SuPA Guide 2017-18

Contents

The Sunderland Professional Award………………………………… 1

The Benefits of SuPA – Meet our SuPA Heroes…………………… 2

The Awards Ceremony...................................................................... 3

Completing the Application Form……………………………………. 4

Assessment Process…………………………………………………… 6

Examples of Activities for Section 1 (Activities)………………….. 7

STAR Technique for Section 2 (Skills)……………………………… 9

Examples of Action Words for CVs and Applications…………... 11

Guidance on Section 3………………………………………………… 12

Assessment Criteria used by Panellists…………………………… 13

Contact Details…………………………………………………………. 18

1

The Sunderland Professional Award

The Sunderland Professional Award will provide formal recognition and added value for those of you who actively participate in work

experience including volunteering, extra-curricular activities and skills development opportunities and who can then provide evidence and reflective awareness of your skills and learning experiences. In the current competitive graduate market it is of increasing importance that you can demonstrate to employers and professional organisations a broad range of skills and experiences to help you ‘stand out from the crowd’.

Getting Involved

Step 1: Register for the Award here http://bit.ly/supareg

Step 2: Read through the SuPA Guide, including the Assessment Criteria

Download the application form and get started!

Contact the Careers and Employability Service if you have any questions, or check out our FAQs on the SuPA website (www.sunderland.ac.uk/supa)

Step 3: Complete the application form

Get your form reviewed by a Careers Advisor or the SuPA Coordinator

Submit your application to supa@sunderland.ac.uk

The 2 deadlines every academic year are December 1st and April 1st.

Please note: You can only re-submit once so make your application effective.

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Benefits of SuPA - Meet our SuPA Heroes

Why should you apply for SuPA? Our SuPA Heroes tell us how they’ve benefitted from receiving the award…

The Benefits

The Sunderland Professional Award will:

• Help you to develop a self-awareness of your skills and personal development • Provide you with formal recognition for your achievements outside your

studies • Demonstrate your commitment • Help to prepare you for job applications and interviews • Appear on your Student Transcript (HEAR) alongside your degree certificate

The award is open to University of Sunderland on campus undergraduate, postgraduate and top-up students.

Once you have been successful in gaining the award, you will be asked to be a SuPA Hero to help further promote SuPA to current and future students and inspire them to get involved! See some of our most recent SuPA Heroes below!

Tom Byrne, a recent Pharmacy graduate: “Look beyond your degree to develop as a young professional!”

Evelyn Tan, another recent Pharmacy graduate said: “SuPA helped me to understand my personal and academic development needs and bridge the gap between graduation and employment”

Clair Suttie, a current Social Work student said: “The SuPA Process allowed me to reflect on activities…and increased my confidence”

Philippa Abbott, a current Culture PhD student: “SuPA is an opportunity to reflect on your achievements and for others to acknowledge them”

Muhammad Ahmed, a recent Mechanical Engineering graduate: “SuPA is recognition for going above and beyond!”

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The Awards Ceremony

Each year, after both deadlines have passed and the results have been shared with students, there is an awards ceremony, which is held at the National Glass Centre during the summer.

All successful SuPA candidates and panel members are invited for a buffet lunch, a chance to network with employers and academics (who sit on the panels) and the SuPA candidates are presented their awards by Kirsten Black or Oliver Pritchard, Director and Assistant Director of Student Journey. Celebrate your success with fellow SuPA candidates before the graduation ceremonies in July! Enjoy the wonderful guest speakers and hear what they have to say about employability and success.

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Completing the Application Form

The SuPA application form consists of 3 sections. You will be asked to create an evidence bank with examples of activities you have undertaken during your time as a student, and then you will have to explain the activity and your contribution to it. Section 2 (Skills)

requires you to make use of the STAR technique to demonstrate relevant skills. The final section requires you to reflect on your time as a student and to describe how you intend to achieve your professional goals.

Section 1 - Activities

Academic activities Work experience activities Career planning & employability, including Sunderland Futures activities

Section 2 – Skills Description of 4 specific employability skills sought after by employers Use the STAR technique to give specific examples of a time when you

successfully demonstrated these skills

Section 3 - Reflection

Reflect on your development and think about your future

Section What do I need to do? Word count

Section 1 - Activities

• Create an evidence bank of activities • Explain the activity and your role/duties/contribution • Must give enough examples for each activity area • Do not repeat activities – choose which area each

activity best fits into

Maximum word count: 150 words per example.

