The session started with a 15-minute brainstorming on the craziest ideas the students could come up with, followed by a half-hour session on actually developing the idea that they chose to go with. The students had to do that in teams. To help them with this stage, I gave them a template with the main points they would have to develop – such as what gave them the inspiration, what distinguished them from any competitors, or what their market entry strategy would be.  After that, each team would present their idea in front of their classmates, answer questions and receive feedback. All this of course in a fun and informal way.

I was impressed by the ideas that came up. Some had to do with sports, but several were about completely different topics, such as the environment, non-smoking, teaching and learning etc. The ideas were presented with a good sense of humour, yet most presentations were also comprehensive and well thought. Some of the ideas were pretty original and I thought that they might actually have a good chance of being successful in the real world. More than anything, it looked like the students involved had a lot of fun, learned a lot and were pushed to broaden their horizons and to think “out of the box”.

1)      I want to change jobs because I can’t stand my manager: Even if this is true, you should never ever badmouth your current employer/manager/colleagues in an interview, no matter how right you can be feeling this way. Your prospective employers just don’t want to know about it and are likely to think that it’s you who is the trouble-maker and the problematic employee.

2)      I’m interested in this position because the money is good: Certainly, when deciding to apply for a new role, the money it pays is something you have considered. But this is different to admitting that money is your sole motivation for wanting this job – not the challenge of it, not the career development, not the good prospects, just money. If you say this, your prospective employers will think that you may leave them as soon as a better financial opportunity arises.

3)      I want to relocate to be with my boyfriend/girlfriend: Although I have heard of cases in which the candidate got the job even after such a response, it’s better not to risk giving it. If your assessors are more conservative, they may reject you for an answer like this, as they may think that you’re only interested in the job because it will help you be in the same city as your partner.

4)      I want the job because I like dealing with people: This must be by far the most commonplace answer given in interviews, as well as the most content-insignificant. Working for a University (and for most organisations), you do deal with people on a frequent basis, so that’s taken for granted. Beyond that, your prospective managers will want to hear more about what motivated you to apply, what your career aspirations are and how you see yourself within the role and the organization.

Here’s why:

1)    Your foot is already in the door: Even with a temp job, you are gaining valuable exposure and work experience that can apply to the roles you will go for in the future. Your chances are much better than someone’s who’s completely out of the industry.

2)    There’s a good chance you may be noticed: Good temps often end up being offered permanent roles in their institution. Their managers often don’t want to lose them and so, given the chance, they will promote them to suitable permanent roles that are available.

3)    There may be a better chance for career advancement: This exact thing happened to me. I worked for a University on an 8-month contract and after that my experience helped me land my present job with my present institution for a more senior, permanent and much higher-paying position. Not bad for just 8 months!

4)    You have the perfect excuse for leaving your present job: My contract is terminating. Contrary to what most employees have to face when looking for a new job – the all-time classic question: “why do you want to leave your job?”, you will actually have the best, most credible and easy to prove excuse, and you won’t need to lie. Imagine having to cover up your bad relationships with your boss, your bad working conditions, or a redundancy?

What are the challenges of working with a partner institution?

1)   Things may be harder to coordinate as there are obviously more people involved, whose working practices may differ from yours

2)   Because of the above, things may take longer to be completed, so good planning and organisation are essential

3)   Occasionally there may be disagreements as to how things should be presented, how costings should be calculated etc.

4)   Internal institutional issues may affect the partner institution and the overall application

What are the advantages?

The advantages are much more significant, which is why institutions choose to work in partnerships despite any difficulties:

1)   Expertise from different people is drawn together and benefits the project immensely

2)   It is much easier to convince the funding council that the existing expertise is suitable for the grant to be awarded

3)   The responsibility for the project is divided between the partners and work is easier to be done this way

4)   Many minds are better than one alone, so the contribution from many people can be of great benefit

5)   The outcomes of the project are likely to be much more sustainable and have greater impact

It goes without saying that each one of us has different resolutions in mind, but here are some of the most common ones and some tips to make them work.

