Standing out from the competition at a job interview isn’t easy, but the MSc Communication students at Loughry Campus, College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (CAFRE) have been working hard to ensure they have the best chance possible in the job market. Many larger employers these days are moving away from using interviews to select new staff and are turning instead to using “real-life” ways of testing how well applicants can perform job tasks through, for example, an in-tray exercise simulation.
Standing out from the competition at a job interview isn’t easy, but the MSc Communication students at Loughry Campus, College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (CAFRE) have been working hard to ensure they have the best chance possible in the job market. Many larger employers these days are moving away from using interviews to select new staff and are turning instead to using “real-life” ways of testing how well applicants can perform job tasks through, for example, an in-tray exercise simulation
This involves the job applicant being given a selection of letters, emails and reports in either paper or electronic format, which somebody doing the job might find in their in-tray or email inbox. An in-tray exercise tests the applicant’s ability to organise and prioritise work, develop business strategies, communicate with staff and customers, delegate and make good decisions under pressure – qualities not easily demonstrated at a normal job interview.
Given the popularity of employers using such tests, and to maximise the Communication students’ potential to get hired, the full and part-time MSc students had a chance to practice their skills by completing an in-tray exercise as part of their course.
The MSc in Communication is a Queen’s University of Belfast programme, delivered at Loughry Campus in Cookstown and the course content and teaching strategies are continually being developed to meet the changing needs of agri-food and rural businesses. Despite the economic downturn, the good news is that, there are still many opportunities in this sector for individuals who have the education, training, imagination and ambition to meet the challenges of agri-food and rural businesses. “Real-life” assignments completed by students on the Communication programmes at Loughry, such as experiencing an in-tray exercise, help develop and provide evidence of these skills.
Applications are currently being accepted for communication programmes starting in September 2011. For more information, freephone 0800 028429.
Source: http://www.cafre.ac.uk
