Summary: Introduction to Showcasing Your Skills

Showcasing Your Skills webinar aims to provide a space to:

• Consider what employers are looking for when they are recruiting
• Understand the selection process
• Appreciate what constitutes a competency and a strength
• Learn how to present your experiences as compelling stories that highlight your competencies and strengths

By the end of the webinar you will:

• Appreciate the importance of researching the employer and absorbing the language the they use to describe themselves and the role, and reflect this back in your application
• Want to understand what is important to the organisation and what they are proud of, and reflect this back in your application
• appreciate that the employer will be shortlisting applicants on the information you give them, and so it is important to keep the application relevant to the role
• Understand how points are awarded in the sifting process and at interview
• Learn how to use the STAR as your guide to presenting your competencies in an interesting, focused and succinct way
• Remember that relevant detail and complexity plus rich and engaging language highlight your skills as a strength

Some of the important ideas we discussed that will lead to successful applications and interviews:

• Consider the competencies that you may be asked to demonstrate as part of your job search
• Identify the best and most compelling examples from your experience
• Develop several STAR examples of how you have demonstrated these competencies
• Understand what the employer is looking for and tailor your answers to that
• Draft several different responses demonstrating your key competencies using the most relevant situations or experiences
• Practise them with your advisor and when networking
• Be prepared to give more detailed explanation of the situations you covered in your application
• Appreciate the need to avoid jargon, acronyms and technospeak to ensure you are easily understood
• Ensure you read the brief thoroughly before choosing the most appropriate response and tailoring it to the role
• Listen carefully to and make sure you answer the interview question (or you will be throwing away points)
• Practise using the STAR to guide your examples and keep them relevant and succinct
• Use your learning to enhance your CV and elevator pitch

Dame Kate Bingham

Chair of UK Government’s Vaccine Taskforce

How might she describe how she managed a complex and challenging project?

Situation

As Managing Partner of a global health investment firm, where I specialise in Biotechnology, Boris Johnson asked me, at the height of the pandemic, to set up and lead the Vaccine Taskforce.

Task

My objective was to save lives as soon as possible.

Action

Firstly, I reviewed the data on all the vaccines being developed globally to get a clear view of their strengths and weaknesses; within a fortnight I had drawn up a shortlist of 23 vaccines from four vaccine technologies.

I formed a specialist team of business executives, scientists, military procurement experts, ex-diplomats and career civil servants. By connecting them with my pharmaceutical industry contacts, I was able ensure UK negotiators had a place at the table.

At a time when the Country was embroiled in Brexit negotiations, the NHS was struggling, UK influence was waning and we had a relatively small budget, my team was able secure a portfolio of vaccines in the right quantities and at the right terms.

It was risky, because the vaccine efficacy was still unknown and the trials incomplete; however, I analysed the data, consulted with the experts and used my experience and judgement to make the best possible decisions.

Whilst overseeing vaccine procurement, I created the 360,000-strong "National Citizen Registry" which enabled us to quickly set up the UK clinical trials.

Result

My actions enabled the UK to forge ahead with its ambitious vaccination programme and I was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2021 Birthday Honours. 249 words

Competencies