Returners: The Practicals of Returning to Work

Returning to work after a having a career break can be tough. If you attended our first webinar, you'll have had our advice on keeping your mind focused and positive. Now we take you through a practical, pacey overview of what you need to do and what you can expect when job hunting.

We understand that you may not have prepared for or been through a recruitment process for some time and to help we take you through a whistle stop tour, signposting you along the way to more detailed advice and guidance. We cover:

• Where to look
• How to apply
• Writing your CV
• Preparing for the interview

Great for anyone feeling ready to return to work, but who feels they need a helping hand with the modern recruitment process!

Watch our webinar ‘Returners: The Practicals of Returning to Work’, with Ten2Two’s Kathryn Boal and Jo Gregory linked below.

Transcript

Kathryn Boal (Ten2Two) (00:43):

Welcome to our webinar this evening on the Practicals of Returning to Work. Hope you're all well, and looking forward to a really informative and relaxed session and all things to look out for when you are thinking of coming back to work after a break. I'm Kathryn Boal, a resourcer here at Ten2Two and I'm joined by Jo Gregory, who's one of the directors. If this is the first time you've met us before or joined one of our lovely webinars, welcome. We're experts in part-time flexible recruitment, so please make sure you're registered with us to gain as much help looking for a new role as possible. Tonight we are going to be running through the webinar and the presentation.

Kathryn Boal (Ten2Two) (01:38):

So that'll be about 30 minutes. And then, and Jo, our lovely Jo's going to be running that for us. And then at the end, we’ll have time to go through some questions. So if there's anything that comes up, please do pop them into the chat box and we'll get through to them at the end. They’re all private so no one can see what you're writing, but if we don't get through to them, we will come back to you, we promise. We'll have a look at them and we'll be able to come back to you by the end of week. We'll also be recording this session so you don't need to make lots and lots of notes. Everything will be sent through to you. And obviously if you really love our webinar and want to give us some lovely feedback, please do. We always love, love reading feedback, so, it’s always really helpful. So please, you’ll be sent the link, if you have time, give us a review. So, without further ado, Jo, can I hand over to you please?

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (02:37):

Of course you can. Thank you so much, Kathryn. So my name's Jo. I recognize some of the names coming in this evening, but for those of you who don't already know me, I'm one of the directors with Ten2Two. Ten2Two are, as Kathryn said, part-time and flexible working specialists. We've been around for about 17 years or so and I've had the pleasure of working with the business for the last eight years. Tonight we're going to take you through a subject that a lot of people find quite daunting and quite difficult. It’s all about returning to work. We're running a returners series at the moment. Hopefully some of you will have come to the first one, which we ran a couple of weeks ago now, on mindset. if you didn't have a chance to join that, please do look it up on our YouTube channel. Really, really helpful advice on how to overcome some of that overwhelm and get yourself in a positive head space to then be able to take on the practicals of your return to work. Right. This is the fiddly bit where I have to find the presentation and start.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (03:39):

There we go. Hopefully everybody can see that presentation there. This is our lovely Ruth by the way, many of you will know Ruth because she sends out all of our mails. She keeps us all held together at Ten2Two. Oh yeah, our lovely Ruth, what would we do without her? She's going to get all embarrassed now when she sees this back <laugh>. So the practicals of returning to work, now we're making an assumption that everybody joining tonight has had a career break of some sort. It might be a few months, it might be a few years. It could be because of raising a family. It could be due to ill health. It could be due to caring for a loved one. All of this information is relevant to you, no matter your reason of having a career break, your length of career break, please take from it what you can.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (04:29):

And as Kathryn said, if you do have any particular questions or queries, pop them in the q and a box. We will try and come back to them today. If we can't, we'll follow up in the coming days, with a recording and a bit of a q and a document for you as well. So here we go. So the content for today, as you can see, there's quite a lot for us to get through. This is the introduction that I'm waffling through now. We’re then going to talk to you about where to look for a role. If you've had quite a long time out of the workplace, this might be new for you. But there are different avenues that you can take to look for a role, be that full-time, part-time, flexible, all over the place. How to apply, writing your cv, (that's the bit that everybody hates), and preparing for an interview.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (05:18):