Resolution #1: Find a new job – if this is your goal for the new year, make sure you keep a constant eye on print and online job adverts, network as much as you can and make your entourage aware that you’re looking for a new job. All these may give you good leads. Once you find the positions you’re interested in, make sure your applications are tailored to each specific one and that they clearly demonstrate what benefits you can bring to the organizations you’re applying to.

Resolution #2: Get a promotion – you will first need to talk to your managers and find out what their plans are for promotions or new positions that are of a higher level than yours, which you may be suitable to apply for. Make them aware that you are eager for progression and development and work hard to prove to them that you’re worth considering for a promotion. How? There are lots of ways but generally speaking, showing willingness and flexibility, approaching your work with interest, working towards achieving better results and grasping any opportunity for training and development should communicate your message.

Resolution #3: Stay unaffected by the any job cuts: In such tough times for higher education, your goals may be more realistic, such as to simply keep your job. Although redundancies can affect anyone at any time without necessarily meaning that the persons affected were not good in their job, try to follow the tips in resolution #2. They will help you stand out as an invaluable employee and your managers will think twice about letting you go if they have to face the dilemma.

1)      Relevance to your experience or background: Although the UK higher education industry is generally more open than other industries to diverse work profiles, you still stand a better chance of being successful if the job spec fits your professional background.

2)      Relevance to your professional goals: Especially if you’re looking at new positions to apply to as a way to help you go further and develop your career, this is very critical. You need to make sure that you apply to those posts that will help take this next step and go where you aim to go.

3)      Levels of enthusiasm about the post: If your feelings about an advertised job are moderate, then it may be better to re-think about it. Although you may not realize, your enthusiasm (or lack of) will reflect through your application and your writing style, so a moderately or fakely enthusiastic application will probably be rejected in favour of the more genuine ones. So why waste your time in the first place?

4)      The actual job spec: It may sound odd, but lots of people don’t look through the job description before making an application. Make sure you do read through it carefully and thoroughly as it’s this description that will tell you what you can expect to do on a daily basis. If the description fits what you had in mind as a satisfactory role, then go ahead. If not, don’t bother, as you’ll quickly become miserable even if you are offered the position.

5)      The organization advertising the post: Make sure you do want to work for the organization concerned, or that you do want to try and see how it is. In other words, if you have positive feelings about your prospective employer, it’s probably worth trying. If for any reason you have doubts or concerns, then maybe you should think twice before applying.

6)      The commute: How far away is the organization from your home? How far away are you prepared to travel and how would you commute on a daily basis? Would you have to drive there or is it accessible by public transport? Would your daily commute be easy / tolerable for you or would it quickly turn into a daily nightmare? The final choice is always personal, but as general advice, try to apply to places that are no farther than an hour away either by car or by public transport, or it may become too tiring after a while.

Why move internally?

Here are the best reasons for you to consider applying for an internal vacancy in your institution, as opposed to joining a new institution.

1)      Familiar environment: If you’re afraid of changing environments, then moving to another department in the same institution will solve this problem for you. You won’t have to change your commute, your daily routine or your familiar surroundings, and you will still know a lot of the people you will be meeting on a daily basis.

2)      Less competition: Positions advertised internally are not available to the general public, which greatly eliminates competition to just a few applicants. While externally advertised positions tend to attract between 30 and 60 applications per post, internal positions normally attract much lower interest – in some cases no more than 2 to 3 applicants. If you also consider that not every applicant may be well suited for the position, you can see how your chances of being offered the post are very much boosted.

3)      Known competitors: One of the most stressful parts of a selection process is knowing that, no matter how good a candidate you are and how well you are prepared, there’s always a good chance that someone may come across as even stronger. When applying for an internal vacancy, it’s likely that you may actually know who else in the institution is going for the position, which will give you the rare chance to prepare for the interview knowing your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses.

4)      It’s still a change: You may stay within the same institution, but you will also get the change you were looking for. You will still move into a different department, meet new people, find yourself with new work conditions and policies, and possibly the challenge of a different work subject.

So, are you still thinking about it?

