CASEBOOK - Workplace Matters: What are Employers looking for?

What skills are employers looking for in 2026?  And what happens if you don’t have what the job description says?  Tune in and you’ll find that sometimes what you’ve been doing as a carer, or a navigator for your parents might be just what an organisation needs.  Join the discussion.

Our CASEBOOK podcasts are previous recordings on a theme or topic – today we chat with Business Psychologist and Career Coach, Yinka Adesina.

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

Yinka Adesina

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yinka-adesina/ 

Employability insights from

Ruki Khanum

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

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Good morning and welcome to Mental Health Matters Office Hours with me, Dr. Audrey Tang. My co-host is Judith Crozier, and we are welcoming back Yinke Adesina. She is an employability coach, and we're going to learn about the perfect CV and how to present ourselves well, especially in a changing workforce. Let's head over to the studio. Yinke, welcome to the show. It's great to have you back again.

SPEAKER_00 0:27

Thank you so much for having me. I'm really looking forward to our discussion today. So yeah, great to be here.

SPEAKER_01 0:32

Oh, I mean, our discussion last time was so helpful, so useful, and we're hoping to pick your brains again, yes, especially as we go into this new year, because there's going to be a lot of people wanting to make changes, a lot of the job market shifting. And so thank you for being here with us. Now, Yunka, there have been some key skills that are highlighted that employers are looking for. Now they are written as in this piece of research communication, motivation, leadership, reliability, ability to learn on the job, which I think is really interesting, and follow instructions. Teamwork, self-management, emotional intelligence, and then you've also got analytical skills and administrative skills. So there's so many things employers are looking for. We are going to break them down over the course of today. But for you, Yinka, which of these do you find often needs the most work and why?

SPEAKER_00 1:28

That's a really good point. And yeah, that's there's quite a breadth of skills that have been mentioned in there. But I think something that is sometimes missed a little bit is actually around the self-management. And so all those key skills are really important, but a lot of the times with self-management, um, it's not because people don't necessarily have it, but it's because they don't always recognise it or see it in themselves. So I think it's a really, really important and sometimes an underplayed skill, actually, because it touches on a lot of the previous skills that were mentioned before. Um, and I think this actually cuts across like several people, um, you know, regardless of what age you are, what stage you're at in your career, you know, some individuals may feel like actually they've ever only worked in one profession or in one role, for instance, and but actually, if they really break it down, they've had to make sure that you know they're showing up on time, if they're actually opening the shop, for instance. So, you know, all the personal things that actually come in before you're actually able to deliver the key activities of your role are really, really important. And self-management also feeds into leadership, it feeds into communication, you know, advocating for yourself, um, working with others when you think about emotional intelligence, you kind of need to know about your own um before you're actually responding and engaging with others and and observing and analysing others. And so there's there's a lot I think that can sometimes be underplayed with with self-management. So rather than saying um it's something that um you know is important to have, I think it's also recognising it for sure.

SPEAKER_01 2:53

Yes, it is, it's that recognition of it. It's not just it's not just a word, it needs to be something we need to understand what it is, how it plays in. And you're right, because it's even things like time management comes under self-management as well as setting boundaries and you know not taking on too much, it's overwhelming. Now, you could you you began to uh mention this for some people they may have only had one job. For some, it's their first job, but yet if you go back, they've at uni they might have been treasurer for their society or they've coached football at weekends. You know, how do you help somebody who A doesn't recognise they've got all these transferable skills, but also to improve some of those skills in a more informal way, not just I have to go and learn and do a training course on self-management. How would you support them?

SPEAKER_00 3:40

Absolutely, and you're so right about that. You know, those examples that you've mentioned there, there's so much actually, if you look at the skills or competencies and strengths as well. Um, and so a lot of the times there's actually the informal stuff that really provides like the the grounding and the foundations for all the other things that you develop through professional experience, other training, etc. Um, but it's most so you're probably doing it without anyone actually paying you or giving you a title. And so when I and a classic example of this is when I've worked with you know students or or professionals who are at the early stages in their career, um, some of them, you know, this might be the first time that they're starting to think about, you know, their professional identity and what it means to be in the world of work. And so often they'll they might feel like they don't have enough experience or they haven't had a fur, you know, a proper job, um, for instance. Um, but but a lot of the times they would mention that, oh, I've actually been volunteering for for this particular activity, I've been supporting my family, you know, if English isn't their first language, I've been supporting them into understand how to navigate the different um systems and services, you know, whether it's for healthcare, whether it's for social support or or um, you know, engage with counsel, for instance. And if you actually break that down, those are really great foundational skills. If you're having to book appointments for relatives, for instance, you have to navigate actually, you know, going through the systems, if it's using a you know, using an app, um, you know, calling to um to set up appointments, checking, you know, as you're receiving correspondence that it matches with you know what you know the individual you're caring for actually wants and you know needs. Um, so it there's so much to it beyond just oh, you know, I don't necessarily have the title. You you have a lot of foundational skills. So I always say with people, actually really have a think. And this is what I call using the the fine tooth comb method, right? And really going through all these different experiences you've had, no matter how insignificant they may feel to you, actually thinking about what were the you know to deliver these tasks, what what skills have I demonstrated there? Was it communication, was it working in the team? Um, you know, was it having a great attention to detail? Was it analysis, for instance, was it even using technology as well? So there's really lots of really great materials that actually, if you're at whatever stage of your career you're in, nine times out of ten, you already have a lot of those key skills that we've mentioned earlier. It's really about actually bringing those to the surface.