And then at the end we'll do a quick summary and hopefully if we have time, we'll go through some questions. So as we said, it can feel like a really daunting task. You've been out of the workplace for whatever reason. You've probably been very busy doing whatever it is that you've been doing while you haven't been at work. The working world seems like a completely different universe. Approaching it like a project is a really good idea. You know, if you can allocate time, if you can set aside a particular notebook, maybe, or a particular Excel spreadsheet, really treat it like you would've done a work project. Or if you've been renovating a house like you used your project management skills there. It's likely to be a bit of a learning journey. You are likely to come across tasks that you haven't done before, conversations you haven't had before. Making sure you are ready

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (06:12):

so by that, your mindset, your at-home practicalities, and when we've been through today, you'll know your CV and so on and so forth. Be clear on what you want. It can be really tempting to jump into your job search and scattergun everything, apply for every role you see and just go for it. That is one technique. We would strongly advise you to be a bit more targeted than that. And really think about what the role that you want is and try and go for that. Whether that is the specific discipline, whether it is the specific sector, or whether it's even the specific working hours that you're looking for. Make sure that you are clear on what's important to you, where your non-negotiables are, and what it is that you are hoping to achieve by the end of your job search.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (07:04):

Be sure what you can commit to. This is very much in line with what we just talked about. If you do have caring responsibilities, make sure that you've really given thought as to what is going to take your place in those caring responsibilities if you do secure a role. One example might be if your children are soon to start school, you know, are you going to be working for a company that's close enough to the school for you to make it to school pick up or do you need to think about after school care? Just be realistic about what you can commit to. It’s also helpful to know what the title or titles that you're interested in are. So job titles change from time to time. When I first started my career 5 million years ago, personnel was what HR was called.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (07:50):

I don't think it's even called HR anymore. It's called People. So have a think about what the job titles that you are searching for are. Maybe they've changed since you were in the workplace. Do a bit of research, you know, spend some time surfing some job boards and have a look at what those job titles are and what the general requirements are within those job titles as well. Don't be shy <laugh>. You don't have to hide the fact that you're looking for a job. You can tell people. You can ask people if they've got vacancies. You can ask people if they know if they've got vacancies. I am always blown away at how many people I speak to who say, oh yeah, I got my job because of Mandy at the school gates’ husband's brother's next door neighbour's company was hiring. So talk to people.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (08:36):

and without quoting Friends directly, you'll probably get rejected quite a few times. You'll probably go to a few interviews. You'll probably apply for a few roles. Please don't take it personally. It is a really tricky market out there at the moment. And although we can try and give you all the tools that there possibly are, you know, it doesn't guarantee that you're going to secure the first job that you go for. Please do not take it personally, learn from it, gain whatever feedback you can and move on. So into the meat of the presentation. So where to look for a role. It can be a little bit daunting thinking about all the different avenues that you have ahead of you. There are formal and informal ways of looking for a role. I'm going to start with agency because that's who we are.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (09:25):

The agency give you a middleman between you and the employer. This can be really, really helpful if you are feeling a bit anxious, a bit nervous, or you are hoping to convey certain parts of your application without needing to have direct conversations. So part-time is an area that people sometimes find it difficult to talk about. Going through an agency can allow you to talk to that agency quite openly about what you're looking for, and they will then convey that information to the employer. Job boards – Total, Indeed, Reed. There are umpteen job boards that you can go to. You are going to need to be a bit more self-managed. Agencies do advertise on job boards, but employers do directly as well. So make sure that if you are using job boards, you're having a look at who it is you're actually applying to in the first place.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (10:19):

Online direct, that would be direct with the company website. Being headhunted. If you are lucky enough to have a really strong network or you've got a particularly strong online profile, then you may well be headhunted. Informal, excuse me, offline direct approach, what we talked about just now - chats at the school gate or at the nursery pickup, wherever else you might be and through your own contacts. So, you know, making sure that you're dipping back into that little black book or Google or whatever it is that you use for you. I'm showing how old I'm tonight. Wherever you keep your personal contacts, make sure that you're using those. LinkedIn is a fantastic tool when you're job hunting. I love the little green slash that you can put saying that you're open to work and that will immediately highlight to all of your contacts from your previous career that you are looking for something.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (11:17):

