why ask me that?! top tips for foundation school applications gill frigerio manager of careers...

Why ask me that?! Top Tips for Foundation School

Applications

Gill Frigerio

Manager of Careers Education and Guidance

I hope to cover:

• Potential pitfalls of applications

• Competency based questions

• A framework for providing evidence

• Hints and tips

• Further resources

Principles of Application Form Writing

• Think about why they are asking the question

• Read the person specification carefully

• Make sure you cover all essential criteria, and hopefully the desirable too!

• Give a wide variety of examples, avoid repetition

• Avoid descriptive narrative, be specific

• Stay within the word limit (some assessors may stop reading after 75 words)

• Demonstrate evidence of knowledge, understanding, experience, and application

Applications: potential pitfalls

• Failure to identify what the reader is really looking for

• Underselling yourself• Failing to provide the right evidence to

support your statements• Not tailoring your application to the role• Silly mistakes – spelling etc

Good news!

• You are in an excellent position to understand what the reader is looking for

• The form is very explicit on what they are looking for

Give Yourself The Best Chance

• Give yourself plenty of time to research, draft and fill in the form

• Treat it as you would a paper based form

• Make full use of the word count available

The sections

• Areas of achievement and what has been gained:• Academic and non academic• non-medical & undergraduate medical

• GMC “Good Medical Practice” principles

• Identify your educational and personal reasons for applying for this Foundation School

• Teamwork/Leadership

Why THESE questions?

• These questions have been devised nationally, carefully and precisely… these aren’t random and all are very important!

• In general, they are checking that you:

CAN - do the job (skills)WANT - the job (motivation)FIT - within the programme

(values)

Do they fit?

• Achievements:MedicalNon-Medical

• GMC ‘Good Practice’

• Reasons

• Teamwork/Leadership

CAN, WANT

CAN, FIT

CAN, WANT, FIT

WANT, FIT

CAN, FIT

Competency Based Questions

• Describe a particular situation

• Think about Working, Learning, Playing and Giving

• Explain what you achieved and how you did it

• Talk about any barriers overcome

• Give a positive outcome

ACTIVITIES

Elective Publishing & Conferences

Societies

Part time, summer, &

voluntary work

Sports

Staff/Student Committee

Clubs

Log Book

Fundraising

IntercalatingClinical

Experience

Audits

Prizes & Awards

Family Responsibility

Academic Achievement

Hobbies & Interests

Possible evidence of team working

Voluntary workSports/Clubs

Intercalating

Audit

Interdisciplinary Teams

Staff/Student Committee

Personal Experience

Research Groups

Work Experience

Clinical Work

Elective

ACTIVITIES(Medical/Non-Medical

Achievements)

Elective Publishing & Conferences

Societies

Part time, summer, &

voluntary work

Sports

Staff/Student Committee

Clubs

Log Book

Fundraising

IntercalatingClinical

Experience

Audits

Prizes & Awards

Family Responsibility

Academic Achievement

Hobbies & Interests

STAR Framework

– S ituation

– T ask

– A ction

– R esult

Use the STAR approach for competency questions:

Coping with a difficult person

• Acting as a relief supervisor at Pizza Express, a customer began to complain loudly about the service being slow.

• My task was satisfy the person without upsetting other customers who were also waiting for their food and had arrived earlier.

Coping with a difficult person cont.

• I listened carefully, used moderate language, a quiet voice and carefully explained about staff shortages due to illness. I reassured him that his order was being dealt with and offered complimentary drinks whilst waiting.

• The customer calmed down and decided to wait quietly, with free drinks.

Hints & Tips Read

instructions & questions

carefully

Complete a draft copy

Think about

presentation

Use formal language &

check spelling etc

Allow ample time to complet

e

Keep a copy

Strong Words! • Strong verbs to describe what you have done:

achieved evaluated

initiated devised

co-ordinated implementedcontributed

analysed

demonstrated

planned

organised

investigated

Strong Words! • Adjectives to describe yourself:

impartial resilient

Accurate resourceful

methodical reliablelogical

calm

conscientious

responsible

sensitive

persuasive

Editting hints and tips

• Keep sentences short (12-15 words)

• Delete unnecessary adjectives

• Use gerunds instead of longer clauses (ing!)

• Avoid unnecessary articles

• Ask someone else to read it for sense

Further Resources & Help

• www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/careers/

• www.prospects.ac.uk

• Application Advice or Quick Careers AdviceBook day before- on line reception in UH or x77508

• Careers Hub – (Video ‘Looking good on paper’ and ‘Your Job’s Online’)