SPEAKER_04 5:56

Yes, it's so true. My nephew left school um and wanted a job and hadn't done any kind of Saturday job or anything like that, and he said, My CV is gonna be blank, and but we did that, we went through, and it's amazing what comes out of just non-job tasks that you do, and he said, Oh, I can't I I do have skills, and and then he got a job, so yeah, yeah, it just goes to show it's kind of critical thinking. Um but it's just to put sorry, no, it's just so interesting to hear you talking about it, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:29

And and just to add, I think you know, you mentioned the critical thinking piece, right? But that's a that's a specific language, but actually in the everyday-to-day activities, we don't necessarily think of it like that. So, actually, you know, when I mention a fine-tuned code member, it's almost uh to get to the granular activity of this is what I did, and then actually start gaining that comfortability to use some of the professional language, which then actually showcases the impact or how important that is for an opportunity, yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:55

It's you need to recognise it first, so you need to bring it to the surface, and then yes, linguistics can come afterwards and change the language into what the the recruiter wants to hear. Yeah, that's really true.

SPEAKER_04 7:07

Yeah, so interesting. And then which of the key skills that that Audrey mentioned before, which which of those tends to set somebody apart? And does that mean that one might be more important than the others?

SPEAKER_00 7:22

Well, that's a tricky question. I think I think like I mentioned, those skills that that were mentioned earlier, they're all really, really important. Um, I think motivation a lot of the time can sometimes come up in a lot of different ways. Um, and I think sometimes that can even feed into things like emotional intelligence, leadership, and and communication as well. So I can't actually say there's one that's more important than the other. I think they're all just they're all really important. Now, what I will say is that actually, you know, there may be some that are more situational specific. Yes. And so this is where I think emotional intelligence, I think, can be a really key lead in in terms of navigating different situations, for instance. So, yes, you've got your analysis, but actually, if you're great at analysing people, but you're not emotionally intelligent to recognise when you should communicate and what you should be communicating and when should be doing that, then that can come back to bite you not so some of the nicest ways. So you can be the so you know, and and this works, you know, if you've got great, you know, teamwork and skills, that's amazing. But if you're not observant, um, you know, and you you're maybe not detail-oriented, there could be key aspects that come up that you know could maybe put those some of those team dynamics in a in a in a bit of a challenging um situation. So I think a good example of this is when I was working with someone who had to change roles and quite quickly, um, you know, they were quite convinced and they were older um worker, um, so they had much more significant experience. So we're talking like 20, 30 years of experience within manufacturing, for instance, and um they were convinced that some of the earlier career professionals would always be quicker at doing things and you know would be more snappy with technology. And so, you know, when we were having conversations in the coaching um sort of environment, um, you know, they they sort of brought up that they found it difficult um to kind of not necessarily relate, but to sort of understand that you know the communication from some of the early career professionals was slightly different. It didn't necessarily mean the same thing that they were expecting from maybe other colleagues. So, you know, they had to sort of gain that emotional intelligence to awareness to recognise that actually when I'm speaking with this individual, if they're saying one thing, it doesn't mean this is you know what I'm thinking it is. Actually, it means something slightly different. So that relational aspect I think is highlights why emotional intelligence is so important. So that's something that I think can really really help.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

Yeah, yeah, because you've often got this situation where somebody has to realise, oh, when they're asking me for this, I do know how to do it. They've just asked me in a slightly different way, and I wasn't expecting that. And that that's true, that's brilliant. Yeah, good point.

SPEAKER_04 9:58

Yeah, really good point. Um, so if it is your first job, um you might not have administrative skills, for example. Um, it's not always easy to get that experience before you get your first job. So, what kind of everyday tasks could we uh think about putting on our CV to show that we do have some admin experience, for example?

SPEAKER_00 10:21

Yeah, and that's a really good point, actually. And I and I will say, you know, admin is honestly everywhere. I feel like, you know, I I I find myself talking about life admin.

SPEAKER_04 10:30

Life admin, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 10:32

Right. And so even if we think about just even daily live-in life, if you look back in a week over a month, even maybe six months, you might want to think about actually where have I demonstrated administrative skills. So understanding that admin skills can be as simple as literally calling up a doctor for an appointment, yeah, right, and actually attending said appointments, right? I mean, and it's basic, like at its very basic level, and I'm not saying this, you know, in in jest or anything like that, but that's that's the that's the truth, right? So something as simple as that, that is an administrative task, right? So if you you know, if you haven't had a lot of work experience, for instance, actually have you put things together for individuals? Um, you know, if you've spent a lot of time maybe developing um expertise in a particular game, right? Have you made sure that you had to, if you've had to attend like tournaments and stuff like that with other players, actually have you had to show up at a certain time? Right? Have you had to make sure that you're maybe reaching certain levels so you can get to the next stage, right? That's performing under pressure.

