On 30 October 2008 the Scottish region hosted a short panel session for the new students on the Glasgow and Dundee archive courses. The session centred around job applications and entering the job market.
Rachel Hosker (Scottish Borders Council) spoke about the importance of gaining relevant experience and then selling those skills as part of the application process - even if these were gained in non-records related jobs. Anne Grzybowski (Edinburgh University) discussed the importance of matching your skills and experience to the job specification and making sure you cover all the points mentioned. Your generic CV and covering letter is unlikely to be successful. Seonaid McDonald (HBOS) gave some pointers and provided useful handouts on interview techniques, body language and dealing with job interviews that may require presentations. The students then broke away into groups to discuss their approaches to some sample job applications that they had been given.
The successful session was followed by a drinks reception attended by Society members to welcome the students to the region and encourage them to join their professional society.
Thanks are due not only to the speakers but also Vikki Kerr and Sarah Hepworth who organised the event.
David Powell, SOAS Training Officer