Employment Vibes

How to Properly Prepare for a Competency-Based Interview

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Welcome to my Employment Vibes content!

Having gone through significant job changes over the last five years, including redundancy, and switching careers, I feel ready to pursue my career goals. I wanted to share with you the employment journey I have been on and help those also looking for a job.

Let’s dive into the series, starting with How to Prepare for a Competency-Based Interview Properly.

Over the last two months, I’ve applied for any job which is relevant to me, in the hope of finding a position with more hours and a role which is more challenging.

Prepare for a Competency-Based Interview

I was actually successful in getting the role that I interviewed for first. But I also decided to keep my options open whilst going through the process. Interviewing at several different companies was a great experience for me. And when I first started this process, I genuinely didn’t know which role I would take. Going through this process over a few months, helped me narrow down my ambitions and preferences.

Sam – Founder – Thrift Plan Enjoy Blog

Here are my tips for starting the process and getting ready for the competency-based interview:

read and understand the job advert

The job advert is where the employer or recruitment agency will outline what they are looking for. You will occasionally see important information about deal-breaker scenarios. For example, they must be available for training for the whole of August. I appreciated this information when job-hunting – because it meant I could easily discount these jobs, based on the deal breaker terms, which I simply wouldn’t be able to meet. Bearing in mind childcare and my own deal-breakers. Such as always been around to drop my little one off at school.

Don’t be put off if you don’t meet ALL of the criteria in the job advert. But do look out for details on what your job would entail and whether you think the role would be suitable for you. What I mean by this, is if you hate being stuck in an office and like the outdoors, don’t apply for a position where you will be office-based every day and constantly speaking to people via phone and meeting in person. There are compromises you can make, such as hybrid working or supporting a team with less contact involved.

pick out the main competencies from the job description or person specification

When trawling through the job advert, you are essentially looking to match your experience to what is stated. But please don’t be put off if you don’t meet ALL of the job description and personal specification criteria. In my experience, employers are often looking for personality, in addition to candidates being able to do the job. They may also be willing to offer training in the areas you need it. You know know until you apply. So I would always say go for it, if you match most of the job description or person specification.

I picked out the main competencies from the job description or person specification by highlighting the criteria I met and picking out the wording, which I could then mirror in my cover letter and CV.

put a lot of preparation into breaking down the competencies and relating them to your career experience

HELPFUL TIP – a lot of employers use AI to analyse cover letters and CV’s, meaning they are looking for keywords used in the job description or person specification. Mirroring the exact wording used and tailoring it to your own experience can help you pass this stage of the checking process.

An example of some generic wording I picked up in several job applications was:
  • Experience in providing efficient administrative support to a busy team 
  • Excellent organisational skills with a clear logical approach to work including an understanding of the principles of good project management
  • Experience in extracting and interpreting data for monitoring reports
Out of the above, I would pick out these keywords or phrases:

providing efficient administrative support

Excellent organisational skills

extracting and interpreting data for monitoring reports

understanding of the principles of good project management

I would then put this wording into real-life examples from my own experience:
providing efficient administrative support

I am seeking a fresh opportunity that will allow me to leverage my organisational abilities and excel in a new role. I take great pride in delivering exceptional administrative services. With 12 years of experience in administration.

I thrive on providing efficient administrative support to a busy team, bringing the local community together by selecting candidates to attend our peer support groups, and regularly researching volunteering opportunities for our clients.

Experience in extracting and interpreting data for monitoring reports

Since working for XXX I have completed quality checks and data cleansing tasks to ensure we have accurate reports when we need to provide our monthly and quarterly monitoring reports. Part of my role involves extracting and interpreting data.

I recently created a dashboard to showcase the statistics for each Support Worker, which would feed into caseload management between our Team Leader and individual Support Workers.

Excellent organisational skills

When I started my recent role, there were no standard templates created. I, therefore, used my excellent organisation skills to set up a meeting minutes template and created a filing system for meeting minutes. When asked to provide data to our leadership team, I referred back to these records and used this information to drive changes to policy.

think of detailed examples or stories you can tell – of when and how you’ve demonstrated these competencies

When you haven’t applied for a job in a while, it’s difficult to get back into the mindset of answering questions in a competency-based way. But practising this right from the job-hunting stage can get you into the mindset of answering the interview questions. And it will eventually become second nature, making your responses sound more natural.

Using the STAR method, start writing examples of how you meet the competencies listed in the job description, as this will be useful for any future interviews you attend.

start from the beginning and save your answers

EVERYTHING you do, right from the stage of reading job adverts is useful. Create spreadsheets and save that information. I ended up with several tabs on a spreadsheet – applied for jobs, a summary of jobs I decided not to apply for and the reasons. Job adverts that ended, companies to look out for in future.

Note down everything!

Want more detailed examples and information to help with your competency-based interview?

You can now download my competency-based interview workbook.

