BMS 317

Communication and Presentation Skills

2008/09

Module Handbook

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TIMETABLE

WEEK DAY/DATE TIME VENUE TOPIC 1 Mon. 29th Sept. 11.10 – 12.00 H.H. LT01 Introduction and Intro to CVs 14.10 – 16.00 H.H. LT01 Analysis of CVs 2 Mon. 6th Oct. 11.10 – 12.00 H.H. LT01 Giving Oral Presentations

14.10 – 16.00 H.H. LT01 Strictly Presentations

3 No classes 4 Fri. 24th Oct. 13.10 – 14.30 BLT1 Interview technique 15.00 – 17.00 Conference

Room/ Addison Seminar rooms

Interview Trios

5 Mon. 27th Oct. 14.00 – 18.00 Seminar Rooms

1-4 Oral presentations, (Group G) *

6 Mon. 3rd Nov. 14.00 – 18.00 Seminar Rooms

1-4 Oral presentations, (Group H) +

Wed 5th Nov t.b.a t.b.a CV and covering letter Hand In 7 Tues 11th Nov. 10.00 – 13.00 B56 Website Design practical 1 (Group G)

* Weds 12th Nov. 11.10 – 14.00 B56 Website Design practical 1 (Group H)

+ 8 Tues 18th Nov. 10.00 – 13.00 B56 Website Design practical 2 (Group G)

* Weds 19th Nov. 11.10 – 14.00 B56 Website Design practical 2 (Group H)

+ 9 Tues 25th Nov. 10.00 – 12.00 B56 Website Design practical 3 (Group G)

* Weds 26th Nov. 11.10 – 14.00 B56 Website Design practical 3 (Group H)

+ 10 No Classes 11 Mon 8th Dec. 14.00-16.00. B56 Website Design Drop-in Session Weds. 10th Dec. 14.00-16.00. B56 Website Design Drop-in Session 12 Wed. 17th Dec. t.b.a t.b.a. Submission of Website All classes are compulsory except where indicated. * Half Class G only required to attend. + Half Class H only required to attend.

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ATTENDANCE AND ASSESSMENTS

1 Attend all compulsory classes* 2 Complete and submit a ‘real-life’ CV and covering letter for one of the 4 job

advertisements by the submission deadline. (25%) 3 Give an oral presentation involving a PowerPoint presentation (25%) 4 Construct and submit a teaching website on a chosen topic (50%) 5 Act as a UCAS tour guide and submit a 1 page report that critically identifies your

experience including your own strengths and weaknesses**

* Absence other than for a certified illness or by prior arrangement with Dr Cooper is not allowed. Marks will be deducted for non-attendance. As attendance is part of the module assessment, a University student special circumstances form (downloadable from the web at http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/forms/medical.html ) must be completed for each period of absence. The form should be handed in to the Department office and it will be forwarded to me for onward transmission to the University Health Service. In the absence of a completed SSAR form or prior permission from Dr Cooper, 5% of the final mark for this module will be deducted for each session missed. ** As some students will act as tour guides in Semester 2 rather than in Semester 1, all the marks for this module will be formally submitted together with the spring examination results in June 2008. Please note that although there is official mark attached to this report, submission of the report is still required. You will not be able to pass the module unless this report is submitted.

ASSESSMENT AND SUBMISSION DATES

CV and covering letter Wednesday 7th November 2008, Time to be announced Oral presentations Monday 27th October 2008, 14.00 to 17.30. or Monday 3rd November 2008, 14.00 to 17.30. Website - completed Wednesday 17th December 2008, Time to be announced. UCAS Tour2 Wednesday 10th December 2008. or Wednesday 18th February 2009. or Friday 6th March, 2009. or Wednesday 1st April 2009.

1 Please note that no Department help will be provided for website design after 16.00.on Friday 12th December. 2 Students must submit a written UCAS tour report 1 week after completing their tour.

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STAFF Four members of staff will be involved in the teaching of this module.