So there's benefits and negatives to all of these different routes. It’s a really good idea for you to keep a track of what you've applied for, who you've applied through and what stage you're at. That can be a very simple notebook, it can be an Excel spreadsheet, however you want to keep track of it. It just gives you a sense of control. And it also means that if somebody phones you up and says, oh, you've applied for, you can immediately look at what that role is, when you applied for it, who you've applied through. Just means that you are a little bit more organized, and you're keeping track of where your details have gone. And you can also look back on it and, you know, really use it as a tool moving forward to pull out what's worked and what hasn't worked.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (12:06):

So how to apply. It’s a bit of a minefield these days to be completely honest. There's so many different ways that you, your information can get to the employer. Please, please, please pay a lot of attention to what's being asked. Some applications will want you to just pop a CV over. Some will want you to fill out an application form, some will want a cover letter, some won't. So firstly, make sure that you're paying a lot of attention to what it is you're being asked for. Tailoring your CV. A lot of people gasp when we say that you should tailor your CV for each and every application that you make. It used to be the case that you could have one CV and just fire it out to every job. The market is tricky now. There are millions of people going for less than millions of jobs

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (12:57):

and you need to make sure that your CV really, really mirrors the job description. So making sure that you're tailoring your cv, that doesn't have to be rewriting it. It can just be cutting and pasting a few lines here and there. But spending the time will get you better results. Include a cover letter if given the option, a cover letter can convey additional information. It can make sure that you are filling in any gaps that your CV might have, in terms of skills and it can also include information about your interest in that particular company. Everybody loves a bit of flattery. That includes businesses. Use a Word format without fancy formatting. We get a lot of questions about formatting. We do have a document that we can send out to people, which gives you a very basic template.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (13:50):

Word is the most commonly used software. it means that there's unlikely to be trouble with people converting it if they need to. It's unlikely that software will reject it. And it means you can get a nice simple, straightforward document across. You don't need colours and pictures and fancy fonts. It needs to be easily legible and smart. And as we said, keep a record of the jobs that you've applied for and keep a copy of the job ad. Really, really useful for reflection. Your CV. I was going to ask everybody to give me a little thumbs up if they enjoy writing their CV, but then I thought, no - because nobody enjoys writing their CV. We can't do sad face, can we <laugh>? Not even we like writing our CVs and it's what we do. So, you know, your CV’s got six core components. Your personal details.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (14:50):

Now for this, you don't need to write your inside leg measurement, your full address, all of the things that you know, you think people might need to know. Very simply - your name. If you've got a LinkedIn that's up to date, your LinkedIn, the town in which you live and your contact details. So probably your mobile phone number and your email address. You really don't need to put anything else on there. Your profile. Now profiles - some people love them, some people are not big fans of them. We feel that they're an important opener to the CV. They give you a chance to really demonstrate your core competencies. and you can also use them as a reflective tool of the job description. So if there are particular words that you identify in that job description that you think are important to be able to show that you can identify with, so particular competencies or skills, you can put those in that top profile.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (15:48):

Short paragraph - two or three sentences - will suffice. Key skills. Again, you don't have to have key skills, but it is quite useful to make sure that you are picking out those key skills that are being asked for in the job description. A lot of the time it will be a computer or a junior member of the team reviewing the CVs in the first place, and they might have been told to look out for particular words on a CV. Those words might not fit necessarily in your career history, or they might be soft skills that wouldn't necessarily come up in your list of previous tasks. So a skills box can be a really great way of making sure those words appear on your CV. Career history, this is where we go through chronologically. For people returning to the workplace, it is really important that you don't try and ignore or jump over career breaks. We would always, always encourage you to acknowledge them to give a simple explanation as to what the career break was for, but don't leave gaps because gaps cause question marks and question marks will put you in the maybe pile. You need your CV in the yes pile. So please don't be embarrassed or uncomfortable about your gap. As we said, a simple sentence explaining what it is you've been doing. We've seen some brilliant ones. We've seen ‘CEO of my family’ and, you know, various other slightly <crosstalk>. Oh, they're

Kathryn Boal (Ten2Two) (17:18):

Amazing. Yeah. ‘Project manager of family business’.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (17:25):

So you can use a bit of humour if, if that's part of your character. If you feel like your break has actually been a really amazing learning experience, then you can put the skills and competencies that you've used or learned during that time as well. I know when I stayed at home with my two boys, I learned negotiation skills like I never knew I had. Education. A lot of people put this right up at the top of their CV. The only time I would say that you should do that is if your education is particularly relevant to the role that you're applying for. Otherwise your education should come below your career history. Again, you don't need to go into layers and layers of detail. If the job description is asking for particular qualifications or for a particular level of education, make sure you're trying to reflect that without lying.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (18:16):

