CASEBOOK: Workplace Matters – Employability Skills

How good is your CV – and what if you don’t have the skills that are on the job description?  Don’t worry because there are so many transferrable skills that you might have, as well as ways of positioning your experience favourably.  Join the discussion.

Our CASEBOOK podcasts are previous recordings on a theme or topic – today we chat with Ruki Khanum of Venture Helpers

About the Show

Each Thursday at 4pm, we broadcast on LinkedIn and YouTube, with the podcast released on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more. 

Then every Friday at 8am, you’ll also receive a bonus podcast episode (like this one) - a carefully selected recent conversation offering practical insight and timeless support.

Wherever you listen, you’re invited to pause, reflect, and reconnect: 

PODCAST: https://mentalhealthmatters.buzzsprout.com

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5dbYRwciNQ3c2hZwpsfxnNIvpijH4S2b 

Today's show is hosted by

Dr Audrey Tang www.draudreyt.com  @draudreyt

Judith Crosier https://www.facebook.com/p/Judith-Crosier-Presenter-61556005102240/

Guest Expert

Ruki Khanum

https://www.venturehelpers.co.uk/

Wellbeing Insights from

Dr Gus Chaves

https://guschaves.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_10 0:04

Good morning and welcome to Mental Health Matters Office Hours with me, Dr. Audrey Tang, my co-host is Judith Crozier, and this is the show where we talk about all things workplace well-being. We've got a great show for you today. We are going to really improve your employability skills. We have got Rookie Carnom joining us, and we're going to be talking about interviews, we're going to talk about the job market, we're going to talk about how to succeed. So let's head over to the main studio. Rookie, welcome to Mental Health Matters. It's great to have you on set. Thank you. I am really looking forward to hearing about this because I think with the job market as it is, we all need to know about boosting our employability. So please tell us about the work that you do.

SPEAKER_11 0:44

So I work with uh the community as a whole, people on benefits, people who are working part-time and low income, and support them with, you know, firstly getting a basic CV up to standard suitable for an employer. Um, and I find 99% of the time a lot of people don't have an up-to-date CV that's going to be acceptable by an employer. And so it's looking at their CV initially in the first instance and letting them know why it's not up to standard and what could be changed to better it so that they take a bit of ownership in terms of making sure their CV is suitable for an employer. Um, the other side of it is to make sure that they are ready to go into employment and take up if it's full-time or part-time, according to their family situation, circumstances, and also their health as well. Um and then prepping them for interviews and you know how to complete job applications and also relevant training courses that can upskill them to put them in a better light with an employer as well.

SPEAKER_10 1:39

Now, this is just something that I picked up on just whilst you were talking, um, and it's something we don't think about, which is why I didn't ask it as a question until you said what makes a CV not up to standard?

SPEAKER_11 1:50

Um things like you know, um things that aren't relevant, um, very old historic job details, which maybe 20 plus years ago which isn't really needed on a CV. Um, you know, you don't want an employee discriminate against someone because they went to studies in the 80s perhaps or the 70s. Um they may have done more relevant up-to-date training courses that they can have on their CV that represent themselves better in light of uh a vacancy, perhaps.

SPEAKER_10 2:18

That's so helpful because I know, and this is not just in CV writing, but in general, I try to just it's like verbal diarrhea, you know, you're trying to tell you everything. And you're absolutely right, it is an essential to have all of those things. Um so relating to the work that you do and the skills that you offer, um, the CV writing that would be quite a technical tool. What about the soft skills side of things?

SPEAKER_11 2:41

Yeah, it's really important. I always encourage my students and my clients to take up courses to help them as well. You know, if English is second language for them, take up some English classes or you know, watch some YouTube videos or some videos online to help them develop further. Um, in terms of ICT, we do deliver digital training. So, again, it's encouraging them, you know, learn the basics of how to access your emails, send an email to an employer with a correct subject in the subject line, addressing the person correctly, signing off the email correctly as well. Um, so all the basic kind of information that they need is kind of give presented to them and they're encouraged to kind of take it on board and put some time and effort in their own time to develop themselves.

SPEAKER_10 3:24

I mean, there's people in jobs who need to know how to address a subject properly, you know.

SPEAKER_11 3:28

Yes, seriously. And making sure they're professional emails. Yes, and making sure they send it to the correct person as well.

SPEAKER_02 3:35

Yes.

unknown 3:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10 3:36

I know we laugh about it, but really the amount of and this is people who should know better, who've had many years of experience still doing some very odd things on email. Yes.

