Episode 86 – How to get a graduate job with IPS Grow as an Employment Specialist

January 21, 2020 Podcast

Hello and welcome to the 86th episode of the Graduate Job Podcast where I am joined on the show by IPS Grow. IPS stands for Individual Placement and Support, and it is a NHS backed graduate scheme which is rapidly expanding and looking for graduates to join as Employment Specialists who will help to place people with mental illness in work. It’s a great graduate scheme encompassing a mix of social work, psychology, recruitment, where you will be making a real difference to people’s lives. In the episode we delve into what exactly IPS Grow is and what you will be doing on a day to day basis as an IPS Employment Specialist. We cover the application process in detail, how and when to apply, and what to expect at each stage of the process. We also explore top tips which will allow you to stand out from the crowd through the recruitment process. No matter where you are in your jobsearch, if you’ve never heard of IPS Grow, or are in the middle of the application process to them, this is an episode which you aren’t going to want to miss. Now the only link you need to remember form today is www.graduatejobpodcast.com/IPS, as that has all of the links to everything which we discuss and a full transcript which you can download, so make sure you head on over there.

And don’t forget to check out today’s sponsor who are our friends over at CareerGym.com. Career Gym is the number one place for you to undertake all of your psychometric tests which you will face when you apply for a graduate job. No matter what graduate job you apply for you’re going to have to face some type of verbal reasoning, situational judgment, and working style tests. You can practice these at CareerGym.com. Use code GJP to get 20% off all of their tests!

MORE SPECIFICALLY IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

  • What IPS Grow is
  • What you will be doing as an Employment Specialist
  • How IPS Grow are looking to rapidly expand the number of graduates they are taking on
  • How to apply and what to expect at each stage
  • The insider tips to stand out throughout the recruitment process

Don’t forget, also make sure you check out https://www.graduatejobpodcast.com/subscribe which links to how to subscribe on Itunes, Spotify, Youtube, and by email. So something for everyone there.

SELECTED LINKS:

Transcript – Episode 86 – How to get a graduate job with IPS Grow as an Employment Specialist

Announcer: Welcome to the Graduate Job Podcast, your home for weekly information and inspiration to help you get the graduate job of your dreams.

James: Hello and welcome to the Graduate Job Podcast, with your host James Curran. The Graduate Job Podcast is your home for all things related to helping you on your journey to finding that amazing job. Each episode I bring together the best minds in the industry, speaking to leading authors, graduate recruiters and career coaches who bring decades of experience into a byte size show. Put simply, this is the show I wish I had when I graduated.

And a warm welcome to the 86th episode of the Graduate Job Podcast. I’m recording this intro in the sunshine of Thailand and I’ve a very special episode for you today. Today I am joined on the show by IPS Grow. IPS stands for Individual Placement and Support, and it is a NHS backed graduate scheme which is rapidly expanding and looking for graduates to join as Employment Specialists who will help to place people with mental illness in work. It’s a great graduate scheme encompassing a mix of social work, psychology and recruitment, where you will be making a real difference to people’s lives. In the episode we delve into what exactly IPS Grow is and what you will be doing on a day to day basis as an IPS Employment Specialist. We cover the application process in detail, how and when to apply, and what to expect at each stage of the process. We also explore top tips which will allow you to stand out from the crowd through the recruitment process. No matter where you are in your jobsearch, if you’ve never heard of IPS Grow, or are in the middle of the application process to them, this is an episode which you aren’t going to want to miss. Now the only link you need to remember from today is graduatejobpodcast.com/IPS, as that has all of the links to everything which we discuss and a full transcript which you can download, so make sure you head on over there.