Here are a few tips to do well:

1)      Focus on delivering results: As mentioned above, the situations you are given to face as part of the role playing task may be purposefully exaggerated, in order to add to the tension you are already feeling. Your assessors will add difficulties as they will want to see how easily you give up, so prove them wrong. Never give up and try to find ways to resolve the situation no matter how difficult it is. Your aim should be for the difficult “client”, “colleague” or “manager” to feel satisfied.

2)      Keep calm: Role playing can indeed be quite nerve-wracking, but don’t give in. Stay calm and keep your composure even in a challenging scenario. If you break down and let your stress and/or discomfort show, this can be as serious as to disqualify you for the position, as your assessors will get the impression that you can’t stand pressure.

3)      Never lose your temper: Another challenge of a role playing exercise is that it can make you lose your temper. Especially if someone is yelling at you throwing offenses, it can be quite tough not to return the bad behaviour. But don’t fall in this trap. It is just role playing after all. If you can’t keep your composure in what you know is a staged task, then your assessor will have every right to think that you can be ten times worse if something similar happens in real life.

4)      Mind your body language: Just like in an interview, your body language in the role playing will matter. Keep good eye contact, maintain a confident body position, avoid fidgeting or showing nervousness, and remember to smile when appropriate. This will help you come across as a positive and suitable candidate.

A few tips to do well:

1)      Keep a balance: What the assessors are looking for in a group exercise may vary according to the position you are being assessed for. If you are applying for a managerial position, for example, it’s much more likely that they’ll be looking for good leadership and persuasion skills. In any case though, don’t overdo it with either dominating the conversation or sitting back and letting others take over, as it’s the balance between the two behaviour types that is usually sought.

2)      Contribute to the task: Make sure your contributions are of substance. If you speak just to be heard speaking without saying anything that will help the task go forward, your assessors will quickly pick up on that. And guess what – it will count against you. So make sure you pay attention to the conversation, and that you voice your opinions or critique clearly - ideally, backed up with evidence.

3)      Show team spirit: This means, show some basic courtesy – don’t interrupt others when they speak, don’t raise your voice even you disagree with something, don’t over-dominate the discussion, and do bring other members of the group to the conversation. It’s also essential that you listen to what other people have to say and that you show interest.

4)      Don’t lose your temper if others do: There is always a possibility that things can go wrong. One of the big challenges of bringing together a group of people who have never met before and who may even be competing for the same position, is that someone becomes impatient, angry or even verbally attacks other members of the group. Don’t fall in this trap as you’ll be automatically eliminated. If the fight doesn’t involve you, don’t take sides, but it may be a good idea to calmly remind to the group that fighting isn’t going to help the task and encourage them to move on. If the attack is against you, things are more complicated. Still, do try to remain calm, don’t argue with the person who’s insulting you and remind them that you’d rather get on with the exercise than fight.

5)       Choose an active role: Surveys have shown that people who choose the role of time-keeper or note-keeper in a group exercise, are less likely to be hired because they tend to become over-consumed with the task they’ve given themselves and forget to contribute to the exercise itself. While this is certainly not the case all the time, being active in the group is a tip to keep in mind.

Here are some tips:

1)      Be yourself:  Don’t try to guess what your assessors are looking for, because you might be surprised. Don’t try to give them what you think they want because your guesstimate may prove to be wrong. Be true to what you would have done in a similar situation in real life – that’s what your assessors will want to see.

2)      Try to finish the task: Part of the in-tray’s purpose is to put the candidate under time pressure. Failing to complete the task will show that pressure is a factor that can impact on your performance, which may even cost you the job.

3)      Use common sense: When completing the task, you will find out that some of the supposedly urgent matters are not that urgent at all. If you fall into the trap of prioritizing an email whose content is not really urgent, just because the message is marked as such, this will definitely count against you. So use your common sense and only give priority to those truly urgent messages.

4)      Get into the role: The in-tray task may not reflect the actual position you are applying for. Instead, it may ask you to pretend you are someone else – usually a senior level decision maker – for the purpose of the exercise. Make sure you get into the role’s shoes and use your best judgement to respond as if you truly were this imaginary person.