SPEAKER_11 3:47

And if I could just add on that point as well, some some people tend to use Google Docs to put together a CV, send it out to an employer as a Google Docs document, which not all employers can access. So if it's not a word format, it might not be picked up and disregarded, and so they don't hear back. That's a really good point, actually.

SPEAKER_02 4:07

Very yeah. Um so do you help clients, do you support them emotionally? So, for example, if the the job market's a bit bleak, there's not many jobs, do you help them with resilience, keeping going, applying?

SPEAKER_11 4:20

Yeah, so currently I do deliver employability training, um, skills training, a level one qualification to clients, and that's a four-day in-class training course. And we cover writing a CV unit, understanding mindset, which is really important, understanding your customers, and understanding motivation. Um, and I find that by the end of the training, the clients are more up to up to date and up to kind of speed with what's expected and what next and what's not expected, and what motivates them and demotivates them going to work even as well as being at work. Um, understanding, you know, in terms of writing a CV about what should be included in a CV and also as part of a C V, who are you going to use as references? Who are going to be your referees? Yes. Very important that. You don't have two references potentially, and the employer's not going to offer you a position. Yes.

SPEAKER_10 5:05

Yes, because you do need it's that double checking. It's yeah, very important. And again, everything that you're saying, we can all learn from. This is not just somebody who's been out of work or is looking to come back into employment. I'm learning from this and sort of thinking, oh gosh, I do need to maybe take off my GCSEs from my C, you know, that kind of thing. You don't need to date at least the dates last year.

SPEAKER_02 5:32

Exactly. No, it is really, and also things change with how CVs look now is not how they should or ideally look 20 years ago or 30 years ago. So yeah, things change.

SPEAKER_11 5:45

I always do say to my clients, my students in class, you know, just be mindful, technology has grown so vastly.

SPEAKER_03 5:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_11 5:51

You, you know, back in the days you could have your national insurance number on there, your date of birth, your full address, all that kind of information. Fine. Nowadays, no. You know, you can put your name, your uh the first part of your postcode is a London E1, for example, just so an employer knows what location you're living in, um, your phone number and your email address. If an employer wants to know more about you, they will ask you to to complete an application form or ask you in for an interview. But essentially with a CV is basic information, contact details um to get an employer to be able to contact you.

SPEAKER_10 6:22

Yeah, because otherwise you could be giving away a lot of security details, which unwittingly and yeah. I never really considered that.

SPEAKER_02 6:30

No, you're right actually, and I still have my full address on mine, so that's something I'm gonna do to change straight. I like that. Just put the first bit of the um your postcode. Yes, or even just the town, yeah, you know, it pinpoints where you are enough for an employer anyway. Yeah, really good points. Um so do you have any tips for interviews as well?

SPEAKER_11 6:52

Um, I always uh you know encourage people to stay calm and just remember the people that are on the panel are humans as well. You know, at some point they've gone through this process, and you know, it's not a thing of just go in there and do the best that you can, and that's all you can really try to do. And you know, making sure you're researching the company, the job role, understanding what they're expecting of you as an employee in that specific role, um, and just take your time at the interview, you know, don't rush it. There is no race at an interview, just give it your best, really.

SPEAKER_10 7:23

Yeah, I really like that because I think so often people put so much into almost trying to learn interview answers, and and then the interview question is slightly different, and then they're thrown, and so don't give the answer that they mean. Whereas actually, what you're saying is research the company, know why you want to be there, and if you've got those, you can answer anything. Yes, definitely. Important for all of us. We're keeping Ruki with us. We'll be back just after this.

SPEAKER_05 7:54

Let's talk about how the words you use, especially with yourself, shape your reality. Your brain does not handle negative phrases very well. When you say, I don't want to be anxious, it still zeroes in on anxiety. That becomes your focus. It's like giving directions to a cab driver by saying, I don't want to go to the other. It's vague. The driver still needs to know where you do want to go. Your brain is the same. You need to be clear positive direction. So instead of I won't be late. Try I'll be on time. Instead of I'm not good at it. Try unlearning and improving. That simple shift helps you focus on where you're going, not what you're avoiding. Speak clearly, speak kindly, and point yourself in the direction that you actually want to go.

SPEAKER_09 9:01

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SPEAKER_07 9:03

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SPEAKER_09 9:08

But fear not, we are here to help. My name is Leanne, and I'm a chartered psychologist.