Contact for this module should be directed to the email address BMS317@shef.ac.uk

The module co-ordinator and primary contact for this module is

Dr Gordon Cooper B2.222a Alfred Denny Building Ext 24667 Additional staff involved in the teaching of this module; Alison Clay Careers Service Ext 27446 Neil Everill Department of Biomedical Science Christine Cleaver Department of Biomedical Science

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SECTION 1: CVs

Effective communication using your CV.

Group exercise Background Below you are provided with the CVs of five fictitious students in the final year of their respective degree courses. The students are all applying for a graduate training program the details of which are provided in the box below. You will be split into groups to be designated on the day of the exercise. Within your group you will be required to evaluate each of the CVs. You will be expected to provide feedback on each CV and provide a ranking order for the five CVs. A feedback sheet will be provided for each group at the start of the exercise. The Task For this exercise, you need to put yourself in the shoes of a graduate recruiter, seeking high quality candidates for a graduate training programme. It’s vital that your new recruits can meet the demands of the job, which means they need to possess a range of skills and personal attributes, as set out in the vacancy description, in addition to their degree. As part of the graduate recruitment team, your task is to provide feedback on the five CVs you have been presented with, focussing on how well each candidate has portrayed their skills and experience. In providing the feedback, you may consider the following

Are the applicant’s skills obvious? What skills do they have? Are they relevant? What evidence is used to support the claim? What could / should they have done to emphasise their skills?

In addition, you may also wish to make a few comments on other aspects of their CVs, which you think are particularly good or poor.

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Graduate Training Programme: Operations Management

As a well-known food manufacturer with a reputation for high quality products, we are looking for high calibre, enthusiastic graduates for our Graduate Training Programme in Operations Management.

Operations is for people who enjoy making decisions, who thrive on taking charge, who want responsibility - and want it now. And, since you'll have the support and guidance to achieve your deadlines, you'll have plenty of opportunities to learn the best working methods. With us, you get a structured training programme giving you exposure to a variety of business areas. You'll have uncompromising support to achieve professional qualifications - and if you're anything like the majority of our graduates, you'll get a management position within your first two years.

As part of the role, you will have to ensure the production system is working smoothly, ingredients are perfect, safety standards are being maintained, the packaging is the right standard - and that it's all done on time. Equally important, you have to create a positive environment for all of your team working on the factory floor.

Apart from a degree in any discipline, you'll bring with you a down-to-earth approach to problem solving and leading others. An effective communicator, your natural ability to think on your feet will help you adapt to different situations and quickly take on new responsibilities. It's a fast-paced environment with continuous innovation - so you'll need to be comfortable adapting to change. Visionary, yet pragmatic, you'll have a hands-on project management style and a team-playing attitude combined the ability to make decisions quickly.

AC 2008 CVs & Skills

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Michael Chung Email: michaelchung@webmail.com

Term Address: Home Address: 483 Mile Post Lane 63 Smithsonian Street Sheffield S6 1DZ Stockport SK3 2DJ Tel: 0114 8862 3580 Tel: 0161 963 4420 Mobile: 07957232148 CAREER OBJECTIVE I am keen to pursue a career where my decision-

making, team working and communication skills will be maximised and tested to the full in a fast-moving industry, such as food manufacturing.

EDUCATION

2006 - 2009 University of Sheffield

BA History, expected 2:1 Due to be awarded June 2009 2008 – 2009 ‘Fall of the Roman Empire’ 3rd year – Main Courses ‘Warriors, Saints and Heroes’

‘States and Rulers in Medieval Europe’ ‘Gender, Culture and Society’

2007 – 2008 European and American History: 2nd year – Main Courses ‘Making of 21st Century’

‘History of the USA to 1877’ ‘History of the USA 1877-1975’ ‘Medieval Europe 400 – 1000’ ‘European World 1600 – 1770’

Overall result: 2:1

1999 – 2006 Stockport High School June 2006 A-levels: History (B), Mathematics (B),

Geography (D) June 2004 GCSE’s: 8 subjects, grade A-C including

Mathematics (A), French (A) WORK EXPERIENCE November 2004 Halifax Estate Agents, Stockport, Chesire

2 weeks work shadowing • Gained thorough insight into all aspects of

Estate Agent work.

