A personal statement is key when applying for chartered resource and waste manager. It is based on the established competences which are used to assess applications. The framework outlines the core sector knowledge and the essential business skills that individuals need as they develop within the industry. CIWM’s Qualifications and Standards Executive, Gabriel Mancho, looks at how you can tackle these competences and what to expect.
It is a requirement to demonstrate with clear examples how these competences (listed below) are met and it is important to note some of these are transferable skills not necessarily from experiences within the waste and resources sector.
- Knowledge and understanding of the wastes and resources management industry
- Ability to analyse and evaluate problems and develop practical solutions
- Effective leadership and management skills
- Effective communication and interpersonal skills
- Professional Standards and Ethics
- Demonstrates and encourages good practice and sustainability
- Demonstrates and promotes safe working practices.
Under each competence, there are subheadings which aim to draw out details and gives an opportunity for you to show case your knowledge and understanding of the sector. Whilst it can feel uncomfortable, it is important to highlight your own achievements and successes – the statement should focus on your input and what you did and not that of the team. For example, you should be using “I” and not “we” when demonstrating how you do meet the competences. You should be able to demonstrate that you have an opinion and views of your own; and this should be put across when demonstrating how you meet the key competences. Further details on the interpretation of these key areas can be found in annex 1 of the chartered guidance document.
Tackling the Competences
Now we would like to look at a couple of these competences in more detail. A good place to start would be competency A which focuses on underpinning knowledge and understanding of current and impending legislation, government strategies and how they affect the resources and waste sector. In addition to demonstrating an understanding of this, you would be expected to show an appreciation of wider industry knowledge (not in great depth). You should be able to give an opinion and views on current topical issues relating to the resources and waste sector. For example, the deposit return scheme, the impact of COVID19 and the circular economy – just to name a few.
The other competences are straight forward. Putting your statement together alone covers aspects such as report writing and communication. Taking competency G as an example we will be looking for your awareness in promoting safe working practices (from your statement, CV and development log). Possibly, this could arise through some of the training you could have undertaken and if you have been in a position of developing and or implementing safe working practices. This could include things such as recording accidents and, near misses to identifying and implementing solutions at work. Please refer to the chartered guidance document for more detail (pg 6).
With regards to competency C, it is important to highlight that you do not necessarily have to be in a leadership and management position. This could be related to managing a project as well as managing yourself. You do not also have to be in a position where you manage budgets, however you would be expected to be able to show an awareness of working within budgets. Leadership skills can be demonstrated as you mentor, coach, support and encourage colleagues within and across organisations – it is much more than a line management responsibility and regardless of your position, CIWM encourages you to look for opportunities to develop these skills and capture them in your personal statement.
What happens next?
The submitted competency statement will be checked initially against an assessment key to see if there is sufficient information for you to proceed to interview stage. In a case where there isn’t, we will always give you an opportunity to provide further information where relevant. It is only in a situation where we believe the information provided is inadequate that we would refer you for further development. We will at this stage provide you with the necessary support and development plan where necessary.