Before we start let’s have a little message from today’s sponsor who are who are our friends over at CareerGym.com. There are some things in life you can’t escape, and psychometric tests when you apply for a graduate job is one of them. Career Gym is the number one place for you to undertake all of your psychometric tests which you will face when you apply for a graduate job. The bottom line is that no matter what graduate job you apply for, from the global giants to that small company around the corner from you, you’re going to have to do some type of verbal and numerical reasoning, situational judgment, and working style tests. At Career Gym.com you can practice all of these and they come with detailed explanations and you can compare yourself against your peers or do them under time pressure. And as a valued listener of the show they will give you 20% off of all of their tests if you use the code GJP. So, head over to http://www.CareerGym.com that’s CareerGym.com and use the code GJP to get 20% off all of their tests and start practicing today. Now, on with the show.

James: A very warm welcome to Martina Gibbons, recruitment lead for IPS Grow. Martina, welcome to the Graduate Job Podcast.

Martina Gibbons: Thanks, James. It’s great to be here on the show and have the opportunity to talk about IPS.

James: Excellent, and why don’t you then start by telling us a little bit about IPS and what it is that you do.

Martina: Yes, of course. So, IPS, it stands for Individual Placement and Supports. It’s the leading model for helping people with severe mental illness into work. So, actually the employment statistics for people with mental health conditions are shocking. 90% of people want to work, yet only 8% are in work. And traditional models of employment haven’t had great success. There’s around, I think, 11% of people with mental health were supported into work by the work program.

So, IPS is designed to change this really, and we’re looking to recruit and develop individuals who are passionate about mental health who are keen to make a change in someone’s life. The actual IPS model is based on over 20 years of research, which includes 22 randomized control trials, and it’s shown to be the leading model to help people with severe mental illness secure paid employment, and as I’m sure you can guess, as the name suggests, it’s about working closely with individuals to find a job that they actually want.

So, in terms of the mental health side of things, getting into employment, it’s a vital part of the recovery journey. The IPS Model is where an employment specialist works in a community mental health team alongside psychiatric nurses, social workers, psychologists to help that individual get into work. The employment specialist will use their contacts, initiative and skills to find employment opportunities, some of which won’t be advertised, and communicate with their colleagues to ensure that their clients can obtain and retain work effectively while staying in good health.

James: Those statistics you mentioned at the beginning, there’s a huge market there of people who are looking to get jobs who are struggling at the moment.

Martina: Yes, definitely. I think that is one of the things where it does differentiate from traditional models of employment support is that, traditionally, employment was more focused on training a person and then placing them in a role. So, whether that’s going through volunteering or sheltered employment, whereas the IPS Model actually turns this on its head and it’s about placing the person and then giving them the support and the training to actually excel within that role. There’s so much links between mental health and working.

I guess, when you think back, it is something that, when you introduce yourself to someone, the standard questions you’re asked is, “Hi, what’s your name? What do you do? Where are you from?” and for someone, it’s so crucial, it’s just how someone feels when they’re constantly saying they’re unemployed. And when we think back, 90% of these people do want to work. I mean, 8% are.

So, it really is an incredible model where we can turn this statistic around, and the role of the employment specialist working within IPS, they’re building hope for people, they’re building networks, and they really are actually changing people’s lives.

James: Brilliant. That sounds like a really interesting role and a really broad role as well in terms of the different work you’d be doing and the coaching aspect of it, the working with the companies, working with the person looking for a job. It touches upon lots of different aspects there.

Martina: Yeah, definitely, and I think one of the main appeals to a lot of people is that you are actually situated or integrated with the community mental health team. So, you’re working alongside the psychologists, psychiatrists, the nurses, the support workers. But, then you have that really good rapport and relationship with your client and building their hope in their recovery journey as well as then you’re actually out in the community speaking with employers, building relationships, and networking on that side. So, it really is diverse and multifaceted. There’s so many different connections going on, which is quite rare, I guess, in a lot of roles.

James: Definitely. And what type of people are you looking for? What type of people do you think make good IPS specialists? Or, is it, given the broad nature of the role, it’s about having people with a broad set of skills?

