Whitechapel Art Gallery
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Transcript Whitechapel Art Gallery
Advice on recruitment and applications
WHITECHAPEL GALLERY
FUNDED TRAINEESHIPS
This programme is supported by the National
Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund
Liz Lydiate
Who am I and why am I here today?
How selection procedures work, and
making them work for you
formal application procedures
why do we need to have this kind of procedure
Equal Opportunities practice
difficulties that can arise for the applicant
all the stuff we are doing in this session is transferable and will help
you with other applications
the assumption that catches many people out.......
What’s the offer?
Located in the LB of Tower Hamlets, the Whitechapel Gallery will run
a 2 year project offering training and work placements to 12 local
young people using a dedicated grant.
Fixed term contract for 12 months, starting April 2011
What does this mean? Are you willing/able to commit for a whole year?
Do you qualify as local?
Trainees will learn a range of accredited cultural heritage skills within
the gallery itself including conservation and research skills, digital
technology training and community engagement.
Are you genuinely interested in some/all of these things?
What’s the offer?
The Gallery which first opened its doors in 1901 presents a wealth of
modern and contemporary art giving the trainees excellent hands-on
experience in the museums and arts sector.
Check that you really understand all the terms that are being used.
Use the Internet to find out things you don’t know or aren’t sure about
What’s the offer?
The Gallery is therefore looking to recruit 6 full-time paid positions starting in
April 2011.
are you able to start in April and commit for one year?
Trainees will be spread across 6 different departments: Exhibitions Trainee,
Education Trainee, Communications Trainee, Development Trainee, Operations
Trainee and Visitor Services Trainee.
do you understand these terms and which ones are the most attractive to you?
Trainees will gain valuable departmental skills, in their chosen department
combined with workshops and training, as a cohort, for specialist heritage skills.
This training will complement the work of the department and allow each
trainee to gain an insight into how heritage and conservation is relevant across
the Gallery by undertaking training in project management, research into local
history, collection conservation, digital technology, customer care and
communications.
do you understand what is meant by heritage and heritage skills?
Salary: £13,000 per annum, for each traineeship (salary includes annual
national insurance and tax contributions)
Help with making the
application:
1.
always check carefully what’s on offer and what’s wanted (we’ve
already made a start on this)
2.
usually there will be a job description and a person specification
3.
if there isn’t there should be details in the advertisement or on the
website, and possibly a name of someone to ask for further
information
4.
secret weapon – MD’s PA
What is a job description?
a formal part of the application procedure for most jobs, and a great
aid to clarity
describes WHAT the post holder will be required to do
will give some information about HOW they will work
might explain WHO they will work with and WHERE they will be
based
the information in the job description will form part of the basis for
any future contract of employment
it also provides much guidance for the applicant, as we will see......
Analysing the person specification
competencies
‘essential’ and ‘desirable’ qualities
evidence of achievement
Deciding whether to give it
a go
a good application takes time (at least a whole day’s preparation)
being turned down is depressing and upsetting
increase your chances of getting at least as far as the interview by
doing a realistic assessment of your chances
how???
Making out your case:
1. how to fill out the application form
Personal information
avoid using silly e-mail addresses that give too much information e.g.
[email protected]
don’t give telephone numbers where there is no-one to answer and no
voicemail
check your voicemail for inappropriate messages as well, and try to keep
toddler relatives away from answering the phone
Making out your case:
1. how to fill out the application form
Employment information
most recent first – why?
include both paid and voluntary work
ALL work done is useful – why?
give name, address and business of employer; dates of employment;
salary; brief description of nature of work and responsibilities
include evidence of achievements
can go onto another sheet of paper if necessary
be consistent in your editing
Making out your case:
1. how to fill out the application form
Education, training and professional
qualifications
include all school/college/university attendance, giving name of
institution, dates attended, qualifications achieved and year
obtained
include all vocational training and any qualifications, giving name of
institution, dates attended, qualifications achieved and year
obtained
make sure that you have the relevant certificates available; they may
be required later on
Making out your case:
1. how to fill out the application form
Computer and typing skills
include details all software packages that you know + indicate level
of proficiency
can you touch type?
what speed?
do you have office experience?
Making out your case:
1. how to fill out the application form
Referees
include names and contact details of two referees, including the most recent
employer, if you have one
referees must be people who know you in a work or educational capacity,
and who have been in contact with you recently – they have to give an
opinion on your suitability for the post
family members and/or relatives are not acceptable; nor is someone who
knew you as a child but is not up-to-date with you now
ask your referee before putting his/her name down – and it’s a good idea to
send them details of the post that you are applying for
cherish your referees, you’re going to need them for along time; remember
to thank them and give them feedback on your progress
Making out your case:
2. using the personal statement
This is the most important part of the application
1.
it asks you to explain WHY you think you are suitable for the
traineeship and the reasons for your application
2.
it asks you to explain HOW your experience, qualifications, personal
qualities and interests meet the requirements of the Whitechapel
Gallery Traineeship Programme
3.
