Developing Communication Skills Computer Science Yr1

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Developing Communication SkillsComputer Science
Yr1

• Sophie Charles
• Careers Adviser

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Session Objectives

• Consider what is communication? and your own
  communication skills.
• Identify what employers want.
• Examine the role of communication skills in IT
  employment.
• How communication skills are assessed by
  employers
• writing a CV
• Application Forms/ Interviews

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What Is Communication?
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Communication is.

• 55 - 70 of communication is Non
  Verbal
• eye contact, facial expression, posture,
  appearance, tone of voice etc
• First Impressions!!
• assessing your own others non verbal behaviour

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Icebreaker- NVC

• Work in pairs
• Person 1
• talk for one minute about your experiences of
  being an undergraduate at Birmingham University
  so far.
• Person 2
• listen to Person 1, but do not give eye contact
  and do not not use any facial expressions.
• Feedback

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Other forms of communication...

• Reading Research
• effective reading strategies
• reading critically/ analysing information
• finding relevant information
• managing it appropriately
• Writing
• correct use of grammar and spelling
• report writing
• technical writing
• letters
• CV

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• Oral Communication
• Presentations (OHT powerpoint)
• Public Speaking/ Speech making
• Contribution to meetings
• Interviews
• Telephone communication
• Negotiation/ Persuasion/ Conflict Management

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Why is it important?

• "A further degree would be valuable, but
  analytical abilities and excellent communication
  skills are more important."
  Civil Service Fast Track Scheme
• "Strong communicator and effective team player"
  Proctor and Gamble
• "The important thing is that you can demonstrate
  excellent communication skills will be able to
  demonstrate that you have what it takes to make a
  real contribution" American Express

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Communication Skills in IT Employment

• Handout - IT Job Roles

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Case StudyMapInfo Software Company

• Sales
• Software selling experience
• Ability to demonstrate software products
• Ability to qualify opportunities and
  relationships
• Ability to write complex proposals
• Manage own contacts and networking
• Excellent telephone manner
• Ability to cold call, proactively canvessing
  leads
• Product Management
• Ability to create presentations
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts
  to non technical audiences

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• Technical Support
• Good written and verbal skills, ability to listen
• Detailed orientated with ability to document work
  and keep records up to date
• Experience of dealing with end users/customers
• Consultancy
• Excellent customer facing skills
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Data Processing
• Ability to write specifications and maintain
  technical notes
• General administration.

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• Operations
• Experience of managing inventory and defining
  bills of material
• Month end reporting
• Excellent written and verbal communication
  skills, confidence and assertiveness
• Ability to manage their party from a distance
• Management Information Systems
• Assertive attitude, confident in dealing with a
  busy demanding user environment
• Excellent communication and customer facing
  skills

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Project Cycle

• customer liaison and requirements
• invitation to tender
• bid preparation
• systems analysis
• system specification
• programming
• integration
• testing
• implementation
• ongoing customer support

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• Instead, IT staff who also offer general
  business and communications skills are likely to
  be more successful at getting and keeping a job,
  in what is a much tougher job market than a few
  years ago.
• (Paul McCloskey, product manager for e-Quals --
  an IT qualification run by City Guilds (ZDNET)

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Assessing Your Own Communication Skills

• Quick Test Handout

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How Communication Skills Are Assessed by
Employers
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Curriculum Vitae

• NO RULES - only principles
• 60 SECONDS TO IMPRESS
• FORMAT
• Word-processed (or typed)
• Legible, copiable, pleasing to the eye, spacious
• Well laid out and signposted
• Concise - 2 sides at most
• Focussed most relevant information first
• Short phrases/bullet points rather than prose
• GIVE EXAMPLES

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Examples

• CIRCUMSTANCES
• What was the occasion?
• Who did the situation revolve around?
• ACTIONS
• What actions did you take?
• What did you do?
• What did you say?
• RESULTS
• What happened?
• Was there a good outcome?
• What feedback did you get?