Prepare for a Competency-Based Interview

practice your answers with the STAR response technique

What is the STAR method?

This technique involves outlining in detail, a situation you managed at work.

First, you explain the situation or problem you faced. Describe the action you took to perform the task. Then you explain the result. It’s a bit like telling a story.

  • Situation: Set the scene and give the necessary details of your example.
  • Task: Describe what your responsibility was in that situation.
  • Action: Explain exactly what steps you took to address it.
  • Result: Share what outcomes your actions achieved.

After doing some research online, I sometimes like to adapt this method to the following:

  • Situation: Set the scene and give the necessary details of your example.
  • Task or problem: Describe what your responsibility was in that situation.
  • Action: Explain exactly what steps you took to address it.
  • Result: Share what outcomes your actions achieved.
  • LEARNING -what did you learn during this process?
  • WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY – is there anything you would do differently?

Why use the STAR method?

Using the STAR method to answer interview questions can help the employer understand your abilities clearly and concisely.

Other pages to check out on the blog

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Examples of competency-based questions you might be asked

  • Describe a time that you had to work to a tight deadline, while still managing your normal workload.
  • Give an example of a complex project or task and how you made sure to see the task through to the end.
  • Please give an example of when you have taken pride in something you have achieved, or taken pride in a job and the organisation you have worked for. Please explain why this was important to you.
  • Tell me about a project that did not go according to plan. What corrections did you make and what were the results?
  • Can you describe an instance where you developed a strategy to stay organised and ensure you get all your work done under pressure?
  • Describe a time you had multiple projects on – how did you manage your time effectively and prioritise your tasks?
  • Please give an example of when you’ve treated others with respect and consideration; where you’ve listened carefully and responded with empathy, kindness and sensitivity.
  • can you give me an example of how you’ve used verbal communication to change someone’s mind?

Want more examples of competency-based interview questions, so you can fully prepare for your interview? Check out my comprehensive workbook here.

Prepare for a Competency-Based Interview

How to recognise a competency-based interview question

Questions will usually be asked in the following format – therefore if you haven’t been sent the questions in advance, there will be a signal during your interview that it’s time to answer using the STAR method.

  • Tell me about a time when…
  • What do you do when…
  • Have you ever…
  • Give me an example of…
  • Describe a situation…

anticipate which questions will be asked before your interview

Some employers now issue competency-based questions before the interview. I think this is a great idea. If employers are looking to understand potential candidates, seek out unique talent and employ people who contribute in the best way possible, providing the interview candidate with time to prepare is a great idea.

In a recent interview, I was some of the questions were sent in advance. In other interviews, I could gauge what types of questions might be asked by looking at the role profile and researching the company and the department I would be working in.

rehearse your answers

For every interview I’ve had during my career, I always prepare notes and I usually print these out. With the introduction of remote interviews conducted via Microsoft Teams or Zoom, it’s easier to refer to notes quickly. I use them as a prompt, when I am asked a certain question, I can refer to bullet points about my answer.

Because I am used to creating video content, I also filmed myself giving some of my interview answers. For me, as an anxiety sufferer, it takes away the nervousness of when the questions are asked for real, in an interview setting.

be yourself

Out of the five interviews I attended recently, personality was either a deciding factor on whether to employ me or the interviewers’ personality and the company’s culture was a deciding factor on whether I declined the position or continued with the recruitment process.

We are all people at the end of the day, and personality and how you would fit into a company carries a lot of weight. Depending on the role you are applying for, you should also treat any interview as if you are interviewing the company. Ask questions and ensure that working for the company would be the correct fit for you.

I was actually successful in getting the role that I interviewed for first. But I also decided to keep my options open whilst going through the process. Interviewing at several different companies was a great experience for me. And when I first started this process, I genuinely didn’t know which role I would take. Going through this process over a few months, helped me narrow down my ambitions and preferences.

Want some examples of how to answer competency-based questions?

Can you describe a time when you proposed a solution to a work-related problem?

OR

Tell me about a time you’ve had to persuade someone.

Situation – When I worked at XXX the administration side of my role took up a lot of time, in addition to collating case files for the XXX and answering queries on the ongoing complaints we had with them. 

Task – To solve this problem, I met with the administration team and my managers to work out a plan for some help to collate paper case files for the XXX. 

Action – Having put forward our viewpoints in a constructive way.

Result – we were able to reach an agreement for them to help with the admin. It was great that I was able to ask for help when I needed it. 

LEARNING – it’s always worth seeking help and support, and asking in the right way.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY – Next time,

I would actively ask for a meeting to discuss our viewpoints.

Tell me about a time when you experienced a significant change at work

Situation – I recently experienced a change at work. xxx has moved to a new building to allow the local authority to create a well-being hub for the area on our old site. 

Task or problem – The change disrupted working patterns and impacted team meetings. As our team is mainly community-based, this is the only time we come together to talk about updates. 