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• Responsible for organising the placement myself.

2001 - 2006 Occasional baby-sitting • Developed sense of responsibility from an early

age. • Problem-solving, thinking creatively and quick

decision-making to ensure children were safe and content.

Additional Skills Computing Word processing and spreadsheets used ongoing

in course work. Regular user of Internet and email. Working towards ECDL.

Languages Have maintained French since GCSE through

regular holidays with family and I have attended Spanish classes since last year.

Driving Licence Full clean UK Licence INTERESTS & ACHIEVEMENTS Music - Piano: Grade 7; enthusiastic member of several groups.

- Successful time management to combine music with study.

Duke of Edinburgh Award - Took part in several activities leading to

successful completion of Gold Award. References Dr Jane Smith, Ms Barbara Smithson Lecturer in History (Tutor) Lecturer in History University of Sheffield, University of Sheffield, Firth Court, Firth Court, Sheffield S3 6SZ Sheffield S3 6SZ Tel: 0114 222 0000 Tel: 0114 222 0000 Email: I.j.m.smith@sheffield.ac.uk Email: b.r.smithson@sheffield.ac.uk

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SOPHIE JOHNSON

Email: abc02sj@sheffield.ac.uk D.O.B: 12.01.88

25, Vicarage Close 23, Pershore Road Rotherham Broomhill South Yorkshire Sheffield Tel: 01709 333333 Tel: 0114 944 4444 (Home Address) (Term Address) CAREER OBJECTIVE: I am keen to pursue a career in either production management, operations, logistics or IT. Having excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to relate to a wide range of people I am capable of achieving personal objectives as demonstrated by successful first and second year results and my commitment to my leisure pursuits – where I have displayed ambition and goal orientated performance. SKILLS PROFILE: Communication

• Good communication skills gained from giving presentations at seminars, issuing clear and concise instructions to suppliers, chairing meetings and dealing with customers tactfully and diplomatically.

• Advising and instructing customers at Aquasports and counseling teenagers at summer camp. • Working on team projects during my course has involved different roles, which have developed negotiation and persuasion skills.

Team Work

• Successful course work to date has been dependent upon participation in and motivation of syndicated project groups.

• Experience of working within a team-based culture involving planing, organisation, co-ordination and commitment.

Problem Solving

• Development of strong analytic and diagnostic skills as part of a degree course.

• Running the office at Aquasports Ltd has taught me to find solutions to customer problems in a calm adn efficient manner.

Languages

• Fluent German Computing

• Good working knowledge of several word processing packages including Microsoft Word, Excel spreadsheets and the Internet.

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EDUCATION: 2006 - 2009 University of Sheffield 1999-2006 Allinton Comprehensive QUALIFICATIONS: BSc (Hons) Maths and Physics 3 A-levels – German (B), Maths (B), Physics (B), 8 GCSEs. WORK EXPERIENCE: 2004-date Aquasports Ltd, Rotherham Shop assistant and acting shop manager during summer vacations. July-Sept 2007 Camp America Camp counsellor to 11-19 year-olds during summer vacation. REFEREEES: Dr.Jane Smith, Lecturer in Maths, University of Sheffield Ms.Anne Jones, General Manager, Aquasports Ltd, Rotherham

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David Jones

Personal details Address 52 Pennington Road, Date of birth 16.11.85 Sheffield, S14 2AJ Telephone (0114) 8776 5435 Nationality British Email d.jones@demon.co.uk Education 2006-2009 University of Sheffield BA Management and French

Courses include Marketing, Financial Management, Human Resources, French Language and Literature, Basic Computing

1998-2006 West Oakfield School, Nottingham 2006 A levels: French A, Maths C, German C (2002-2003 Year spent studying at college in Paris) 2002 GCSE’s: 10 passes (A-C) including English and Maths Work Experience 2008 European Caravan and Camping Association, London

Summer job working on telephone helpline for members with problems while abroad. Developed my interpersonal and communication skills through liaison with agencies abroad, making decisions and taking responsibility to solve problems on behalf of members. Became fluent in French and also greatly improved rusty German.