it asks for details of any experience that you have had with people
from culturally diverse backgrounds
Making out your case:
2. using the personal statement
for 1. and 2. go through the job description and person specification
with a highlighter and identify the key requirements
then work through your cv and your memory to find evidence that
shows you can meet these requirements
include this concisely in your statement, probably following the
same sequence as in the application documents, to make the
evaluator’s job easy
don’t make the false assumption that the evaluator will trawl
through the rest of the form to find out whether you meet the post
requirements - (many people do!)
make it as easy as possible for the evaluator to see what and
understand what you already know – communication is all
Making out your case:
2. using the personal statement
remember it’s a personal statement – it can and should show your
personality and your passion
allow yourself to be a bit different and unconventional if you want to
avoid using ‘I think’ and ‘I feel’ – much better to show what you know
and what you have actually achieved
think about how commercial marketeers use the concept of unique
selling proposition (USP) – can you make and communicate a USP
for yourself ?
also think abut the concept of the ‘elevator pitch’ – if you found
yourself in a lift with (say) Richard Branson or Alan Sugar, what
might you say to get them interested in you in the short time
available?
Making out your case:
3. understanding employability skills
When preparing applications remember the key
things about employability:
Do you really understand the job on offer?
Could you do it?
Do you really want to do this job or are you wrongly seeing it as a quick route
to something else?
Would you fit into the organisation?
Are you friendly, willing, cheerful, co-operative and hard-working?
Can you take initiative?
Do you have sound judgement?
Are you a problem maker or a problem solver?
Where is the evidence to support all this?
Your application should provide this, based on awareness of
employability issues
The Equal Opportunities form
the other thing you will need to complete is the Equal Opportunities Form
use of this indicates that the recruiting employer subscribes to an agreed
national code of practice when recruiting staff in order to give all candidates
a fair chance of success
in EO recruitment all applicants submit the same type of material for
consideration, using the same framework
all shortlisted candidates will be asked the same questions at interview so
that the panel can accurately compare them one with another
EO works against discrimination on grounds of age, gender, sexual
orientation, ethnicity, religion, disability
Putting it all together
even when completing electronic application forms, there is a lot you can do
to further improve your chances of success by managing the overall
appearance and style of the submission
try to give your material a consistent look – choose a nice clear and
interesting typeface and actively manage the editing and layout of the
pages
edit your work carefully in terms of use of capital letters, abbreviations,
spelling, and accuracy
take active charge of the layout – making the form look well-organised and
attractive and the reader’s job more pleasant
it is impossible to proof-read your own work – get someone else to read it
over for you
make your submission have personality and attract attention
Remember
your application is an advertisement for yourself
if you can’t be bothered to do a well-researched, accurate
submission when you’re fighting for yourself, it’s pretty clear that
you’ll probably do even worse work if hired
we live in a busy and crowded world – clear, relevant and fit-for-
purpose communications stand out and gain attention
Sending in the application
follow the submission procedure carefully
make sure you meet the deadline
keep a copy of what you sent
After sending in the application
some organisations only contact successful (i.e. shortlisted)
applicants
contact might be by phone, letter or e-mail
Whitechapel will contact ALL Traineeship applicants by e-mail
make sure you are available and monitoring your comms
if you are unsuccessful for a job where thought you had a good case,
it can be useful to ask for feedback
if you are invited for interview, acknowledge immediately that you
can attend and then start preparing....
How to prepare for an interview to
prepare for interview
do yet more research about the organisation
plan your travel
decide how to present yourself
(feel good, feel comfortable and BE yourself)
arrive in good time , bring something to do while you wait
try to anticipate questions and prepare answers
learn a relaxation exercise to help if you get nervous
switch off your phone!!!!
Anticipating interview questions
Not as difficult as it sounds!
Why are you interested in our organisation?
Why would you like this opportunity?
What are your goals for the future?
What would you like to have achieved in three years’ time?
Tell us about something that has given you a sense of achievement
What experience do you have of working in teams?
Can you tell us about any experience you have had of working with people
from different cultures?
What are your strengths?
What are the three main reasons why you should get this traineeship?
Is there anything you would like to ask us?
How to present yourself in an
interview
go into the room, sit down and then look directly at each panel member as
they introduce themselves to you – smile!
sit up straight but also feel comfortable; your position should show that you
are concentrating and fully engaged
try to maintain eye contact with each person as they speak to you
if possible, include all panel members in your answers by moving your head
speak clearly and at the right level for the room
give clear, concise answers – don’t ‘rabbit on’
if you get stuck or overcome with nerves, just say so – the panel will
understand
try to enjoy it
at the end, thank the panel for seeing you and say goodbye – don’t ask
anything else at this point as they will be working to a strict schedule
After the interview
you will usually be informed of the outcome by phone, post or e-mail
in some jobs it is then possible to carry out some further negotiation
about the exact nature of the deal (especially at more senior levels)
thank you for your attention
do you have any questions?