Action – I dealt with this disruption and change by liaising with the PA to the senior leadership team, to switch room bookings around over the next few months and actively planned hot desk bookings for my time spent in the office. 

Result – I was then able to update our team and reassure them that, despite the disruption, we could still meet.

LEARNING – Change is good and can be seen as a positive. It depends on your mindset and how you frame it.  

WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY? – ensure that anyone in the team struggling with change is supported

Want more examples of competency-based questions and answers – download my competency-based interviews workbook here.

Some other, general questions you might be asked during your interview

Sometimes interviewers will ask the following types of questions to get to know you better.

  • Tell me about yourself.
  • How would you describe yourself?
  • What makes you unique?
  • Why do you want to work here?
  • Why have you applied for this role?
  • What motivates you?
  • How do you handle stress?
  • Why are you leaving your current job?
  • What are your goals for the future?
  • Are you actively interviewing for other roles currently?

Until next time

All three of my blogs were set up to help other people in their lives. Whether that be on a pregnancy or motherhood journey. Being a working mum. Suffering from anxiety or other mental health problems. Or just wanting to start a side hustle and save money. Down to what to watch next on Netflix.

I HAD to share my recent job-hunting journey with you and create a useful, affordable guide to help other people in a similar situation.

I hope it helps. Let me know in the comments below if you are on a similar journey and whether you’ve had a successful job offer. I would love to hear from you.

Prepare for a Competency-Based Interview
Future planning

Investing in Peace of Mind: How to Secure Your New Home

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It’s always exciting to buy a new home. Whether it’s your first property or your third, it’s a great opportunity to invest your money and to own something that’s all yours to enjoy.

Not only that, but you’ve got the opportunity to decorate your home to the liking that suits you. With that being said, it’s essential to be aware of everything you need to know when securing a new home. That will then hopefully make your investment stress-free and easy to manage from start to finish.

Looking to buy a new home this year? Here’s how to do it with success and as little friction as possible.

How to Secure Your New Home

Image Source

Assess the neighbourhood

First and foremost, you’re going to want to assess the neighbourhood when it comes to exploring different locations. Depending on your flexibility, there might be properties in areas that you like the look of and other properties that don’t tick the boxes due to the location and local amenities.

The property is just one part of getting a new home you love. It’s the surrounding location that is also important, as well as what’s in the area that you might need if you have young children attending nearby nurseries and schools.

Assessing the neighbourhood should be done online and offline. Sometimes, going to a neighbourhood physically can give you more of a helpful insight into what the area looks like and whether it’s the best fit for you and your household.

How to Secure Your New Home

Do your market research

Market research is definitely something to think about when it comes to buying a new home. It’s worthwhile looking at all of the different areas, but you also want to take a closer look at the market itself. Is it a competitive market right now for buyers, or is it more in favour of the sellers?

This is important to find out as it will often determine whether you get a good price for it or not. With that being said, think about what type of market you want, ideally a buyer’s market, but also ensure the right properties are available for you to buy.

While some properties might be out there, it might not be a useful enough selection that you could seriously see yourself in any of the properties available.

Choose the right real estate agents

Real estate agents who are good at their job are somewhat easy enough to find if there are plenty of them in the areas you’re looking at. However, there will be some that are premium in their performance and their ability to get listings over other agents.

There are lots of real estate agents out there, so it’s worthwhile exploring your options and speaking to them directly about your needs. The great agents will be listening, taking note, and offering you a variety of properties to view that match your criteria.

The ones that aren’t so good will just be keen to get you as their customer, even if they don’t have anything yet on their books that matches your needs. You don’t want to have your time wasted, so make sure you’re picking your real estate agents wisely when buying a property. When you’re looking at securing your new home, be selective.

Be vigilant in your viewings

Viewings are something to be vigilant about when it comes to securing a new home. You can’t simply make a decision based on what you’ve seen online. Instead, you need to see the properties you’re interested in, in person, too.

When you’re attending these viewings, you’ll want to focus on every detail of the home. Don’t feel you’re being rude by opening cupboards or checking water flow pressure. You want to get a real good insight into every property you view to ensure it’s the right pick.

There’s nothing worse than thinking you’ve got the right property without looking and then realizing that there’s X, Y, and Z wrong with it a few months into owning it. Check everything, and if you’re still not sure, you can always go back for a second or even third viewing.

Know what you can afford

It’s important to know what you can afford when it comes to buying a new property. You don’t want to be viewing properties and putting in offers to those current property owners if you can’t afford it in the first place.

How to Secure Your New Home

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You want to look at the costs of buying a home beyond just the property price itself. There are legal costs and furnishing costs to consider too. That’s why it’s important to price up everything before you start looking. That way, you’ll know exactly what you can spend and what you might not be able to afford.

Some people lean on their families for financial support, and others will save until they’re ready to move or make their first purchase. Be mindful of what you can afford to spend and adjust accordingly to your needs. 