SPEAKER_07 9:13

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SPEAKER_09 9:23

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SPEAKER_07 9:32

We debunk Bozwords and bring you the very best advice around finding and keeping great people from personality tests.

SPEAKER_04 9:39

Personality tests are they're mostly bollocks. I don't know what kind of language you do on your podcast. I don't know if people know this, but the man who wrote the Wonder Woman comics is the person who invented the distance.

SPEAKER_00 9:49

When more flexible working became a norm, you no longer hurt your career prospects by being the one person who worked flexible.

SPEAKER_07 9:56

All the way to avoiding high turnover.

SPEAKER_06 9:59

We recruit and promote people to managerial roles based on their technical skills, not their people skills. This is a very fundamental problem we have, which we haven't directly tackled.

SPEAKER_08 10:12

From Toxic Free Coaches. Interventions for the individual are only half the answer. Systemic change is the other half to sustainable growth.

SPEAKER_01 10:19

Thinking beyond just paying somebody a good salary, I think, is is super necessary now. We have to offer so much more than that.

SPEAKER_09 10:27

We have got you covered.

SPEAKER_07 10:28

So join us on Tuesdays and Thursdays where we help you to simplify the science of work and build amazing workplace cultures.

SPEAKER_10 11:05

No, very welcome. Now, in the position that you're in where you support people, um I've got a how do you in in my questions here, but maybe can you even convince employers to give someone a chance? So, you know, we can all be very susceptible to personal biases. We can have certain things that mean we actually miss out on someone amazing who might be just rejected because either their CV doesn't look good or they don't interview well, but you know, you know, it is it all just what happens on the day, or is there any form of leeway?

SPEAKER_11 11:38

Uh I believe there is. I've I do speak to employers and encourage them to give out their vacancies to local people, you know, if they need someone, if there's a train strike, you don't need to worry about commuting because everybody's on the road.

unknown 11:50

That's true.

SPEAKER_11 11:51

You'll always have cover for the office. Um, and it's just encouraging the employers, you know, consider other people. And as you rightly said, Audrey, you know, sometimes people don't do well at an interview, but when it comes to the job, they're really good. And it's you know, perhaps have some practical activity that's part of the interview process, you know, where they're drafting an email for you just so they can demonstrate they're able to respond to an email, you know, making sure they put the correct subject in, they're addressing the person correctly in the email. Um, you know, basic things that's be required as part of a job role, get them to do some practical hands-on maybe activities to demonstrate their abilities to fulfil the role.

SPEAKER_10 12:28

You see, I think this experiential side is so important because there's a lot of people, and you can see them, they're schooled from sixth form to university to interview well.

SPEAKER_03 12:38

Yes.

SPEAKER_10 12:38

And there's a lot of practice that goes in, and they will absolutely ace an interview. You get them into the job, they've got no idea how to switch the computer on or to show any initiative. And so I think you're absolutely right. Are more employers doing this more practical hands-on thing?

SPEAKER_11 12:53

I think some have been, but I think it's something that maybe we could encourage other employers to take on board and you know, maybe suggest in ways that they could do it as well. Because sometimes employers may be a bit scarce as to worried and concerned, maybe how do we go about doing it? And you know, if they get that support about, you know, perhaps you can have a basic um email draft here as a template that you give to your uh potential candidates to complete on the day of the interview. So you know, you ask them some questions, you get them sitting in a room, you get them to draft an email for you, see how they get on with that perhaps as a demonstration.

SPEAKER_10 13:26

Love that, and it's so simple, yeah, it doesn't cost any extra money, and in actual fact, it gives you performance skills as well. Definitely. Very important. Um, so Rookie, what for you are the skills or values that make someone really good to hire?

SPEAKER_11 13:40

Um, first and foremost, I think honesty, commitment, flexibility, and accountability. These are four things we talk about in our mindset unit of ability. Um, you know, it's always important to have people that are honest. Um you know, if they're running late for work, they're honest, they're not saying it's because of the train, and the employer goes online and checks the train lines, they're all running fine. That's not really your reason. Um, people that are committed to the job role, you know, sometimes it might be a small business, an SME that's recruited, you know, someone to help out around the office, perhaps, and they can't afford to take on additional staff. Um, they possibly can't afford to, you know, pay a high-end salary, but you know, they can be flexible in some ways, and they just need people that are committed and willing to you know come in, do the work. You know, if they need to stay behind a little, perhaps stay behind a little. Don't be watching what time's lunch, what time is it going home time. Yeah, those kind of things are really important.