Otherwise you can just put kind of core information about your education. You do not have to put dates if you do not want to. But again, if you took time out of work to study, then make sure that those dates are in there because that will make sure you're not having any gaps in your career history. Other - this refers to all the other nice things that people like to put at the end of their CV. Hobbies, interests, what I do in my spare time. It's entirely up to you whether you add this onto your end of your CV. If you've had a career history that has taken up three pages, I'd say probably don't because you do need to make sure that your CV is a reasonable length. The two page rule isn't the be all and end all, but it is a nice guide to stick to.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (19:04):

So if you feel like you've taken up all of your real estate with your career history, your career history is more important than your hobbies, unless your hobbies are particularly relevant to the role that you're applying for, or you've been volunteering for a charity and that charity is connected to the job you're applying for. We've had some really interesting coincidences where people have enjoyed skydiving, for example, and the employer who's reading the CV is an avid skydiver, and that's been the thing that's tipped them over the edge and put them in the yes pile, but you're not going to know that <laugh>. So you know, it's really up to you. The one thing we see a lot of the time is people who have a core CV and each time they have a new role, just squeezing it in there, adding it in there, adding it in there, and not necessarily reviewing the whole of the document as an entire piece.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (20:04):

That's not necessarily the wrong thing to do, but sometimes it can lead to a difference in formatting, a difference in font. You may have improved your kind of bullet pointing style. You might not be editing the rest of your CV to keep it to a reasonable length. Sometimes it's just easier to start from scratch. You know, sometimes if you've had a career break, especially if you're changing direction, or if you are reentering the workplace into a different discipline or sector, it might be easier to start with a blank piece of paper no matter how scary that sounds.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (20:41):

So, just as a recap, a good CV will be easy to read, concise, comprehensive, descriptive, and personal. By all means, use a CV writing service if you want. However, we are strong believers that your CV is you on a piece of paper. So if you can inject some of your personality, your professional style, whatever it might be into that document, then it's going to be something that is, that you are really proud of, that you really want to share with an employer, that you feel represents you. Make sure your CV is relevant to the role, either the sector, the profession, or show transferability if you are making a change. Leave no question marks as we said, you know, don't be ashamed of that break. Make sure that you are identifying the fact that you've had a break and what it is you've been doing. We do have an entire webinar based on this called Mind the Gap.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (21:36):

When we send out the information following today, we will have some additional links for further resources, or you can search YouTube or go through our website. And finally, a good CV will move you to the yes pile. So, doing these things, taking the time to tailor your CV, making sure that you are utilizing things like skills boxes, will give you the best chance of landing on the yes pile. Another little tip, with the rise of AI and computer selecting of CVs, sometimes if you really want to get those words in there, you can even hide the skills box. So put it in a transparent font because the computer reading your CV, will still see those words even if you don't necessarily want them on your CV. That's getting a little bit sort of secret spy agent for me, but it is something that we have seen some people do.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (22:38):

Interview preparation. I feel like I'm filling you with way too much information here, so I'm sorry that this is quite content heavy. You can never be too prepared for an interview. It can be quite daunting going into an interview, whether it's a Zoom conversation, whether it's in person, whether it's a panel, whether it's one-on-one, it can be quite daunting. The more prepared you are, hopefully the more confident you'll feel walking in. We feel there are five key areas you need to focus on when you are preparing for an interview. Firstly, make sure you really know about the company. There is no reason in today's world for you not to know about the company you're interviewing. You can Google them, you can look on their website, you can look on Glassdoor for reviews. There are all sorts of ways that you can research that company.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (23:35):

We would encourage you to go as far as you possibly can. So go beyond the website if you can. Maybe look at previous financial performance. Maybe look at industry publications that they might be mentioned in, maybe research their competitors and see how they're doing in their marketplace. Do as much research as you feel you're able to because you never know what you're going to be asked and you never know what interesting commentary you might be able to make that's going to really turn their heads. People - try and find out who it is, who's going to be interviewing you. Have a look at them as well. Do a bit of research, do a bit of digging. They might have a LinkedIn profile that you can look through. You could look at their other social media if you choose to. Look at what their role is within the organization.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (24:30):

