Module 5: Application and Skills

Question 1

How is personal branding important in job applications?

Answer 1

• Hunter says the most important aspect of personal branding is authenticity
  
  • Human and genuine
  • Don’t adjust yourself to the point that you will need to maintain a facade
• Top 5 tips for job applications
  
  1. Research the company well (incl culture)
  2. Sync personal brand in terms of values
  3. Do not copy paste cover letters
  4. Cover a little of 3 things in each cover:
     
     • You
     • Your skills
     • Your understanding of the company
  5. Be yourself, incorporate personality

Question 2

What should be included in a Currivulum Vitae (CV)?

Answer 2

• Entry level jobs should have CVs of 2 pages.
  
  • Possibly include an “objective” at the top
  • Tailor the CV to the job type you apply for (ie teaching vs research)
  • Include contact info but not demograhics
• Definitely Include (in order):
  
  1. Qualifications/Academic achievements
  2. Work Experience (incl volunteer work)
  3. Memberships/Affiliations
  4. Publications and conference attendences
  5. Referees

Question 3

What should be included in a cover letter?

Answer 3

• Explain your motivations for applying for the position and why you are a good fit
  
  • Passion, suitability and understanding of the role
• Consolidate and summarise the key information from your CV
  
  • Concise and error free

Question 4

What is the Star method of presenting information?

Answer 4

• When responding to selection criteria you need to be clear nad on point
• S for situation - state the particular context or situation that relates to the criterion
• T for task - what was the task at hand, or what were you required to do?
• A for action - what did you do, what process did you follow, to achieve a desirable outcome?
• R for result - what was the outcome?

Question 5

What 10 tips does Planke offer for finding a first job in psychology?

Answer 5

1. Finish the Credentialing Process: Complete licensing requirements
2. Prepare an Appropriate CV: avoid errors and sprawling sentences, be concise and relevant
3. Cast a Wide Net: Apply to many jobs
4. Expand your view of what you can do: think broadly about the application of your skills
5. Network:
6. Reach out: Contact local practices, schools, hospitals, government organisations
7. Piece together different roles: consider working several part-time roles
8. Accept Reality: don’t expect too much from your first role
9. Remain Open Minded
10. It’s not all doom and gloom

Question 6

Which assessment methods are best at predicting job performance?

Answer 6

Question 7

What does Hudson identify as the Do’s and Dont’s of job interviews?

Answer 7

• Do’s
  
  1. Arrive early or on time
  2. Greet interviewer by first name
  3. Wait to be invited to sit
  4. Maintain eye contact
  5. Follow interviewers lead
  6. Be factual and sincere
  7. Always aim to get the job
• Dont’s
  
  1. Give yes/no answers
  2. Lie
  3. Make derogatory remarks about old jobs
  4. Over-answer
  5. Let discouragement show
  6. Ask about salary,bonuses in first interview

Question 8

What are some good ways to prepare for job interviews?

Answer 8

1. Look bacak at application and focus on key areas
2. Research the position, organisation and industry
3. Prepare answers to likely questions
4. Prepare good questions to ask
   
   • Details of position
   • Culture of company
   • Expectations re training, induction
   • Why is the position available
   • Future growth plans

Question 9

What does Anna Eglitsky outline as the 3 key tips for communication skills?

Answer 9

• Make friends with silence: Resist the urge to fill silence with rambling, improve listening
  
  • Allows yourself time to breathe, them time to listen and process
  • Also keeps cortisol and adrenaline in check
• Organise your ideas; even ask if you can have a moment to write some notes before you answer
  
  • Avoid stumbling, repetition, etc
• Seek feedback; particularly on body language
  
  • Ask friends and family to practice with you

Question 10

What are the four P perspectives of the study of creativity?

Answer 10

• Person: focus on the personal characteristics of the creative person
  
  • eg tolerance for ambiguity, sensitivity, imagination, intelligence min level
• Process: Focus on the thought, actions and behaviours that underpin the creative process
• Press: The relationship between the creative individual and their environment
• Product: focus on the outcomes or results of the creative process

Question 11

What does Goodman (1995) identify as the 6 common blocks to creativity?

Answer 11

1. Perceptual: habitual responses, stereotyping, and reliance on past experiences
2. Emotional: fear, anxiety about looking foolish or making errors
3. Process: lack of technique or skill in the process, no quick grasp at a solution
4. Communication: style, method or skills of communication unsuitable for the problems
5. Environmental: facilities, stress factors, mindset of others which inhibits response
6. Cultural: attitude not facilitative, too risky

Question 12

What is Wallas’ 4 stage model of creative thinking?

