![\"Sarah-1200x266\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/166\/files\/2016\/11\/Sarah-1200x2661-150x150.jpg\")
Sarah<\/p><\/div>\n
![\"Ellie-3-Cropped-200x280\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/166\/files\/2016\/11\/Ellie-3-Cropped-200x280-150x150.jpg\")
Ellie<\/p><\/div>\n
![\"Alicia-3-Cropped-200x280\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/166\/files\/2016\/11\/Alicia-3-Cropped-200x2801-150x150.jpg\")
Alicia<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\n1. Choosing your placement<\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n <\/p>\n
Sarah:<\/em> It\u2019s so important to choose something that genuinely interests you. The reason I\u2019m saying that is because I think interviewers can tell.<\/p>\nEllie:<\/em> When you\u2019re writing your application you need to sound like you have an actual passion for whatever you are applying for.<\/p>\nTIP 1: Choose a placement that genuinely interests you<\/strong><\/p>\nAlicia:<\/em> It can be hard if you\u2019re faced with a lot of placement choices, I know at Bath University where Ellie and I study we had hundreds of placements on offer. I\u2019d say start by narrowing down your search to the area you are interested in working in, whether it\u2019s clinical psychology, genetics or psychological research.<\/p>\nSarah:<\/em> For your favourite few, really look into what the placement is about, what will be expected of you and the ethos of the organisation. I based my choices on what modules I had enjoyed in first year, I was particularly interested in anxiety.<\/p>\nEllie:<\/em> If you\u2019re interested in a few different things, and you\u2019re not sure if your interests lie in research or clinical psychology, placements like those at the IoPPN are great for getting experience in a range of areas, with a bit of clinical contact as well as many research based tasks.<\/p>\nSarah: <\/em>And if there isn\u2019t anything that grabs you on offer from your university, you can start by looking at researchers whose work interests you, and contact them about potential projects. I emailed some researchers who were working on new studies that I wanted to learn more about, most people are keen to help students who are eager to gain experience in their field.<\/p>\nEllie:<\/em> It\u2019s something you\u2019re going to be doing for the whole year so you need to enjoy it!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/h3>\n2. Application \u2013 CV and cover letter<\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n <\/p>\n
Alicia:<\/em> Most applications will be made up of a CV and a cover letter, and you\u2019ve got to remember that they are very different things that you should use to show all of your abilities. A CV is more general, it\u2019s about showing what skills you have gained from previous work. Whereas your cover letter is about your passion for that specific placement and why you would suit working there.<\/p>\nTIP 2: Use your CV to show skills that will be needed for your placement<\/strong><\/p>\nEllie:<\/em> If you have a lot on your CV you can pick the examples that display the skills your supervisor is looking for. Jobs like waitressing can show you are hardworking and committed.<\/p>\nAlicia:<\/em> When you write about previous work, don\u2019t just describe the job, talk about examples where you used the skills needed for the placement. For example:<\/p>\n\n\u201cTeamwork was required to ensure efficient communication between the two bars and the kitchen and, at times, to deal with difficult customers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nSarah:<\/em> Your cover letter is your opportunity to translate your voice into your application. You should definitely research your placement first.<\/p>\nEllie:<\/em> Yes! Research the placement!<\/p>\nAlicia: RESEARCH THE PLACEMENT.<\/p>\n
Sarah:<\/em> Look into the research that has been conducted by the team you\u2019re applying to work with and show that you\u2019re passionate about the same topics.<\/p>\nTIP 3: Use your cover letter to show you have researched the placement and have a passion for the work<\/strong><\/p>\nEllie:<\/em> It\u2019s also important for your application to look professional. Don\u2019t use abbreviations and make sure you check your spelling and grammar.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
3. Interview<\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n <\/p>\n
Alicia:<\/em>\u00a0You don\u2019t know exactly what you\u2019re going to be asked in your interview, but there are some things you should always prepare for.<\/p>\nSarah:<\/em> If you\u2019re confident that you know enough about what they could ask you, it really helps to calm your nerves on the day. If it\u2019s an area that interests you, your enthusiasm should show through.<\/p>\nEllie:<\/em> Though you shouldn\u2019t just prepare for psychology or research questions, because most interviewers will also ask competency based questions.<\/p>\nAlicia:<\/em> It\u2019s good to prepare by writing down examples of times that you\u2019ve displayed teamwork, good communication and other skills that will be important for your placement.<\/p>\nEllie:<\/em> Also be prepared for creative questions that require you to think more about your response. For example, something like this:<\/p>\n\n\u201cTell us about a time when you made a mistake, explain how you fixed it and what you learnt from it…\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nSarah:<\/em> Make sure you\u2019ve got plenty of time to get to your interview, just giving yourself some time to calm down before you go in can make all the difference.<\/p>\nAlicia:<\/em> Overall, as long as you have an interest in research, whether you know what you would like to do in the future or not, and you convey this interest through your application and interview, you\u2019ll definitely be in with a shot!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Many degree courses provide students with the opportunity to spend a year on a research placement. Such placements give students a chance to work alongside\u00a0scientists, gaining practical experience of what life is like\u00a0in a research environment. But how can students go about getting the placement that they want? Here, 3…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":629,"featured_media":449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-348","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-life-scientific"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/629"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=348"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":424,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348\/revisions\/424"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
