Whilst I have not volunteered within Libraries, the experiences I have had of Volunteering have always had a positive outcome.
All my volunteering took place whilst I was still at school - At primary school I volunteered with the assisted reading scheme listening and helping younger pupils with thier reading skills (as mentioned in my previous post I was a quick learner and my reading age was higher than my actual age) and I think this was when I had decided I would quite like to be a teacher. Then when I went to High school I was involved in peer mentoring - this wasn't necessarily volunteering as we were all given a new pupil to mentor but I made the most of the opportunity to offer help to my mentee.
However once we had to do work experience at high school and I was placed at a Primary school as requested and I had an awful time - the teachers were lovely and the kids were - well kids but I found them to be quite clingy, all of them wanting my attention all at the same time (on relfection I guess this is becuase I was new in thier environment and so they wanted to get to know me). As a result I was really put off persuing a career in education.
When I was doing my GCSE's a friend of mine was doing a summer playcheme with Menphys and recommended it to me, I was unsure as I had been put off working with children intially and I was wary of the added challenge that all the children had either behavioural, mental or physical issues. I went along to observe and meet a few ofthe children involved and relaised it wwa a really worthy cause and the children were getting so much out of the experience. I volunteered to work on the scheme with 7-11 year olds and had a great time, so when they asked the following year if I would like to volunteer full time for the summer and do both the younger and older age groups I jumped at the chance.
Thos two years restored my faith in my career of wanting to work with children, but not necessarily in teaching and instead I had decided I wanted to work with children and young adult with learning and health difficulties. I was able to use this experience when applying for my first role after leaving Uiniversity (working with adults with health issues) and my first role in a school (Learning Support Assitant) and i will always be grateful the time I spent on the playcheme as I got a lot out of it interms of idenifying my own career goals and in gaining valuable experience in the areas I want to work in,
Thursday 13 October 2011
Monday 10 October 2011
applications and interviews
I hate having to fill in application forms! I think many of us do - firstly there is the tedious job of filling in all your jobs to date and why you left, then your education, then any training - all of whaich takes ages even if you do know it all by heart. After that you have the complicated task of selling yourself as to why you should get the job, this is the bit that takes me the longest, usually because I write far too much and need to cut down and be more precise. Things are becoming much easier now that there are online application forms as they can be saved and re-used especially for somewhere like a county council where unless you are a teacher the basic application is the same. This has saved me a lot of time and efffort in the past as all the inital details are there you just need to change the "why should YOU get the job" part.
Although I hate them, because I am a perfectioist I do tend to write a good application because I ensure that my "sell yourself bit" covers every bit of criteria on the job description but also make it clear and concise and give plenty of examples of how I meet those criteria.I also always get someone else to proof read it, because no matter how many times I read it I always miss something and also it helps to get an objectove opinion of how the application comes across. Finally A covering letter is a muct - it is the best way to express why you want the job.
Interviews are even worse for me as I get incredibily nervous. I always prep well before hand so can impress them with my knowledge of the company/ school/ colllege and it shows that I am interested in the job as I made the effort to research it. It seems to me all the jobs that I think I did rubbish at I get but the ones I feel went well tend to be the ones I don't get.
Recently I was interviewed for a learning mentor post and I thought it wnet great - I got on with the students and thought I wals friendly to the pupil panel and professional with the deputy head - but I didn't get the job. In my feedback the deputy head said I interviewed well and I was their first choice but the students thought I was too authoritarian so on balance they couldn't offer me the job. similaly a few years ago I applied for an administration post in London, my intial interview was a telephone interview and having done my research I had decided I didn't really want to move to London so during the interview I wasn't particulalry enthusiastic - I answered the questions honestly but didn't really sell myself like I would do normally. Imagine my suprise when two days letter I had an invite to a second face to face interview, I respectfully declined the offer as I thought it unfair to waste thier time if I wasn't really interested in moving to London. It just goes to show that you don't always come across the way you intend to.
Overall I find the whole process of applying and being interviewed for jobs quite exhausting especially the interview part as once I've accepted the invite to interview I'm anxioux until I hear the result (a bit like exams all over again) but the more expereince I get the better I am at calming myself down and getting through the interview without to many errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmmmm or welllllllllllllllllllllllllll moments wheere i'm racking my brains for an answer.