SPEAKER_04 11:31

Right? True, right?

SPEAKER_00 11:33

So if you break that down, those are those are that's those are admin tasks as well. So it's just in a different, you know, as I mentioned earlier, the language, you know, is can be quite different for professional context, but actually, these are all key things that that are admin related as well. So budget management, helping someone fill out a form, um, you know, if you've had to, you know, work out, if you've had to work out how much money you've got, you needed to spend it, you had to go up to a certain point, right? You know that there's only specific items you can get. That is part of admin. You have to manage your resources um adequately because there are you know limitations. So um things like that, I'd say the you know that they're admin specific roles, um, admin specific tasks. Um, if you're thinking how does this apply to an office job, well, actually, let's let's compare, right? So if there's a and office jobs, I don't think there's ever owned not all of them are exactly the same. So just be mindful of that. They might have an emphasis on specific um type of admin, but if you've you know, if you've um if you've for instance had a hands-on role previously and you've maybe, you know, coordinated um, you know, meetings, for instance, you've coordinated, you've you know had to write out notes and you've had to send out summary to individuals, whether that's even after a catch-up with your friend or something like that, those that's those are admin tasks, right? So if you break that down, um they're kind of there every day. So I'd say take a closer look. You might surprise yourself.

SPEAKER_01 12:59

You're so right, and it's really funny, just whilst you're talking, I'm sort of thinking, you know, um, in so many ways, uh this show, this show is can be flipped on its head where all of these skills can be how to win it life. It's not about winning it employment, it's just winning it life. You can do all do all of these things, and actually life could be a bit smooth. This is a brilliant conversation. We are keeping ink and then we'll be back just enough to do some top tips from Emma Resident Experts.

SPEAKER_03 13:31

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 writing in workbooks and forming examples. And 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 for to transition into 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 contact details. Um and again, it's about staying calm and you know, sense of realism and honesty that goes hand in hand, you know. Yes, I can uh 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.

SPEAKER_01 14:46

It's been so helpful and so enlightening. 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 that 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 it is really important to know who your references are, and yeah, you always do need two, don't you? Usually personal, professional.

SPEAKER_03 15:11

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.

SPEAKER_01 15:31

Welcome back to Mental Health Matters Office Hours. We are having a really enlightening chat with Yinka Ardesina. She's an employability coach, she does a lot of work, she's been on the show before, a lot of work supporting people in getting their first jobs, making transitions, career changes as well. And this is a really interesting conversation because in the workplace now we are noticing employers are looking for certain specific skills. We are breaking these down. Yinka's already shown, and if you just tuned in, go back to listen to this, that many of these skills are present in everything we do day to day. But what we're going to do is we're going to take them into a work context and break these down a little bit more. So the first three skills employees are looking for, in no particular order, they're just an order I've picked out. Communication, motivation, and leadership. Now, communication, to some degree, we can practice that in just having conversations, in booking appointments, in the things that we do. But motivation and leadership, especially in a job role where you don't like the job but it's a foot in the door, or you're doing we don't all often notice motivation, and we don't feel like we can lead or want to lead because we just don't like that job. So, how can we practice those skills if we're in that stepping stone kind of position?

SPEAKER_00 16:50

No, so that's a really great question, actually. And to be, and you know, we've kind of got to be honest. Sometimes you just need a job, like it isn't always going to be a career deployment, you know, it might not be a dream job, it's just a job, and that's okay, right? Um, and I think this is something I speak to a lot about professionals specifically who've maybe had to change jobs um outside of their control, um, especially in a time when maybe there might not be lots of different you know opportunities. So you might have been a specialist in something for 20 years, but now the roles available are roles in very different sector. You may have to maybe consider a uh taking a smaller pay, um, for instance, and it can feel like it's a step backwards, and so that motivation question actually becomes really, really important to sustain yourself until you get something that's more aligned with what you want. Um, and so you know, you know, I've worked with professionals in the past, and you know, they've wanted to do a role, but you know, it wasn't available or it was too far out. So, for instance, you know, they they felt like they lost a part of who they were, even though they accepted the role. And I think it's really important to recognise actually it might not be a perfect fit, and that that's okay, right? That's natural, right? As a human, just to recognise that that that feeling. Um, but the part, but the thing is, you know, when you've worked in roles that maybe feel like they're tied to your identity, doing something that doesn't feel right, you know, I think is important to reframe it as this is an opportunity for right now.

unknown 18:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:13

And I think that's how you can actually get that motivation and you can, you know, you can be more clearer about actually this covers me for maybe I need some financial stability for now, you know, if you've got human responsibilities, etc. And so it's really important to actually separate yourself from maybe the circumstance in a sense, and actually recognize the opportunity for what it is, even if it is, you know, for a short period of time or until you find the next best thing. And so it's important to recognise it's not a failure, that's actually being responsible, right? I think you know, there's there's lots going on in the news around you know what's happening in the job market and what's happening, you know, from businesses. So I think it's really important that we kind of be a bit more objective about actually what the situation actually is, as opposed to personalizing it to then say, oh, this is only who I am. No, it's the situation very important.

