Hello all
I am new to TZ as my name suggests! I'm not sure if this is the right place as I work in Social Care not business but here goes anyway. I hope to be interviewed soon for a training manager post within a charity that provides social care to a specific client group. The post would involve training the care staff on relevant issues, and assisting them with professional development plans. They asked for a relevant professional qualification which I have (plus more) and management experience which I have, but no specific training experience, it is a junior post despite the grand title. I expect to be asked to deliver a presentation/training session on a relevant topic but until I get the details of that I am concentrating on revising subjects such as Adult Learning Theory, learning cycle and styles, group processes, motivating staff, etc. This is perhaps a bit vague at this point but is there any advice anyone can offer? Thanks for you time.
5 Responses
Suggestion
Hi Newbie (Hopefully you will stick around and and not be a newbie for long)
I would treat the interview as I would treat any training session.
ie: Find out what they want / already know and fill in the gaps.
You can only do this by demonstrating a good knowledge of questioning and listening techniques and as long as you can satisfy their needs the job is yours?
At least by doing this you will be demonstrating the foundation knowledge of what training is and why we do it.
I’m sure there are far more complicated answers available but sometimes the easy one is all you need?
Good luck and let us know what they ask you to do your presentation on!
Steve
oh what it is to be naive and innocent!
Dear Newbie
1. Welcome to TZ
2. It isn’t solely for ‘business’ folk, it’s for "training" folk, so again, welcome.
3. As Steve says, keep it simple and stick to the brief……the more you can find out about the employer’s training wants the better and it is a fairly safe bet that they won’t be asking you to spend a shedload of their money on state-of-the-art, cutting-edge, world-class-innovations; so simple, value for money, effective and proven are probably a good place to concentrate.
4. Post again when you have more information; I’m sure you’ll get some help
5. Good luck in the interim
Rus
http://www.coach-and-courses.com
Its ok not to know
just wanted to add that it is ok not to know all the answers!
it is possible that they dont know what they need either so it may be worth suggesting that one of your first tasks should you be appointed would be a comprehensive training needs analysis – when i was interviewed for my current post thats what i did ( i was being interviewed by three people with absolutely no training experience or any idea how to identify the skills of their staff never mind the skills gaps!)
you may strike lucky and find they already have a whizzbang training plan in place that covers everything they actually need (not what they think they need) and a happy camp of staff who always feel their needs are met – but you will be reeeeaaalllyy lucky (and i will be incredibly jealous!)
good luck with the interview 🙂
Training Manager post
–Thankyou for your encouraging answers so far. I already have some things to think about. I will post again when I get details of the interview. I am so glad I stumbled across this site, I am sure you will all be a great source of advice and support. Rus, I have checked out your website too and have much to follow up on from there.
Thankyou all
newbie
Keep it real…
As Vincent Lombardi said if you’re not fired with enthusiasm you will be fired with enthusiasm, so you need to be keen but not at the expense of realistic solutions.
Be pragmatic, realistic, output and outcome focused. It’s easy to lose yourself in a whirlwind of ideas, strategies, fabulous interventions and better reporting and recording systems but the essence of the role is in the title – you have to manage the demands.
As mentioned above, informed managers would be fabulous; most directors and managers think they know what they want, think they know what training would work, blame you when it doesn’t.