Although I hate them, because I am a perfectioist I do tend to write a good application because I ensure that my "sell yourself bit" covers every bit of criteria on the job description but also make it clear and concise and give plenty of examples of how I meet those criteria.I also always get someone else to proof read it, because no matter how many times I read it I always miss something and also it helps to get an objectove opinion of how the application comes across. Finally A covering letter is a muct - it is the best way to express why you want the job.
Interviews are even worse for me as I get incredibily nervous. I always prep well before hand so can impress them with my knowledge of the company/ school/ colllege and it shows that I am interested in the job as I made the effort to research it. It seems to me all the jobs that I think I did rubbish at I get but the ones I feel went well tend to be the ones I don't get.
Recently I was interviewed for a learning mentor post and I thought it wnet great - I got on with the students and thought I wals friendly to the pupil panel and professional with the deputy head - but I didn't get the job. In my feedback the deputy head said I interviewed well and I was their first choice but the students thought I was too authoritarian so on balance they couldn't offer me the job. similaly a few years ago I applied for an administration post in London, my intial interview was a telephone interview and having done my research I had decided I didn't really want to move to London so during the interview I wasn't particulalry enthusiastic - I answered the questions honestly but didn't really sell myself like I would do normally. Imagine my suprise when two days letter I had an invite to a second face to face interview, I respectfully declined the offer as I thought it unfair to waste thier time if I wasn't really interested in moving to London. It just goes to show that you don't always come across the way you intend to.
Overall I find the whole process of applying and being interviewed for jobs quite exhausting especially the interview part as once I've accepted the invite to interview I'm anxioux until I hear the result (a bit like exams all over again) but the more expereince I get the better I am at calming myself down and getting through the interview without to many errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmmmm or welllllllllllllllllllllllllll moments wheere i'm racking my brains for an answer.
Library routes/ roots
Well this should be a relativley short post as I have only just lain down my roots so to speak. I got into Library work through determination and passion. I always loved books and Libraries as a child - there's nothing like the excitement of being able to go and pick as many books as you like (well that the card will allow) and take them home for free! and as I was a big reader I quickly out grew the books in our primary school ( and the teacher had started to bring books in for me to read!) so joining the library as a child was magical. Then at upper school it became my sancturary I worked after school so liked to crack on with my homework during Lunchtime and I alway retreated to the Library to either use the computers or the books needed for my lessons. It is also where I first discovered Sherlock Holmes so again it holds fond memories.
Like most other blogs I have read I had no idea that there was an option to do a degree in Library or Information studies otherwise I would have been there straight away, as it was I didn't know and so happily did a degree in Sociology and again made extensive use of the Library facilities. My friend worked as a shelf tidier and even though she reccommended me any time a vacancy came up I was never lucky enough to get interviewed, which was just as well really as I already worked in the student shop so would have had very little time to spare.
After University I applied for many jobs and I have been lucky in that all the jobs I have had I have enjoyed and always gained from them and during this time I regularly applied for weekend work in my local Library with no luck so when I finally got the job as graduate trainee at my local collge library I was amased as I thought my lack of experience may have gone against me, however it seems my passion for Libraries was enough to see me through.
My route from now is somewhat undecided - as I have blogged previously I doubt I will pursue a masters degree as I just can't afford it so I think I will just enjoy being a Library Assistant unless someone happens to offer me some funding for the masters.
Like most other blogs I have read I had no idea that there was an option to do a degree in Library or Information studies otherwise I would have been there straight away, as it was I didn't know and so happily did a degree in Sociology and again made extensive use of the Library facilities. My friend worked as a shelf tidier and even though she reccommended me any time a vacancy came up I was never lucky enough to get interviewed, which was just as well really as I already worked in the student shop so would have had very little time to spare.
After University I applied for many jobs and I have been lucky in that all the jobs I have had I have enjoyed and always gained from them and during this time I regularly applied for weekend work in my local Library with no luck so when I finally got the job as graduate trainee at my local collge library I was amased as I thought my lack of experience may have gone against me, however it seems my passion for Libraries was enough to see me through.
My route from now is somewhat undecided - as I have blogged previously I doubt I will pursue a masters degree as I just can't afford it so I think I will just enjoy being a Library Assistant unless someone happens to offer me some funding for the masters.
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