Transferable Skills are skills that potentially transfer to any career regardless of where they were first learned or developed. An understanding and awareness of these skills will help you to tailor your CV and deliver at interivew, irrespective of what sport you play either competitively or for pleasure.

Common transferable skills from sport include;

- Ability to perform under pressure
- Meeting deadlines / challenges
- Dedication and perseverence
- Self motivation
- Teamwork
- Ability to set and acheive goals
- Problem Solving
- Loyalty
- Interpersonal skills

If you have held the role of captain, the skills you have acquired are critical to a supervisory or leadership role. These include the ability to get people to work as a team, an ability to motivate people  and maximising individual performance as part of a team.. 

Interpersonal Skills – In sport you mix and engage with all sorts of personalities both before, during and after competition

Communication – Critical to work effectively as part of a team

Ability to handle pressure – Have you ever performed in front of large crowds or has a team been heavily reliant on your performance for success

Self motivation / Initiative – Do you consistently commit to your team and go above and beyond expectations through practice and training?

Drive & Determination – As a sportsperson you are driven towards achieving your goal to win

By developing an awareness of these skills you will  understand  how they relate to employer competencies and requirements. This will enable you to sell these skills at application and interview.

Further Links

http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2003/01/8286.htm

http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2005/08/harnesshobbiestoimproveperformance.htm

http://www.olympic.org/Documents/elite_athletes/TRANSFERABLE_SKILLS.pdf

Mairead Griffin, Career Coach, http://www.careermentors.ie

CAREER COACH TO PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES AND THE GAELIC PLAYERS ASSOCIATION

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What exactly is a competency?
It’s a skill, knowledge or behaviour eg Teamwork, Detail Orientation, Analytical

Why use a competency based interview?
It is a fair, consistent and objective way of assessing candidates. Everyone is asked the same questions, and rated in the same way. It removes room for human error

What type of organisations use competency based interviews?
Generally large blue-chip multinationals, graduate recruitment days, semi states & public sector. Small to Medium sizedenterprises are using competency based interviews more and more. Iin the UK this type of interview is standard. Irrespective of whether or not an interview is competency based or not, the preparation required will really help you think on your feet at a CV led interview

What approach should be used for these interviews?
Always use the 1st person and the STAR interview Technique. We will discuss this in more detail under “STAR Interview Techniques”

Read On…………………..

How should I prepare for competency based questions?
It is all about preparation. You need to do some investigating if you are not clear about the competencies involved, or you do not have a job spec, or your recruitment consultant cannot give you this information (they should be able to help if they are a good consultant ). Do a search on the jobs board for similar roles and check out what employers look for in the requirements section. Once you have established at least 5 -8 competencies, stop and think through examples of when you have delivered on them in the past. Your examples don’t always have to be work related, but it you are stuck, there is no harm throwing in a personal or hobbies related example. It is worth practicing with a professional interviewer in advance. EG A recruitment consultant or a career advisor

The link below is an excellent site that provides you sample questions, how to structure your answers, how to approach your interview and sample questions & answers

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/compet/skillquest.htm

Examples of competencies include the following

Adaptable
Administration
Ambitious
Attention to Detail
Analytical
Building Relationship
Communication
Competitive
Conflict Resolution
Creativity Customer Oriented
Decision Making
Delegation
Detail Oriented
Energy
Financially Motivated
Flexibility
Initiative
Influencing
Interpersonal Skills
Innovation
Leadership
Listening
Motivating Others
Negotiation
Organised
Persuasive
Planning
Presentation
Project Management
Problem Solving
Results Orientated
Supportive
Sales
Time Management
Goal Setting
Strategic Planning
Managing Stress
Teamwork
Resilience
Value Oriented
Writing
People Management
Self Management

Further probing questions!!