2006-date Sovereign Motors, Sheffield

Saturday job working in reception, entering customer information onto company database and assisting customers in showroom. Developed excellent communication skills and ability to work as part of a team as well as ‘thinking on my feet’ to deal with customers in a sales environment.

Languages english (mother tongue), french (fluent), german (basic) Computing Good knowledge of Microsoft Word, competent user of Excel and

Acess; regular user of the internet. Interests Keen on watching and participating in a variety of sports. Mmember of

County rugby team while at school and captain of College 1st XV. Avid reader – particularly 20th century novels and the newspapers.

References Available on request

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Neeta Khan 75 Weald Road, Broomhill

Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 1PT Telephone 0114 908 1173

Email neeta.khan86@demon.co.uk

Education 2006-2009 University of Sheffield BSc in Natural Environmental Sciences: Including

- statistical techniques - computing techniques - study skills for Geographers - ecology - geo-environmental fieldwork skills - geology

Also founder member of the University Photographic Society 1997–2004 St David’s School, Burlington, Northampton

2004: A levels - Biology B, - Chemistry D, - Geography D

2002: GCSEs Passes (A-C) in nine subjects including Maths and English

Work Experience Full time 2005-2006 Water Unlimited Plc, Harrow, Middlesex Marketing Assistant for a manufacturer/importer of water treatment equipment job involved

- liaising with suppliers and customers - organising mail shots to prospective employers - representing company at trade fairs

2004-2005 TGS Construction, Speedway House, Wembley, Middlesex Administrative Assistant for a firm of building contractors job involved

- responsibility for running the office in the absence of management - maintaining database of customers - general office duties

Part time and Voluntary 2007-date St Therasa’s Church, Broomhill, Sheffield Sunday school teacher Duties - talking to groups of children – and hopefully keeping their interest! 2007 - date Tesco, Main Road, Sheffield Cashier and warehouse assistant Duties - stocking the shelves and keeping the customers satisfied

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Neeta Khan (continued) Skills acquired Analytical and As part of my degree studies I regularly have to take a problem, Problem-Solving whether theoretical or practical, identify the key components and find a

logical, systematic solution. One of my first year modules required a high degree of numeracy and analysis of data using statistical techniques.

Computing During my work experience I gained a good knowledge of Microsoft

Word, Excel, Access and Powerpoint. I can program in Fortran and Basic and regularly use the internet. I have created a web page (Dreamweaver) and membership database (Access) for the Photographic Society.

Written I have developed good writing skills through preparing formal Communication reports of experiments for my degree, taking minutes of meetings of

the Photographic Society and drafting correspondence as an administrative officer at TGS.

Oral Communication At university I have given talks and presentations to groups of

students, and as a Sunday school teacher I have taught a class of twenty children, preparing materials and lesson plans beforehand. This taught me the importance of selecting suitable material for my audience and using appropriate language. At Water Unlimited I discussed both technical and business matters with a wide variety of customers.

Interpersonal At Tesco I work with the public in a busy, often pressurised situation,

dealing with enquires and complaints; at TGS I dealt with customers over the telephone and also greeted clients and sales representatives at reception; at Water Unlimited I met people at trade fairs and exhibitions, where I had to form business relations with them and also persuade them. All this has developed my ability to relate effectively to a wide range of people.

Teamwork At university, I am one of a team of four people who founded the

University Photographic Society. Between us we organise fundraising events, market the club to students and arrang monthly meetings.

Work Style I am used to working under pressure and meeting deadlines, in my

work and academic studies. In both full time jobs I frequently handled several jobs at once, a skill I also use at University, when combining studies, a part-time job, and setting up the new Photographic Society. These different roles have taught me to be efficient and organised in my daily affairs. When setting up the society, I had to be very proactive, a quality also needed in my marketing job with Water Unlimited.

Business Awareness Having had two jobs, spanning over three years, in a commercial

environment, I am aware of the realities of working in a business – in particular, the need to make a profit and to keep costs down. I have had experience of sales and marketing, in my job with Water Unlimited, and experience of handling office routines efficiently, in my job with TGS.

