3
Job hunting? Then know your skills
JOBCENTRE PLUS: All the advice you need
PEOPLE looking for a new job need
to be honest with themselves and
their prospective new employers to
succeed, say Jobcentre Plus bosses.
According to the Government
agency, you should start by asking
yourself honestly what skills and
experience you have.
Think of the skills you developed
in jobs you had before and in your
life outside of work. Recognising
transferable skills can help you to
move into a new job.
So, what are transferable skills?
These are the skills built up during
any job or activity that you can
apply to other jobs.
You can build up skills through
many activities � jobs, projects,
volunteer work, hobbies, sports �
virtually anything.
They include:
Communication � being able to
communicate by speaking, in
writing, or by e-mail, in the right
way for the audience;
Teamwork � being a constructive
team member, contributing
practically to the success of the
team;
Leadership � motivating and
encouraging others, while taking
the lead;
Initiative � seeing opportunities
and setting and achieving goals;
Solving problems � thinking
things through in a logical way, to
work out the most important
problems. Solving problems often
also includes creative thinking;
Flexibility � changing and
adapting to new situations;
Being self-aware � knowing
your strengths and skills and
having the confidence to put these
across;
Commitment and motivation �
having energy and enthusiasm
when carrying out projects;
Interpersonal skills � relating
well to others and building up good
working relationships;
Numeracy � understanding and
using information such as
numbers, statistics and graphs.
It is very important to identify the
skills you have now.
Think back through the jobs you
have done, your hobbies and the
other things you're involved in
and, using the list above, write
down the skills that you have.
For example: If you have always
worked in administrative jobs in
offices as part of a team, you will
probably have good teamwork and
communication skills.
Say in your spare time you also
helped to run a Brownie pack. This
means you have other skills that
you can transfer to a job � initiative
and leadership skills to name two.
However, it can sometimes be
difficult to identify your own
strengths.
This is where an interview with a
Jobcentre Plus adviser can help.
Friends and relatives may also be
able to help you work out your
strengths that are also your
transferable skills.
When you're looking at the skills
you have, you may also identify
areas where you're not so strong.
There's no need to worry about
this, there are ways to develop the
skills you need so you can get
where you want to be.
The Careers Advice Service
provides free information and
advice on learning and work.
A confidential helpline is available
from 8am to 10pm, seven days a
week on 0800 100 900 or visit
www.direct.gov.uk/careersadvice.
Nextstep face-to-face services give
information and advice on
learning, training and getting
qualifications at
www.direct.gov.uk/nextstep
If you are not sure where to start
with skills, call the In Our Hands
Helpline on 0800 011 30 30 or visit
www.lsc.gov.uk/inourhands.
CASE STUDY: Future Arts
GEMMA Povey and PaulaTemple's
social enterprise, Future Arts,
enables people in the most deprived
parts of Leeds to learn to use video,
film and DJ equipment.
They run workshops and courses,
some of which are just for women,
and some catering for people aged
from 13 to 25 years.
Gemma and Paula set up their
social enterprise in 2007 to enable
more people to learn skills in new
media and creative technologies
that could equip them in their
creative and working lives.
With funding and access to a
network of other start-up
businesses based around Seacroft,
Gemma and Paula have established
a service they believe can give
people a new direction in their own
lives.
In particular, young people aged 13-
19 years can benefit from learning
about music production, using the
mobile mixing and editing suite that
the partners have invested in.
The two women met whilst working
at Host Media Centre in Chapeltown,
a space that aimed to support local
creative and new media talent.
Paula, 31, has been a DJ for 13
years, and is a web-radio
broadcaster. Gemma, 25, is a
graduate of Leeds College of Music.
Together, they hope to involve other
local trainers in the scheme, and to
work with different groups, some
mixed, some exclusively female,
around the city's deprived areas.
For more information visit
www.futurearts.co.uk.
Starting your
business: The
first steps...
FUTURE ARTS: Paula Temple (middle) and Gemma Povey (right) show
their Future Youth Ambassador Eisha Browne some DJing skills
B
ECOMING your own
boss is a big decision.
You might not think
you have what it takes,
or you might want more
information before taking
your next steps.
This section will provide some food for
thought if you have not considered
self-employment or running your own
business before.
Why start a business?
There are many reasons why you
might want to start your own business.
Here are just a few of them:
You get to be your own boss � no one
tells you what to do � YOU decide how
hard you work on the business.
You choose your business so you can
pick something that interests you or
you currently do as a hobby.
You could become financially
independent.
You won't get bored... one minute
you could be thinking about finding
new customers, the next you could be
talking to suppliers � every day is
different.
Make your dream a reality... don't
have any regrets later in life about
what you could or should have done.
Who can start a business?
Anyone can start a business or work
for themselves. It helps however, to
have self-confidence, determination
and the strength to keep going.
What you need is a great idea, a
burning desire to do it and a plan that
will get you to where you want to go.
It will be hard work and you will need
to make sacrifices (like giving up some
leisure time) but it can be very
worthwhile.
People from all sorts of backgrounds,
ethnicities and ages, and with varying
levels of experience take the plunge
every day.
This includes those who have been
made redundant, newly qualified
students, mums returning to work or
those who have not worked for a while.
What personal qualities do you need
to be your own boss?
Being a self-starter with initiative and
the ability to push yourself forward is
a good beginning.
Also just as important is to have belief
in yourself, your idea or your product.
You must really want to succeed
because a half-hearted approach could
mean you fall at the first hurdle.
Being your own boss means you have
to shoulder all the responsibility,
which includes the setbacks.
However, it also means you get all the
satisfaction and rewards for your
efforts. Other good qualities include
being able to take the advice of others
and being open to learning new skills
such as book-keeping or computing.
To talk to someone about your
business idea, call 0800 048 0054 or
email support@
sharingthesuccess.co.uk.
1. Ask yourself what are your business
aims and objectives.What do you want
your business to be and what do you
need to do to get there?
2. Choose a legal form that suits what
you want to do, eg a sole trader, a
company limited by guarantee or a social
enterprise. Sharing the Success can help
you work out the best approach for you.
3.You will need a plan that has realistic
timescales and cash flows.
4. Don't skimp on market research.
5. Don't try to set up a competitive
product in a crowded marketplace.
6. Find out if there are other people you
can collaborate with, with skills you lack.
7. Get a friend to be a sounding board.
8. However great your business idea,
you can't rely on customers searching
you out � have a good marketing plan.
9. Try to use other local enterprises as
your suppliers and build a local network
of people you can rely on.
10. It can sometimes be lonely at the
top! Create a network of other like-
minded entrepreneurs.
Sharing the Success � Top 10 Tips for Entrepreneurs

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