Reflecting on your work experience
When it comes to personal statements, good reflection is what helps applicants stand out. It’s really important you are able to reflect effectively and coherently to increase your chances of getting an interview invite/offer.
The STARR approach
Situation - Where were you?
Task - What event are you reflecting on?
Action - What did you do?
Result - What is the result of what you did?
Reflection - What did you learn and plan on using in future similar situations?
Example:
“Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande explores ideas of non-maleficence, when Medicine goes wrong, when the conditions are no longer treatable. This made me reflect on my volunteering on a Lewisham University surgical ward. Working there, I cared for a cancer patient by comforting her and sharing a meal. Through being empathetic and caring she opened up to me and expressed the challenges she faced in her last 6 months. I found this disheartening as her major problem was being hospitalised instead of being able to spend time with her loved ones. Every patient had their own unique story and conditions which I enjoyed learning more about through my interactions with the nurses and doctors. I came to understand what a privilege it is to play such an important part in people's lives.
The STAY approach
Coming soon!
How to keep track of your work experience
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One impactful method to demonstrate this is by maintaining a work diary. Regularly recording your daily tasks, achievements, challenges, and the skills you've developed provides evidence of your commitment and progress. It also allows you to highlight specific instances where you've applied what you've learnt.
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When constantly changing tasks you expose yourself to a range of different experiences and therefore you will be a more rounded candidate.
How do I get work experience?
In-person work experience
Getting work experience in the NHS as a young adult can be incredibly valuable for your future career in healthcare. One effective method is to leverage platforms like LinkedIn. Connect with professionals in job titles that interest you within the NHS, and reach out to them with a polite message expressing your interest in gaining work experience or asking them questions about their roles. This approach can be insightful and might lead to potential opportunities.
Another impactful way is to be proactive and visit NHS facilities in person. By speaking directly with administrators, department heads, or even healthcare professionals, you show genuine interest and determination. This face-to-face interaction can leave a lasting impression and increase the likelihood of them offering you some form of work experience, even if it's a short-term opportunity. Make sure to leave your contact details with them and do check in once in a while as they might forget due to work.
Join programmes which can help you towards your application as they may provide different opportunities like mentors and in person work experience! (A great example of this is the Social Mobility Foundation also known as SMF)
Transferable skills are a great way to apply skills you’ve gotten from non clinical aspects of your life such as a part time job, or volunteering, being able to develop skills like communication, leadership, empathy which all link to different healthcare jobs and being able to show how it links to it in your personal statement is a great way to incorporate other situations towards boosting your portfolio. For example linking the communication skills you’ve gained from working a till job and how it link to the fact that it is imperative to be able to communicate clearly and concisely with a range of people while working in healthcare.
Online work experience
In today's digital world, online work experience can also be a valuable substitute for in-person opportunities. Many healthcare organisations offer virtual work experiences, which can provide insights into the NHS's operations, patient care, and administrative functions. These experiences might include remote projects, virtual tours, or webinars that can help you learn about the NHS while gaining valuable skills.
MOOC’s are also a great way to educate yourself on different topics to deepen your own understanding and passion for your chosen path.
Access programmes are also a great way of working with a university you’d like to attend and gaining experience by doing things like research projects with them.
Links to virtual work experience opportunities (free):
Reed Course (aimed at those wanting to be mental health nurses)
Futurelearn - neonatal assessments (for those wanting to be midwives)
Reed Courses - mental health first aid (We recommend this to EVERYONE who wants to get into healthcare, it’s a short snappy course)
For anyone currently with an NHS mail you can do free e learning for healthcare professionals (eLFH)
Structuring Your CV
The following is a sample CV from the website Kyloot. For more sample CV’s like this one, click here.
Why is it good?
Clearly and concisely outlined profile. No irrelevant content and speaks about knowledge and experience in a clear and confident manner to the employer.
Discusses employment history in a suitable degree of detail.
Clearly outlines the skills acquired during employment history or otherwise. Skills are spoken about confidently without jargon or unnecessary sugar-coating.
Includes specific education history, with the names of the institutions provided and the name of the qualification acquired.