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Interests I enjoy listening to many types of music and keep up to date with developments in hi-fi technology through magazines and exhibitions. I am also a keen amateur photographer and ornamental fish breeder.

Personal

Date of birth: 15 August 1986 Nationality: British

Referees Available on request

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CURRICULUM VITAE

NAME: Gordon McDonald DATE OF BIRTH: 20 April 1988 c/o Sorby Hall University of Sheffield NATIONALITY: British SHEFFIELD HEALTH: Fine AIMS To find an interesting job, with lots of scope and challenge which will make use of my knowledge of biochemistry. EDUCATION/QUALIFICATIONS 2006 - 2009 BSc Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield 1999 - 2006 Stoke Poges Grammar School GCSEs: Maths (A), Physics (A), Chemistry (A), Further Maths (A), Biology (A),

French (B), Latin (A), English Language (B), English Literature (C), Geography (B) 'A' Levels: Chemistry (A), Physics (C), Biology (B) WORK EXPERIENCE Summer 2005 Warehouse Assistant Summer 2006 Nursing Auxiliary Summer 2007 Laboratory Assistant Summer 2008 Laboratory Assistant plus Various shorter term vacation jobs at Christmas and Easter working for a local

food company, packing and warehouse INTERESTS I enjoy travelling - have visited several european countries and north america Member of the Universiy Air Squadron Read, collect records, play chess OTHER INFORMATION Foreign Languages: fluent Swedish; can get by in French and German REFERENCES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST AC/JMS 2007

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CV assessment exercise

MOCK JOB APPLICATION

You are asked reply to one of four job advertisements that are provided for you. The adverts for each of the jobs have been placed on MOLE in the BMS317 jobs folder. These jobs are targeted towards students with a biomedical science background. All of these advertisements with the exception of the departmental Ph.D. position, are for real jobs and have appeared on the internet recently.

In each case you must submit on Wednesday 5th November 2008 a suitably targeted CV and a covering letter (even if the job application itself asks you to fill in an application form or gives any other specific instructions).

You should make as convincing a case as possible, based entirely on your own qualifications (the application must not be fictitious). It will be judged on its construction and the way in which you sell yourself.

Your mock application will be marked of the scale set out below using a wide range of critieria. Full details of the criteria to be used, with hints together with an example marking sheet are provided in the document “CV marking criteria” on MOLE.

Marking scale for each category. Please not that on the marking sheet each of the components does not carry equal weighting.

0 very poor 1 poor 2 satisfactory 3 good 4 excellent

You will receive written feedback in early December.

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Section 2: Presentations

Group exercise: Strictly presentations.

“You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression!”

A good oral presentation is as much about style as it is about content. The opening couple of minutes of a presentation are the most important. In that time you must capture the audiences’ attention, convey confidence, understanding of the subject and your personality. You will be divided into groups of about 6 persons during the morning lecture session. You will be asked collectively to prepare a 2 minute presentation and to elect one member of your group who will deliver it. The titles of the presentations are group specific and given in the table below. The aim is to devise an attention grabbing opening to a presentation. Criticism will be provided by your peers. Three groups will be assigned to each topic and you will have approximately 2 hours to prepare your presentation. Each group will need to prepare a talk about their particular topic. Chosen at random one group will deliver their presentation and the second group will provide the criticism of the talk. To assist in the criticism of the presentation some guidelines for areas of discussion are given below

Strictly Presentations topics Groups Topic

1, 8 & 14 Should mothers breast feed? 2, 9 & 15 Is modern hygiene a problem?

3, 10 & 16 What does Sildenafil actually do? 4, 11 & 17 Does loud music really hurt? 5, 12& 18 Are men really necessary? 6, 13 & 19 Should we pay more directly for health care? 7, 20 & 21 What should we do with nuclear waste?

Spare Should our dead bodies become the property of the state? Spare Should we experiment on human embryos? Spare Is it global warming or natural climate change? Spare How will we pay for old age? Spare How can we combat obesity? Spare Should we encourage 3rd party child care?

