UNIT 11
SWOT Analysis
Strengths: My main skills and strengths are my ability to work under pressure in high stress situations. This is because of my job which has given me the tools necessary to be able to manage this. I also have the image of confidence which transfers into my work and future opportunities. I am able to use this skill to talk in front of groups of people etc which can often be a requirement for this line of work.
Weaknesses: I often become passionate about a specific task or area which can result in me becoming fixated on reaching the goal that I have set for myself. Problems can arise here when it comes to time management because i often go over the allotted time which i have given myself because i want to ensure that the task is completed to the best of my ability but also pushing my abilities to ensure that its the best possible standard as well.
Opportunities: As a result of my skills and even my weaknesses I feel that many opportunities will arise for me to explore but also prove myself. I feel that opportunities where i may need to work under immense pressure could be an area that i thrive in as that is one of my main skills, this will become useful should i need to take on any kind of managerial position which will require me to coordinate with large groups of people in different areas so that one main goal can be achieved.
Threats: My biggest threat as a result of my strengths and weaknesses are that i may “Bite off more than i can chew” and end up overworking myself, due to the fact i want to achieve the best results in everything i take on, i may end up working myself too hard and getting burned out. Equally i find it hard to focus on a task if it isn't something that i particularly enjoy, i of course manage to get it done however i am most productive and efficient when the task is something which i am passionate about.
5 Year Plan
2024 - I am considering the possibility of taking a gap year between college and university. This is to split up my life and explore certain pathways which were unavailable to me before. I will become an adult in this year also so therefore will be able to enjoy different areas of life which i was unable to up to this point. I however may not take the whole year and instead just take half etc, it will be dependent on how recharged i feel come the end of it. This is because I don't want to embark on a university course with all of the correct grades necessary and yet lack the motivation to complete the work as I will just be setting myself up for failure.
2025 - This year, providing all goes well will be the year i either enter full time employment in the emergency services or i join a university course. I am unsure exactly of what pathway I will explore yet however I will keep my options open so that I can make that decision closer to the time. At the time of writing this I am getting pretty burnt out with the educational system so it will depend on the success of my gap year.
2026 - Should I decide to enter employment in the emergency services or armed forces this would be my first full year of being in that position after training etc. This is a good turn around from the point I am at now as it is an ambitious yet realistic timescale for what I want to achieve. This is when I will begin to explore specialist areas within my chosen career so that later down the line I can explore the areas in which I have experiences and been involved in.
2027 - This year is when I should be beginning temporary placement within specialist areas of my job. This will allow me to decide where I may want to go in the future and therefore develop my skills to ensure that this is possible. Working in a specialist area means that I am different from others around me and therefore have less to compete with when it comes to exciting career opportunities and prospects.
2028 - This year is the hardest for me to set a plan on as it is the furthest point away from where i am now, by this point i will have passed out my probation/training period in whatever career i choose, this will allow me to then make informed decisions based on the temporary specialist placements i have had in previous years as to wear i want to go within my career. This will be the year where I hopefully begin to become financially stable and can begin broadening areas of my life such as finding a nice place to live and buy a nicer car etc. I feel that although this is ambitious it is entirely achievable if I focus and put my mind to it.
Interview Recording + Reflection
Interview Reflection
What jobs?
I applied for two jobs within my interview and they were Floor Manager and Video Mixer. These roles and their requirements align with the responsibilities that I have as an individual. I feel that I have skills such as communication and working under pressure so that I can complete this job to the best standard. Additionally the jobs that i applied for are what interests me the most out of the list and therefore were naturally the first two i chose. I said I would rather do the floor manager role first as it sets the foundation for if I wanted to try out being a vision mixer.
What went well?
I did really well talking about why I would be the ideal candidate for the roles that I applied for, considering that I usually find it difficult to talk about my skills and personality. I feel I did really well in this aspect. Additionally I didn't go into the interview with any written plan as to what I was going to say in response to each question and instead I only had a mental idea from my preparation beforehand.
What didn't go well?
In some of my responses I said the same things but in different ways so it may have come across to the interviewer like I was repeating myself or trying to fill some sort of time in the interview. It is important for me to combat this should I do it again as if they need to be picky between multiple good candidates, that could be something that I get picked for.