Answer 12

1. Preparation: conscious attempt to understand and absorb information
2. Incubation: Conscious mind is focused elsewhere but ideas combine in subconscious level
3. Illumination: Solution appears suddenly
4. Verification: Solution is tested in a conscious and deliberate manner

Question 13

How does Maslow’s Hierachy map onto organisational factors?

Answer 13

Question 14

What are some limitations of Maslows theory and how does Aldefer address them?

Answer 14

• Limitations
  
  • Only one need can be motivated at a time
  • Heirachy difficult to test scientifically
  • The needs are innate and cannot be controlled
  • There are instances of higher needs preceding lower needs
  • Doesn’t account for people moving down in retirement
• Aldefer: As individuals satisfy higher needs those needs grow, people can move down the heirachy too
  
  • Existence; safety/physiological
  • Relatedness; internal esteem, social
  • Growth; external esteem, self-act

Question 15

What are Restoring Equity Theory and Achievement Motivation Theory?

Answer 15

• McClelland Achievement Motivation Theory: can be measured using the TAT. Three needs important for work motivation:
  
  • Achievement
  • Power
  • Affiliation
• Adams Equity Theory: People aim to reduce perceived inequity in their input/output balance relative to others by:
  
  • Changing inputs
  • Changing outputs
  • Cognitive distortion
  • Leaving the field
  • Changing the object of comparison
  • Acting on others

Question 16

How can mindfullness impact our relationships with others?

Answer 16

• Relatedness to others: Increases feelings of rapport with rather than relationships with others
• Communication: Focus increases active listening
  
  • Avoid reloading (thinking about your next question not the current answer)
  • Avoid bias and assumptions
  • Increase awareness of body language and tone
• Compassion for others: Enhancing empathy while reducing vicarious stress and burnout

Question 17

What do Chambers and Ulbrick outline as key problems in relationship communication?

Answer 17

• Learning to simultaneously care for your own and anothers needs is important for healthy relationships
• Bids for contact = behaviours made by partners in attempt to reach out for intimacy.
  
  • eg touching, desire for quality time, gift giving
  • When bids are noticed it sets up a positive feedback loop
  • Missing cues can cause breakdown
• Mindfullness: Noticing our reactions, emotions and controlling anger and past trauma fuelled fears.
  
  • Less likely to miss the cues, more likely to reach out

Question 18

What areas of body language does Fleischmann identify as important in job interviews?

Answer 18

• Use body language to verify statements (and note cultural bias)
  
  • Establish a baseline by making the applicant relaxed early in the interview
• Breathing Patterns: look for increased rates (anxiety), heavy sigh (discomfort), deep breathing (boredom)
• Head and Face: Head tilt (interest), scratch head (confusion), lip biting (anxiety), chin position (confidence), rub neck (frustration)
• Eye contact: narrowing eyes, avoidance (fear, evasiveness), Raised eyebrows, constant stare (arrogance, control)
• Hand and Arms: arms crossed (defensive), palms up (honest), ringing/rubbing (doubt)
• Torso: only confirm other signs, Slouch (relaxation level), erect (confidence), forward (anxious)

Question 19

What were the results of Muller et al’s study on mediation and creativity?

Answer 19

• Study compared mindfullness and concentrative meditation on creative tasks and cognitive flexibility
  
  • MM = Hold background awareness without focus on any one thought or emotion in particular
  • CM = Focusing and maintaining attention on one thing.
• Results: using alternative uses and drawing tests
  
  • Both MM and CM increased creativity scores
  • Only CM increased cognitive flexibility in aut (or sematic fluency via associative memory)
  • MM might not have been taught as well

Question 20

What is career resilience?

Answer 20

• Psychological Resilience: one’s ability to bounce back from adversity/setbacks and grow as a result.
  
  • Unlike recovery which is return to normal functioning
  • Multidimensional construct: dispositional variables + specific skills
• London definition of CR: Combination of
  
  • Self-Efficacy (incl motivation, creativity),
  • Risk-taking (fear of failure, need security)
  • Dependency (competitiveness, approval)
• Van Vuuren four factors;
  
  • Belief in oneself
  • Disregard for traditional sources of sucess
  • Self Reliance
  • Receptivity to change

Question 21

What did Lyons find was the relationship between career resilience and career success factors?

Answer 21

• CR is positively related to career success
• CR is predicted by self-efficacy and emotional stability
• CR is predicted by an internal locus of control
  
  • General psychological resilience is predicted by external locus
  • May be career sucess requires purposeful action and ownership of decisions
• Career attitudes:
  
  • Protean career style: + self-directedness, - value driven
  • Boundaryless career style: negatively associated with CR (contrary to expectations, may become ‘lost’)