SPEAKER_01 19:02

And that makes us be kinder to ourselves as well, because you're right, it's not about saying, Oh, this is this all I'm worth, is this no, it's not. This is the job that will do its job for where you are right now, and right now it's fine, things can change. That's it, it's a means to an end. Means to an end, yeah. That's so important not to get that tied in with your identity. So, what about leadership skills? So, this is a fun one because in the workplace you you kind of want to show leadership skills because you might want that promotion, but then you don't want to annoy everybody else on the floor, and then it's worse if you're working in a role where you probably could do that job better than someone else, or at least that's your perception. How do we subtly develop that or show our capabilities?

SPEAKER_00 19:50

That's a really tricky one, actually. Yeah, because I think this is a very situational, person-specific, you know, um context um dependent um type of environment. So, you know, and I think it's depending on where you are in your career, I think you do sometimes have to be a bit mindful of this and at what time you're sort of coming into the organization as well. Um, so tenure, I think, has an impact on this as well. So if you're young and you're new, you know, people might not expect you to have significant leadership skills, but actually you have. And so I think it's important again, if we go back to emotional intelligence here, it's also important to work out actually how receptive are individuals when I'm actually taking ownership and taking the lead, right? And see what the actual responses are from other individuals in the team, and that can give you a sense on if you were to go further, how likely that's going to be received.

SPEAKER_02 20:41

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 20:42

So I'd always say test first before you then run in and take full ownership or something for sure. Um, but at the same time, if that's your nature as well, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. So, you know, sometimes you know, people mention this sort of authenticity sort of aspect about leadership, and actually it's up to you what you prefer to show. And if that's you that's your nature, then actually run with it. But again, using that emotive and emotional intelligence style, work out oh, is this the right situation? Is this the right time? Is this the right task to do this for? Is this with the right person as well? So, again, just think about the team that you're working in, um, study them first, observe them first before you then sort of make those moves and sort of jump straight in with leadership, and so that it doesn't sort of work against you, especially in the early stages of your career or if you just joined an organization as well.

SPEAKER_01 21:28

Yes, and so true, because the early stages of the career, it's a little bit like that stepping stone situation, you may not have a future in that company because it may not be the ideal place for you, which is absolutely fine, and then you'll go on to something even you know more exciting where your leadership skills can shine. So, no, really good point of motion intelligence.

SPEAKER_04 21:48

Yes, we all comes back to that. Um, what happens if if you have really great communication skills but perhaps your your colleagues don't? How can we how can we? Help people to kind of improve their communication, especially some generations who might not have experience or confidence to manage their manager.

SPEAKER_00 22:11

That's a really good point, as well. And this is something that I've seen can be a bit tricky to sort of um to sort of navigate because you know managing up is a real skill, but it's not really something that's taught to you in your early stages of your career. You kind of just figure it out as you go along, and that and this can happen to anyone at any stage of their career as well. So I think the most important thing with this is when you do have great communication skills, but your colleagues don't, is don't assume that your manager or whoever you're working with actually knows what you need. Um so I think it's important to actually recognize that a lot of managers and colleagues are often stretched thin, they're not mind readers. Um so their communication style might just be different to yours. So I think it it's important to recognise actually how do you prefer to communicate, how what's the style of the way others like to communicate, and then um see if you know if you can bring it up in conversation, um, you know, maybe privately is always something I'd say do that first. I wouldn't recommend trying to manage upwards in a public setting because people may not respond well to that um as well. So that's that's one aspect, and I think for me, um I'm neurodiverse, and so for instance, I always know that I prefer things in writing, for instance, especially when there's a lot of instructions going on, there's lots of you know moving pieces and parts. For me, I like to at some point come to um some some writing to then be able to refer and track that. And so if you've got maybe a communication style of a line manager that doesn't quite work that way, it can be a little bit tricky. But coming back to that managing upwards, this is where you then have to think, hmm, I prefer to communicate in writing. So maybe what I'll do is after you know I've had a quick conversation in the corridor that has like 20 different instructions, actually summarize is this what you meant when we had that quick come away conversation? Please confirm if I'm missing anything. And that shows you also actually taking initiative, being proactive and taking ownership as well. So imagine upwards doesn't always have to work against you, it can be a really, really strong asset and doesn't always have to be framed as managing upwards, it's just you being more effective and proactive in your role, whether you're an older professional, whether you're a younger worker, things like that. Managers love to see it because it means you're taking ownership for wanting to do great work.

SPEAKER_04 24:24

Yeah, and that's really subtle, but a really effective way of turning your manager round to your way of working as well.

