Become a goal-getter and land your dream job by developing your Personal Development Plan. What is a Personal Development Plan (PDP)? A Personal Development Plan or PDP as it is also known, is a structured framework used to help you identify and develop the skills and knowledge you have, along with spotting any areas of weakness in which you need to improve to get to where you want to be. It includes: Listing the skills that you already have Identifying skills gaps Setting a goal(s) of what you want to achieve and figuring out a plan on how you will meet your goals. Figuring out any potential areas of study Identifying career options Identifying sources of information to include in your CV, job applications, interviews and appraisals. Creating your own Personal Development Plan (PDP) can be a structured and effective way to achieve your goals and foster personal growth. Follow these steps to develop your plan: Self-Reflection: Start by assessing your current strengths, weaknesses, interests, and values. Reflect on what areas you want to improve or develop further. Identify both personal and professional aspects you wish to enhance. Set Specific Goals: Based on your self-reflection, set clear and specific goals for each area you want to develop. Ensure your objectives are achievable, measurable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART goals). Prioritise Goals: Prioritise your goals based on their importance and impact on your life. Consider which skills or areas of development will have the most significant positive effect. Create an Action Plan: Outline the steps you need to take to achieve each goal. Break down your goals into smaller, manageable tasks. Set deadlines for each task and establish a timeline for accomplishing your goals. Identify Resources: Determine what resources you’ll need to achieve your goals. These could include books, courses, workshops, mentors, or any other tools or support that can aid your development. Continuous Learning: Incorporate a learning component into your plan. This could involve reading books, attending seminars, taking online courses, or seeking professional development opportunities. Track Your Progress: Regularly monitor your progress toward your goals. Keep a journal or use digital tools to track your achievements, setbacks, and lessons learned. This will help you stay accountable and motivated. Seek Feedback: Request feedback from mentors, peers, or colleagues who can provide constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement. Be open to learning from others’ perspectives. Adapt and Adjust: Life is dynamic, and circumstances can change. Be flexible with your plan and be willing to adapt it as needed. Sometimes, you may need to revise your goals or action plan based on new insights or opportunities. Celebrate Success: Celebrate your achievements along the way. Recognise and reward yourself for reaching milestones, no matter how small they may seem. This positive reinforcement can boost your motivation to continue your personal development journey. Stay Committed: Developing new skills and habits takes time and effort. Stay committed to your plan, even if you encounter challenges or obstacles. Perseverance is key to long-term personal growth. Remember, a Personal Development Plan is a living document, and it should evolve as you grow and develop. Regularly review and update it to ensure it remains relevant and aligned with your aspirations. Your PDP is a powerful tool that can guide you towards becoming the best version of yourself.

References are used to help employers determine if you will be a good hire. They are used to back up an employers’ decision to hire you, based on the opinion of your previous manager. Prepare Before going to interviews, you should create a list of people who you could potentially ask for a reference. This should be someone that you know well either personally or professionally, as they will be able to best describe your characteristics to hiring managers. When looking to choose your references, you must focus on the following aspects and ask yourself these questions: Who will be able to vouch for you the best? Will they be able to describe the qualities, skills and experience you possess fit in the new role? What are the most common types of job reference? Professional references Professional references are most commonly sought by hiring managers. They give the most insight into what you are like professionally and your overall work ethic. Ask for references from managers from your previous jobs. Academic references Some professions may require academic references, to ensure that you are qualified for the role. Ask your ex-lecturers or professors to provide you with a reference. Things to ask people giving your reference When asking for a reference, it’s important to ask the person to provide a summary that provides a positive reflection of you work ethic and help make you as appealing as possible to employers. Check with your reference that it is ok with them for you to pass on their contact details, including their mobile number and email address to your potential new employer. Questions to ask a referee Employees will typically ask the following questions: How professional would you describe —- to be? Why did —- leave their previous role? What are —-‘s strengths and weaknesses? What transferrable skills can —- bring to the role? Which management style would best suit —-‘s approach? Before an Interview Before attending an interview, ensure that your reference list is up to date when it comes to their personal information (e.g. Name, position, company etc.). Also, state how you know this person whether they be a friend, colleague, supervisor, client or teacher. Each time which you need to use your reference, double check the information provided and ask them permission before you use their reference. After an Interview After you have attended the interview, you should let your references know how it went and regardless of whether you were successful in getting the role, thank them for giving up their time to provide one for you. After securing the role Keep a file with documents like good performance reviews, emails of praise and general messages with compliments. These can all help you show what you are like within a professional environment and gives insight into your work ethic. You should also keep in contact with you references via social media and other platforms, so you can keep them updated on the achievements in your professional life. LinkedIn can help you to do this. With past employers, it is useful to stay on good terms with them should you ever need a reference from them.