The entire CV is worded as though they are trying to sell themself to the employer. This general language mindset for structure is highly recommended.
Includes a specific name and contact detail in favour of acquiring a reference, as opposed to something too vague. Ensures the employer that references are available upon request.
Specifies proficiency in their skills (this is not necessary but can be appreciated as an honest assessment).
Remember, this is just an example. Your CV should not look exactly like this, nor should you copy anything word-for-word. All CV’s look different, but you may want to analyse this one here to magpie ideas for your own. This is not the objectively correct structure!
Writing a good CV
Always remember…
There are plenty of things that need to be taken into consideration when writing your CV. You must stand out from potentially dozens of other applicants to the same job, and sell yourself to their organisation as much as possible. Don’t be afraid to boast about your experience and how it makes you ideal for the position you are applying for. This page highlights everything you need to make a stand-out cv, but remember this throughout all of your CV - make them think they cannot reject you.
Typically, there will be plenty of other people applying for the same position as you. Think about how many people are applying, and write in good English. This means ensuring there are no spelling errors, things are kept concise, and sentences and phrases are structured intelligibly.
Necessary content:
Contact details - full name, phone number and email. You may also choose to include your Linkedin profile. You do not need to include your home address.
Discuss your educational background. Typically, this is done in reverse chronological order. This should include the name of the institution, the level of education achieved, and the name of the subject.
Talk about previous work experience to a suitable degree of detail. Include the name of the company, your job title, the dates you worked, and a brief description of your responsibilities and achievements.
Skills - highlight both technical and soft skills relevant to the job you're applying for. Categorise skills, such as technical skills, languages, software proficiency, and interpersonal skills.
Other possible content:
Projects: Describe relevant projects you've worked on, especially if they demonstrate your skills and achievements. Remember, you are free to boast about your skills on your CV.
Languages (if applicable): List languages you are proficient in, indicating your level of proficiency. Any employer would typically appreciate you to highlight your fluency in a foreign language.
Interests or Hobbies: Include this section if your interests align with the job or if you want to show a well-rounded personality. You can include anything as long as you can reasonable link it to the role.
Professional Memberships: Mention any professional organisations or groups you are a part of.
Certifications: Include any relevant certifications or licenses you possess. This could be education-based or otherwise.
The “don’ts” of a CV.
Although knowing exactly what to write on your CV is greatly important, it is also important to realise what NOT to write on it, to be increase your chances of employment in the future. Here are some common mistakes made on CVs so you can avoid them.
DO NOT:
Include too much personal information, such as your marital status, gender, ethnicity etc. This is generally irrelevant content, as most jobs will ask this information from you at some point anyway. This information does not need to be on your CV.
Write about irrelevant hobbies. As mentioned above, writing about your interests and hobbies can be appealing to the employer, but only if they are relevant. If the interest does demonstrate your adaptable skills for the role, there is no need to write about it.
Use a negative tone to speak about your previous employers or colleagues. This language reflects very badly on your person, and comes across as unprofessional. Speak positively about your previous experiences, even if they weren’t necessarily ideal.
Mention salary expectations. The employer will have specified this, or will discuss it with you at a later date.
Lie. Be truthful and avoid making exaggerated or false claims about your skills, experiences, or achievements.
Use graphics and fancy, unintelligible fonts - While a well-designed CV is important, avoid excessive use of graphics, colours, or fancy fonts that may make your CV difficult to read or scan.
Express your reasons for leaving previous jobs: You don't need to explain why you left each previous job on your CV. If asked during an interview, be prepared to provide a concise and positive explanation. This is very likely to come up during the interview, but you do not need to answer the interview question in advance on your CV.
Still have questions?
Writing a CV can be understandably stressful and daunting. If you are still struggling to put your words together, or are still confused about structure/language, here are a few programmes to hopefully boost your CV-writing skills.
National Careers Advice - an official UK government website hoping to boost your employability.
Prospects - a site providing specific and professional advice for exactly how to structure and write your CV.
Reed - a website providing several examples, as well as step by step guides on what information to include.
Indeed - provides many sample CV’s with additional information and practices.