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How do you deal with unexpected challenges?
How do you deal with unexpected challenges?

Flexibility

How do you deal with unexpected challenges?
How do you deal with unexpected challenges?

Flexibility

“Life is anything but predictable.”

Dwayne Johnson

Flexibility competence can be demonstrated by discussing how you deal with unexpected situations and answering questions such as:

  • How do you handle an unexpected situation?
  • How do you deal with changes in your plans?
  • Do you find it easy to reorientate yourself when plans change?
  • Are you prepared the embrace new opportunities or challenges?
  • How do you prepare yourself for the unexpected?
  • How do you adapt to meet the needs of a situation or emergency?
  • How would you rate your ability to adapt to change?
  • Are you willing/eager/keen to learn new methods, procedures, or techniques?Can you share some examples?

Willingness to listen and understand different points of view
Willingness to listen and understand different points of view

Flexibility

Willingness to listen and understand different points of view
Willingness to listen and understand different points of view

Flexibility

“We all look at the same object in different ways.”

Kehinde Wiley

Listening and trying to understand different opinions and points of view are crucial to ensure effective teamwork. However, this requires a certain level of flexibility and willingness to compromise. Here’s a couple of prompts that might help you demonstrate this skill:

  • How do you keep an open mind in a workplace?
  • How do you take criticism?
  • Even if you disagree with your colleagues are you willing to (for instance) try out their suggestions?
  • Would you consider yourself tolerant? Why?
  • Do you consider yourself an fair-minded person? Why?
  • Are you curious to hear what other people think?

Don’t have professional equipment to film your video?
Don’t have professional equipment to film your video?

Execution

Don’t have professional equipment to film your video?
Don’t have professional equipment to film your video?

Execution

“I don't get tripped up in technology. I use technology as a tool.”

Spike Lee

Even if you do not own a camera and professional editing software, there’s plenty of resources that you consider. Here’s a couple of suggestions:

  • Visit your local library, Community center, youth center or contact NGOs that help people find employment
  • You can always rent or borrow equipment
  • Create a video using alternatives (ppt, online open-source tools, Blender, Google slides, iMovie ...)
  • Remember you do not have to use professional cameras to create a video, you can always record your video with your phone, tablet or your laptop.

Willingness to learn and teach
Willingness to learn and teach

Collaboration

Willingness to learn and teach
Willingness to learn and teach

Collaboration

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

Dr. Seuss

In order to stay relevant in our fast-paced world we must be willing to keep on learning and improving which, as a result, can enhance our ability to collaborate effectively. Here’s a couple of questions that you might consider answering in your video CV to demonstrate your teaching and learning skills:

  • Are you actively seeking to improve your skills and knowledge? Then apply it in the workplace? (give an example)
  • Do you use online learning platforms (Coursera, Futurelearn…) to hone your skills? Have you earned any certificates?
  • What do you do if you're stuck on assignments/tasks? Do you ask for your collegues' help?
  • If you see that your colleague is struggling with an assignment and you knew exactly how to do it, would you teach them how to achieve desired results or would you more often just offer to do it for them? (please give examples)
  • How do your teaching and learning skills help you collaborate with others?

How well do you adapt to new environments?
How well do you adapt to new environments?

Flexibility

How well do you adapt to new environments?
How well do you adapt to new environments?

Flexibility

“It’s a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same. Even smells the same. You realize what’s changed is you.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Flexibility competence is tested and developed when having to adapt to new environments. Especially if one moves abroad to study/work/live. Demonstrate your ability to adapt to new environments by answering the questions below 👇

  • Have you lived abroad? How did you adapt to new culture?
  • What have you learned from living abroad?
  • Do you like working/living/immersing yourself in multicultural environments? What do you like/don’t like about it?
  • How do you handle cultural differences?

Dissemination
Dissemination

Review and dissemination

Dissemination
Dissemination

Review and dissemination

"I think performers are all show-offs anyway, especially musicians. Unless you show off, you're not going to get noticed."

Elton John

You’ve just created a video and you’re excited to share it with the whole world, congratulations! Welcome to the next step – that is trying to get your work seen. It might feel like you’ve done all the hard work already but … this step requires attention and planning as well. After all, if no one, or in fact if your prospective employers, won’t watch your digital story, all the hard work will be fruitless. 🍒 It is important to prepare a publicity plan. Here’s a couple of things to take into account:

  • Are you planning to attach this video with your application?
  • Maybe you’d like to circulate it to a wider audience?
  • Which channels are you going to use to distribute and why?
  • Where do hiring managers advertise the job? Maybe targeting them on those platforms eg. Linkedin woudl be
If you’re going to be using social media to distribute your video CV, it might be worth doing a relevant hashtag research to discover new opportunities to reach your potential employers. For instance, Tik Tok launched a video CVs programme in 2021 and in order for their resumes to be considered, people were asked to add #TikTokResumes hashtag.

Script writing and story boarding
Script writing and story boarding

Preparation

Script writing and story boarding
Script writing and story boarding

Preparation

“To make a great film you need three things - the script, the script and the script.”

Alfred Hitchcock

So by now, you know already what you want to say, but here’s another question: how do you want to realise it in a video, with images and sound? This is the moment to imagine your story! Try to see and hear with your mind’s eyes and ears what you want the viewers to see and hear. Before getting cameras and phones out and recording your video CV, you better prepare. It’s good practice to write a script even if it’s just a simple outline. It will help you focus on what’s important and you won’t forget to mention anything. A script or storyboard should be clear to yourself, but also to the viewer. In fact, the viewer should be able to construct the video you have in mind on the basis of your script or storyboard.

Problem solving
Problem solving

Creativity

Problem solving
Problem solving

Creativity

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”

Albert Einstein

Creativity is one of the competences essential to problem solving. Rules, guidelines and best practice manuals are helpful and can get you a result but they are not always available. Furthermore, in order to achieve extraordinary results, everyone needs to sometimes think “outside the box”. Demonstrate your problem-solving skills by answering the questions below 👇

  • What problem-solving event are you most proud of? Why and what happened?
  • How do you ensure that after having dealt with problems they do not repeat? Have you developed a method/technique to solve similar problems?
  • Tell us about a situation where you used creative thinking to eliminate frustration with a product/situation or a process.
  • Describe a situation where you had to think “outside the box” and how did you go about it?