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Study Tips

Preparing to study

Prior to commencement of your studies, you need to find a suitable learning environment. Your learning environment should :

  • Be available whenever you need to study;
    • Be without interruptions from people or devices such as telephones etc;
  • It should be a quiet place with little or no background noise.
  • Have all your study material and supplies (pens and paper etc.) at hand in your place of study;
  • Have enough space to keep all your study material in a neat manner;
  • You should have a comfortable chair, suitable desk or table and enough light.or table and enough light.

Managing your Time

It is very important that you plan your study time in advance. Therfore you need to draw up a schedule on your calendar, indicating when assignments are due. You then need to divide the work that you need to complete into the time available, leaving yourself enough time to complete the assignments before the due date on submissions.

It is useful to prepare a daily studying plan the night before, just as you have finished studying. As you will know exactly how far you are and whether you need to study extra the following day if you have fallen behind schedule. There may also be unforeseen circumstances that may consume some of your studying time and it is therefore useful to adjust your planning daily. This, however, is not an excuse to not keep to your original schedule.

One should never procrastinate, as not only do you not get to do the work you are supposed to, but this also leads to anxiety and poor performance.

Setting Goals

Set clear goals when drawing up your studying schedule. i.e. exactly how far you want to be on which date. Set yourself small, short term goals and larger long term goals. It is important to stipulate WHAT you need to do and WHEN it needs to be done.

You need to specify what section of the work you want to do at a certain time.

Example of monthly goal.

Day Small Goals Large Goal
1 Page 1 - 10  
2 Page 11 – 20  
3 Page 21 – 30  
4 Page 31 – 40  
5 Page 41 – 50  
6 Page 51 – 60  
7 Week1 Do revision exercise Chapter 1
8 Page 61 – 70  
9 Page 71 – 80  
10 Page 81 – 90  
11 Page 91 – 100  
12 Page 101 -110  
13 Page 111 - 120  
14 Week 2 Do revision exercise Chapter 2
15 Page 121 – 130  
16 Page 131 – 140  
17 Page 141 – 150  
18 Page 151 – 160  
19 Page 161 – 170  
20 Page 171 – 180  
21 Week 3, Do revision exercise Chapter 3
22 Page 181 – 190  
23 Page 191 – 200  
24 Page 201 - 210 Chapter 4
25 Research for assignment  
26 Research for assignment  
27 Research for assignment  
28 Research for assignment  
29 Week 4 Research for assignment  
30 Start assignment Start assignment

Interview Tips

Job interviews can be a stressful process but they don’t need to be, especially if you have prepared well in advance. Below are some job interview tips you can follow. As with all things, preparation is the key. Take these interview tips with you and practice them with a friend or family member and remember,
you can never prepare enough.

Don’t be late. There is no worse way to begin an interview. First impression counts. You should dress suitably. Wear your best work outfit. The things to remember are cleanliness, simplicity and no strong or ‘loud’ colours. Do not chew gum or smoke. Be yourself. Speak clearly and enthusiastically about your experiences and skills. Be professional, but don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through.

Listen carefully. There is nothing worse than to ask a question that the employer has already talked to you about. You will want to remember what you learn about the job, and you will want to answer the questions that were asked. Address the job criteria. Nervous energy is good but not if you come to the job interview unprepared. It’s to your advantage to carefully research the job and the company. This can be done in many ways. You can request information personally, or go to the company’s website for material about job descriptions and company annual reports.

Be positive. Don’t talk about your bad feelings or give any excuses about a negative experience. If you are asked why your grades are low, then don’t give excuses, instead, focus on stating the positive facts and what you have learnt from your experiences.

Be poised. Pay attention to non-verbal behaviour. Look the interviewer in the eye, sit up straight with both feet on the floor. You should also control nervous habits such as fingernail biting and giggling. Practice makes perfect. This maxim can’t be more true than with a job interview. Make sure your answers are clear and succinct. You should practice answering with a friend or with your family members. When practicing avoid terms such as “like” and “you know” and don’t sound too rehearsed, as though you have memorised each answer.

Curriculum Vitae (CV) Writing Tips

Please note that these tips are only a guide to writing a CV. Your specific job application may require either a shortened version or a more extensive version of your CV. The aim of a CV is to make a potential employer want to meet with you. It should be a summary of your personal details, education and work history.

  1. Honesty

    All information contained in your CV should be correct and up to date. Employers do checks before short listing candidates for interviews. If any of the information is incorrect or false, employers will not be interested in a candidate that is either negligent or untruthful.

  2. Writing style

    Always ensure that there are no spelling mistakes, get someone to go through your CV for mistakes before sending it off. Keep sentences and paragraphs short and to the point. Make sure you write it in clear understandable language. It should be printed on white A4 paper, which may seem bland, but all employers look at a CV from a business perspective and it should therefore be a formal document.

  3. Education

    List all details of all qualifications, such as institution where qualification was obtained and in what year the qualification was obtained. Honestly is always important especially when listing education and qualifications as these are always confirmed by human resource departments with the institutions where the qualifications were obtained.

  4. Skills

    Include all skills that you may have acquired, especially those that may interest the employer if they are relevant to the position that you are applying for. Include level of competence such as fluent, intermediate or basic for languages.

  5. Work History

    List previous employment in order from the last to the first, potential employers want to see what you have done in the last year first, as this is the most relevant to them. Mention achievements as well as responsibilities of all previous positions held. In most cases the reason for leaving should not be included, however if you were promoted to a higher position due to good work, this should be included. Depending on your career, one should only include recent (last 10 years) experience. You should also include skills that have been obtained through previous work experience that will be useful in the position you are applying for .


  6. Include or leave out?
  • Never include any negative aspects such as bad work experiences.
  • Don’t include hobbies and personal interests as they are not relevant to the position you are applying for.
  • Don’t include health issues, photographs or unions you belong to.
  • Don’t include salary expectations as these may not be in line with what employer may be planning to offer the candidate.

Not only is the appearance of your CV important but also the manner in which you manage it. You should never send your CV to everybody that you know asking them to put it forward if a position becomes available in the company that they are working for. Not only will you get calls from HR departments, that you have no clue as to who they are, but also the fact that you might have already found a position with another company.

Job Search

www.legaljobs.co.za/links.html
www.careerweb.co.za
www.careerjet.co.za
www.citizen.co.za
www.mg.co.za
www.jobfishing.co.za
www.pnet.co.za
www.careerclassifieds.co.za

Contact:
Tel: 086 111 5054
Fax Number: 086 624 9795
E-Mail: info@iqacademy.co.za

Postal Address:
Private Bag X6, Tecoma, 5214

IQ Academy
IQ Academy

Centurion Academy

IQ Academy is a department of Centurion Academy (Pty) Ltd Co. Reg. No. 1999/024870/07. Centurion Academy (Pty) Ltd is regsitered with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a private higher education institution under the Higher Education Act, No. 101 of 1997. Registration Certificate No. 2001/HE07/003.