1. Choosing your placement<\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n <\/p>\n
Sarah:<\/em> It\u2019s so important to choose something that genuinely interests you. The reason I\u2019m saying that is because I think interviewers can tell.<\/p>\nEllie:<\/em> When you\u2019re writing your application you need to sound like you have an actual passion for whatever you are applying for.<\/p>\nTIP 1: Choose a placement that genuinely interests you<\/strong><\/p>\nAlicia:<\/em> It can be hard if you\u2019re faced with a lot of placement choices, I know at Bath University where Ellie and I study we had hundreds of placements on offer. I\u2019d say start by narrowing down your search to the area you are interested in working in, whether it\u2019s clinical psychology, genetics or psychological research.<\/p>\nSarah:<\/em> For your favourite few, really look into what the placement is about, what will be expected of you and the ethos of the organisation. I based my choices on what modules I had enjoyed in first year, I was particularly interested in anxiety.<\/p>\nEllie:<\/em> If you\u2019re interested in a few different things, and you\u2019re not sure if your interests lie in research or clinical psychology, placements like those at the IoPPN are great for getting experience in a range of areas, with a bit of clinical contact as well as many research based tasks.<\/p>\nSarah: <\/em>And if there isn\u2019t anything that grabs you on offer from your university, you can start by looking at researchers whose work interests you, and contact them about potential projects. I emailed some researchers who were working on new studies that I wanted to learn more about, most people are keen to help students who are eager to gain experience in their field.<\/p>\nEllie:<\/em> It\u2019s something you\u2019re going to be doing for the whole year so you need to enjoy it!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/h3>\n2. Application \u2013 CV and cover letter<\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n <\/p>\n
Alicia:<\/em> Most applications will be made up of a CV and a cover letter, and you\u2019ve got to remember that they are very different things that you should use to show all of your abilities. A CV is more general, it\u2019s about showing what skills you have gained from previous work. Whereas your cover letter is about your passion for that specific placement and why you would suit working there.<\/p>\nTIP 2: Use your CV to show skills that will be needed for your placement<\/strong><\/p>\nEllie:<\/em> If you have a lot on your CV you can pick the examples that display the skills your supervisor is looking for. Jobs like waitressing can show you are hardworking and committed.<\/p>\nAlicia:<\/em> When you write about previous work, don\u2019t just describe the job, talk about examples where you used the skills needed for the placement. For example:<\/p>\n\n\u201cTeamwork was required to ensure efficient communication between the two bars and the kitchen and, at times, to deal with difficult customers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nSarah:<\/em> Your cover letter is your opportunity to translate your voice into your application. You should definitely research your placement first.<\/p>\nEllie:<\/em> Yes! Research the placement!<\/p>\nAlicia: RESEARCH THE PLACEMENT.<\/p>\n
Sarah:<\/em> Look into the research that has been conducted by the team you\u2019re applying to work with and show that you\u2019re passionate about the same topics.<\/p>\nTIP 3: Use your cover letter to show you have researched the placement and have a passion for the work<\/strong><\/p>\nEllie:<\/em> It\u2019s also important for your application to look professional. Don\u2019t use abbreviations and make sure you check your spelling and grammar.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
3. Interview<\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n <\/p>\n
Alicia:<\/em>\u00a0You don\u2019t know exactly what you\u2019re going to be asked in your interview, but there are some things you should always prepare for.<\/p>\nSarah:<\/em> If you\u2019re confident that you know enough about what they could ask you, it really helps to calm your nerves on the day. If it\u2019s an area that interests you, your enthusiasm should show through.<\/p>\nEllie:<\/em> Though you shouldn\u2019t just prepare for psychology or research questions, because most interviewers will also ask competency based questions.<\/p>\nAlicia:<\/em> It\u2019s good to prepare by writing down examples of times that you\u2019ve displayed teamwork, good communication and other skills that will be important for your placement.<\/p>\nEllie:<\/em> Also be prepared for creative questions that require you to think more about your response. For example, something like this:<\/p>\n\n\u201cTell us about a time when you made a mistake, explain how you fixed it and what you learnt from it…\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nSarah:<\/em> Make sure you\u2019ve got plenty of time to get to your interview, just giving yourself some time to calm down before you go in can make all the difference.<\/p>\nAlicia:<\/em> Overall, as long as you have an interest in research, whether you know what you would like to do in the future or not, and you convey this interest through your application and interview, you\u2019ll definitely be in with a shot!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Many degree courses provide students with the opportunity to spend a year on a research placement. Such placements give students a chance to work alongside\u00a0scientists, gaining practical experience of what life is like\u00a0in a research environment. But how can students go about getting the placement that they want? Here, 3…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":629,"featured_media":449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-348","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-life-scientific"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/629"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=348"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":424,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348\/revisions\/424"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Ellie:<\/em> When you\u2019re writing your application you need to sound like you have an actual passion for whatever you are applying for.