Make your home secure inside and out

Home security is an important part of your home’s comfort and your peace of mind. When you’ve finally secured a home, you’ll now want to look at securing it from a security point of view.

There are a lot of ways in which you can add security to your home and keep it secure. Here are just a few examples to get you started.

Replace any broken or worn windows and doors

Your windows and doors are an important part of your home’s security and are the vulnerable entry points that you’ll need to make sure are secure.

With that being said, you should look to secure your home inside and out by replacing any broken or worn windows and doors. Look at how long you’ve had these windows and doors so that you can replace any that are worn or simply too old now to continue using.

Ensure all locks work around the home

Locks should be working throughout the home, and if they’re not, then they leave your home open and incredibly vulnerable. If the doors or windows are ok but the locks aren’t, then you’ll want to ensure all those locks are replaced accordingly.

Have all alarms in good working order

Alarms should be in good working order when it comes to fire alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, too. Check that the batteries are new and test the alarms to make sure they make a sound.

Utilize technology for security

Technology provides us with a wonderful advantage nowadays. It gives us access to things that generations prior could have never dreamed of having. For modern properties and even those that are over a hundred years old, technology has become an integral part of the home.

In order to help improve security, you should look at investing in home security systems. These can be placed throughout the home to give you eyes on every inch of your property, which can prove helpful when you’re away.

You’ve also got smart appliances that can help navigate around your home with ease and keep it safe, too.

Join a neighbourhood watch

Finally, consider joining a neighborhood watch. This is a helpful way of getting extra eyes and ears on your local area. Nowadays, neighbourhood watches usually exist online through online websites and social media like Facebook. It’s worth joining these in order to keep tabs on your local area and being made aware of anything that may be of concern.

If you’re looking to invest wisely in a new property, then follow these tips for guidance. 

Plan

Looking After Your Elderly Relatives Doesn’t Have To Be Stressful

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There will come a time in your life when you need to help out looking after one or more of your relatives and their health. You never know when it’s coming, and you never know how much you’re going to need to be involved until you’re in the thick of it. However, we know that many people try to avoid this as much as possible due to the fact that they’re convinced it’s going to be super stressful. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be if you break it down enough. That’s what we’ve done for you, so keep reading if you would like to find out more about everything you need to know including the right type of care. 

Looking After Your Elderly Relatives

Pexels CCO License

Make Sure They Eat Enough

One of the things that you need to do is make sure that they are eating enough. As we get older, our appetite often shrinks and therefore we try to get away with eating less and less. But, you still need to ensure that all nutrients and necessary vitamins are being gotten, as well as just generally eating enough to survive. We understand that this can be a task and a half sometimes, and it might even be worth looking into vitamins for them to take to make sure they don’t miss out on anything.

Take Them Out Places

If you’re looking after your elderly relatives, being cooped up in the home all of the time isn’t going to help them feel good, so you’re going to need to make sure that they are getting out. Even if it’s just a simple walk once per day, head to the park to see the ducks, go out shopping or for a bite to eat, anything that gets them out of the house. 

Looking After Your Elderly Relatives

Taking them out places means that they are still enjoying their life to the fullest possible, and that they don’t constantly sit inside and wonder what the sky looks like. For the sake of their physical and mental health, you’ve got to do this.

Prioritize Their Health in Small Ways

Taking your elderly relative’s entire health journey on your shoulders can be stressful, but there are smaller ways to prioritize and guide their health. To some extent, even the tips already mentioned will help with this. 

Equally, guiding them away from bad habits like smoking with the help of tools like vape juice, or even simple distraction could lead to significant health improvements. Simply helping your loved one keep track of their upcoming appointments could also be a huge help, ensuring they’re far better able to manage their own health without the overwhelm that can often occur when appointment numbers increase in later life. 

These aren’t huge tasks that you’ll need to worry about. In fact, they could make life with your elderly relative even less stressful over time.

Hire Home Help 

There may come a time where you are not able to support them by yourself anymore, or even with the help of your family. But, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they need to be put into a facility when there are other options that can be done first. For example, you can look into hiring some home care help to check in on them a few times a day, ensure that the basics are being helped with, and generally give your elderly relative an easier life. It’s just a case of finding the right home care help for you, and finding the money to pay for it. 

Hopefully, you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you can do to make looking after your elderly relatives quite easy. There are always going to be those bad days, but even then, you just need to take it back to basics and all will be well. Just remember, what you’re doing to help is enough, even when it doesn’t feel like it.

Enjoy, Working mum mini-series

4 Careers for Work-at-Home Moms

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So many parents seek flexible careers once they have a baby. Knowing that life has to change is one thing but experiencing it is entirely other. A growing number of mothers, especially, look to work from home when they have a child because they want the flexibility of being able to work and being able to raise their children.

