Course reps and professional development: how to boost your employability
What we will do: Better understand what employers are looking for in an employee Able to articulate what skills and experiences you have gained Plan for how you can get the most out of the rest of your time as a course rep
Top ten skills 1. VERBAL COMMUNICATION: Able to express your ideas clearly and confidently in speech 2. TEAMWORK: Work confidently within a group 3. COMMERCIAL AWARENESS: Understand the commercial realities affecting the organisation. 4. ANALYSING & INVESTIGATING: Gather information systematically to establish facts & principles. Problem solving. 5. INITIATIVE/SELF MOTIVATION: Able to act on initiative, identify opportunities & proactive in putting forward ideas & solutions
6. DRIVE: Determination to get things done 6. DRIVE: Determination to get things done. Make things happen & constantly looking for better ways of doing things. 7. WRITTEN COMMUNICATION: Able to express yourself clearly in writing 8. PLANNING & ORGANISING: Able to plan activities & carry them through effectively 9. FLEXIBILITY: Adapt successfully to changing situations & environments 10. TIME MANAGEMENT: Manage time effectively, prioritising tasks and able to work to deadlines.
Task Choose 8 of the 10 skills you are most interested in. Plot how strong you think you are in each area For the three strongest areas, think of an example related to being a course rep where you have demonstrated this strength
Task II In a different colour pen, mark how much you desire to improve in each area. For the top three, think of an example related to being a course rep that would help you develop this skill. In pairs, talk about your ideas.
Top tips Personal development is a lifelong project Being OK at everything is not always the goal Saying is not the same as doing Try, try and try again. You won’t get everything right the first time. bethan.payne@nus.org.uk