SPEAKER_10 14:36

Yeah, so get getting yourself really involved in it because you're right, but there's so many more SMEs now, and when we're talking SMEs, we're talking micro businesses sometimes where it's only one or two people, and yeah, you you can't afford to hire loads of people, so everyone needs to do everything, and it's true, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:56

Um, and so talking about skills still, what skills do you think are uh the most important for jobs today? Um, and the main ones that employees are looking for?

SPEAKER_11 15:11

Communication would be key, you know, it's about communicating, not just being able to speak the language, but also how you get your message across, being polite and professional. And I always say to my clients and my students, you know, we should write as we should write and not as we speak, and you know, just kind of understanding how you conduct yourself in a working environment. You know, it's all fine if you're out with friends and you've got your coat on, you're a bit cold, but if you're in the office, you know, taking off your coat, yeah, looking like you're ready to start the day and working, and you know, um, ICT as well, we we know everything's going online, everything's become digitalized, you know, scanning, things like that. So making sure that you upskill yourself and learn the basics of how to use a computer, and these days as well, it's a lot of um laptops being connected up to uh a monitor screen and being being able to connect up devices and not just crying out for IT at the first hurdle and being able to just resolve things essentially.

SPEAKER_10 16:08

Yeah, because to be fair, when I start well, not to be fair, it's not to be fair on me at all, but to be fair on other people. Um, I know when I started teaching, I was calling IT all the time. I can't switch, I can't connect with I can't do that. You know, but I think at the time we were all just getting used to bringing PowerPoint in, you know, we were all chalk and talk. This is new. So, but there's no excuse now. There wasn't.

SPEAKER_02 16:34

But it's a good point because you know, especially when you're a new teacher and you're trying to learn all the remember all the things about teaching, to have to then deal with IT is is a difficult thing. It's an added extra, isn't it? Yeah, and the basics, like you say, you always got the basics without having to call IT.

SPEAKER_10 16:49

But also now the basics have been around for a long time. You know, when we were doing it, it was just this is new. Yeah, genuinely, this is new. I I was still taking paper registers when I was teaching.

SPEAKER_02 17:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_10 17:01

So you know, it's not the same as just clicking. And so I do get it's it's it is different, but now there is no excuse. We know where it's going.

SPEAKER_02 17:10

Well, exactly, and everyone should be able to connect up a laptop to a to a monitor for sure. Yeah, you're absolutely right. Um, so what if somebody is employed and they get the job, um, but it becomes obvious they're not right. Do you plow on and hope it improves, or how how would that situation be best dealt with?

SPEAKER_11 17:32

In the initial instance, I think it'd be a case of the employer sitting down with the employee and just having a one-to-one discussion. Uh, not a meeting, a discussion probably, um, just to make them feel comfortable and ascertain, you know, what is working and what isn't working and what support they may need. And sometimes, you know, it just requires an individual, an employee to get that additional support, maybe some basic training, and they'll be more comfortable and you know they'll be flying. Um, but it's just identifying where they're maybe a bit stuck or where they need that additional support to kind of progress. And you know, if it's not a suitable role for them, you know, they've given it their best, then perhaps it's a case of maybe finding an alternative role or lightening the workload or just getting them used to something else, depending on obviously the um employer's availability in terms of other options.

SPEAKER_10 18:20

Yeah, because I think you're right, because whilst you're talking, I'm reminded of reminded of examples where someone may be not performing in their role because I don't know, they've got to put a spreadsheet together, and and it's not actually to do with the spreadsheet, it's to do with something else that's stopping them even getting to that point in the first place. And that's where I think as employers we can get short-sighted. We can just start thinking, oh well, I've given you training on all of that, why can't you use that? But actually, it's more to do with they've got dyslexia or they the the glare of the screen is too much of a problem, yeah, and it's something completely different, but we've just jumped straight to performance task. Yeah, and we don't think about that enough. That's a really good point, actually. We need to a lot more because we I mean we're taught this in schools, and yet in the workplace, oh no, get on with it. Yeah, yeah, from the deep end, just find your way around. Have you ever had a situation whereby someone's got the job and maybe they come to you and said it's just not for me anymore?

SPEAKER_11 19:20

Yeah, they have it's happened a few times actually. Um, and I always encourage the client, you know, stay with the job, don't leave. Um, have a chat with your employer or your boss and just find out what it is that you they can do to support you. Um, and in the meantime, let's have a look at other roles that might be of interest to you. Um, and then I've supported certain individuals with finding alternative jobs that they're happier with and more comfortable in doing so. Um, and they've then you know professionally handed in their resignation, served their notice period, and left on a professional note to start the new job.