What exactly did you do? What was your specific role in this? What challenges did you come across? Why precisely did you do that? Why exactly did you make that decision?How did you approach it?How did you feel? Whose decision was it? What exactly was the outcome? What feedback did you receive? What would you do differently next time

Mairead Griffin, Career Coach, 01-2160880, mairead@careermentors.ie

11. Who are their key clients
13. Difference between your role and others at peer level in the department
14. People turnover within the department
15. Upcoming Project work. % of your role that will be project work
16. Career opportunity and career path
17. Team Culture
18. Level of Autonomy
19. Basic salary range & based on your depth of experience what should you expect if successful
20. Benefits – Annual leave, Pension, VHI, Holidays, Flexitime

21. Commute
22. Level of flexibility
23. Who will be doing the interviews? What are their job titles and relevance to the role
24. What are their backgrounds i.e how long are they with the business etc
25. What type of interview will it be?
26. What are the key competencies of the role?
27. What is the style of the interviewers?
28. What should I expect?
29. How long with the interview be?
30. When are they looking for someone to start
31. How long have they been looking for this person?
32. How many have they interviewed?
33. How many more are they interviewing?
34. When will they be making a decision?

Where should I pitch myself?

Salary is a critical element of the whole job searching process. Firstly, there is little value in today’s market having high demands on salary as cost saving is key for any organisation. Many companies are managing to employ high qualified staff without battling over salary. Be sensible from the outset. Very few employers will give more than 10% of an increase on a current basic. If you are prepared to move for the same or a lower salary, then make sure your recruitment consultant is clear of this. Otherwise they will eliminate and not call you about certain roles as they search through their databases. Benefits also need to be taken into account and your consultant should always be submitting your salary & benefits to employers. EG Some organisations do not have a bonus system while your current employer may pay a bonus of 20%. This is a 5K difference at a 35k level. If you are looking for a 10% increase, will a new employer offer you a base of €43,500?? That level of an increase maybe difficult to get in todays market, so if salary is a key motivator in your transition, don’t waste your time, or any potential employer’s time.

I feel I am underpaid and as I have had to take a paycut recently, I would like to get back up to market rate.

Quite often employees feel undervalued by their current / previous employers and see a job change or career move as the opportunity to get them back to the level they feel they deserve. Most employers take your current salary and benchamarking into consideration and are unlikely to make decisions based on your current employer’s salary structures

Read More………..

- I was thinking of bending the truth on my salary as I really need the extra cash

Always be honest about your current salary. Your P45 will outline your previous earnings so you are only going to be found out! It will mean you start employment on a negative note and this dishonesty could even cost you your job during your probation period.

- I was told I should give a salary range. Is this the right thing to do if asked?

If asked and pressed on the salary issue, ask if there is a salary range on the role. Always emphasise that the role is the most important thing and whilst salary is secondary, it is still important so you can sustain yourself. Do some market research on your role and experience and review some salary surveys so you can be confident when discussing your requirements.

- I was asked by an employer “what do you feel I should be paying for this role?” How do I respond to that?
If you have your research done, you will have no problem answering this question

If you would like to share your salary related experiences, please post to the Group. I am sure HR professionals within the Group have also encountered issues in this area!!

Hope this helps

Regards
Mairead Griffin FCIPD
Career Coach & Outplacement Consultant
CAREER MENTORS

Website: http://www.careermentors.ie
Address: 30 Upper Pembroke Street, Dublin 2
Phone: 01-2160880
Mobile : 0876312900

Email: mairead@careermentors.ie
Blog: http://www.careermentors.ie/blog
Linkedin http://www.ie.linkedin.com/in/careermentors
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/careermentors
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/careermentors

Structuring your interview answers using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) interview technique will give you confidence and clarity when answering your interview questions. Following its form will result in your answers being high quality, comprehensive and detailed with fact. This technique will also help you avoid deviating from the question and keep your answers structured. Always use the first person when answering your questions!! STAR is particularly important to use during competency based interviews.

What is STAR?

SITUATION :A background to the situation you were involved in
TASK : Describe the tasks that were involved in the situation
ACTION : What did you personally actually end up doing and how did you
go about it
RESULT : What was the result of your actions

Read More….

Q & A without STAR
Describe a situation where you had to address an issue with an individual you managed?