SPEAKER_01 24:32

And you're not changing anything because they've still had their conversation with you, you've just followed it up in a way that suits you, and if that works for you, yeah, that's great. So, yeah, I like that a lot.

SPEAKER_04 24:42

Yeah, very, very good advice. And uh um the ability to learn on the job, um, what does that look like in practice? Um, how might we be able to help somebody with doing that, especially if they like confidence and they're they're more comfortable asking for help um the whole time rather than actually doing the job and learning from that?

SPEAKER_00 25:05

Yeah, and I think there's I think that there's a bit of a shift I think that comes with learning on the job. If you're used to maybe being sort of, you know, being pr being prescribed what to sort of do, and then you're all of a sudden, oh, it's all up to you now, you kind of just get on with it. That that's a real shift, right? In terms of a way of doing things, and so I think it's it's about being resourceful, then being in tune with knowing the difference between when it is that I need guidance versus when I actually need someone to help me so that I can push this task or project along. Um, and you know, it it plays out differently for for different professionals. Um, and you know, I think sometimes um for professionals maybe who haven't had like a formal training, it can be the assumption that oh employees are they're gonna just tell me what to do, um, and it will just go on from there. And actually that's not always gonna be the case, so you know, learn other jobs often requires trial and error, and so I think it's really really important that actually if you're starting your career that you're not afraid to do so, and actually, this is all within the gift of you know being early in your career, you're expected to actually make mistakes. So I think that's actually important to recognise, even if that's not like you know, largely promoted, actually that they're they're expecting that actually you're gonna try things and they might not work. Um, I think if you're if you're you know, if you if you're someone that who maybe feels a little bit anxious about things, then it's always worth maybe checking in with a peer or a colleague or getting someone to to just give you a second opinion just to check if you know, just so you feel confident about what it is that you're going to to try and do um as you're learning on the job. And but you know, it on the flip side of that, if you're a more experienced worker as well, um, and you're coming into a new environment and you're learning a new way of doing things, new systems, and you know, you previously were the expert and now you'll sort of be the novice again, that can that can be really, really challenging. But I think it's always important to see how you can get allies quite quickly. So this is where that emotional intelligence, again, we go back to it time and time again, right? What are the indicators that you know maybe that a colleague can be a trusted colleague as well? Because I think it's important to be able to choose who it is that you want to bring into the journey as you're still figuring out how you want to learn on the job in a way that doesn't sort of detract or or take away from the confidence or your ability to do the role or the perception of that. So I think it's it's important to find allies, not be afraid to try things, and then literally just see where it takes you from there. But I think the most important thing is to trust yourself, test it out, and then you'll see the evidence you know start appearing that you can actually do this. So that's how I I'd look at that.

SPEAKER_01 27:32

I think that's brilliant. I love the whole idea of allies because that is important. And just as you're talking, I'm sort of thinking there is a big difference when it comes to asking for help with this is what I'm doing, could you give that a second glance? Or what do I do?

SPEAKER_04 27:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:47

There is a big difference between those two approaches and the initiative being shown of the of the look, I'm I'm trying this, I just want you to double check that, is so great compared to um, so initiative is is really, really important. We are going to keep Inca, and we will be back just after these tips from our resident experts. What makes a C V not up to standard?

SPEAKER_03 28:18

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_01 28:46

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 isn't essential to have all of those things.

SPEAKER_04 29:03

Welcome back to Mental Health Matters Office Hours, where we're having a really interesting conversation with Yinka about um employability and um the skills that we need for that. It's it's it's really interesting. Um, and the next two skills that we're we're talking about are teamwork and self-management, uh, which is where you started talking about self-management. Um, these can be two opposing skills. So some people thrive in a team, some people work prefer to work alone. Um, how do you help somebody tell when it's a team situation and when you just need to get on with it by yourself?

SPEAKER_00 29:41

That's a good one. Um, yeah, that yeah, it can be a little bit tricky sometimes, but I find that people just have preferences for for one or the other. Um, but I think the reality is that jobs often need a mixture of both. So I you know, unless you are literally a one-man band, sort of, you know, running your own company, even then you're still gonna have to work with your clients, you're still gonna have to work with your customers, right? So, really working on as an island it doesn't quite work in any sort of professional setting. Um, but I think what's important here though is if the task pretty much affects other people or requires input from others, then it's it's definitely a team thing. Um, and sometimes if it's yours, you know, and you don't need any sign-off, then yeah, just get on with it. Um, what I do recommend though is if a task has like a timing implication, is to maybe have like some checkpoints um in between, just to you know, just a dribble check. And if anything, you can position this as this is one I'm not, you know. I wanted to share an update with you on this. Is this still aligned with what we're expecting to achieve for this task, for this project, etc. So um I think there's there's a way that you can actually use your language effectively to work out if you can just run full steam, or actually if you might need to switch gears and and you know work more broadly within a team. And I think this this can be a bit tricky as well if you're working remotely, for instance, um, because it might be the case that you're not always able to be physically present with your team, so over-checking can maybe come across as if you're not confident, and then under checking means you might just go off in a completely incorrect direction. So finding that balance I think is really, really important there. Um, and for those who may be older workers and you know may be used to being more independent, and then all of a sudden they're coming into a team or an environment where maybe younger workers maybe require a lot of communication, right? Um, and so this can feel exhausting and quite draining in terms of energy. So I think it's always worth you know just making sure you're you're comf I would say that you're you're subtly, you're subtly you're you're more subtly communicating what it is that you need. So if it's a case where okay, I'm just working, you know, you can send like a teens message or contact team members to say, I'm just gonna be focusing on this particular task for X amount of time. Is it okay if I come back to you and then we can I'll pick up on the conversation? So I think it's important to also self-advocate for yourself if you know you do have preference of working style, but but communicating that to others so it doesn't feel like you're disengaging or you're you're you know you're encouraging a culture of siloed working. So that's what I recommend. That's brilliant.