Martina: Yes. So, in terms of what we’ve found, in terms of what makes it really good, IPS employment specialists, it’s more so the qualities of the person. So, I personally say it’s based on eight principles, which one of the key ones is that anyone who wants to work should have the opportunity to do so, and it’s this belief that someone with a mental health challenge is able to work as long as they have that motivation and they should be supported to find the role that they actually want to do and they would enjoy doing.

So, I think one of the key qualities of someone is that, first of all, the belief that, despite the mental health challenge, anyone can work, then you need to have a really good ability to network and build a rapport and build good relationships with people, actually listen. Listen to your client in terms of their needs and what they’re looking to achieve, but also listen when you’re speaking out, engaging with employers. Then, you also need a motivation and organization. You are going to have a case load of different kinds, and you do need to be organized, be proactive, as well as be dedicated.

I don’t want to mislead anyone. It isn’t an easy job. You are juggling 100 different things at a time, but that’s one of the really exciting things about it. So, I guess someone that’s quite confident to go out and build those relationships, someone that’s motivated and dedicated to keep looking and keep searching for that right role to help someone fulfil their dreams.

James: Is it people with particular degrees that you’re looking for, or are you agnostic to this type of degree people have done?

Martina: Not necessarily. We have had a lot of success with IPS employment specialists coming from a psychology background or degree, but equally in terms of people that have a degree in social sciences or health and social care, they really excelled within the role. But, it’s really not even limited to someone with a degree. We’ve had a lot of success with individuals with lived experience, so someone that’s had a mental health challenge themselves or support need. And as well, job changers. We’ve had people who were bus drivers, teachers, people in the mental health field themselves, occupational therapists, support workers who all have changed, transitioned their roles into becoming a really successful IPS employment specialist and found it a really rewarding career as well. So, we’re pretty open, I guess.

James: No, that’s great, because often, the emails in, to me, for people who are listening to this show who might have gone down one career path, are a few years into it now have realized that it’s not the one for them, and they’re looking to change for a more fulfilling career. I’m sure there’ll be lots of people listening whose ears will have pricked up on the job descriptions you’ve given for the IPS specialist and the type of work they’ll be doing. So, I’m sure there’ll be lots of people who’ll be interested in applying. In terms of the scheme, is it a set length? So, how long people will be progressing through. Does it have a set career path?

Martina: In terms of the scheme itself, we have this strong evidence base of the impact that IPS has. NHS England have committed to funding a rapid expansion of IPS services across the UK. So, it has opened up, currently, a number of opportunities for people to join as an IPS employment specialist.

There’s major tranches of funding that were committed under the Five Year Forward View as well as the NHS long-term plan, which sees access numbers increasing from — so, there’s currently 10,000 people with mental health support needs who can access the services. But, by 2029, NHS have committed to increasing this to 115,000, which constitutes half of the eligible population.

So, in that sense, you can see how much it’s rapidly growing, and then equally, there’s a huge need for more people to join the workforce and actually join us as IPS employment specialists. So, there’s an on-going need for people to join us. In terms of next steps, you join as an employment specialist. You can progress to a team leader where you then are managing a group of employment specialists. Some team leaders still carry a case load themselves of clients, and others don’t.

Then, as well, you can become an IPS service manager, or maybe quite a few people move, then, to the commissioning side or move to become occupational therapists. There may be some psychology graduates who do it for a couple of years, and then move onto other areas who then maybe use a little bit more of their psychology degree.

I guess one of the huge benefits of the role is that you are in that multi-disciplinary environment, so you get a really good exposure to a number of different roles within the NHS as well. So, even if it’s something you do immediately as you come out of university in a couple of years’ time, you may naturally find yourself moving towards a more clinical side or equally a more occupational therapy side or support side. So, it really is, I guess, one of those roles that opens up so many doors and avenues as well for you to progress.

James: Definitely, and what sort of starting salary would graduates be looking at?

