Students need to ‘wake up’ to what gets them the right job
8th August 7, 2010. Next week thousands of students will find themselves without a place at University and having to seek employment, many for the very first time.
But while the prospect of getting a first time job that will lead to an enjoyable career may seem limited, David Royston-Lee, a career strategist, believes students are further being sold short by school career counselors and out-of-date psychometric testing that have barely evolved since the tests were first invented at the beginning of the 19th Century.
David has been a career strategist for 20 years, advising senior executives, those taking early retirement or having been redundant, in how to transition their career and find new jobs that are right for them. Formerly, head of career management services at KPMG, he has successfully helped thousands of people to find the job that was right for them.
Now he has turned his skill to graduates. In his new book, ‘How to Win from the Start (amazon.co.uk, £7.19)’ he concentrates on something you are rarely taught in school… a way of finding out ‘who you are’. The book is a refreshing departure from the usual tomes written for students on how to get a job.
The book addresses common problems such as how to write a CV when you have had little to no work experience or if the work is not relevant to the path you wish to pursue, how to focus and get what you want, the path to successful employment.
David is dismissive about Psychometric tests believing they tend to confuse more than they help. “How does knowing that the test results show you should look at hairdressing and becoming an aircraft pilot help!” Psychometric tests have not changed since the digital era, therefore omitting a huge range of employment opportunities.”
He says, ““The art of career management is quite simply answering 3 question. Who am I? Where am I going? How am I going to get there? Students need to wake up and focus on who they are, what they enjoy doing and not just at what they are good at. Social media has paved the way for enormous opportunities to connect with people in every type of job in every field. The CV is on the way out. The use of networking to gather and give information is the way forward.”
“Instead of staying in bed until midday because you have heard that there are no jobs,” David adds, “Graduates need to WAKE UP and talk to people. That is the best way to get a job and not just any job but the right job.”
David is available for interviews. Contact Suzanne at Stunning PR, 07957 371840 or suzanne@stunningpr.com
‘How to Win from the Start’ (Artesian Publishing) is available from Amazon, price £7.19, http://www.davidroystonlee.com
