As a carer, time is limited and precious.
Spare moments are reserved for family, loved ones, and me, myself and I! There is rarely time and mental capacity to think about employability and career progression.
So, from one Carer to another, here are some handy tips to thrive professionally at work while caregiving.
Soft skills to help you do better at work
- Resilience – draw on your Caregiving abilities and try to bounce back from difficult situations without giving up. Practice mindfulness to stay positive, learn from mistakes, and look and move forward.
- Communication – leverage the skills you have developed and exercise daily as a Caregiver to be a better communicator at work. Be clear and concise when you talk and write, keeping the goal(s) of the conversation you are having front of mind. Be sure to listen actively, too, to really understand what the other person is saying.
- Time management – just like in your personal Caregiving life, tighten your time management by breaking big tasks into smaller ones and setting deadlines for each part in your diary. This way, you will stay on track with tasks and get things done quicker.
- Problem-solving – solving problems effectively in your private and professional life is a vital skill to have. To improve this for all areas of life, try to be rational and logical, taking out the emotions when encountering issues. Ask yourself what the reasonable person would do – and don’t be afraid to confide in someone you trust and ask for help.
- Emotional intelligence – getting along with colleagues and coworkers is beneficial. To enhance your emotional intelligence, be aware of your emotions (the good, the bad, and the ugly), listen actively, and try practicing empathy when you talk to others.
- Teamwork – being a great team player is about working well with others and helping your team succeed – just like you work with family, medical professionals, and other support services to give your loved ones the best care. To be a good team member, try to be open to others’ ideas and opinions and lend a hand and/or an ear, when and where possible.
- Leadership – to guide your team and ensure everyone works together to achieve goals, leadership skills – just like those we possess as Caregivers, are needed. To be better at leading, try to be confident – trusting your instincts and logical mind, set a good example, and always be ready to listen and learn from others.
Tips to shine at job interviews and bag that dream job
Competency and behaviour-based interviews may be tricky and time-consuming to prepare for.
Having attended several throughout my career and participated in many such panels, below are my top suggestions. For in-depth mentoring and coaching, contact me directly at First Tutors.
- Q. Why do you want this job – and what sets you apart from other candidates? Research the company and use the opportunity to talk about the things you love about it. Mention why you like the position – from a professional and personal perspective, why it is a good fit for you, and what value you can contribute. Show excitement about the position and company.
- Q. What is your greatest strength? Review the job description and talk about strengths directly related to the role you are applying for. Use past examples and case studies to show why you fit the role and how you have the skills the job demands. Highlight your top 5 strengths directly related to the position from the job description, and give examples of you possessing these traits in prior roles.
- Q. What do you consider your greatest weakness? Rather than talk about your weaknesses, highlight a past weakness and the steps you took to overcome it and demonstrate your growth.
- Q. Tell me about a time when you made a mistake and how you handled it to resolve the problem. Use your answer to demonstrate how you overcome obstacles by using an example from when you made a mistake. Highlight your actions to fix the problem and the lessons you learned to ensure the same error doesn’t happen again.
- Q. Tell me about a time you couldn’t meet a goal or deadline and how you managed this. Use this to explain how you reacted to the situation that didn’t go according to plan. Explain what didn’t go to plan, why, how you fixed it, and what lessons you learned to ensure the same mistake(s) do not happen again.
For bespoke coaching and personalised employability and progression mentoring, message me here.
Next time, I’ll share my business tips for Founders running a Start-Up.