SPEAKER_10 19:55

Yeah, I think that's important to remember that sometimes it's not for you. Yes, and that's okay too, but do it in the right way. Yes, yes. The word professional has come up a lot here, and I appreciate that. Uh Ruki, you're staying with us, or we'll be back just after this.

SPEAKER_05 20:14

Let's learn to reframe a word that often scares us. Failure. Here's the truth. Failure is not the opposite of success, it's a part of it. When something goes wrong, when we fall short or slip out, we tend to beat ourselves out. Like, what if you saw failure in a different way? What if failure was just feedback? One of my favorite quotes, I never lose. I either win or I learn. You cannot end up with white. You just end up with white. Like a train that you rain is a train. So when you live, be kind to yourself. Reflect, learn. And most importantly, yeah, get back on track. Because growth doesn't come from being perfect. It comes from how quickly and gently you reset.

SPEAKER_10 21:41

A world without the arts is one without confidence, creativity, and community, and yet funding has been reduced every year. Arts programs have been shown to benefit social inclusion and well being, particularly for marginalized groups, with projects fostering a sense of belonging, cultivating mutual understanding, and breaking down social. Barriers and isolation. Participation in arts programs can help boost confidence and open doors to opportunities that may otherwise be inaccessible. Click Arts Foundation offers grants up to £2,000 for grassroots arts projects twice a year, with our community arts experience trustees meticulously scoring each project on impact and sustainability. To date, we have supported craft and visual arts projects, dance, drumming for well-being, and preservation of heritage and culture. If you share our passion not just for maintaining the arts themselves, but contributing to the many benefits it can bring, please consider making a donation to Click Arts Foundation registered charity. And what I've been learning so fast is just how different things are actually now, and how they used to be one way, you mentioned this with CVs, and that's changed. We need to be aware of new technologies, we need to be aware of the new skills employers are looking for. And it's it can be quite scary and overwhelming, actually. It's a bit like dating, isn't it? Scary and overwhelming, probably are the two excuse. But um, let's move away from that. Um, you support people in career transitions as well, and this is actually quite important because I think a lot of our viewers will either be going through a transition, might have gone through a career transition transition, but may not even realize that this is a transition. So, um, what might be defined as a transition and what problems have you experienced or that people have brought?

SPEAKER_11 23:41

Um, transition could be you know anything from going from part-time hours into full-time hours, changing into a different job role industry. Um, it could be for a transition for work uh parents as well, who've had young children for years, um, taking up all their time and now kind of having the time to go back to work, uh, whether by choice because they have to, um, but it's it's a whole range of different transitioning um processes that take place. Um, and some of the challenges could be again going back to people not having the right skill sets or having the right support, because there's a lot of support services out there, but it's knowing where to go and who to go to. That's very true.

SPEAKER_10 24:20

The support aspect, because if you are we had um a therapist on talking about the sandwich generation, so you're caring for elderly parents, you're also caring for young children, and there's got to be support in there somewhere. But if you don't know where to go to, um would you recommend any agencies or or contacting the council or anything like that?

SPEAKER_11 24:39

So normally the local authorities all have an employment training team set up. Um so in the first instance, I would suggest that people reach out to their local authority, and sometimes they have opportunities in terms of employment opportunities ring fenced for the local residents, so it's not open to other boroughs. So it gives people more of a an opportunity to get into a certain role. Um, in terms of also volunteering, volunteering is a great way to get your foot in the door of a company, get some skills, give you something to do, and also possibly obtain a reference for when you get a job. That's a really good point.

SPEAKER_10 25:13

Yeah, of course, because volunteering will you you're proving you're working in that employability context, yeah. Um also with transitions, and I I never really thought about the the changes where children have grown up and things like that. You think about parenthood and then coming back to work, but yeah, that's and the common one being changing jobs and careers completely. But I think you've you've highlighted some really key things. Um, but what about transitions where a job role has changed? So in the break, we were talking about how you train you're training people in the security field, and now um you mentioned spiking. Immediately my mind went to spiking drinks and so being aware of nightclubs and that kind of thing. But you said no, no, no, spiking vapes and spiking cigarettes. The job has changed. How do you support people through that? You know, the maybe there's a bit of a, but it's always been this way, you know.