SPEAKER_04 32:13

That's really good advice because yeah, sometimes you can feel a little bit isolated if you are remote working, and also if you're you if you're someone that's used to doing something on your own, you might not realise that actually checking in with your manager it might be welcomed, yeah, you know, if if that's never been yeah, that's a really good point, actually. Um, thank you. And what about if you don't like the team that you're in and you have to work with people that you don't particularly get on with?

SPEAKER_00 32:40

Ah, yes, that that good old chestnut. I mean, it feels like it happens to us at one point in our careers or another, so it's it's one of those things, and I think it actually happens way more than people actually talk about. And I think the reality is, you know, like when you're in a in a job opportunity, you you kind of have to just get on with it at the end of the day. So I think it's always important to again go back to that motivation and actually speak to why am I here, right? What is the purpose for me being here? Does that still ring true whether I went joined or left this while I joined a new team or or or stayed with this team? If it does, then actually it's a matter of getting on with it, right? But I think it's important to recognise you also don't have to be best friends with your colleagues, and that's fine. Like the reality of that happening anyway, very slim. Um, I feel like some people are really lucky when they find their work, you know, their their their work bestie's amazing, but that's not the reality for everyone. Um, but the most important thing is that you don't need to let it affect your work, and I think your your performance. So when you find that maybe things are getting a little bit too um, they're requiring a lot of energy, then this is where I'd say, okay, what's the met the means of communications that maybe requires the least energy and what still allows you to make traction with your work? And I'd say just try to focus on that largely. Um, if it's a case that maybe the energy is more draining, maybe when you're on phone calls, or maybe when you're having in-person um engagements, then maybe think about well, maybe I'll need to find some quiet space when I'm in the office, or maybe I'll, you know, if someone contacts me to have a call, I'll actually maybe want to speak to them in the morning or in the afternoon because that's when I have the more the most energy to actually maybe engage um with them. Now that's not always possible, right? But I think it's important to at least recognise that could be an option.

SPEAKER_01 34:22

There's so much self-awareness in there, which I think is really, really key. And that kind of brings me to this next question. So you've got somebody now who it's about self-management, but they're in a team where they've tried, they've tried, and every time they got knocked back, that's not the way we do it. Do it this way, you know. They had they've been taught, almost programmed, you don't take initiative, you don't do this, you don't do that. Then they go to a new place and now they're scared.

SPEAKER_02 34:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:47

What how do you support somebody who now has almost been changed by their last experience from their authentic self because they had to have that job?

SPEAKER_00 34:59

Yeah, absolutely. And I think this happens as well a lot more frequently than sometimes we actually talk about, and I think we need to speak to that psychological safety piece as well. It's so important to recognise when you're not in an environment where you're psychologically safe and pull on the all the support, whether it's internal to the organization or external to the organization, because when you go through an experience like that, it actually takes a significant amount of time to actually unpick all the instances um, you know, of damaged self-confidence, of low self-esteem. These are things that you know in our psyches take a lot of time to repair. Um, so what I would say is actually to recognize you've actually gone through that experience and acknowledge that actually that's what it is. It doesn't mean you're a failure, you're human just like literally everyone else, right? Um, and actually a lot of the times you're not in control of that. Yes, a lot of the times it's it's on the individuals, like it could be down to personality, they might have other stresses, it might, you know, limited resources, you know, we don't know what type of you know, they may be getting the same thing from their their seniors as well. So there's all sorts of factors that could be leaders, and not to say that that excuses it because wrong behaviour is just absolutely wrong behaviour, but actually it's important to recognise in the in the grand scheme of things, this is not something that you want you had control over or that you did to yourself, not at all. It's really, really, really important because that's where it actually starts to tap into your own well-being and damages that, yes, um, and and that repair can take much longer. I'm talking not months, I'm talking years as well. So, really, really important that we start putting finding ways to put boundaries. Um, so again, if that's all right, I'm gonna need to make sure that every day after work I have like something that energizes me because it's been so draining. I need to make sure that I have my social support that's around me. I need to be involved in tasks after work that really fill my cup, they become critical in these and put in these um circumstances. So, those are the some of the things that I would sort of recommend you know in those particular scenarios, and also reach out for help, reach out for therapy, reach out to a professional coach where you know, if appropriate, and get that support. Whatever you do, do not take this on on your own. Really, really important to surround yourself with people that affirm you, that love you, that care for you, that literally want to see you live a good life. It's really, really important.