It’s not an uncommon thought; but it’s not the easiest transition to make. Whether it’s due to desiring more control over their future or they want to start a new business in real estate, there are options for mothers who want to work from home and still maintain a balance with their families. Let’s take a look at four of those below:

Image source: Pexels

Real estate agency

If you’ve had property experience before, then you know that a career in real estate works for working mothers who want flexibility and better earning potential. Understanding property deed paperwork and understanding the local area are both things that are necessary should you choose to go it alone. You can do much of your work over the phone and via email, and schedule viewings and showings when your kids are at school or daycare. That gives you the flexibility that you need and you can build up your own business and client list.

Freelance writing

Do you have a knack for writing and enjoy being creative? Being able to work from home writing a blog or writing website content is a great way to be a flexible worker and manage around your kids. Many companies hire freelancers for high quality content writing because it can be done at a lower cost than hiring in-house employees. If you have the opportunity to do this, you can start building a business at home while the kids are busy or at school. You can even work in the evening, building your own hours so that you can build an income while maintaining your presence with your family.

Virtual assisting

There are so many companies that are hiring virtual assistants these days, particularly post-COVID. This means that you have the chance to work from home, managing email, scheduling appointments and even building on social media management. This career is ideal if you’ve had a baby because you’re able to decide on a niche and keep working while your babies are young.

Creative Careers

There are plenty of viable artistic outlets that could be great for mums, from graphic design for big companies, to running your own tattoo studio. The great thing is that these careers can be entirely flexible to your schedule. Do note that, if you choose a freelance creative career, you may end up needing to spend a fair amount upfront on supplies from paints and editing software, right through to stencil solution and a tattoo gun. However, plenty of companies also seek in-house or remote creatives who benefit from company resources and very little personal outlay.

Build an ecommerce store

Etsy is a wonderful place to begin if you have an idea for a product. You will find that many mothers are finding success in creating online stores through virtual platforms, making products and selling them online that will build a substantial income as a result. You get to whet your creativity while earning cash that you can push into your family.

Working at home as a parent offers flexibility and an income, and you can do this without having to compromise on your ambitions. Whether you want to be in real estate or you want to assist others with their admin, there are opportunities out there if you care to look for them.

Gift Guides

Let’s Celebrate The Dad’s – 8 Unique Gifts From Etsy

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Let’s Celebrate The Dad’s – 8 Unique Gifts From Etsy. Read on for some lovely gift picks.

Let's celebrate Dad's

Please note – some of the links contained in this post are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, there is no additional cost to you, but I may make a small commission.

Want to browse? Visit the Father’s Day Hub Here.

First Father’s Day gifts – check out the full range of First Father’s day gifts. I also have a few great picks for you below…

What a special time is is to be a first time dad – I remember us buying all kinds for babygrows and keepsakes to commemorate the occasion, because kids are only little once. And it’s an important time!

Father’s Day Gift From Wife & Daughter

This is such a cute idea. You can get either a print or digital download of the creation. Such a personalised gift to really show your appreciation to the dad in your life.

Let's celebrate Dad's
Image courtesy of Etsy

Personalised First Father’s Day Baby Vest

We still have the vests we ordered, similar to this, in a keepsake box, and we will keep them forever. A keepsake of a time when my little one was tiny.

Long after the baby stage is over, you can look back on this memory!

Let's celebrate Dad's
Image courtesy of Etsy

Custom Father’s Day Mini Keepsake Photo Book

I don’t know about you, but we have two adventurers who love to explore. They call it “hiking” or “going up the mountain”, which basically means a small hill. But anyway, this would be perfect for any dad and girl who are avid explorers!

Let's celebrate Dad's
Image courtesy of Etsy

Travel gifts for Dad – browse the full range – some of my best picks are below

Personalised Holiday Boarding Pass, Scratch to Reveal Surprise

This is such a cool idea if you want to surprise someone with a holiday – what an amazing thing to do!

Let's celebrate Dad's
Image courtesy of Etsy

I have written many gift guides on my other blog, Mummy Conquering Anxiety.

Looking for cost effective things to do with the kids?

Mountain Scene Aluminium Adjustable Cuff Bracelet

This bracelet is so cute—I am tempted to order it as a present for the dads in our lives.

Let's celebrate Dad's
Image courtesy of Etsy

Personalised Compass Coordinates Travel Keepsake Box

We still have one of these boxes, with our family name on and it’s something we will treasure forever. She an amazing keepsake.

Let's celebrate Dad's
Image Courtesy of Etsy

Travel Gift – Leavers Gift – New Home Gift – New Job Gift – New Beginnings Keyring – Personalised Keyring – First Home Keyring – New Start

What a beautiful gift – one you will look at several times a day.

Let's celebrate Dad's
Image courtesy of Etsy

Where we first met – Metal wallet card with map & caption. Christmas gift for boyfriend. Personalised anniversary gifts for him Valentine’s Day keepsake

This is someone to remember and I have honestly never seen something so unique and wonderful.