Critique of Presentations Criteria

1 Introduce him/herself and clearly define topic of their presentation

2 Speak clearly with good diction and at the right pace

3 Speak to the topic, in logical order, without undue repetition

4 Speak convincingly with substance and enthusiasm

5 Engage the audience, making eye contact and employing suitable body language

6 Provide a good conclusion/summary

7 Keep to time (>1.5 and <3 min)

Comments

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Presentation assessment exercise

BMS317 Oral Presentations 27th October or 3rd November 2008

You will be are asked to give a 5 minute presentation on the general theme of why you should be chosen for a job, career or vacancy. It is an exercise in presenting yourself in the best possible light to a potential employer. Naturally you will need to have researched the job and/or the company involved. Your talk must last 5 minutes (+/- 0.5 minutes). You will be penalised if it lasts shorter or longer than this amount of time. Your talk must be accompanied (illustrated) with a PowerPoint presentation. The job you choose must be a realistic one, using your talents and/or qualifications you will have when you graduate. Thus a place on a medical course, a job in an office, a sales rep for a drug company, a VSO appointment, a Ph.D. post or a gap year job as hotel receptionist are all types of acceptable job but a brain surgeon or COE of Microsoft are not! At the end of your talk you will be expected to answer questions intelligently. Simply repeating what you said in your talk without further clarification constitutes a very poor response. In your presentation you should VERY briefly describe what the job entails, highlighting the most important attributes required and then state how your past education, experience and personality makes you an ideal candidate for the job/position. Your talk will be assessed using the following criteria

Criteria Yes

1 Introduce him/herself and clearly define topic of their presentation 2 Speak clearly with good diction and at the right pace 3 Speak to the topic, in logical order, without undue repetition 4 Speak convincingly with substance and enthusiasm 5 Engage the audience, making eye contact and employing suitable body language 6 Present legible PowerPoint slides – not too many nor too few 7 Make effective use of PowerPoint, linking well with oral presentation 8 Provide a good conclusion/summary 9 Keep to time (4.5 to 5.5 min) 10 Handle questions well, provide extra information/clarification Comment

You will talk to a group of about 10 of your peers and a member of staff. Each of your peers will provide you with instant feedback (a completed form similar to that shown above) and the member of staff will award a mark. The mark will not be divulged but a feedback form will be returned to you when all groups have been assessed.

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Section 3: Interviews

Interview Practice – Instruction Sheet You will work in groups of six, as allocated, to practice communicating effectively at interview. This is a role-play exercise and each of you will have the opportunity to experience being interviewed, taking on the role of the interviewer and observing an interview. Take your role seriously and use this chance to gain an insight how it feels. Begin by deciding the order in which you will rotate these roles: The Interviewers (up to 3 people) Agree what type of post the Interviewee wishes to be interviewed for. You will be provided with a list of ‘Commonly Asked Questions’, which are often asked in a first interview. These may also be adapted for interviews for places on postgraduate courses, research, or for second degrees. As an interview panel, you have 10 minutes max. to interview your candidate and make a decision as to whether they will be suitable for the position you are recruiting for. Take it in turns to ask a question, selecting a mixture of questions from different sections of the Commonly Asked Questions sheet, or by constructing some of your own. The Interviewee (1 person) Agree with the interviewers what you would like to be interviewed for! Imagine that you are really interested in obtaining a position with this organisation (or doing this course / research). It is your task in the interview to convince the selectors that you are the right person. Think carefully about the skills and experience you have gained from your course and any work, or other activities you have been involved in. It is OK in this exercise to use your imagination and answer the questions ‘creatively’ (but seriously think about what activities, interests or work experience you may have to develop in real life to meet selection criteria for the job or further study you actually wish to pursue). The Observers (up to 2 people) One of your responsibilities is to act as the timekeeper. Ensure that the interview stops promptly after 10 minutes, by announcing ‘TIME’. Whilst the interview is taking place use the ‘Interview Feedback Sheet’ to note down your observations. Your comments are vital to support the Interviewers and provide more constructive feedback to the Interviewee. Instructions Having decided upon your roles and how you will rotate these so that everyone has a chance to be interviewed, arrange the chairs/seating arrangements accordingly. Start the first interview and continue for 10 minutes max., stopping promptly when the observer says ‘TIME’. Spend up to 5 minutes max. giving constructive feedback in the following order:

• The interviewee says briefly how they felt that they performed – what went well and what they felt was difficult.

