes it a challenge for most.  But if we look into what we have achieved – what we are most proud of – there tends to be some clues.

Ideally those examples are work related, but sometimes our out-of-work endeavours reveal more about us.  

On one workshop someone said that they had built a canoe from scratch!  At first it felt a faintly comical answer but in fact the achievement told us much about the builder.  They had displayed project management and practical skills as well as persistence and attention to detail – all of which are the kind of qualities that many employers would be looking for. 

So for any job seekers I would advise: think long and hard about your special qualities.  Consider what you’ve achieved that makes you most proud and you will probably find the answers.  And then think of examples to back up your words.  Learn them by heart: those USPs should feature prominently in your CV and your interviews.