Blogs

In the 1920’s, Ernest Hemmingway’s colleagues bet him that he couldn’t write a story in six words or less. They lost that bet when Hemmingway wrote “For Sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.” This story has so many lessons for presenting yourself to a potential employer when job searching.  Choose your words very carefully to get across… Continue reading A clear and concise story

We all know that first impressions count. In fact, research suggests that people form opinions about others within just a few seconds of meeting them. That means when you’re in a job search situation—whether at a networking event, an interview, or even a casual conversation—how you introduce yourself can make a huge difference in how… Continue reading How to introduce yourself during job search

How many people do you know? Maybe 200? Perhaps 400 or even more? Let’s say you know at least 200 people—friends, family, colleagues, neighbours, hobby groups, and online communities. Now consider this: if each of those 200 people also knows at least 200 others, your extended network suddenly becomes a web of 40,000 potential connections.… Continue reading Unlocking the Invisible Job Market: Use Your Network

I’ll be having a session with a client and we’ll get onto the subject of how to answer questions about their strengths and weaknesses at interview.  Previously we’ll have spent a good bit of time working out what their skills are and what the evidence is for these, so I am expecting them to wax… Continue reading Focus on your strengths

What is the best way to negotiate a package when you are offered a new role? Before going to any interview, you should have a broad idea of what you would be looking for moneywise.  Research the market rate for similar roles as much as you can by checking what other organisations are advertising, talking… Continue reading How to negotiate a job offer

Most people would agree that having high standards at work is generally a good thing.  But what if you can’t help striving for perfection in everything you do?  There are all sorts of reasons why someone might be a perfectionist. It might be because of low confidence, or a desire to please others, or maybe… Continue reading Knowing when good enough is good enough

A SWOT analysis is often used by businesses to give a structure with which to plan for the future by identifying their Strengths and Weaknesses from within and Opportunities and Threats from the outside world.  So why not use it to plan your own career strategy? First think about your Strengths: positive things about you that are under your control… Continue reading How to do your own SWOT analysis

When you are trying to persuade an employer to offer you a job, you need to be really good at communicating your strengths.  Think of this as marketing yourself as a product by packaging up and presenting yourself in a way which will be attractive to your target market. You are the same person with… Continue reading How to communicate your strengths successfully

Living a life of fulfilment and happiness is so much more achievable if you have a healthy level of self-confidence. Too often when we feel our life is not going to plan our self-confidence is low.  So what can we do to try to improve it? First remember the things you’ve already achieved in life… Continue reading How to improve your self-confidence

Abraham Lincoln said: “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be .” With all that is going on in the world just now, it is more important than ever for us to make the most of our future lives and do everything we can to be happy. No-one else… Continue reading Where’s your fairy godmother?