Career Corner: Professional English & Job Readiness Series
If you’ve seen the announcement about the Communications Manager job, then you’re probably thinking about applying for the position. Lucky for you, we have Career Corner: the new Professional English and Job Readiness series. Check out the tips below to see how the English OLS Community and the larger EU Academy are here to help you on your journey.
Stand Out From The Crowd: How to use OLS, Mobility & Student Experience to Your Advantage.
The ESU Communications Manager position requires English proficiency. Are you ready to speak about your mobility experience and how it has prepared you to work with ESU? Brush up on your language skills by going through these resources to improve your professional English:
1. Professional English Practice: What are you doing? Practice describing your experience and anticipate questions interviewers may ask you. Our very own community member, Baturalp, has already told us about their experience.
Do you need more inspiration? Go to these two forum discussions, Did mobility change you? and Finishing your mobility program? Congratulations! to see the questions, links, and replies that may inspire you to write about your mobility experience.
2. Do you want to sound professional in written and spoken English? Then you must understand the informal contractions to avoid in formal or professional contexts. You don’t “wanna” accidentally say the wrong thing do ya*?
Understanding when, why, how, and with whom to use these informal contractions may be useful for a position that requires using social media; but first, it’s crucial that you get a handle on it now so that you are confident about when to switch to informal tones.
3. Have you had to work with difficult colleagues before?
What strategies did you use? If you’re unsure how to talk about this, visit
the English B2 Module, Working
Together.
4. You think you can do this job, but you don’t have a portfolio or examples of your work? Do the exercises in English Module B1, Digital Education. Be sure to click on the PDF to see the activities to create an elevator pitch and roleplay as a social media manager.
5. As the ESU Community Manager role is in the capital of
the EU, it might be useful for you to learn some vocabulary on one of the major
current topics in the EU, “European Identity.” Check out the B1 Module, What did
you think of the webinar on European identity?
6. Do you know what the #5
EU Missions are? Put yourself in good standing by viewing the recent
conferences centered around important subjects related to education and the
future of the EU. Don’t just watch these highly informative seminars, but come
back to OLS and discuss with each other what you learned. In fact, why not take
some notes while you’re watching so you’re prepared to chat with each other?
This is good practice for writing your cover letter & preparing for your
interview.
· European Research & Innovation Days
· Erasmus celebrated its 35th anniversary by having the Erasmus Days 3-day celebration and concluding with the final conference on December 14th. Watch the closing event here.
·
OLS Forums: Talk about your mobility experience here, here,
or here. Or start a new conversation.
BONUS: Take #6 a step further by creating your own campaigns specific to the themes mentioned in the seminars. By doing so, you can build your portfolio. :)
7. Stay ahead of the curve. The EU Academy itself has a wealth of courses on key topics facing the EU. How do these topics intersect with the future of students and their rights in the EU? Click the little arrow next to “Explore topics” in the yellow bar tab to see course options.
8. Curious about design, but have little to no experience? Get familiar by using simple tools like Canva to get started. Even if you’re not ready to apply for the ESU position, you could still practice and build a portfolio for your future job applications.
Your Turn
The information above should be a good start to getting you on your way. Do you have tips, questions, or feedback that you would like to share? Go over to the Practice Your English forum to leave in the Professional English & Job Readiness discussion.
If you decide to apply for the position, good luck and let us know how it goes!
Cheering you on from here,
Iya, OLS Community Manager – English
NOTE: words that are in bold with an underline are links. Be sure to click them to get the important information you don’t want to miss!
* Do ya (informal) = do you (formal)