Scheduling workflow, planning resources, managing your own time, multi-tasking, and meeting objectives.
While there are many lists of these ’employability’ skills, at Oxford we focus on the key eight skills – based on the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)’s report, Future Fit.
This page focuses on Planning. To read more about the other seven employability skills, click on the links below.
These ideas are ways to start planning effectively. You might use these as evidence of planning skills in a written application if you haven’t been involved in larger projects. Either way, you’re likely to be asked about how you organise yourself at interview, so these are useful things to do!
Set time aside to plan when starting a major activity.
Make revision timetables.
Make monthly and annual budgets, and stick to them!
Research different methods of planning – including the different tools available, and consider which suits you best. For example…
Get involved with any extra-curricular activities while at Oxford – from membership of societies to part-time work. The ability to simultaneously juggle multiple activities and get a good grade is really effective evidence of an ability to plan.
Define responsibilities early when starting a collaborative task.
Volunteer to organise your Common Room’s annual elections.
Coordinate aspects of the Freshers Fair or other OUSU events.