Martina: At IPS Grow, we advocate that the role should start Band 5, which is the starting salary of a nurse as well. There is a little bit of variation across the country, but it is something that we’re looking to standardize as a Band 5 role, which is a really good starting salary for anyone who’s sort of graduating from university, or even job-changing.

James: And forgive my ignorance. What sort of bracket would that be, and how much would that be?

Martina: The early 20’s to late 20’s, or shy of 30,000.

James: Yeah, that’s, as you said, a really good starting salary. And location-wise, at the moment, is it across UK or are there some particular areas where there are more roles available than others?

Martina: The roles are positioned across the UK. They are mainly based in NHS trusts, but that you can also find IPS employment positions in third sector organizations as well as the private sector.

James: Okay, excellent. And I’m sure you’ve whet the appetite of the listeners, Martina, with describing the role. So, let’s maybe move into how they would actually go about applying. So, maybe starting off, is it a central recruitment or is it done on an individual sort of NHS trust basis?

Martina: It would be on an individual basis. However, we host all of the live vacancies on our website, IPSGrow.org.uk. So, you can find all the vacancies there. They’re all split into the various regions that they’re located at. And then the actual general application process is there’s an application form which you complete and send with your CV. In some cases, there’ll be a telephone interview in the shortlisting process. However, generally, you then move onto assessment day, face-to-face interview, which also includes a role-play.

So, the role-plays are realistic to the role. So, they’ll measure how you’ll potentially perform, and my best advice to anyone who’s going to their assessment day who might feel a little bit daunted about the role-play is just to embrace it with any sort of role that you’re going for. See it as, as much as you are being assessed in terms of your skills and suitability for the role, a really good opportunity to see, actually, is this something you enjoy doing on a day-to-day basis? Is it something that you think will fulfil you and something that you will enjoy doing?

James: Just digging in a bit deeper for the specifics of role-play, what tends to separate out the candidates who do really well in the role-play than from some of the people who struggle?

Martina: So, in IPS, we’re really looking for people who can be advocates and give clients that hope and opportunity, and that control back to their lives. So, I think the role-play’s a really good assessment of how people react in different situations, and really, the whole purpose of the role-plays and IPS is not really, “What’s the matter with me?” It’s, “What matters to me?” So, that’s always the approach that we look with our clients.

So, it’s the way that you, when you are faced with a situation in the role-play, build that rapport and that trust. You’re always encouraging the hope and the belief that someone can reach their goals. Equally, it’s not even always just on the client basis. The role-plays might be focused off your interaction in the community mental health team. So, maybe you might even have almost an objection that maybe someone in the clinical team doesn’t feel like the individual’s ready to return to work, which isn’t what the IPS model is about. It’s actually as long as they’re motivated, regardless of their health symptoms, they should be supported to do that.

But, it doesn’t, then, either mean that they’re going into a full-time position. The employment specialist will really work to find the right fit of the role, and a lot of the time, it will be about job carvings. So, that’s a word that we use quite a lot within IPS where it’s really making the reasonable adjustments with the employer to make sure that the role fits the person. So, you can really work around that, and I think that’s something that really is changing in the workforce across the UK, but it’s definitely something that needs a lot of work, still, as well.

James: Excellent. Listeners, top tips there. And just to let you know, don’t worry about scribbling all of this down. There’ll be a full transcript of the show today and links to everything that we discussed, including the links to the IPS website where you can apply for jobs over at the GraduateJobPodcast.com/IPS. So, Martina maybe just stepping back a few stages in the application process, is it year-round applications or is it the sort of standard milk round, October through to January where you’re just accepting applications, or is it all-year?

Martina: It is all-year. With the NHS commitment to expanding the services, there are roles continuously being released. So, currently we have 21 live vacancies on our website. However, next week, that could jump to 30, or it could jump to 10, and with the expansion of access targets increasing by 12-fold in the next 10 years, there are going to be a number of opportunities varying in different regions on an on-going basis. So, definitely, even if you listen to this podcast in six months’ time or a year, check out the website and see what live roles there are.