Section 2 - Skills

• Answer 4 questions only • Use the STAR technique • Demonstrate relevant skill • Must relate to an activity you have mentioned in

Section 1 - Activities

200-250 words per answer (x4 answers)

Section 3 - Reflection

• Reflect on your time since being a student • Demonstrate self-awareness • Identify your strengths and areas for improvement • Describe how you intend to achieve your career goals

500-600 words in total

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REMEMBER

Employers want to see students and graduates who have participated in activities and skills development opportunities that are ‘above and beyond a degree’. How long the award takes will vary from student to student, we recommend at least 12 months building up your skills and experiences before submitting your application. As workload can be intense during your third year we would advise that you make use of your first year and part of your second year at university to build up skills and participation in activities in preparation for submission.

Eligibility of activities

You can only use activities that you have taken part in during your time in Higher Education. Any activity that you participated in before you started university and have continued during your time at University of Sunderland can however be included. Activities taken place during vacation time of your course can also be included on your application. Postgraduate and top-up students can include any relevant activities they have undertaken in the previous 3 years.

Relevance

All examples included in Section 1 must be extra-curricular, i.e., not a mandatory element of your course. The examples you use when answering your questions in ‘Section 2 - Skills’ must be examples that you have previously mentioned on your form in ‘Section 1 - Activities’. If they have not previously been mentioned in your application form your examples will not count, you will fail Section 2 and this will jeopardise your chances of gaining the award.

Word counts

Each Section has a specified word count and this must be adhered to. We have given a word count because when you apply for graduate jobs they may also have word counts you must adhere to. This demonstrates that you can follow instructions and be concise.

Spelling and grammar

Please take care to check your spelling, grammar and punctuation; it is important to have an error-free application. In a real life job situation an employer may discard a CV or application form if it contains spelling and grammar mistakes.

Disability Support

Any student who feels that they would benefit from some extra support and considers themselves to have a disability can contact the University’s Disability Support team (disability.support@sunderland.ac.uk or telephone: 0191 515 2952).

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Assessment Process

After the deadline has passed, your application will be passed on to a panel consisting of 3 assessing panellists: an employer, a University of Sunderland academic and one of our Careers

Advisors.

They will use the Assessment Criteria to decide if your application has passed or needs more work.

In order to pass, you must get AT LEAST 5 out of 6.

You will then be notified by email whether you have been successful or not, and will receive detailed feedback about your application.

If you are successful you will be invited to the annual Awards Ceremony which will take place in June of each academic year. In the past this has taken place at the National Glass Centre and the Marriott hotel and has featured many fantastic guest speakers and employers to network with.

If your application needs more work you will be encouraged to improve your application and then re-submit for the next deadline.

A re-submitted application form will have the sections that were unsuccessful re-marked. You are still required to submit a complete application but must identify which areas have been modified within your submission email. Panellists will receive your previous submission and feedback when re-marking the new improved application.

For final year students who are about to graduate and wish to re-submit an application you have until 31st July to do so. Your application will be processed for the next panel (after the next December deadline).

REMEMBER: You can only apply for the award twice so please make your application effective.

Section 1 - Activities 1 Section 2 - Skills 4 Section 3 - Reflection 1

Total - 6

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Examples of Activities for Section 1 (Activities) We have given you some examples of activities you may have been involved in since becoming a student. Please remember that this list is not exhaustive so you may think of different examples to include in ‘Section 1 – Activities’ of your application form.

Academic activities

Course related clubs and societies Course related external visits or fieldtrips Course related Talks or conferences attended (these must have

been voluntary) Course related additional training, classes or qualifications Study Abroad Student Representative School Coordinator University Language Scheme Enterprise activities / entrepreneurial activities Production of videos / materials Learning Development activities to support IT, Maths,

Language, Academic Writing e.g. Study Skills workshops Learning or improving language skills through English for

Academic Purposes Planning and organisational activities e.g. fund-raising /

organising degree shows Creating a portfolio, organisation of work display events e.g.