SPEAKER_11 26:11

Yeah, so again, it's about knowing the support services out there to reach out to, but also support services reaching out to individuals if an incident's been reported to the police, the police then making the relevant uh referrals to the relevant services for people to get support from. Um and as we're saying in the break, you know, spiking isn't just spiking a drink, it's injecting a vape or cigarette. Um, so it can be done in many forms, and people can be left feeling vulnerable, a lot of uh feeling a bit ashamed or embarrassed, uh, the mental health and well-being is being affected as well, even scared to go out. And so it's just making sure people are more aware of their surroundings, especially if they're in certain um places like a nightclub or a venue where there's lots of people around, they're having to leave their drink. Uh, but for people that working within the security field, you know, when we do the training, we're kind of upskilling them and making them aware of what to keep an eye out for and making them more aware as to what's going on out there in the real world, um, not just in a classroom setting. So they take these things on board and work effectively as a team when they are in a work environment.

SPEAKER_10 27:16

It's just a cheeky little extra question there. How do you stay ahead of that real world stuff? Because we get to hear a lot of changes in the mental health and well-being field because that's the area we're in. We read about it, we talk to guests. But that would be something I wouldn't even think of looking up unless I heard a news report of it.

SPEAKER_11 27:35

Yeah, there's a lot of information online. The home office are involved, the Met Police are involved in the whole program. Um, they do have relevant meetings taking place to discuss spiking, uh, how to address it. They can never stop spiking. You know, it's one of those things, isn't it? But we can work together to try and reduce the amount of incidents taking place and just making sure we're safeguarding people when they're out and about.

SPEAKER_10 27:56

Yeah, it's good to know that other services are involved in that. Um how do you support somebody who wants to transition or retrain, but they don't have the resources to be able to do it fully? So we know people who one person gave up a very lucrative career as an independent financial advisor to become a fitness instructor. So not only is that taking a pay cut, but that's a whole retraining as well, which is expense and so on. So, how do you balance that?

SPEAKER_11 28:21

So, again, it's understanding for the individual for the for the client to understand what's in their capabilities, you know, what can they afford to pay out? Uh, have they got bills to pay? You know, it again it depends on their overall situation, not just okay, you want to do X, let's just aim for X. No, let's be realistic and let's look at everything as a whole before you get to that point. And you know, if someone can afford to go and pay for a qualification privately, fine. If they can go to a college and maybe get the qualification at a discounted price, even better. Um, but again, it's you know, maybe taking up some voluntary uh opportunities to get their foot in the door of a company, get to really see actually, is this what I want to do? Before you spend out all this money and then realise, well, actually, it's not for me. I've wasted all this money and time and effort, and it's not for me. Um, so again, I always have conversation with people, and it's about what do you enjoy doing? Not what it's it just that you want to do, but what do you enjoy doing? So, if Jude came over to me, for example, it'd be a discussion about Jude, what do you enjoy doing? And you know, what what what commitments have you got already in place, and you know, what are your working hours potentially, and you know, what skill sets would you need to improve on and things like that? Yeah, it's it's it's so important.

SPEAKER_02 29:34

It is looking at the whole person and and their lives um behind that, yeah. Yeah, really good point. Um so networking events are quite popular now, something else that's changed since before. Um, what are your opinion? What is your opinion on networking events? I do.

SPEAKER_11 29:55

You do go to lots of events, and it's nice because I like to meet people from all walks of life, different industries, find out what they're doing. I do tend to take some photos at these events as well so I can remember who I met. You know, before it'd be you know, let's dish out some business cards, and sometimes you go away, you lose the cards, or people lose the cards. So I tend to now do um get my phone out, pop someone's number and name into the phone. If I've taken a picture, send it via WhatsApp. Lovely to meet you.

SPEAKER_10 30:24

That's really I love that. That's a much better way of doing because otherwise it feels a little bit here's my car.

SPEAKER_11 30:29

Yes, bit mechanical. Oh just make it a bit fun and just I did go to a networking event a few months ago at the Shard, and that's what I was doing, you know, taking people's numbers, uh exchanging numbers, taking some photos, send it via WhatsApp, and then following the event, I did have a meeting with a couple of people. Um, so uh I did a network, I did go to the Excel show uh a few years ago for a business uh event, met two Kusulaman, which was great. Uh he was doing a speech uh about entrepreneurship. Um, and I walked around to lots of businesses, spoke to them, did give out my business cards and collected some, but at the same time I was popping numbers onto my phone. And following the event, I had about 20 odd meetings with companies. Wow. That's the way to do it. Yeah, and I love the photo idea.

