It’s the worst thing about applying for jobs, or looking to be accepted onto a programme of study, or training. Writing that ‘personal statement’ section. You’re supposed to say how amazing you are and how committed and how dedicated you are to the cause, company or client.

Yuck. No-one likes it. But, nonetheless, it has to be done. An employer is not going to look favourably on you if you can’t muster anything positive to say about yourself, because grades and work experience actually tells them very little about you as a person.

If it helps, write down a list of all the skills you think employers look for in a person. Then (just for yourself) put a tick next to any that you honestly think you have. There you have it: a list of your attributes. You can just list them in your letter – but do try to put them into sentences at least. You can be self-confident and self assured without being cocky or arrogant, and that’s what employers want. So go for it – blow that trumpet!

If you want to make a good impression, make sure that you are prepared in advance for every interview – even if you don’t think you’d take the job.

The first thing to do is your homework on the company. In most interviews, you will be asked what you know about the company, and if your answer is ‘Um… not much, to be honest’ they are going to be pretty unimpressed. Look on their website, visit the shop, ask around. Find out their ethos, what they do, who they are, what other companies think of them.

Have your suit ironed and ready the day before. You don’t want to be rooting around in the washing basket trying to find a non-smelly shirt an hour before your interview, and putting on your lipstick at a red light on your way there. Arrive ten to fifteen minutes early, and make sure you know who it is you should ask for when you get there.

Even if you don’t get chance to tell them about all the wonderful things you’ve prepared and researched, it’ll mean you have a much better idea of the company and – let’s face it – you don’t want to accept a contract until you actually really know who you’re working for.

In interviews, the smarter the better is a general rule. So, what do you do if you have a tattoo, piercing, or fluorescent yellow hair? Show that you’ve made an effort.

So, if you have facial piercings, play them down by wearing clear studs, or smaller bars. If you have a tattoo somewhere easy to cover up, do so, but don’t lose sleep over it. Certainly don’t attempt to show it off or wear something that intentionally makes it visible.

Hair colour is a bit more tricky, as wearing a hat or scarf is generally a no-no. I’d recommend dyeing it so that there are only some parts of your hair a bright colour – like highlights, or a dyed fringe or undercolour – and then when you start work, ask them if they’d mind you dyeing more of it. With dreadlocks, tying them back makes them look more uniform and under control.

The bottom line is that you shouldn’t completely change the way you look, but you should certainly show that you have made an effort to smarten up.

Many people know to wear a suit for an interview. But what do you wear if you’re going to hand CVs round, or if you’re just popping in to see if there are any jobs? Many people would just do this whilst out shopping in their jeans and trainers, but if you want them to make an effort by considering your CV, you should make an effort to appear professional and interested.

If you go into an office or school wearing jeans and a crumpled t-shirt, your prospective employer is likely to believe that you are either careless, lazy, or ignorant. None of these are assumptions you want them to make.

Make your first impression count by starting as you mean to go on; dress smartly and appropriately, and you’re more likely to be remembered for your preparation. (You can always take some trainers in your bag to change into between places!)

If you’ve been unemployed for six months of more than the government have launched a new six month offer to help individuals gain the skills needed that local employers are looking for and need. Careers advice experts based in various centres will help you discuss what skills you want to work and what skills that employers want in their employees. This will help get a training plan under way and an advisor will help agree on a training course between 2 and 8 weeks. Some of these courses vary in length but all count towards a recognised qualification that you can work towards.

If an employer thinks you’re a good match for a job then they will most probably call you in to discuss the job further with you and find out if you’re the right person to join their team and organisation. You need to prove that you can do this job and to help you prepare there are several things you can do before hand. It’s important that you dress smart even if the role you’re looking to get doesn’t require you to dress in a shirt and tie. First impressions always count and generally this is formed as soon as you walk through the door. The next most important point is to be on time – if you’re going to a new location its best to try the route out beforehand to ensure you don’t get lost on the day.

Volunteering is a great way to learn new skills as well as help organisations whilst getting what you want out of it too. The type of volunteering activates that you can get involved in is vast and in most cases the assistance you provide is really appreciated. The type of roles can vary from cleaning up a nature reserve, to helping out in a old people’s home to working in a nursery! In the long term this can help you get into paid work by equipping you with the skills you need. It’s also a great way to meet new people and work in a area to make a difference.

If you’re starting to look for your first job or looking for a change, knowing the kind of job you want to do will make the search much easier! Careers advice centres have specialists who will help you think about the kind of career you want and what job might be best for you. One of the key factors which will determine a job from a career is if you need to work just to pay the bills or if you want a job to give you little bit more than that. What are your aspirations in life and where do you want to be – this will all help determine the path you want to take.

Careers in this day and age are not as clear cut as they were in our grandparents, parents and even older siblings time. The reason? Recession.

Learning what you are good at, and often what you enjoy, comes about in our school years, and we then focus our higher education towards attaining the skills and qualifications to get the job we would love to do.

But will this job be around in 10 years? Will it be a job to take to retirement? These sorts of questions haven’t really occurred to most 16 to 18 year olds, but this generation is struggling to find a first job, let alone a job to take them through the rest of their lives.

So, do we follow our dream job, or do we find a job that will last and always pay the bills?

These basic skills are vital in any job and with the current state of the education system we are finding more and more young people lacking in these basic skills. This is not the end of the world but it does require some action.

Are you finding yourself struggling with reading, writing and numeracy? If so then there are lot of options out there to help you. You could take a course or work towards a recognised qualification. First of though you need to know the best way for you to learn. Are you happy with classroom situations or would you rather self? Speak to your local careers advisor or jobcentre who may be able to send you in the right direction.
It is worth considering improving your skills as the benefits could be immense, like a better job or you may find yourself wanting to study further.