Fashion/Class shows Group work activities where you may have been the group

leader or you may have benefitted significantly from the situation Representing your course at open days, registration days Voluntary laboratory, studio or practical activities Portfolio of work Effective use of networking for academic purposes

Work Experience activities

Paid employment (full-time, part-time, casual) Paid projects (with local or regional companies) Placements Internships Volunteering Community roles e.g. school or faith-based activities,

fundraisers Work experience, shadowing Enterprise, self-employment, freelance work Vacation work (home and abroad) e.g. STEP programmes Student / International Ambassador SU Buddy, Student Mentor

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Non-course related clubs and societies with a role (treasurer, president…)

Cultural / creative activities e.g. participation in local theatrical performances, events / exhibitions

Student Support workers, Student Assistants, Student Residential Assistants (RSA)

Working within the University to boost employability skills: Spark FM Radio, Student Law Clinic, Media Hub, Sports Academy…

Opportunities with the Student’s Union

Career Planning & Employability activities including Sunderland Futures

Professional Mentoring Scheme Masterclasses and Employer Talks Student Jobs and Volunteering Fairs (Student Opportunity Fair),

Graduate Job Fairs, Sunderland Futures events Appointments with the Careers and Employability Service (Quick

Queries, Job Search Drop-ins, Employer on Campus events, Spotlight On, etc.)

1:1 Careers guidance / CV and Application Support / Interview Coaching

Careers and Employability Service workshops The Enterprise Place Non-course related extra training or qualifications (First Aid,

Lifeguarding…) Career and employer research Networking for career purposes Employer-led mock interview sessions Practice aptitude tests / assessment centre practice

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STAR Technique for Section 2 (Skills)

Word Count: 200 – 250 words

What is the STAR Technique?

STAR is a technique used to answer competency (skills) based questions in graduate applications and interviews. In an application the STAR technique helps you to present and sell your skills using structured and concrete examples within the word count allowed. STAR stands for:

S Situation Describe who, what, where, when, why etc. 1 – 2 sentences

T Task What was the task or the objective, who was involved, what were your specific responsibilities?

1 – 2 sentences

"My task was to...", "The objective was to", "I had to", "We needed to"

A Action

Describe your own actions using the pronoun ‘I’ and explain the various actions involved in the task(s). This must be the most substantial part so use a few sentences here. It’s all about what YOU did, what actions YOU took?

3 – 5 sentences (this must be the most substantial part of your answer)

Use “I + action words”. For example: I spoke to, I varied my tone of voice, I worked with my team collaboratively, I negotiated with them, I motivated, I offered support, I listened…

R Result

Describe the results of your actions. Try to include your achievements, what conclusions you reached or describe what you learnt from the experience?

1 – 2 sentences

“As a result of my actions…”, “The outcome was…”, “Consequently…”

Communication skills (verbal, written or presentational). Give an example of a time when you communicated effectively. What methods did you use to ensure the outcome was successful?

(Situation) During my internship at the EME Catedral Hotel I had to communicate effectively in Spanish with my colleagues, and the hotel guests in both Spanish and English. My specific tasks were to handle check-ins and check outs, write emails to clients, respond to any guest questions, and give welcome tours.

(Task) I have always found that in Spanish my strength is written work so therefore I found the administrative tasks a lot easier than communicating orally. At the beginning I found it quite difficult to understand orders that my colleagues were giving me, and I panicked when Spanish speaking guests asked me questions.

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(Action) At home I started to research vocabulary which might be needed in certain situations as a receptionist and I used the new words I'd learnt the following day at work in order to broaden my vocabulary. This action was invaluable and I gradually started to understand a lot more of what was being said to me in Spanish. This had a knock-on effect with my confidence: I felt a lot more comfortable dealing with Spanish speaking guests and felt I could effectively give my welcome tours, advice and carry out the tasks asked of me with a lot of confidence.

(Result) On my last week of the internship a Spanish guest mentioned me to the General Manager saying he was impressed with my confident customer service and attention considering that Spanish is not my mother tongue language.

Word count - 240

We suggest that while drafting up the skill based questions that the letters or words associated to STAR are used to help structure answers effectively before submission. It is recommended that these headers are removed before final submission.

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Examples of Action Words for CVs and Application

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Reflective Statement for Section 3 (Reflection)

Word Count: 500 – 600 words

Reflective Practice is a skill that you will come across in many professions and job applciations, so it is a good idea to become used

to it and get some practice in now.