Image courtesy of Etsy
Image courtesy of Etsy

Summary

I hope you enjoyed reading all about my best picks from Etsy for your Father’s Day gifting needs – didn’t find what you’re looking for? Click the button below to access the Father’s Day Hub:

Take me to the Father’s Day Hub

Enjoy

How to Talk to Your Kids About Death

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There are very few topics that are difficult to talk about when it comes to children, but death is always up there as one of the hardest ones to discuss. Every child’s experience of death or loss is very different, but there are some best practices that you can follow to make these conversations a little easier. It’s not that you want to spring it out of the blue on your kids, but sometimes you have to bring up the discussion of somebody close to you dying or a pet dying. 

It’s not a particularly nice conversation to have, but helping children understand the process of death and Funeral services and what it all means can help them feel more encouraged when something like this happens. It’s always a good idea to be open and honest, and if your children are asking questions about death, as long as they are old enough to hear the answer in an age-appropriate way, they should be answered and they do deserve that. So here are the following tips that you need to talk to children about death.

Talk to Your Kids About Death
Image source: Pexels

Be an active listener

Listening to your child will always be helpful, but you need to listen actively. Use phrases to tell them that you are listening carefully, like telling them that you can hear them and asking them to tell you more. You want to hear about their worries and you want to hear about what they have to say about a death, and this can help them to feel reassured that you understand where they are coming from.

Don’t fill the silences

If you ask a child too many questions, they will go quiet. The feeling of becoming overwhelmed and not knowing what the right answer is is often hard. By giving children time to think things through, their questions will come to them, and they’ll also feel more comfortable with the conversation when they’re the ones leading it. Breaking the news that a pet or a loved one has died is never going to be easy on you either. But don’t fill up the silences with mindless chatter. Give them a chance to process.

Don’t hide your own emotions

Children are often better at handling the truth of a situation than we are. If you have lost a parent a sibling or a friend, you’re going to have to break that news to your child. And that’s very difficult emotionally for you to have to do when you know that you are in the midst of your grief. It’s OK to cry and it’s OK to show them your emotions because grief is a very natural emotion that your children will be experiencing at some stage.

Encourage sharing

With the help of open-ended questions, you can encourage your children to share their own feelings. Don’t take over the conversation or avoid the conversation about death. Ask them what they think about it and what they feel about it. Ask them what they believe happens during the process of dying and what happens next. It’s important for them to have their views and for you to hear them. 

Family matters

How To Support Your Kids Through The Loss Of A Grandparent

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Let’s talk about How To Support Your Kids Through The Loss Of A Grandparent

Loss Of A Grandparent
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Losing a grandparent is one of the first heartbreaks that most youngsters ever experience. Your job as a parent is to help them through this while simultaneously handling your own grief. 

While your maternal instincts will naturally kick in, it helps to feel organised at this time. Here are six of the best ways to support your kids at this time.

1- Free Up Your Time

Above all else, kids need to feel your presence at this time. Taking off some time from work is a crucial first step that also gives you time to process your grief. Getting professional support with the send-off arrangements is also vital. Finding a funeral home near me allows you to organise the right send-off. The fact it removes stress while also saving you a lot of time means you can pay more attention to your kids too.

2- Talk To Them

Experiencing death for the first time can completely shatter a child’s life. They probably don’t know how to process what has happened. Talking to them about death is essential. It requires a calm and comforting approach. It’s important to be honest about the fact that their grandparent is gone forever, but you should still show a soft side. Try to emphasise that the cherished memories will live on forever.

Loss Of A Grandparent

3- Listen

Talking to kids is an important step towards guiding them through grief. However, it’s equally vital that you are there to listen. Your child might not open up right away. When they are, though, active listening allows you to understand more about how they are truly feeling. In turn, you can adjust your responses accordingly in a bid to help them reach the best possible outcome. Letting their sadness out instantly comforts kids.

4- Maintain Routine

Losing a grandparent can leave kids feeling like life is over, especially if they shared a close connection. So, you need to show that many of the positive features in their life will remain. Kids may need a little time off school to process the initial pain. However, getting back to school and social clubs is beneficial. Young children are resilient. Allow them to keep living their lives, and they will be back to thriving in no time.

5- Arrange Some Treats

It might not feel like a time for celebrating. However, the loss of a loved one brings a lot of sadness into your world. Looking for a day out at a local attraction near me can restore a sense of balance. Moreover, it is a chance for you all to temporarily take yourselves away from the sadness while creating positive memories. Besides, the dearly departed would want nothing more than to know that their child and grandchild are OK. 

6- Remember Their Grandparent Together

The age of your child will determine how it manifests, but remembering your loved one is vital. Some examples are drawing pictures, creating photo slideshows, or writing a poem. You may then want to create a small memorial in the garden or take the items to decorate their headstone. Either way, a conscious effort to remember your loved one as a family is one of the most effective steps.