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Headings to work with

• Curriculum Vitae or name ?
• Personal Profile or Careers Objective?
• Personal Details
• Education
• Transferable Skills
• Work Experience
• Specific/ technical Skills
• Leisure Interests
• Referees

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Active Positive Language

• ACTIVE PERSUASIVE WORDS
• analyse, evaluate, appraise, plan, forecast,
  write
• introduce, innovate, discover, plan arrange,
  organise, record
• consult, interview, discuss, advise, negotiate,
  lead, teach, train build,
• make, use, handle, construct
• WORDS WHICH CLAIM YOUR CONTRIBUTION
• DESCRIBE ACHIEVEMENTS SUCCESSES

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Application Forms

• Why do employers use application forms?
• What do they tell the recruiter?
• Illustration IBM Industrial Placement 2002
• Number of applications 2-3000
• First interviews 8-900
• Offers 400
• Paper forms Online applications
• good handwriting / word processing skills
• grammar and spelling
• managing space/ presentation style

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Essential steps

• Research the job/ gain background information
• Identify required skills competencies
• Gather your evidence - how do you match the
  skills competencies?
• Use your experiences to demonstrate the
  competencies
• Draw upon examples from study, p/t jobs, work
  experience, interests social activities

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DESCRIBE ANY ASPECT OF YOUR COURSE OF PARTICULAR
INTEREST TO YOU AND/OR OF RELEVANCE TO YOUR
APPLICATION

• Example 1
• I particularly enjoy studying programming because
  I have developed excellent skills in the use of
  java and C . I am also averaging 60-75 in all
  my assignments.
• Programming is an essential skill for any role in
  the IT sector.

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Example 2

• One particular project was to identify heavy
  metal pollutants in estuarial mud
• This was stimulating from a technical viewpoint
  and also taught me something about cooperating
  with other members of my group, forward planning,
  and presenting a final report

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Example 3

• My final year dissertation was on the impact of
  the Napoleonic Wars on levels of poverty in early
  nineteenth century France
• I had to sift through a mass of documents for
  relevant information, present a written argument
  and lead a seminar on my topic. This provoked a
  lively discussion!

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Oral communication skills

• Possible evidence
• discussed my conclusions at seminar groups
• gave a presentation about my project to other
  students
• interviewed local authority representatives for
  my dissertation
• gave clear instructions to members of my
  student drama group
• advised customers in my Saturday job with Boots
• negotiated an overdraft with my bank manager
• persuaded local businesses to sponsor rag week

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Interviews

• Marketing yourself
• Persuasion, explanation, description, negotiation
  and presentation
• Building maintaining a rapport
• Anticipating and responding to questions
• Providing information
• Research and preparation
• Non verbal communication
• first impressions
• smile, good eye contact, relaxed, positive

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Answering questions

• Speak at a paragraphs length
• Trust the interviewer to follow on if necessary
• Have a couple examples to draw upon
• Draw on specific situations to answer questions
• Try to end with the result achieved
• Each question is an opportunity to say something
  positive about yourself, and to demonstrate how
  you match what they are looking for.

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Developing Communication SkillsWhat now?

• 1. Practice
• identify areas that need developing eg. report
  writing, presentation, chairing meetings, non
  verbal communication etc
• use opportunities through your studies to
  practice and improve these
• 2. Experience
• take up opportunities to get actively involved
• use the next 3/4 years to gain a variety of
  relevant examples of demonstrating good
  communication

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Quick Test

• Answers
• 1.Youth hostelling is seen as many young people
  by a cheap and enjoyable way of seeing the
  countryside and meeting new people.
• 2. Skilful questioning based on a clear sense of
  skills is essential to promoting investigative
  purpose in police officers.
• 3. She was shopping in the sales and the
  assistant was being very helpful. (13 words)
• 4. One big bathtime problem caused by children of
  all ages is water flooding the bathroom floor.
  (16 words)