What could I improve on?
Ensuring that I am directly answering the questions asked and not going off on a tangent would be something that I feel I could improve on. This keeps the interview short and concise and allows the interviewer to keep a more positive mindset of you as a candidate when the interview comes to a close. Additionally it gives you more time to answer any additional and supporting questions that the interviewer may have which could further help you in your chances of getting the position that you are applying for.
What would I do differently?
I would ensure that I know what I want to say in good detail for each question rather than just having a brief idea. This will set me up for success so that I can find the best possible answer to each area of a question. For example, what experience do I have in a specific field? If I look into more detail as to what I want to say, it allows me to pick the best pieces of experience to give to the interviewer instead of just picking the most recent or the first one that comes to mind.
My Portfolio Creation
Social Media Sites
CLICK ON IMAGE
Personal Branding
PORTRAIT
LOGO
BANNER
I tried to keep the same theme throughout my logo, banner and portrait. The portrait i decided to use is one i took a few weeks ago and have been using in some of the other projects, i however see no reason to create a new one as it shows consistency throughout my work and it is an image that i am happy with and that i feel i look good in. After looking through the advice i will use the same logo and banner for all social media pages to show consistency which is the same reason i have given them the same design and colour scheme.
Social Media Sites
My social media profiles are all using the same framework with regard to the content i put on them and also my profile pictures and banners, this gives consistency throughout and gives people a sense of professionalism when they look at my online footprint. I feel like i achieved what i set out to when stating my reasoning for the creations of my profile picture, banner and portrait and have accurately demonstrated a clear pathway from plan to outcome.
UCAS Application + Personal Statement
Personal Statement
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Over the past few years I have been working on developing my skills and work experience in order to pursue my dream ambition of becoming a paramedic. I have been gathering an understanding of the basics in this field which will allow me to progress and build on that to begin my journey to reaching the level of quality required to become a paramedic. For me, my next step is to undertake this university course in order to fulfil my ambition.
The reason I have chosen this course specifically is because of the contents that it has to offer. It is an exciting prospect to me that I will get the opportunity to undertake a variety of work placements within the ambulance service to truly understand the requirements needed to do the job that aren't limited to the classroom. This is something that a lot of courses fail to offer and I believe that it will positively impact me by broadening my understanding within this area.
Although my current avenue of education is fundamentally different to this course, it has offered me a plethora of useful and transferable skills such as working under pressure, working within a team and being self motivated. This would allow me to fit in with the outlines of this course and therefore shows that I have what it takes. However it may be a requirement that I do additional studies within the science sector to fill that gap between GCSE and the start of this course. Due to my eagerness to pursue this pathway in my life, this is something that I have no issue doing as it will allow me to continue the journey to becoming a paramedic.
I am currently employed as a support worker within a charity who care for special needs children. My job role requires me to administer care and rescue medication such as Buccal Midazolam in order to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children I look after. This requires me to hold certifications and be regularly held to a high standard. I have gathered a variety of transferable skills while working within this role. These include working under pressure and being able to think clearly and quickly in an emergency situation. It is important for me to also have an understanding of what is required of me both in my current job and also further down the line after this course as a paramedic. I have managed to consistently demonstrate a high level of understanding in what I am being taught and also being able to maintain a constant state of readiness to use this in a real emergency situation.
In February 2015 my mum suffered a traumatic head injury which resulted in a partial bleed to the brain. Unfortunately shortly after this incident that had manifested into a diagnosis of epilepsy which completely changed our lives. I was only around 9 years old when this happened and as a result I had to grow up quicker than my peers around me to accommodate my new responsibilities in caring for my mum. This has enabled me to gather a substantial amount of life experience as a result.
I genuinely believe that knowing what I know has led me to recognise that I have what it takes to pursue this route of my life through this course. I hope to have the opportunity to use the knowledge I already have in combination with what I will learn on this course to make a difference to someone within my future job role. I will ensure that I am constantly learning and upholding the best possible standards as I already do. This way I can ensure I am continuing the journey to achieving my ambitions and reaching my dream job.