Look how long they've been there. You know, see if they are mentioned in any trade publications. Content - if you are able to find out the content of the interview. Is it going to be a panel interview? Are they going to have any assessments? Will it be a competency-based interview, or will you just be talking about your past career and going through, this is what I did when I was at this business. It will just help you prepare and have answers in your back pocket. Competency-based questions are quite important to prepare for and to make sure that you're answering thoroughly. So if they are going to be asking you competency-based questions, it's a good idea to really have thought about some of those scenarios that you might be asked about. And think back over your career. Place - please make sure you know where you're going.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (25:23):

Please make sure you don't turn up to the wrong building. <laugh>. Obviously mistakes happen. Obviously, you know, communication breakdowns can happen, but for your benefit, do a dry run first. You know, make sure you know, is it a hidden building behind a shopping centre? Is it on the fifth floor and you're going to need to add in a couple of extra minutes to catch a breath after you've walked up all those stairs if there isn't a lift. Is there parking nearby? Would it be better for you to get the train? All these things can't be left to chance. You really do have to make sure that you've done some research and planned. And dress <laugh>. It was always my scariest thing when I was interviewing. What do you wear? My background's the music industry for anybody who doesn't know and if I'd have turned up for a suit in my interview, I never would've got the job.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (26:17):

But other sectors, if you don't wear a suit, you won't get the job. So as much as you can, find out what the dress code is and don't be afraid to ask the question, you know, none of this is an inconvenience to the employer or to the agency, if you just ask the question. In fact, it shows that you are really keen to do the right thing. It shows you're really keen to make sure you turn up and make sure you get that job. So as part of your project, make sure that you are researching these roles. I wouldn't say you necessarily need to before you've secured that interview, but as soon as you know you've got that interview, start the research, start really kind of, filling yourself with as much information about the people and the place and the company as possible.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (27:09):

So your job search summary, treat it as a project. You know, this is a big thing. Going back to the workplace shouldn't be taken lightly. You know, you've had a career break for a reason. You've made a conscious choice to go back to the workplace. Give it the importance it deserves. This is, this is big. Spread the word, you know, make sure you're registered with relevant agencies. Make sure you are signed up to relevant job boards. You can set up all sorts of alerts once you know the types of roles that you are looking for so that you're not having to log in every day. Talk to people, don't be shy. Make it easy on yourself. So create templates. Create base CVs, standard cover letters that you then can amend, keep track of things, set up alerts, set up a specific folder maybe in your email so that things go directly there. The other thing I know people have done is set up an entire email address specifically dedicated to their job search. And please, please, please, please, please check your junk. These email filters are amazing at filtering out things that you really do want to see. And it would be such a shame to miss out on an opportunity because you hadn't seen the response from the agent or from the employer.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (28:32):

And then be patient and be positive. You know, these processes, they, they can be really easy. I'm not saying that yours is going to be hard necessarily. You might walk into the first job that you apply for and that would be brilliant and I'll be cheering you along the way. But they're not always a simple one-shot process. So please be patient. Please be positive and please rely on the support around you. You know, here at Ten2Two, we are not just here for our clients, we're here for our candidates. We really, really want to be able to help you. And we will do everything that we can to secure feedback for you, to prepare you for interviews. You just need to ask, you know, and we'll be here.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (29:18):

So again, a quick summary. Be clear about your objectives. If you haven't watched the mindset part of our program, then go back and watch that mindset part because it really does help you clear your head of the noise and the fuss and the negative thoughts. And just be able to focus on what your objectives are and how you intend to get there. Boost your confidence. Again, the webinar will be brilliant for this, but there are simple things that you can do. So, reconnect with old colleagues. Think back on your career and the successes that you've had. Remind yourself of those skills and expertise that you were really, really relied on for in your last role. Actually, although it's scary, sitting down and writing your CV can sometimes be a real confidence boost because you do remember all of the amazing things that you've done in your past career.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (30:14):