Working mum mini-series

4 Productivity Hacks for Working Moms

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Being awake in mum means that you often have to juggle many different roles in one single day between deadlines, meetings, school runs, and family responsibilities. 

It’s very easy for you to start feeling like you are stretched. The key to staying productive without burning out is for you to work smart and not harder. 

Productivity Hacks for Working Moms
Pexels – Photo by Anna Tarazevich

Let’s have a look at some of the tips that can help you, as a working mom, stay on top of the game while making some time for yourself.

Plan Tomorrow, Tonight 

One of the simplest ways that you can get ahead is by planning your day the night before. Before you go to bed, take a few minutes to write down your top three priorities for the next day. Include things for personal and work so that nothing gets overlooked. 

When you wake up, you will already have a clear plan for what you need to accomplish that day. This small habit can help save you time and reduce morning stress.

Time Block Your Day

Time blocking can help you manage your day more efficiently. 

Rather than multitasking and jumping from task to task, try dividing your day into blocks of focus work time, personal time, and family time. 

For example, you might reserve from 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for deep work without any distractions and then have a break and allow some time for meetings and emails. 

Time blocking means that you are able to give your full attention to tasks without feeling as though you are scattered between many different places.

Productivity Hacks for Working Moms

Take Short Breaks to Recharge

Although it may sound counterproductive, taking a few short breaks from work can actually improve productivity. 

Research shows that taking 5 to 10-minute breaks every hour improves focus and reduces mental fatigue. You should ideally be taking breaks to stretch, hydrate, or just simply step outside for some fresh air. You may also want to think about recharging by using a massage chair at home. 

A 10-minute session in a massage chair can help reduce stress and give you the energy to tackle the rest of your day. Have a look here if you would like to know where to buy massage chairs for convenient access.

Delegate and Ask for Help 

You don’t need to be doing everything yourself, especially when you are a working mom. Whether it is doing work tasks or household chores, look for chances to delegate where you can. 

At work, share responsibilities with other people in your team, and at home, involve your kids, your partner, or even hire help when you can. 

By freeing up some time, you will be able to focus on what really matters and reduce any feelings of overwhelm.

Find Balance 

Productivity isn’t just about doing more with your day; it’s all about doing what matters most and making time to recharge and care for yourself when you need to. 

Try adding one or two of these tips above to your routine to see how it helps you. Which one are you going to start today?

Working

How to Manage a Small Business as a Mum

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Manage a Small Business as a Mum
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When you’re a mum, you may also want to have some time to yourself still and feel like you’re building a career. But that can be hard when you want to devote as much of your time and energy to your children as possible. Yet, it is doable! It’s all about having the right balance between them. So in this blog post, we will look at how you can manage it.

Get Yourself Organised

First of all, you need to be organised. When you’re looking to balance more than one thing in your life, you need to be on top of it. Having schedules here can help. That way, you can be super clear on what’s going on in your children’s lives but also have a set schedule for the business that you can plan around this too. Using calendars and scheduling apps can be helpful here.

Find a Good Balance

The next thing that you’re going to want to do is make sure that you’re able to balance the business and mum’s life well. This can be hard to do, but there are always ways for you to separate the two. Here, making sure that you get a reconditioned iPhone to do business on can help to physically separate the two worlds. That way, you can find a good balance between both.

Manage a Small Business as a Mum

Set Limits and Boundaries

However, you also need to be able to find a good balance between them in terms of your time, energy, and attention. You won’t want the mum guilt to be setting in. So here, you’ll find that setting boundaries can make a world of difference. It might be that you want to limit the time you work on your business to set hours in the day, and then set boundaries with customers and clients around your availability too.

Check out all the posts in my Working Mum Mini-Series here.

Be Passionate About What You Do

When life is busy and you’re feeling like you’re juggling many things, passion helps. Actually enjoying everything you do makes it feel much less burdensome. So here, one thing that you’re really going to want to make sure applies is that you’re passionate about what you’re doing. If the work you do or the business you start doesn’t fill you with joy, it might just make you feel stressed! So if you want to manage your small business venture well, make sure that you’re in love with what you do. That way, it will feel worth it.

Don’t Pressure Yourself

However, as much as you’ll want to give this your all and enjoy building a business in your own time, you won’t want to pressure yourself too much. Ultimately, it needs to work around your children and parenting. Otherwise, you may experience too much Mum guilt. This is why finding a balance and setting boundaries can be useful here. But you also need to ensure that you’re not putting too much pressure on yourself here. Make sure that you enjoy what you’re doing, that you keep an open mind, and that you’re happy to see how things go.

Blogging

3 Mistakes You’re Making With Your Blog & How to Fix Them

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There’s something incredible about hitting publish on a blog post and watching the views roll in from your readers. As a blogger, you likely keep up with rankings and other forms of ways to see how well your blog is doing. You may have been wondering why your stats aren’t as good as other blogs, and even though you feel like you’re putting in all of the effort you can you’re not getting anywhere with it. You’re likely making small mistakes that are preventing you from being up there with the top bloggers. Here are 3 of the mistakes you’re making with your blog and how to fix them.