SPEAKER_02 31:14

Yeah, it's brilliant. Really, really good tip. Yeah. Remember who you've met. Yes, yes, and do you have any other tips for people that may find such events stressful?

SPEAKER_11 31:24

Yeah, maybe take someone along with you that you're comfortable with, you know, someone that's not gonna rush you, someone that's gonna be supportive of what you're doing, and understanding why you're there, not you know, all right, we've been here half an hour. Can we go now? Yeah, yeah, can we go now? No, it's an all-day event, we're here till five o'clock. Yeah, um, and someone that's gonna kind of share the same interests as you about meeting people. Um, so it might be worth having a buddy with you rather than going there alone. It's nice, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 31:51

Yeah, nice day out. Yeah, well, yes, yeah, exactly, with a friend, and then it there's they're there as support as well. Um so would you or have you ever supported anybody in a job that you perceived as maybe mentally unhealthy for them, even if they really desperately needed to stay and work because of financial reasons?

SPEAKER_11 32:12

Yeah, I've had uh clients approach me. So, an example would be I heard a gentleman come in, he wanted to do the security training, and as part of the security training, we have to do first aid. Uh, it's one of the requirements. And so, in order to do first aid, you have to be on your knees, healthy, pathetic compression, two rescue breaths, a CPR. And so when he came in before the training started, I said, Can I just you know get you to demonstrate that you can perform CP on your knees? And he actually struggled to get down on his knees and struggled to get back up again. Um so we supported him getting down and up again, but we had that serious conversation that you know, for your health reasons, we don't feel that this is the right uh course and qualification for you to take on. Um and to work in the field will be a bit of a struggle if you've got to stand on your feet for 12 hours. Um, he understood and appreciated our honesty, um, but we just had that kind of honest chat with him about uh consider other roles whereby you're not putting your health at risk because again, there's no point in putting your health at risk and going to do a job that two days later is gonna affect your health, and then you're off for another six months. Yes.

SPEAKER_10 33:14

That honesty is really refreshing, and that's it, and it is it's important to be honest when you're supporting somebody as much as it is for the person, even if it's painful, and that's that self-awareness as well. And I think an honest support can actually encourage honest self-reflection, which makes the good point. Yeah. Well, you're staying with us, um, and we're gonna head over to Business Boost. Let's talk about the star technique for interviews. Now, this is a great way to answer a question which is tell me about a time you've problem solved, or tell me about a situation that you've been able to effect, or something like that, one of those story-based situations. And the STAR technique is a very simple acronym that you can use. The S stands for situation, the T stands for task, the A for action, and the R for the results. Now, to break that down, you talk about the situation you were in to elicit that response from you, the task that had to be completed, the actions you took, and then the outcomes after that. The one mistake we seem to hear a lot in interviews is people spending too long on situation and task, giving too much context, giving too much background. Actually, what the employer is looking to hear is what did you do? How did you help? And what was the outcome? So if you're planning this particular question, think about the context, of course, and think about what you had to do. But if you're saying writing it out, what I suggest you do is have S, T, A, and R written across on a table. And if you find the S and the T is really, really long and the A and the R is really short, really try and change that round. So bring the situation, the task into a much shorter nutshell and spend a lot more time talking about the actions that you took and the results.

SPEAKER_05 35:16

Let's talk about the power of saying no. Many of us feel guilty when we say no, like we're letting someone down. But here's a small mindset shift that can make all the difference. Instead of focusing on what you're saying no to, think about what you're saying yes to instead. When you say no to something that doesn't align with your time, energy, or values, you're actually saying a big yes to your priorities, your peace of mind, and your well-being. Suddenly, saying no feels feels less like a rejection and more like self-respect. And here's a tip: if you often feel pressured to just answer right away, give yourself a little space. Try something like, that sounds interesting. Thank you for thinking of me. Let me have a think, and I'll get back to you. That simple path gives you time to ask yourself, do I really want this? Or am I just avoiding disappointing someone? Remember, every no is really a yes to something more meaningful. So go ahead and give yourself permission to say yes to you.

SPEAKER_10 36:27

Well, we've reached the last part of the show already. It's been so enjoyable chatting with you, Ruki. Thank you. Talking to you ladies as well. It's been really quick. It has, I know, I know. And we've learned so much. We always use this time to now reflect on some of the things that we've picked up. And as as with all our guests, there's so many things to think about. One thing that really struck me was how much certain jobs have changed, and unless we're ahead of that, it is hard to support somebody because we don't know what's really going on out there. And and I know I was asked to look at somebody's CV um relatively recently, but the first thing I did say was I haven't looked at the CV and I haven't written a CV for the last you know 20 years, so I can help you to some extent, but not any further than that. So that's something I would definitely take. Things change.

