Gaining in confidence to boost your job chances
LACKING social skills holds some young job candidates back, but there are some positive strategies that can be used to help.
adam Gibson, from Portsmouth, had severe social anxiety and was worried about working.
‘I struggled to make my voice heard in groups and had panic attacks when people asked me questions. I did not know what career would suit me,’ says adam, 18.
Then he took a National citizen Service (NcS) programme, in which teenagers from different backgrounds meet for joint activities, learning new skills from businesses and charities, and raise funds and awareness for local issues.
‘There were people in my group with the same lack of confidence as me, so I started to come out of my shell,’ he says.
‘We went cliff diving and rock climbing and did business tasks like selling sweets, and I began to imagine myself at work.’
adam volunteered to lead the social media advertising for the team’s pop-quiz night. ‘I realised I loved social media marketing,’ he says, and NcS hired him as its social media assistant.
‘I want to make it my career, and I can now talk to other employees, including the head of marketing.’
Dr Jennifer lau, from king’s college london, who produced the report Social Intelligence and the Next Generation, says: ‘Online interaction is positively linked to a young person’s social intelligence, but is no substitute for real life.’
Vicky Wallis, director of HR at Santander, says: ‘ Being able to communicate effectively, negotiate and manage a team all stem from good social intelligence. We value candidates who are open to new experiences and can interact with people from all backgrounds.’
NcS is open to 15-17 year olds in England and Northern Ireland.