James: Can you do multiple applications or is it just one application per NHS trust? How does that work?

Martina: You can apply for each position individually. So, maybe if there was a couple of different roles, say, in your local area. Say, you’re looking for a role in Birmingham and there’s a role in NHS trust, but also in a third sector organization, you can definitely apply for both, and they will be considered as individual applications as well.

James: That’s good to know. And another question. So, we talked about the different types of degrees people can apply with. Do you have any requirements on the type of grades people need to have got throughout university or even stretching back to A levels?

Martina: There’s not necessarily any specifics in terms of education levels. As a desirable, it would always a 2-1, 2-2 degree. There is data involved in the role, so basic Excel skills would be required. But, you’ll all have the training on the job as well. So, it’s not strict on the sort of educational background that you do need for the role because it is really more based on your personality and your qualities and traits of the person.

James: So, on a case-by-case basis, depending on the skills and attributes that people bring?

Martina: Yes.

James: Okay, excellent. And with the application process itself then, where do people tend to let themselves down?

Martina: It would probably be when it comes to the actual interview themselves. My biggest recommendation is do your research around IPS, but also the bigger picture of mental health and recovery. A key part of what we’re looking for is that passion that someone is passionate about mental health. They’re passionate about making an impact and change in someone’s life. Individuals with mental health conditions face so many inequalities, and there’s so many barriers that they have to navigate through on a daily basis that the role of the employment specialist is to at least help them overcome this one barrier that they face in securing employment, and I think when this doesn’t come across, when you don’t see that passion in the interview or even in the application form, or just a very vague understanding of mental health and what it does mean as the wider picture, that then kind of signals up that, maybe, they’re not the right person for the role because they don’t probably have the qualities.

We are happy to train people in the model, happy to provide the support to really enable them to excel, but if you don’t have that belief, you can’t change that. So, I guess that’s probably where people let themselves down the most.

James: Excellent. Maybe final question, Martina, before we move to the quick-fire question round. How important is it that people have had any previous experience in the field of mental health?

Martina: It’s definitely a desirable factor in terms of understanding of mental health, whether that’s lived experience, knowledge of a friend or family member, or even previously worked within mental health. But, it’s not necessarily something that you need to have a clear background in. If it’s an interest, you run for the charity because it’s something that’s very close to your heart, that is really what we’re looking for.

James: Excellent, and mental health is such a broad spectrum, as I’m sure most people have been touched in some way with family and friends and who have experiences to call on there.

Martina: Yeah, definitely.

James: And then maybe a final question. What top tip would you give people who are applying for how they can stand out?

Martina: My top tips for someone to stand out would really be to do your research around IPS and also the bigger picture around mental health and recovery. But, also be yourself. In terms of whether it’s the role-play or the application form, we really are assessing people in terms of their qualities and their personality traits. They let that shine through, and together, we can really change these statistics and really support people and build hope in them and fulfil their dreams through employment.

James: Brilliant. That is a lovely way to finish the main part of the interview on. So, Martina, moving onto the quick-fire question round of the questions I ask each guest on the show. So, first off, what book would you recommend listeners should read, maybe specifically people who are applying to IPS? Is there a particular book where it would really help them stand out through the application process if they’ve read that?

Martina: Yes, so actually the book I’m going to recommend, I’ve taken from the centre for mental health training that we actually offered to the IPS employment specialists as well. It’s “What Color is Your Parachute?” by Richard Bolles.

James: Oh yeah, a classic.

Martina: Yeah, you’ve heard of it. It’s a very classic job-hunting and career-changing book. But, it basically is a practical manual for job-changers, but it takes a bit more of a holistic approach, which does really nicely link in with IPS because it really focuses on the idea that you need to know yourself and build that self-knowledge. I think they go through a seven-petal flower model, and I think, in terms of IPS, that’s so crucial to the model as well as the actual service that you are delivering in terms of it’s about individual preferences, it’s about finding the right role for that person.