Regular CV
CLICK ON IMAGE
Cover Letter
CLICK ON IMAGE
Media CV
Interview Techniques Research
Preparing For Answering Questions
The main point which I have taken away from this area of my research is that it is important to have a good previous understanding of the company in which you are going into. This is so that you can use it to answer any specific questions thrown your way in a better and more detailed way, furthermore it shows how you as a candidate have the ability to retain information and knowledge in order to make informed decisions and responses. Depending on the position which you may be applying for this could be helpful in allowing you to secure the position that you are seeking. I will be implementing this aspect of having information about the company and the role when it comes to me doing my interview so that I can ensure I am giving myself the best chance at succeeding in my hopes of getting the role I want.
Preparing For An Online Interview
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/how-to-do-well-in-video-interviews
For an online interview it is important to be completely punctual with when you arrive, doing so too early or late could leave a lasting impression on your interviewer with regards to you as a person and this could affect your chances at success. Therefore it is important to know the date and time of your interview as well as the contact details of your interviewer in the event that something arises which would cause you to delay, change or cancel your interview. Additionally it is important to combine the skills found in the previous research area with regard to answering questions so that you are gathering all of your skills and using them to your advantage. Additionally to this you need to ensure that ( if your camera is on ) that what you are wearing looks professional and also that your background follows the same professionalism, for example don't have a pile of dirty washing in the background or a poster for a video game that you have just played etc. I will implement all of this into my interview.
Advice On Presenting A Portfolio
https://www.linkedin.com/advice/3/what-most-effective-ways-present-your-portfolio
When presenting your portfolio to someone in general or in an interview it is important to take in all of the different areas that may affect it into account. These things include your timing of when you show it, for example dont show it too early or late in an interview as this may affect how the interviewer perceives it. Additionally it is important to be well versed and confident when it comes to your work. This is because it is likely that your interviewer will ask you questions based on what they have seen in your portfolio and you must be able to answer them fully in a timely and confident manner. Furthermore to this it is important to offer context in your work and maybe even tell a story as to why this has been included, this will break the tension and make the interviewer feel a bit more of a personal connection to you therefore making them more likely to conclude the interview and provide the results in your favour. I will take this into account when I come to do my interview and will become confident in everything I am displaying to my interviewer ( not only my portfolio ) so that should I get asked any questions I can answer them fully and with confidence.
Evidence Of Applying For Jobs
East Of England Ambulance Service
I applied for this position because working within the medical sector is something that has always interested me and i prefer this route of entering to become a paramedic rather than going to university as the sources that i have all spoken to said that the better paramedics come as a result of this on the job training rather than the university route.
British Transport Police
I applied for this position because working within the police is something that my parents have done for the last 20+ years and therefore i was brought up listening to all of the stories that they would come home and tell me. I feel that my brain is therefore just programmed in that way, the sense of helping people when you can and going towards the danger to try and help rather than running away.
Royal Air Force
Although this position is something that interests me, i would say that it is on the bottom of my list when it comes to what i would like to do. This is because of worries such as the 12 year contract should something kick off in the world, this would mean that i am stuck in my position regardless of what i want. I am interested in this position due to the pay and benefits down the line and wouldn't write it off as a possibility for my future.
Evidence Of Applying For Apprenticeships
Metropolitan Police Service
My reasoning for applying for this position is identical to that of why i applied for the position within the British transport police. The key differences are this is full time instead of full time and also that this is a pathway which achieves me a qualification alongside working on the streets as a police officer.
London Ambulance Service
My reasoning for applying for this position is identical to that of why i applied for the position within the East of England ambulance service, this role however requires an additional step to the process of reaching the paramedic level. I would have multiple reasons for choosing this one despite meeting the entry requirements for the other role and they would include, learning more of the role spectrum within the ambulance service as well as gathering more clinical experience within my area of responsibility.
Royal Air Force
This role interests me the same as the role of cyberspace communication specialist, however this role allows me to go through the Apprentiships route which i am told by reliable sources offers you a wider range of information and allows you better opportunities to boost your experience within different areas so that when you come to complete your training you have more of an idea of what is expected of you, as well as how everything else around you works and why it is important.