SPEAKER_02 37:14

Yeah, things things really do change. And I mean, 20 years ago I was working in recruitment, so and I'm sure that a a lot of the basics, as you were saying, CV and interview techniques have probably changed. So it's I'd say my top tip is definitely go to somebody like yourself who can really say this is what employers are looking for. You know, they they don't want to know about this, but they really do need to know about this, or you you need to put more detail about this. So that's my top tip, really.

SPEAKER_10 37:42

And then the honesty, I love that. I it's about being honest with yourself, as in so coming from positive psychology, there's this whole, well, you can do anything. No, you can't. You can't. We've had this conversation with another guest as well previously. If you want to be, if I want to be a pilot, that's not gonna happen. It's you know, my eyesight is nowhere near as, and that's not anything anyone can do about it. No, so it is about the honesty of maybe that job's not right. Yes, what else can we look at as well? So, yeah, and people hate disappointing other people, but I think it's really important. So I'm glad you brought that up.

SPEAKER_02 38:22

Was there anything else that you took from? I I think that was one of the big things as well, is you know, horses for courses, yes, really. You it you've got to be realistic about what you can and can't do, and yeah, so if somebody needs as part of their job to do something physical that they're never gonna be able to do, then then it is not gonna be for them.

SPEAKER_10 38:44

Yeah. Um, so now let's look at this, let's take it positively and let's um bring this all together. Ricky, do you mind giving us your top tips to improve our chances at interview?

SPEAKER_11 38:56

Um, well, as we discussed earlier about the star method, so situation task action results. I always talk about this to my students in class and get them right in in workbooks and forming examples. And I always say to them, take a picture, you've worked so hard to put these examples together, take a picture. If you ever have a job application to fill up or an interview, you've got some examples already drafted, just revise them and utilize them. Um, so again, you know, maybe at some point, you know, have a think about if you are looking to transition to a new job or take up another job or start working, is maybe think about examples that you can jot down and have them prepared. Um, also, I'd suggest you know, finding out who you can use as references and reaching out to your referees and letting them know ahead of time hey, you know, is it okay if I use your details? Um and if the person left, well, find out from the company who they can approach, whether it be the human resources department or if there's another department they need to put down as a the contact details. Um and again, it's about staying calm and you know, a sense of realism and honesty that goes hand in hand, you know. Yes, I can, you know, my health is affected, or maybe I've got young children, I can only work during school hours. So a sense of realism in terms of what you can and can't do. You've been so helpful and so enlightening.

SPEAKER_10 40:13

I forgot the point about references, you're absolutely right, and it is that politeness of just you know, this person is gonna contact you, is like it because otherwise, with me, sometimes it goes into spam, and if I'm not looking for it, it will just get lost anyway. So it is really important to know who your references are, and yeah, you always do need two, don't you? Usually personal, professional.

SPEAKER_11 40:35

Ideally, the an employer wants professional references, but if people don't have two professional because they've only worked once or they worked many, many years ago, a character reference could be sufficient. So a character could be, you know, if you've got a community leader or mentor, for example, they could provide you a character reference. Um, as a trainer, uh, wear different hats. One of them would be a trainer, and I say to my students, as long as you're committed, honest, flexible, and accountable, um, do all the work that needs to be done. I'm happy to give you a reference based on the fact that you're in my training class for a week or two weeks, and that's how I'll vouch for you to an employer.

SPEAKER_10 41:09

Yeah, that's great, and again, that is networking as well. I love your point about the photographing and networking. Ricky, where can we learn more about you?

SPEAKER_11 41:17

Um, so the company is venture helpers, so people can reach out and find us online. Um, I'll share the links with you later. Um, and we work in London, but we do work across London as well. Um, try and support as many people as possible because it's hard out there. Um, there are support services, so if there's something that is uh local to people, we'll put them in touch or guide them and support them. If it's something that we can do local to us, then we'll support the individuals. And people are not just the number to us, they're individuals, and we see every every person as an individual that needs the support and should rightfully get that support they deserve.

SPEAKER_03 41:51

Oh, I love that.

SPEAKER_10 41:52

I love that, and it makes people feel valued as well, which again helps with the motivation once you're in front of that interview panel. Ruki, thank you so much. And from all of us at Mental Health Masters Office Hours, have a healthy week.