So, this book is really quite — it flatters the role of an IPS employment specialist really well, and then also it just demystifies the entire job search process, whether it’s writing CVs, to networking, and just guides you towards finding your dream job. So, it’s really nice for someone applying for the role to read it, and then they can actually action it every day with their clients in the role.

James: Brilliant. Win-win, so listeners, if you’re applying to IPS, make sure that you check out this book, which will be linked to in the show notes over at GraduateJobPodcast.com/IPS. Next question, Martina, what website or internet resource would you recommend to our listeners?

Martina: I’d recommend LinkedIn. I don’t know how much people probably mention that. It’s probably every time. But, to me, LinkedIn is just a really good way to network. There’s groups, you could find an interest, you can get involved in forum discussions. It’s genuinely just a great platform to learn from your peers, but also the leaders in the field. You can follow various hashtags. I’d follow IPS, mental health, recovery, and as well as it’s a good way to access webinars, events, as well as jobs. So, definitely I’d recommend everyone has a good profile on it and active on it, definitely.

James: A brilliant tip, and yeah, it is a trove of information for a job-seeker. As you said, building networks, speaking to people who may be already working the IPS specialist role, reaching out to them for advice about how they got into it, what they like about the role. Yeah, it’s a brilliant website, so top recommendation there. And the final question, what one tip would you give listeners to help them on their job search today?

Martina: I’d say probably stop thinking about the actual job. Probably relating back as well to Richard Bolles, thinking about how or where you’d like to make an impact or create change, and then explore this further. So, a lot of people are in IPS, so they might have a passion to support people or make a difference and change their lives, but it doesn’t mean you need to be a nurse or a doctor. You don’t have to be on the front line. There are so many other areas. Maybe it’s in policy or commissioning where you can have this same impact, but people get very thrown off-track by just always thinking about the job title or the job in the field. But, really it’s just finding something that you’re passionate about and then finding the career, a job that you can actually fulfil that passion in.

James: That’s really good advice. If you’re passionate about a job and you enjoy a job, or you will enjoy a job, that passion is so good when it comes across in the interview process. You’re really stamped out over someone who isn’t as interested. You’ll be head and shoulders above them in the interview process.

Martina: Yeah, definitely.

James: So, Martina it’s been an absolute pleasure having you on the show today. What is the best way that listeners can get in touch with you, and also IPS Grow?

Martina: Definitely, check out our website, IPSGrow.org.uk/vacancies for all of our live roles. And then if you want to find out a little bit more about IPS or upcoming positions, email support@IPSGrow.org.uk.

James: And listeners, as I said, links to everything we discussed today, including all those website links and email addresses are over in the show notes at GraduateJobPodcast.com/IPS. Martina, thank you so much for appearing on the show.

Martina: It’s my pleasure. Thanks for having me.

James: Many thanks again to Martina for coming on the show to discuss IPS Grow. An exciting graduate scheme which is expanding rapidly and on the lookout for graduates such as you dear listener, so make sure you get your application in now. As Martina mentioned they are looking for a diverse range of applicants, so whether you are fresh out of university, or maybe a good few years from graduating, have a look and get your application in. Don’t forget to get a copy of her top book recommendation What Colour is your Parachute to impress them in the interview. Click on the links in the shownotes to buy from Amazon and help to support the show. Do get in touch with me at hello@graduatejobpodcast.com if you have any questions, feedback on the show or if you would like coaching help and advice with your applications, interviews or assessment centres. Don’t be shy. If you are interested in IPS then stay tuned, as in the coming weeks I will have an interview with an IPS Employment Specialist who will be sharing their experiences of what the role is like so you can learn more about it in detail, from the day to day specifics to the application process from a graduates perspective. So, that is it from me, I hoped you enjoyed the episode today, but more importantly, I hope you use it and apply it. See you next time.