Revise your technical skills. If you've been out of the workplace for a while and there are new technologies or systems, then make sure that you know what they are. Even if you haven't had access to using them. Maybe sign yourself up for a quick Microsoft refresher. If obviously your role is more technical than that, or your desired role is more technical than that, then make sure that your technical skills are as brushed up as they possibly can be. Update professional qualifications and memberships. You know, if you need a membership to be able to practice your profession, then make sure that your membership is active. If your professional qualifications need a certain amount of CPD, they get onto that and make sure that you're getting those, those points towards your qualification. Make sure that none of your certifications are out of date. Check your sector knowledge.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (31:07):

So again, if you're going back into your previous sector, or especially if you're going into a new sector, get hold of some trade publications. Do some reading, do some asking around, make sure that your knowledge is up there. One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given was to not only research the company that I was interviewing for, but also to research their competitors because it gives you a really good idea of where they stand in their sector. Update or write your CV, refresh your contacts through your network and get help from fresh professional recruiters. We are always here for you. There are other agencies that will give you the support that you need reentering the workplace. You just have to ask for it.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (31:53):

Just more and more information for you. So, the Ten2Two YouTube channel is a treasure trove of information. and it might just be nice to sit down, have a cup of tea and absorb some of the previous webinars that we have. This has been a bit of a whistle stop tour through a number of different topics. And some of these previous webinars that we've run, really dig back into some of those topics in a little bit more detail. So Mind the Gap is specifically for people who have taken a career break and may have a gap on their cv. Create a Winning CV, exactly what it says on the tin. It will go into a lot more detail of what your CV should and shouldn't contain to hopefully make it as spot on as possible. Interview Tips. This is what we deal with day in, day out

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (32:43):

so we try and share as many interview tips as possible on that particular webinar. The Practicals of Job Searching, it's a little bit of always sort of like today was, but goes into a little bit more depth and isn't so focused on the return to the workplace, so little bit deeper level of information. Your online brand and job hunting. Lots and lots of people ask questions about social media and whether employers will kind of do a deep dive into you, your background. This is the, the webinar for you if you're interested in that. And then we talk quite a lot about LinkedIn and your LinkedIn profile and how you can really optimize that to help your job search. Presenting yourself online, possibly the funniest webinar that we have ever done, with an amazing actor and executive coach joining us. I'm not going to make any comments about chickens, if you want to know what I'm talking about, go watch the webinar. And then finally, Imposter Syndrome, which I think is possibly the most talked about thing when we talk about professional life and job hunting. We have a guest speaker who helps us with the particular webinar on imposter syndrome and hopefully gives everybody lots and lots of tips as to how to keep it at bay, how to turn it on its head, and how not to let it hinder your job search.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (34:07):

I've done a lot of talking. Thank you so much for listening. Amazing.

Kathryn Boal (Ten2Two) (34:12):

That was fab. Well done.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (34:14):

I do hope that there has been some useful information in tonight's presentation. Just to quickly recap, if you have any questions or queries that you haven't had a chance to pop into the q and a box or that we don't get round to in the next few minutes, please do get in touch, and ask questions. That's what we’re here for. We will be following up in the coming days with an email containing links to the webinar that we've just run through, a recording of this and some additional information. Mine and Kathryn's details are on the screen now. Please do get in touch, anyone at Ten2Two is more than happy to help you. And if you have found this evening useful and you would be kind enough to do a review, our Facebook page and our Google page are both open and you can share your review there or pop it across to us on an email. Brilliant. I have no idea what the time is and how much time, if any. You're

Kathryn Boal (Ten2Two) (35:20):

Right, we've got 10, we've got just 10 minutes we're done. So yeah, no, that was brilliant. Thanks so much for all that information. We have had questions come through. I've been answering a few. This one’s quite interesting though. So, with a 10 year career gap or a large career gap - competency questions in an interview, where they ask you for specific examples of where you've used a particular skill and if you haven't worked for a long time, how are employees really understanding that and how would you answer a question like that?

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (36:08):

So competency-based questions can sound scarier than they are. Basically, they are just trying to understand the way that you would approach a particular situation or the way that you have approached a particular situation. So if, if you are unable to remember the detail of a situation that you are being asked about from your professional career, you could find an example from a non-professional scenario. Obviously it would be better to find a work one if possible. Maybe you've done some volunteering and you could lean on that experience. Maybe you've been involved in a club or a society and you could draw from that experience. If you are really, really struggling to pull examples from your experience, you could be honest and say, I don't have particular experience in that. However, this is how I envisage I would address such a situation. And as long as you're being clear, so as long as you are outlining the situation, outlining the tasks, describing the action that you would take and then following up with any resolution or learning, those are the key kind of points that you need to remember, then you should be fine.