Reflection allows you to really think about how something has gone and point out what went well, what did not and why. Refleting is all about improving your learning in relation to work and your life experiences

When answering Section 3 of the application, take the following into consideration:

Don’t rush it! Reflection takes time (especially when you are reflecting on your time at University, as a lot happens in that time)

Write key points down – don’t try to remember them and risk forgetting Find the focus of the question you are trying to answer Take it one at a time – don’t answer all 3 questions at once

The 3 links below are here to help you a bit more with reflection:

https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/reflective-practice.html http://www.open.edu/openlearn/education/learning-teach-becoming-

reflective-practitioner/content-section-2.1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflective_practice

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University of Sunderland Professional Award

Assessment Criteria 2017-18

Name of Applicant:

Panel date (dd/mm/yy):

Overall Result ( /6): Please note - There are 6 parts of your application. Each part of your application has been marked as a ‘Pass’ or ‘Needs more work’. In order to ‘Pass’ overall you must pass at least 5 out of 6 parts of your application.

If a section has been marked as ‘Needs more work’, then weaker aspects of your answer will be identified and suggestions will be given as to how you can improve.

Section 1 - Activities

Section 1: Activities

Pass

Needs more work

Did not provide examples

Evidence provided was not relevant

Answer includes spelling and grammatical errors

Answer does not adhere to the required word count (max. 150 per example)

Academic activity area:

Work Experience activity area:

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Career Planning & Employability activities (including Sunderland Futures) area:

Section 2 - Skills

Section 2: Skills

Communication

Pass

Needs more work

Answer includes spelling and grammatical errors

Answer does not adhere to the required word count (200-250)

Answer does not use the STAR technique

Answer does not demonstrate successful communication skills

Activity has not been previously mentioned in Section 1 Comments:

Section 2: Skills

Team-working

Pass

Needs more work

Answer includes spelling and grammatical errors

Answer does not adhere to the required word count (200-250)

Answer does not use the STAR technique

Answer does not demonstrate successful team-working skills

Activity has not been previously mentioned in Section 1 Comments:

Section 2: Skills

Leadership

Pass

Needs more work

Answer includes spelling and grammatical errors

Answer does not adhere to the required word count (200-250)

Answer does not use the STAR technique

Answer does not demonstrate successful leadership skills

Activity has not been previously mentioned in Section 1

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Comments:

Section 2: Skills

Time-Management

Pass

Needs more work

Answer includes spelling and grammatical errors

Answer does not adhere to the required word count (200-250)

Answer does not use the STAR technique

Answer does not demonstrate successful time-management skills

Activity has not been previously mentioned in Section 1 Comments:

Section 2: Skills

Analysis and Problem solving

Pass

Needs more work

Answer includes spelling and grammatical errors

Answer does not adhere to the required word count (200-250)

Answer does not use the STAR technique

Answer does not demonstrate successful analysis and problem solving skills

Activity has not been previously mentioned in Section 1 Comments:

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Section 2: Skills

Initiative

Pass

Needs more work

Answer includes spelling and grammatical errors

Answer does not adhere to the required word count (200-250)

Answer does not use the STAR technique

Answer does not demonstrate successful initiative skills

Activity has not been previously mentioned in Section 1 Comments:

Section 3 – Reflection Section 3: Reflection

Pass

Needs more work

Answer includes spelling and grammatical errors

Answer does not adhere to the required word count (500-600 words)

Answer does not demonstrate self-awareness of strengths, skills and attributes

Answer does not identify what qualities are appealing to employers and any areas for improvement

Answer does not show that the student has reflected on their time at University to talk about their next steps

Answers do not use information from previous answers Comments:

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Any overall comments:

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Contact Details

If you would like to speak to the SuPA Coordinator or a Careers Practitioner about the Sunderland Professional Award for tips and guidance, you can contact us in the following ways:

Telephone: 0191 515 2920

Email: sunderlandfutures@sunderland.ac.uk

Address: Careers and Employability Service The Gateway City Campus Chester Road Sunderland SR1 3SD

Website: www.sunderland.ac.uk/supa

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UoSFutures

Twitter: @UoSFutures

LinkedIn: Sunderland Futures

Instagram: @Sunderland Futures

Pinterest: Sunderland Futures