Mistakes You're Making With Your Blog
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Content

Pretty much the most important part of your blog is the content that you’re publishing. While it’s great to be able to come home after a long day and have a rant on your blog, it’s not useful to many people unless you’re a celebrity that people like reading about. You need to make sure that the content you’re uploading on your blog is useful to people in some way, and that they are leaving your blog having learned something new. One way to refine and enhance your writing is by using an AI paraphrasing tool, which can help reword sentences for clarity and engagement. Think about the niche of your blog and begin posting content that’s useful for the target audience of that niche. For example, if you have a business blog, post useful information that business owners can learn from and apply to their businesses.

Another great way of getting readers in is to offer them something for free. Many bloggers use free downloadable items like charts and tables which can help their readers in some way. If this can apply to you, use it! It’s also a fabulous way of getting subscribers too!

Mistakes You're Making With Your Blog

Search Engine Optimisation

Search engine optimisation or SEO is a crucial part of running a successful blog. This is because it makes it easier for readers and people looking for information to find your blog in the first place. The better your use of SEO is, the higher you will appear on search engine results, so make sure that you’re well-versed in SEO. Take a look at these SEO mistakes to see if there is any way that you can improve on what you’re doing. You will notice an immediate improvement in your blog.

The Use Of Social Media

Social media is a very powerful tool in all aspects of life, but for bloggers, it’s a haven for gaining readers and followers of your blog. Make sure that you’re joining groups and boards that can help contribute towards the followers on your blog. For example, Pinterest offers group boards where you’re able to share your pins. If it’s run by a blogger, you will likely be asked to repin something in exchange for visibility on your pins and your blog.

Each social media platform has a different algorithm, and if they are used correctly they can dramatically improve the readers that you gain, and also the followers on each platform. Learn the algorithms of social media and use it to your full advantage, you will soon notice the difference in your stats!

Working

The Silent Tests You Didn’t Know You Were Taking in an Interview

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in an Interview
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It’s fairly scary to think, but first impressions usually start before you even say hello. While yes, job interviews should be about skills, experience, and how well someone fits the role. Well, in theory, that’s how it works. But in reality? People judge, sometimes on the pettiest things imaginable. Honestly, it can be hard to prepare for an interview if you’re also going to be “interviewed” for tiny things that probably don’t even matter.

It’s not just about the handshake or the answers to “Where do you see yourself in five years?” It’s about the shoes, the way someone enters the building, and so much more. Is it unfair? Yeah, absolutely. But hiring managers are human, and humans make snap judgments whether they realise it or not (usually they do).

Shoes Speak Volumes

Yes, shoes shouldn’t determine professional credibility, but they play a role in how someone is perceived. Too casual? Might be read as not taking the opportunity seriously. Too bold? Could come across as attention-seeking. But the real silent judge? Well, it’s heel height.

Actually, even a towering stiletto might suggest confidence, or be seen as impractical. It just depends on the person interviewing you. But even a completely flat shoe might read as understated or lacking authority. Well, what about mid-height? It’s probably the safest bet.

in an Interview

How You Arrive Says More Than You Think

The moment someone walks through the door, the interview has already started. The receptionist notices. The security guard notices. People talk. Then there’s the actual arrival. Showing up flustered, out of breath, or visibly frustrated because of train delays? Well, it could be seen as poor time management (even though this is out of everyone’s control). But even your car matters.

As unfair as it sounds, pulling up in a clunker immediately gives a bad impression compared to having a sleek ride such as a Mercedes GLA (which is far more affordable than you’d think). But overall, it’s those subtle signs of success that are spoken, even without saying a word. But yeah, it’s 100% shallow, to say the least.

Handshake Strength

A handshake should be simple, but somehow, it’s one of the most overanalysed moments in an interview. If it’s too weak then it’s a sign that you’re lacking confidence. If it’s too strong, well, it means you’re trying too hard. Too short? Not engaged. Too long? Why is this still happening? 

Needless to say, there are just too many considerations, right? It’s a brief moment that should mean nothing, yet some hiring managers will hold onto it like it’s an actual qualification. This isn’t to scare you, it’s just that some people care (usually older men), while some people don’t.

There’s the Accessories Trap

Now, this one might already be known, but it never hurts to mention it. So, a giant, overstuffed bag could signal disorganisation. A tiny one that barely fits a notebook, might be read as underprepared. Even watches get judged, such as luxury brands (could seem flashy), while a broken strap might suggest a lack of attention to detail. Then there’s the phone, for example, a cracked screen usually gives a bad impression.

The Exit is Still Part of the Test

Last, but not least, walking out like the building is on fire could come across as too eager to escape. But hanging around too long might seem off as well. Plus, forgetting to acknowledge the receptionist on the way out will give a bad look too.

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