Kathryn Boal (Ten2Two) (37:31):

Yeah, I agree, totally agree. And it's, I think it's sometimes it's okay to say, gee, I'm not sure. I don't know how I would answer that. I, you know, it's okay to say that, but I think I would do this. I think that's what you are saying, isn't it?

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (37:46):

Absolutely.

Kathryn Boal (Ten2Two) (37:46):

Okay. I don't, I don't actually know.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (37:49):

And it's also okay to say, could I just have a minute to think about this? Yeah, because sometimes you can feel put on the spot and sometimes you can get anxious or your mind can go blank. So take a sip of water, ask for a second to have a think and then respond, you know, once you've taken a deep breath. So making sure that you're prepared is the best thing that you can do. So competency questions normally are based around the same sorts of competencies and those competencies you'll be able to identify from the job description. You can google competency questions around and then write the competency and they'll give you an idea of the types of questions that you might be asked so you can pre prepare yourself quite thoroughly for these things. And obviously if you're sitting at home with a cup of tea, thinking about your professional career, you can be kinder to yourself and have more time than if you leave it until you're sitting in the interview room.

Kathryn Boal (Ten2Two) (38:49):

Yeah, and I also think as well with that, don't be afraid to ask a family member or a friend to practice the question, especially if you've not been in that environment for a while, you know, sit down, say, can you just some questions here, would you mind just asking me and see how I respond? And then they'll, they'll be able to help you. I think that's quite helpful.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (39:11):

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Kathryn Boal (Ten2Two) (39:13):

Yeah. We have another question, which is quite interesting. Someone has popped a question about a career fair and how useful they are to go to, to a career fair, you know, when they have, to the employee employers, open to different kind of roles with them, usually in places like the Excel.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (39:38):

That's a, that's a really interesting question that I've actually never been asked before. <laugh>. It really depends how much time you have to dedicate to your wider search. I would say that if you are reentering the workforce and you are very open-minded about what sector you work in or what discipline you work in, then a career fair is a really good kind of place to go and explore what's available. So maybe if you have had a, a relatively significant career break and you feel that detached from the working world, it could be your first step back in to sort of go and explore. I think if you've got a good idea of what sector you want to be in or what discipline you want to work in, then just make sure that you're going to relevant career fairs because otherwise you're really going to be wasting your time because they can be quite generic. But there sometimes are quite specific career fairs around particular disciplines or held for particular sectors. So as long as you feel as though it is a valuable use of your time and you know what your objectives are with going there, I would say that it's useful.

Kathryn Boal (Ten2Two) (40:53):

Yeah. Okay. Brilliant. Another question: would any kind of volunteer work, such as a school governor or working for a charity go under career history or other on your CV?

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (41:09):

Again, a really good question. It can go in either place. It really depends on its relevance to the role that you're applying for. If you are applying for a role in a school, for example, and you have been a school governor, I wouldn't tuck it away in other, right at the very bottom of your second page, I would put it front and centre and make sure it is within your career history. There’s nothing stopping it being in your career history. It's a perfectly relevant place for it to sit, especially if you need to make sure that employer sees that you've got it. The statistics show that unfortunately by the time an employer gets to the bottom of your second page, they've probably stopped reading. So make sure that if, if it's relevant to the role that you're applying for, it's front and centre on your CV in whatever way you can get it there, either as part of your career history or as part of your profile. But the more central you can get it on that front page, the better.

Kathryn Boal (Ten2Two) (42:11):

Yeah. And also I think with roles like that, they're so involved, and so in depth with different things that you're dealing with. So you could almost pull out for each role that you are applying for if you're applying for different things, different experience that you would have in that volunteer role, which would still make it really, really relevant. Definitely.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (42:32):

Absolutely. Absolutely. I think that, you know, volunteering is an amazing thing for anybody to have done and they should be really proud of it.

Kathryn Boal (Ten2Two) (42:41):

Yes, I agree. So, another question: what do you do when you’ve had a career gap for illness? So it's one thing to have a career gap to raise a family or to go traveling or any other sort of reason, caring after a parent, a parent, but for illness for yourself where you've had to have a long time off, how do you put that on a CV?