<\/p>\n TIP 1: Choose a placement that genuinely interests you<\/strong><\/p>\n Alicia:<\/em> It can be hard if you\u2019re faced with a lot of placement choices, I know at Bath University where Ellie and I study we had hundreds of placements on offer. I\u2019d say start by narrowing down your search to the area you are interested in working in, whether it\u2019s clinical psychology, genetics or psychological research.<\/p>\n Sarah:<\/em> For your favourite few, really look into what the placement is about, what will be expected of you and the ethos of the organisation. I based my choices on what modules I had enjoyed in first year, I was particularly interested in anxiety.<\/p>\n Ellie:<\/em> If you\u2019re interested in a few different things, and you\u2019re not sure if your interests lie in research or clinical psychology, placements like those at the IoPPN are great for getting experience in a range of areas, with a bit of clinical contact as well as many research based tasks.<\/p>\n Sarah: <\/em>And if there isn\u2019t anything that grabs you on offer from your university, you can start by looking at researchers whose work interests you, and contact them about potential projects. I emailed some researchers who were working on new studies that I wanted to learn more about, most people are keen to help students who are eager to gain experience in their field.<\/p>\n Ellie:<\/em> It\u2019s something you\u2019re going to be doing for the whole year so you need to enjoy it!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alicia:<\/em> Most applications will be made up of a CV and a cover letter, and you\u2019ve got to remember that they are very different things that you should use to show all of your abilities. A CV is more general, it\u2019s about showing what skills you have gained from previous work. Whereas your cover letter is about your passion for that specific placement and why you would suit working there.<\/p>\n TIP 2: Use your CV to show skills that will be needed for your placement<\/strong><\/p>\n Ellie:<\/em> If you have a lot on your CV you can pick the examples that display the skills your supervisor is looking for. Jobs like waitressing can show you are hardworking and committed.<\/p>\n Alicia:<\/em> When you write about previous work, don\u2019t just describe the job, talk about examples where you used the skills needed for the placement. For example:<\/p>\n \u201cTeamwork was required to ensure efficient communication between the two bars and the kitchen and, at times, to deal with difficult customers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Sarah:<\/em> Your cover letter is your opportunity to translate your voice into your application. You should definitely research your placement first.<\/p>\n Ellie:<\/em> Yes! Research the placement!<\/p>\n Alicia: RESEARCH THE PLACEMENT.<\/p>\n Sarah:<\/em> Look into the research that has been conducted by the team you\u2019re applying to work with and show that you\u2019re passionate about the same topics.<\/p>\n TIP 3: Use your cover letter to show you have researched the placement and have a passion for the work<\/strong><\/p>\n Ellie:<\/em> It\u2019s also important for your application to look professional. Don\u2019t use abbreviations and make sure you check your spelling and grammar.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alicia:<\/em>\u00a0You don\u2019t know exactly what you\u2019re going to be asked in your interview, but there are some things you should always prepare for.<\/p>\n Sarah:<\/em> If you\u2019re confident that you know enough about what they could ask you, it really helps to calm your nerves on the day. If it\u2019s an area that interests you, your enthusiasm should show through.<\/p>\n Ellie:<\/em> Though you shouldn\u2019t just prepare for psychology or research questions, because most interviewers will also ask competency based questions.<\/p>\n Alicia:<\/em> It\u2019s good to prepare by writing down examples of times that you\u2019ve displayed teamwork, good communication and other skills that will be important for your placement.<\/p>\n Ellie:<\/em> Also be prepared for creative questions that require you to think more about your response. For example, something like this:<\/p>\n \u201cTell us about a time when you made a mistake, explain how you fixed it and what you learnt from it…\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Sarah:<\/em> Make sure you\u2019ve got plenty of time to get to your interview, just giving yourself some time to calm down before you go in can make all the difference.<\/p>\n Alicia:<\/em> Overall, as long as you have an interest in research, whether you know what you would like to do in the future or not, and you convey this interest through your application and interview, you\u2019ll definitely be in with a shot!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many degree courses provide students with the opportunity to spend a year on a research placement. Such placements give students a chance to work alongside\u00a0scientists, gaining practical experience of what life is like\u00a0in a research environment. But how can students go about getting the placement that they want? Here, 3…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":629,"featured_media":449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-348","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-life-scientific"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/629"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=348"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":424,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348\/revisions\/424"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/editlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/h3>\n
2. Application \u2013 CV and cover letter<\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n
\n
3. Interview<\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n
\n