• The observers give the “feedback sandwich” to the interviewee ie balancing the positive and areas for improvement comments. Feel free to offer feedback to interviewers.

• The interviewers may then with to follow up with their comments.

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Continue to repeat the above process until everyone has had chance to be interviewed. If you find you are running out of time, cut the interview to 5 minutes duration!

Interview Practice – Commonly Asked Questions

University • Why did you choose to study for a degree in Biomedical Science and in particular, the

course you are taking at Sheffield? • What have you learnt to date on your course, which could be relevant to this job? • Which student clubs and societies are you a member of and what position of

responsibility, if any, do you hold in these? • Tell me about what aspect(s) of your course you have enjoyed. • What else do you enjoy doing apart from your academic work and why? Work/voluntary experience • Tell me about any work experience you have had and what you have gained from it. • Which of the jobs, paid or unpaid, that you have held have you enjoyed most and why? • How did you obtain your work experience? • Tell me about your placement year. Employers/courses/research • Why are you particularly interested in this organisation / HE institution / research body? • What is your understanding of what this job / course / research will involve? • What do you know about our organisation? What recommendations, if any, would you

make to allow us to remain competitive in our market? • If I gave you unlimited resources for three years what would you do for your PhD? Career choice • What other careers are you considering and why? • What steps have you taken to find out more about your chosen career? • Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years time? What are your future career plans? • What kind of skills/personal qualities make you right for the job/course/research? Personal issues • Tell me about yours yourself… • How would your friends describe you? • Do you prefer working on your own, or with others? Explain your preference. • What type of books do you prefer to read and why? Testing questions • What are your strengths and weaknesses? • Why should we offer you the job, as opposed to the other candidates we are

interviewing? • What is your greatest achievement to date? / Name 3 achievements you are proud of. • Describe a situation where you have demonstrated motivation and initiative. • Please give a recent example of a team in which you were involved. What was your role?

What challenges did you face? How successful do you feel you were? • What are you views on Genetically Modified Food? (or other current affairs/live issues) • What are the interesting questions in this research field?

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Section 4: Website Design You are required to construct a fully-working website on a topic related to one of your L2 or L3 modules. The completed website must be submitted on a CD on Wednesday 17th December. No help with the construction of your site will be provided by the Department after 16.00 on Friday 12th December. The website must be entirely your own work and you will be asked to sign to this effect. Furthermore, a sample of students will be required to attend during the January examination period to demonstrate how they constructed their site.

The site should be no more than 8 pages long (ideally only 6 pages). It should be targeted at fellow students and should represent a learning tool for someone undertaking the module with which your website is associated. Some suggested titles will be provided but you are free to suggest your own topic with the proviso that no two titles should be the same or on the same topic. This will be decided on a first come, first served basis with my decision being final.

All text must be your own (original – not copied from books etc). You are however allowed to acquire images from what-ever source you like, although the frequent use of diagrams etc from a single source will not gain good marks. You must acknowledge on your website the precise origin of all your images.

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Section 5 UCAS Tours

You will be required to assist in one of the three departmental open days. Details regarding the allocation to one of the three open days and your role in the day will be posted on MOLE.

As part of your coursework for the module you are required to submit a one page report including details on:

• Your role – tour guide, coach guide, demonstrator

• Number and type of students involved - e.g. 6 girls, all neuroscience applicants, school leavers, mature students etc.

• How the students interacted with you – type and number of questions, were they shy, intimidated, out to impress, bored, cynical?

• How you interacted with the students – didn’t know what to say, spoke too much, star of the show, only doing it because I had to etc

• From your experience would you offer them a place?

• Communication/presentation skill you were able to practice?

• Your critical opinion of your performance

• Your observations on the exercise as a whole