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (43:05):

It's up to you how much you disclose on your CV, really. We would say acknowledge the gap, make sure that there is a reason put against the gap because again, you don't want to raise question marks. You don't want there to be a glaring gap and for them to be like, oh, where were they? Were they in prison? Were they, you know, sailing around the world? Because you don't know what their mind's going to jump to. if you don't feel like sharing intimate details, which you are not obliged to, you could say, career gap due to ill health, now fully recovered or whatever wording you want to put on there that conveys that you are ready to go back into the workplace after that period. If you want to disclose more, then you can do, that's entirely up to you. But don't try and hide it. Don't try and smooth over it. You know, you, you need to own that that's why you are away from work and you've made the decision that you're now ready to return to the workplace and be confident with that and, and move forward owning that.

Kathryn Boal (Ten2Two) (44:12):

Yeah. One more: how do you balance the, and this person's asked, how do you, how do you balance the enthusiasm that you want to give to the job and the dedication to a role in an interview also, allow the employer to understand your family commitments and that you know, you are needed at home and that's why you're looking for part-time work. How do you balance that and make sure that it

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (44:42):

<crosstalk> That is a wonderful question, <laugh>. Yeah, it's a wonderful question and unfortunately there isn't one very, very clear answer. So, Ten2Two candidates are quite lucky in this respect because coming through Ten2Two, you already know that the employer is open to it being a role that allows you to have balance. It's going to be part-time or it's going to be flexible. You also have a middleman who can do some of that conveying of information for you. So we as part of our process will be very, very transparent as to your availability as a candidate, what your level of commitment is. and sometimes we'll share what your reasons for wanting part-time are, as long as you're happy for us to do that. So we can often have some of that discussion for you, leaving you to be as enthusiastic as you like in the interview because you don't have to worry about that bit, that bit's done for you.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (45:43):

That is also the route that you could take if you were going directly. You could make sure that in the body of your cover letter or in a cover email that your practical situation is outlined to whatever level of detail you feel comfortable with. So that in the interview you can be more freely discussing the role itself. It is important in the interview to be wary of the fact that the employer is interested in you for the role. Although it's very tempting when they ask you why you want the job for you to say what, it's two minutes down the road from my kids' school and it's part-time. Unfortunately, that isn't what the employer wants to hear. The employer wants to know what's interesting, what interests you about the role, what interests you about the company, how it's going to help you progress your career, how you are going to be able to bring your skills to that opportunity. They already know probably that you're interested in it, because it's a part-time role, because you've applied for it and they've advertised it as a part-time role. So be enthusiastic, be open with the fact that you are available for certain hours and so on and so forth. But make sure you remember that this is a professional conversation about an opportunity that they need to fill with a person who's got the right skills and enthusiasm for that job. Hopefully that answers your question.

Kathryn Boal (Ten2Two) (47:15):

I think that's great and I totally agree. I think sometimes as well, it's hard to kind of get that balance, but you’ve got the experience and you've got what they're looking for, then you can be confident in that, that you are going to come across that way and that all matters.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (47:36):

Absolutely.

Kathryn Boal (Ten2Two) (47:43):

I don't think we've got any more time for any more questions unfortunately, but we will come back to them. We'll answer any questions that we've not had time for, later in the week for you.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (47:54):

Wonderful.

Kathryn Boal (Ten2Two) (47:55):

It has been, yeah, it's been absolutely brilliant, hasn't it, Jo, really informative. Thank,

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (48:00):

Thank you all so much for giving us your time this evening. We do really genuinely hope that you take away something useful. please do come to us if you've got any questions or queries, look out for that follow up email in your inboxes. I'd love to promise that it'll be tomorrow, but it might not be. So it might be the beginning of next week. People up and down the country have got different half terms, (mine are on half term at the moment, not that that's an excuse <laugh>), but yeah, keep an eye on your inbox, get in touch with us and all the very, very best with your return to work. We really genuinely hope that you find something, and that the process of finding it is as enjoyable as possible.

Kathryn Boal (Ten2Two) (48:45):

Yeah, absolutely. We're here to help you, so please feel free to get in touch with us. We're happy to have a conversation with you, look over your CV, any kind of guidance that you need.

Jo Gregory (Ten2Two) (48:57):

Awesome. Goodnight everyone.

Kathryn Boal (Ten2Two) (49:01):

Bye