SPEAKER_01 37:22

So true, because it's like an abusive relationship, which you can't get out of because you need the financial income or whatever it might be, or you feel you can't get out of at the time. So, yeah, I think you're so right in saying it's not you.

SPEAKER_02 37:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:36

In this situation, it's not you, and you may need help finding you again because it's been so so uh suppressed. So this brings us to um the losses skills, which can sound opposing. Emotional intelligence and analytical skills, because what we tend to see is a lot of people are you know very good at the emotional intelligence, but maybe don't have that attention to detail that the the analysis requires, and then you've got the very logical, very technical orientated people who just don't necessarily have the time for the emotional side of things. So, how do you how do you get someone to find a balance of those two skills?

SPEAKER_00 38:20

That's a good one, and and you know what, some people try to some people say, Oh, you're either one or the other, and I really believe that we're all mixed. We might have different proportions of this again, proportions, right? So we we may have a particular aspect where we're now more a feelings person, whereas typically we might be a thinking person and vice versa in other situations. So I do believe you can actually build both. Um, but I think you know, for for the analytical thinkers out there, I think it's always, I mean, use that analysis to your advantage and actually slow down before you're responding to professionals, right? Um, you know, try to work out beyond just the delivery of what you're you're trying to maybe support, how will the individuals you know experience whatever it is that you're delivering? How do you want them to feel on the back of that? Right? So this time taking yourself out of the situation, actually focusing on the individuals that you're going to be supporting. How do you want maybe a senior manager to feel when they're looking at this? How would you want your online manager to look at this, you know, when you're providing this, if it's a client or a customer as well, how would you want them to sort of feel on the back of the analysis that you're doing um or the deep thinking work that you're doing? Um, and you know, I think this can apply to a lot of technically sort of driven prefable, not always, but sometimes, um, who may be great at systems, but maybe find you know the people stuff a little bit trickier. So, again, I would just say think you know, think of someone that you maybe care about potentially, and how could they potentially experience this if they received what it is that you're trying to provide them? So look at the body language, look at the tone, um, you know, look at the the environment as well. Like people say read the room. I think that's something that can sometimes be underplayed as a I think that's another component of emotional intelligence as well, right? So being able to read the room, I think that's quite important, you know. If you're working within an organization where there's a lot of change happening, actually, do you need to be a little bit mindful as to how you're positioning some not so great news amidst all of that, right? Um, so again, bring some of those feelings in there. But if you are a bit too feelings-oriented, then I think this is where we then need to flip to the other side to try to get more bit of a balance as to what is absolutely essential here. Um feelings matter how much, yeah, is that 80%, or actually is it more so 20-30% if we know that we've got an urgent deadline and something just needs to be done, right? So I think again, this is where it can be very contest um dependent as well. But I think the most important aspect I'd like to highlight that it's not about becoming a different person or trying to be a different version of you, it's more so just you know, kind of sort of customising or tailoring what aspect you want to show for a particular purpose. That's that's how I would sort of frame it. Um, so don't feel like you're trying to change yourself because again, it just speeds to inauthenticity and no one really likes that.

SPEAKER_01 41:03

I think that is so right. Um, because I've got a client who who sort of reflected this back to me, saying he now sees it more like a soundboard. He puts up some skills and takes others down depending on who people are very analytical thinker, wanting to improve um emotional intelligence, but it's that it's that soundboard knowing which needs to be highlighted at that particular time. And you're right, it's it's horse for course, isn't it? It's different people different ways. Oh my goodness, we could talk to you all day, you know, because this is so helpful, and this is about winning at life, too. But we are we are keeping in kill because we're gonna send um we're gonna hand business boost over to her when she's gonna be talking about how to write a good CV.