I had one employee who wasn’t getting on well with the customers or her colleagues. I met her and told her that things were going to have to change.I felt I was assertive and she respected my opinions. She took on board my opinions as her manager, and things improved from there. I was very happy with the outcome.
—————————————————————————————————————–

Q&A using Star

Describe a situation where you had to address an issue with an individual you managed?

Situation:
As Customer Service Manager ,I managed a team of 15 staff who were responsible for all aspects of customer care. At the beginning of a quarter, I received a 2 complaints from customers regarding one of the team members. This individual also attendance problems, both of which were impacting on the business and team morale

Task
As her manager I was tasked with addressing the situation in a professional and transparent manner, so customer complaints relating to this individual stopped and all staff were positive and engaged in their relative teams
.
Action
I invited the employee to meet with me at a scheduled time and date. I outlined the purpose of the meeting in advance. In preparation for the meeting I drafted a history of her performance and attendance. At the meeting I asked if there were any problems or areas where she felt that she needed further training. I reitterated her responsibilities and the service standards of our organisation . I also provided her with a copy of our employee handbook to outline our attendance policy which had already been provided at induction. I highlighted the consequences of her actions should they continue. At the meeting we agreed improved standards and we set a timeframe of 2 weeks to review progress.

Result
The individuals attendance improved to 98% from 79% for the year, thereby reducing the impact on service delivery and the costs involved. Our customer satisfaction survey at the end of the quarter showed 90% satisfaction, an improvement of 10% on the previous quarter. Overall team morale improved and the team became more productive and engaged.

The final stage of your job search will be the reference stage

Reference checking is the 2nd last stage in the job hunting process, with the final stage being package and contract delivery. One of the most important things to remember when selecting your referees is that they are aware of your work experience, and are not someone who was at peer level who was a friend. This will be detected immediately. It’s vital that you give your referees a call to give them advance notice if an organisation is going to be in contact. It will work far more favourably if your referee is prepared and expecting their call. If you have had a good relationship with your referee, it is also very important that you provide them with as much information about the role you are pursuing. As a result, they can tailor their responses if they are really on your side. When selecting your references, ensure you select someone who is forthcoming and communicative. There is nothing worse than a referee who only supplies yes / no answers, purely because it’s not their style. It gives the impression that the person wasnt impactful and they arent all that fussed spending the time vouching for them! This is not the case in 90% of cases so make sure you select someone who is going to give some detail and put some effort into helping you close the job searching process once and for all.

Nowadays, particularly with the banks, they will not provide formal references. If at all possible, try see if you can get an “off the record” reference if this is the case

Below are samples of the typical questions an organisation will ask your referees:

Standard reference check questions include:

What was (candidate’s) period of employment?

Please outline (candidate’s) position and responsibilities?

Reviewing (candidate’s) resume, does this job title and job description match the position that the candidate held?

What was (candidate’s) reporting structure?

If (candidate) did not report to you, what was your working relationship?

How long have your worked with /known (candidate)?

What was (candidate’s) reason for leaving your company?

Can you tell me (candidate’s) salary at the time of leaving?

How would you describe (candidate’s) punctuality?

Could you rate (candidate’s) reliability?

How would you describe (candidate’s) honesty and integrity?

How did (candidate) get along with co-workers and management?

If (candidate) supervised/managed any employees, how would you describe her/his supervisory/management skills?

Describe (candidate’s) ability to handle pressure? Can you give me an example?

Ability to organize, prioritize and manage time?

Ability to handle conflict?

Ability to work as a team member?

How would you rate (candidate’s) communication skills?

Please describe (candidate’s) work ethic?

Please describe the quality of (candidate’s) work?

What do you consider (candidate’s) key strengths?

What would you consider to be (candidate’s) areas for improvement?

What would you say was (candidate’s) biggest accomplishment while working at your company?

How would you rate (candidate’s) overall job performance?

Was (candidate) ever promoted while working at your company?

(Candidate) is being considered for the following position, do you think he/she is a good fit?.

Theoretically, would you re-employ him/her?

Is there anything else you would like to add about (candidate)?