The best advice I was given in starting my Chartership was from a fellow trainee who had almost completed training, 'sell yourself" she said. Add how true this statement is. Whether you are working as a trainee in the prison service or training independently, the only way to gain the breadth of experience required is to approach organisations with an idea and tell them what you can do for them and why are the best person for the job.
I had never considered Psychology as something that would require sales technique and yet here I am offering my services to organisations for the sake of training and experience. One thing I have never been good at is selling myself. This has always been my short fall when writing job applications or in job interviews, I always just miss the mark so the realisation that I was going to have to do this with every organisation I approached was daunting to say the least.
Knowing that this is something that all trainees will need to do at some point as made me reflect on the processes and techniques that I have used to secure opportunities with organisations which so far has been quite successful although I'm sure there are more efficient ways of doing things then what I have done.
First, I designed a proposal document; something formal that I could send out to organisations. This document was split into sections:
•Title
•Rationale
•Aim
•What I can offer
•Plan/Proposal
The only sections I titled and made very clear were the Aim and the Rationale. These are the most important for an organisation as the first questions they will as are what's the point? And how will this help us? In my experience it has been very difficult to sell an idea without a clear rationale.
The hardest part I find, is stating why they want me to do it and not anyone else. What skills and expertise do I have that I can offer them above anyone else? Well firstly, as a trainee forensic psychologist any work that contributes towards my Chartership is FREE and I come with a Chartered Forensic Psychologist supervisor who is able to vouch for and monitor my work. This has the benefit of two for the price of one for the organisation. If you add this to your rationale and your skills and expertise with confidence you should at least be in with a chance.
Secondly, you need to show an organisation that you understand the systems they work within, the constraints on their time and how you can work with those and be an extra resource. How the project can be sustained after you have left and within their organisational structure is really important at this point. This is another way they are benefiting from using you above anyone else.
Thirdly, use the proposal to pre-empt any questions they may have and answer then as fully as you can without making promises you can't keep. This shows that you have considered as many of the barriers and challenges as possible and also implied that you have experience and knowledge of the area that you are selling, that they can use.
Fourthly never say that you are going to advise them if this is an area they specialise in. Really emphasise the role of supporting, helping and collaborating with them. You can only advise if they are branching into a new area where they have little experience and you have more experience.
And finally a lesson that has been learnt by me; you can only volunteer your time for your Chartership after that people should pay for your time as you are well qualified and experienced and need to place value on your capabilities , skills and knowledge. Bear this in mind and also bear in mind that as a trainee you should only charge half of what a chartered forensic psychologist should charge.
Until next time....
