To turn to MN when I'm shitting myself

[AllRoadsLeadBackToRadley]

About an interview with the CAB next week?

So...I posted a thread about my PIP assessment a few weeks ago. I realized that a lot of us are going through the same thing, and it's horrible!

It made me decide I want to help others, and I applied to volunteer for the CAB.

Now I have an interview, and I'm shitting myself!

Does anyone have any experience with the CAB interviews?

Also, I've been asked to prepare answers to a question:

"Please prepare for your interview by identifying some issues in the current news which you feel highlight an unfairness or inequality within society and / or may result in someone needing help and advice from the Citizens Advice Bureau"

In my heart, I wanr to let rip about how pissed I am about the PIP process, ans invisible disabilities...so damn angry that various people are being denied!

Is this a good idea?

I dont think you should be angry and let rip. It's not very professional!

Oh- yes, I know. It was really just a turn of phrase, honestly.

Good luck with your interview! I'm sure with your experience that you will have a thoughtful perspective on reasons people may need support.

I am equally angry but no, don't rant. The aim is to show your awareness of these things, not to take a personal stance on them. You'll need to be able to give balanced and correct advice to clients without getting upset along with them. That slight distancing is also what will keep you from getting too stressed and going under!

Absolutely- I do have a habit of getting overinvested.

I think you'll need to have a cool head. That's what they'll be looking for.

Don't be angry.

There's a careful line between passion and being irrational. Have carefully selected sources and be prepared to understand both sides of any argument.

It's a little worrying that you are asking if "letting rip" is a good idea.

Absolutely do talk about what you are passionate but you also need to be clear and consise. We always have a queue out the door and have to turn people away each session. I need advisors who have can help people quickly and efficiently. You also need to be impartial. So it's great that you want to help people with their DLA or PIP claims but will you be able to record accurately their cases and not get caught up talking about how unfair the system can be.

solar the "letting rip" was a turn of phrase- and I really didn't mean it how it sounded. I suppose I meant to talk quite deeply about it, if that makes sense?

Convert your anger to passion, they would want someone who cares and commits (not who gets worked up!) Best of luck.

A relative of mine works for them and I think it's best to go down the route where you say you can only give people the information they need about their situation and offer appropriate guidance and then it's kinda up to them if they take what you've told them and use it. They have a lot of people come in panicking and then they don't do what they've been advised to/come to a follow up appointment etc.

Well, the rest of my advice still stands.

Be passionate but be well read and calm. Be prepared to back up your opinions and understand opposing opinions (this isn't the same as simply refuting them).

Anger, frustration or whatever else is a great starting point but elevate and tame it.

Good luck.

'Getting over invested' is something you will need to curb if you want to work for CAB; you will need to present a professional and factual persona if you're to effectively support people who are frequently very anxious and in need of advice and support.
Being angry and letting rip will be the last qualities needed.

Thank you.

The Citizens Advice service has 2 aims. One is to make sure people know their rights and can exercise them. That's the giving advice bit. You mustn't get angry when talking to clients, because it's not professional, and it may confuse/ upset them.

The second aim is to use their experience of people's problems to campaign for change. Here is where anger/ passion plays its part, but only in a way which is properly backed up by evidence. When advisers see examples of systems and processes which are unfair, they collect information about the situation. When all the information from a local area or sometimes nationally is collected together it is analysed and used to recommend changes to make society fairer.

OP, Citizens Advice national has a website which has info about recent and current campaigns. Many Local Citizens Advice particularly welcome volunteers to help specifically with campaigning, if that is what interests you.

Good luck.

Good on you for wanting to help others after your own experience.

It's great to show understanding of the difficulties people will face trying to negotiate the mine fields of paperwork applying for assistance and awareness of the system.
You need to remain impartial about any inequalities though and keep your strong opinions in check although you're right

Good luck.

Hi AllRoads

As someone who has had to seek help from the CAB many times over the years, it will be a great bonus that you have direct experience of the PIP etc. It really does help to have someone who has been through the system or at least has a lot of experience of supproting people through difficulties. Many advisers are be wonderfully kind and well meaning but these qualities alone are not always a good substitute for experience and knowledge.

You already have an advantage over some other volunteers in that respect, and I'm sure the question is posed in order to gauge a candidate's awareness of the real problems that people face, rather than as an opportunity to rant tell the CAB about injustices they will only be too well aware of!

But I know how deep the feelings can be from the effects of PIP/ the system etc can be and it can take some time for that to setle down, and I agree that to be a great adviser you will really need to be able to keep a clear head and be able to remain 'approprately engaged' rather than being over invested.

I've been to the CAB in a right state emotionally and physically and in that situation you are so reliant on the adviser to be stable and focussed as well as empathetic so you can walk away with the right info and some idea of what to do next. Preferably in writing! Also having confidence in your adviser can do wonders for your mood!

A bit of passion is great as it is nice to feel that someone cares when you may have run out of fight yoursefl, but I wouldn't want to feel that they got side tracked by their own agenda if you see what I mean.

Also, some people in need can be very traumatised and too much 'passion' can come across as overwhelming or even frightening. It is a very helpful skill to be able to read people and tailor your behaviour I think.

So I think you need to think about whether you can keep your (justifed!) anger and sense of injustice in balance and to be able to show that balance in the interview as well as understanding how you might manage your feelings in the future.

Good luck with it all. Its really fantastic that you want to do something to help others and I know many people will really appreciate :)

Also campaigning work that can be a good way of working off some of that excess anger!

Sorry x posted with others inc Catmint - it tkes me aaaaaaaages to think an d type!!

I didn't know the CAB campaigned for change. I think it's brilliant that they can use their experiences to try to make changes..and are hopefully listened to. OP you could really channel some of your passion in that direction.

Thank you. I'm aware I've made myself sound like a proper hothead...I can keep my temper, I swear I can! as long as I have MN to vent on

OP, it's important to be true to yourself, as well.

Can I just say while I am here that it's lovely to see some appreciation for the service. I know that CAB work very, very hard to make sure that the public has access to good quality, impartial advice.

What many people don't know is that every local Citizens Advice is an independent charity, reliant on grants etc the same as other local charities. They often get some funds from their local council, because councils know it is cheaper and better to help people resolve their problems as early as possible. CABs are completely reliant on their amazing, wonderful volunteers who really do change lives for the better. Including their own.

The service is facing unprecedented levels of demand at the moment, against a backdrop of cuts to other services. So their funding is dropping and there are fewer specialists to refer clients to. They know that they aren't meeting demand and most are working their socks off to modernise and help more people with less funding to do it with. They also have to adhere to quite strict quality standards, and they get monitored on these independently. Sometimes volunteers aren't suitable for advice work, but usually there are other ways to stay involved.

As you'll have gathered, I'm quite familiar with Citizens Advice although I am not an adviser. It's a great service, and if anyone's thinking of volunteering, please do give it a go. It's not for everyone, but for some people it gets under your skin and becomes a way of life.

Very best of luck OP, let us know how you get on.

I volunteer with them as a phone advisor and it is important to be calm, get as much info as possible from clients. Always think in the background for other triggers debt, discrimination etc. Their website is brilliant research and campaigns a big area and current topic is fraud I think.

It is about empowering people to manage their own issues and providing direction and resources as needed.

my daughter had the same, they were
quite intrusive,have a friend there ifposs

She is feisty had to learn how x

Just to update...

I'M IN!!!!

I'm rarely confident about anything...but I sort of knew I'd done well about halfway through the interview.

Well done, that's brilliant news.