The interview is not only the chance for the employer to get a better idea of the person you are, but also a way for you to get a feel for the job and company you are applying to. It is a good idea to ask questions in the interview to show that you are interested in the role, the company and the industry in which they operate. Questions about the job Ask specific questions about the job you are applying for. This can be anything from what the day-to-day process would look like, to what type of skills are ideally needed to succeed within the role. Example questions include: What will my day-to-day activities look like? What are you ideally looking for in a candidate in terms of skills and experience? What are potentially some of the biggest challenges someone could face within this role? Questions like the above should give you more of a feel of the role which you have applied for and should give you an idea of the skills you could bring to the table to be successful in the event you get the role. Questions about training and professional development Ask some questions about further training and development that the company offers. This is a huge deciding factor as it will determine if the company allows you to progress further and gain new skills. Examples of some questions you could ask the interviewer are: What training programs and opportunities are available to staff members? Are there opportunities for me to advance in my professional development? How have previous successful employees progressed? Questions about the company and its environment It is equally important to not only ask the interviewer about your role, but also the company you are applying for. This will help you get a better idea of the company’s culture. Examples of questions you could ask include: I have read about your company online, could you tell me about what the environment is like? Where do you see this company in the future? What is the company and team culture like? and how is it different from anywhere you have worked in the past? Questions to ask the interviewer themselves You will also find it useful to ask the interviewer themselves about the company you are applying to. This can be any of the following: Why did you apply for a role at the company? How long have you worked here? What is the average retention rate within the company? Questions about how long someone has worked at a company can give you a good idea of the culture. If employees have stayed with the company for several years this implies that staff are looked after and that there are good opportunities for training and progression. Questions about the team you will work in As well as gaining an idea of the culture of an organisation and its employee retention, it is also extremely beneficial to ask the interviewer about the team you will be working in. Who will be the person I will report to? Which staff members will I work with the closest? Could I get some information on the team I will be working in? Final Questions By the time you finish the interview, you want to leave the interviewer with everything they need and having answered all the questions. To make sure you have answered all these questions, try to ask the following: Is there any more information which you require from me that could be helpful? Are there any final questions which you need me to answer? What are the next steps?

Being invited to a first stage interview is great accomplishment, it means your CV highlighted that you have the relevant skills and experience for the role. And now it is time to show off in person why you are the best candidate for the job. Pin Point Recruitment reveal the most commonly asked questions at the initial interview stage and how you should best prepare for them. #1 - How to prepare Much like a telephone interview, you should research and prepare answers you could give to questions the recruiter may ask. A well thought out answer could be the thing that will get you to the next part of the interview process. #2 - What are the most basic interview questions you could be asked? How did you hear about this position? Be honest why you applied for the position. Was it the company? Did you hunt for opening the company had? If you found it amongst other jobs what made you choose this specific role? Why do you want to leave your current job? Try and focus on positive reasons on why you want to leave your current role. Do you want new challenges? Why should we hire you for this role? For this question, try to avoid the basic answers you could give which the interviewer would have heard multiple times from other candidates and aim to give an answer which offers something that other candidates can’t. What can you offer us that someone else will not be able to? This can be a difficult question to answer but beforehand, you should prepare a few answers you could give to this question. Try to avoid going for something basic like passion or enthusiasm. Instead, think of skills from previous roles which you could bring to the new role. How do you handle working under pressure? Try to answer this question by giving examples of times you were under pressure and how you managed to deal with it in order to get the job done efficiently. As well as this, you will be asked competency questions such as how you deal with certain situations. What are your salary requirements? When answering this question, try to suggest a fair salary and benefits package. Research what the typical going rate is for similar roles for people with the same level of experience. Do not state what you already earn. Are there any questions you want to ask me? This question will be asked in the interview so prepare a few beforehand. For example, what is the company culture like? What is the dress code? What does it take to carry out this role effectively? #3 - Other Questions There are other questions you could be asked in the interview which are listed below. You should also make notes based on these topics. Background & Experience – Usually, you will discuss your CV and work background. Strengths and Weaknesses – Avoid clichés and try to answer each question as best as you can. Try and think of examples before the interview. Career Development –  e.g. Where do you see yourself in the future? Behavioural Question – The way in which you answer the set of behavioural questions can determine whether you are a good fit for the role and for the company. Company related questions – It is important to research the company you are apply for and its main competitors beforehand. Hobbies and Interests – This can give the recruiter a more well-rounded idea of the person applying for the role. Leadership questions – If you are applying for a managerial position, these types of questions will be asked to see how you will deal with certain situations.

When applying for a job most hiring managers will request that you email them a copy of your CV. Your CV is typically a two-page document that showcases your skills and accomplishments, to represent you as the best qualified candidate. If you’re entering the world of employment for the first time, or getting ready to make your next career move, follow our advice to writing the perfect CV. #1 - Contact Details You should always include your contact details at the top of your CV. This is a call to action for the employer therefore should be at the top of your CV. You should include the following contact details: Full name Phone Number Email address The city where you live It is not necessary to provide your full address at the initial application stage. #2 - Personal Statement A personal statement should be one paragraph, immediately underneath your contact details, to highlight your relevant skills and experience to the employer. You should adapt this to every job that you apply to show the employer what you are capable of. Along with the personal statement you can also include a list of your key skills and proficiencies. Link these as much as possible to the skills and experience required in the job description of the position you are applying for. #3 - Work Experience This is to show your work history over the years, highlighting your key achievements to show how qualified you are for the role. Try to use short statements, rather than wordy paragraphs, so that the hiring manager can easily scan through your CV to see that you have the relevant skills and experience for the job. Always try to quantify your achievements to back up your skills and experience. For example: Unquantified statement: Improved social media following through strategic marketing. Quantified statement: Increased social media following by 65% in 6-month period, through strategic marketing initiatives. Start with your most recent work experience and work backwards. #4 - Qualifications and Education State your record of education and training, starting with your most recent achievements. This should include any qualifications gained at school, college and University. Along with any other training programs that you have enrolled on that are relevant to the job that you are applying for. #5 - Hobbies and Volunteering Stating your hobbies and interests can be a great way to stand out from the crowd and show off what relevant transferrable skills you have #6 - References You typically only need to provide a reference after you have been offered a new position. You will need to provide the contact details of two referees which are usually your last two previous employers. If it is your first job then you can provide the details of your teacher or lecturer.