SPEAKER_00 41:50

Okay, brilliant. So today I'm gonna give you some quick tips on how to write a winning CV. And I'm gonna start with something that's really important here, actually. So a CV is not just a list of everything you've done, and it's not, and it's really just a one dimension of your professional identity on paper. Okay, so I think it's really really important to recognize that a CV isn't like a full list of everything you've done, okay? We're literally showing one facet of who we are professionally. So, what's really important though before you get started is that you have an idea of who you are in terms of your story, what you want to share, but also where you're going. So, before you write anything at all in your CV, be very, very clear on what story you're trying to tell and for what purpose. So, is it for a specific job and also at what level are you going in for? What experiences have you had that are that really speaks to that specific job at that level, in that organization, at that sector as well, right? And so always start with what's relevant. So tailor your CV as I mentioned earlier, but actually the person who's reading it, can they get a real sense of exactly what you have to offer that's directly relevant to the role? Make it easy for them to say yes. So cut a lot of the noise. If it's you know, if it's you know, if it's contextual but not essential, we want to focus on the essentials, largely speaking. And particularly for career changes, I find that this is really, really critical. So you've been in one sector for a lot of time and then you're applying for something different. Don't lead with sector-specific stuff that you have experience in. Lead with those key transferable skills, okay? So you're talking about your communication, your teamwork, working under pressure, being resilient, leadership, right? All those great skills that we mentioned in today's um episode. But also, I think really important is to show impact and not just the activities you've done. So don't just say what you did, but what difference it made. So, for instance, if you've you know delivered excellent customer service, then say delivered excellent excellent customer service and I achieved 95% satisfaction rate. Okay, so those are really great ways to quickly showcase your impact. And then the final thing I wanted to mention is owning your narrative is really, really important, and this is a critical. For anyone who's had like a non-traditional career, um, if you've had any gaps in your career, for instance, or if you're just starting out in your career as well. So going through that fine-toom comb that fine tooth comb method that I mentioned earlier. Are there care and responsibilities that you've got you've um had in the past where you were maybe focusing on full-time care given? Well, talk about the skills that you developed during that time, right? If you don't have a degree, absolutely that's fine, but focus on what you have done instead. So, this is where we really want to get the narrative focused on. Actually, these are all the great things that I have to offer, and they are specifically relevant for this job in your organization. And also, if you've maybe faced like um, you know, uh a job change due to restructure, for instance, you you can actually use that to you to your um advantage as well, and talk about actually the great experiences you've had and how this is specifically and directly relevant for the role that you're applying to. Um, and language matters. So, again, if you're confident in your narrative, that's gonna naturally show as well in your CV. So, talk about when you've delivered, when you've managed, when you've spearheaded something. I know that comes up a lot. So use Chat GBT and the AI tools to your advantage here as well. If you're struggling with some of that professional language, literally put that into a tool and think about okay, how can I how can I professionalize what you know looked after children for five years, right? And the key skills are related to that. So and get someone to read it as well. So those are the key skills, but essentially you're really just showcasing what you have to offer and you're not begging, so please don't see it as that.

SPEAKER_01 45:33

This has been a brilliant show. I've learned so much just listening to you, Inca, because it's it's about making certain things conscious that you don't realise you've already got the skills in. It's things like that where I think most people can do a lot of stuff, they just don't realise they can.

unknown 45:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:52

Unlocking that.

SPEAKER_04 45:54

Yeah, absolutely. Um, I found I found you really inspirational to listen to, like we did last time. Yeah. Um, and it's your tips on how to do a really great CV were really important because most people would list what they've done, so it's very very task-focused. But actually, you're just saying, and what was the impact of that, just adding that bit. It sounds really obvious, but probably not many people do that on their CV. So that was really a good tip.

SPEAKER_01 46:23

Agreed, and it's the your point about where you want to go with the professional persona you're putting across is really important too, because I know I've got so many different strings to the bow, but it's kind of like, well, what am I aiming for? Yeah, those are the bits to focus on, not the extra fluff, even though you're desperate to put everything in there.

SPEAKER_04 46:40

Yeah, you I think yes, I think that the old school type CVs, you would put absolutely everything in there, but also I think most of us would be used to tailoring a CV to the job, but but also you said something almost in passing, but I thought that's so important as well. It's the it's the level that you're aiming for. Yeah. Why would you put in, I don't know, your DCCs now? Well, yes, or opening mail and sorting mail for something which is a really high-level job. So, and again, I don't know if I naturally do that or not, but I will now. Yeah. Because that was just such a small but important point.

SPEAKER_01 47:16

And you've mentioned a great way to use AI, yeah, and that is not to get it to write your CV for you, but actually to say these are the skills. Can this sound more professional? How do we professionalise this? And that's it's not about asking ChatGPT to write something because ChatGPT doesn't know who you are, no, or AI or whatever it is you're doing. But um, so really, Yunka, first of all, where can we learn more about you? And then secondly, can you give us a top tip to win employability but also maybe win it life this year?

SPEAKER_00 47:48

Oh, oh no pressure. Big question. Um, well, you can find me on LinkedIn, so my name Yunka Adesina, um, you can find me on there, um, I'm a career coach on there, and you should see me in a similar jumper to what I'm wearing today. So hopefully that that identifies me a little bit easier as well. Um, but in terms of winning at life and and winning professionally, honestly, I think it's just recognising the great and abundance of strength and the the brilliance that all sits within us. And I think the the clearer and the the grounded we are in that, I honestly think that's what then almost sends off the waves into the atmosphere, into the universe, into the whoever's looking at your CV to understand that yes, this person they they sound like they know what they're talking about. I want to know more about this individual. So honestly, it's all within you, it's all there. It's literally recognizing it, bringing it to the surface so the whole world just can see how great you are.

SPEAKER_01 48:48

That is beautiful. That is beautiful, and that's just such a great message to send you away with this week. From all of us here at Mental Health Matters, have a healthy week.