In the nearly 14 years that I’ve been working as coach, I’ve noticed a huge rise in the number of people training and setting up as a coach. And, yet, it remains an unregulated industry. So, I’ve pulled together 7 key questions I believe you should be asking when you're looking for a coach.
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In an era marked by rapid professional transformation, a personalised professional development plan is a cornerstone for career advancement, as it serves as a strategic framework to navigate various career aspirations. This article covers the essential components of a professional development plan.
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Busy professionals are often caught in the conundrum of excelling at work, while living a fulfilling personal life, yet avoiding burnout. Striking the perfect balance is not an insurmountable task. With a few changes, you can manage a successful career and lead a happy personal life.
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A few weeks ago, I did something I was quite nervous to do. The experience encouraged me to share my thoughts and tips on what’s helped me stop worrying so much about what others think, because it holds us back in so many ways, especially when it comes to career change. So, read on to hear my tips.
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Changing careers can be a daunting process, but it can also be a rewarding one when it leads to a job that you enjoy more and find fulfilling. However, many people are put off because they don't know what new career to choose. This blog post suggests 'test driving' your ideas as the way forward.
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Last week, I was delighted to be the resident Career Coach at The Interview Store - a fantastic new pop-up store within Waterloo Station providing visitors with a free interview outfit and interview coaching, launched by Trainline in response to their latest research findings.
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Recently, I had the pleasure of talking to a variety of radio/TV stations about childhood dream jobs, following new research from the ‘Be the Difference’ police recruitment campaign. Top of the list in this research? Police Officer! Here, I discuss that research and tips for changing career.
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When you move into a new career, you may be lacking key experience, skills or qualifications, so it's important to craft your CV carefully to highlight your most relevant and transferable attributes. Here are five things to consider when writing a CV for a career change.
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Preparing for a job interview can be daunting. After all, you don't know the questions that are going to come up. The STAR technique can help you prepare strong answers that you can adapt accordingly. Read on to learn more about what the STAR technique is, and how you can use it during an interview.
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Like many others in today's workplace, you may be considering embarking on a new career. It’s hard to know whether and when to make the change though. Read on for advice on how to know when it's time to move on, and a series of small steps to kick off your next career move.
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Over the years, I have seen a patten in which fears often hold people back from making a career change. This article lists 4 common fears I have come across, along with tips to help you manage these fears, so they don't get in the way of you changing into more fulfilling and enjoyable work.
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Job searching is a job in itself. That’s why it’s such a relief when you finally secure some interviews. The thing is, what happens when you receive that dreaded 'rejection' email? Sometimes it’s hard to think past that email. Here are a few tips to keep you motivated on your job search journey.
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Career change takes time, and requires a lot of willpower, self-discipline, and, of course, sustained motivation. This article describes 10 ways to keep yourself motivated, using brain-friendly strategies and tips drawn from neuroscience.
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The inevitable happened week before last - I test positive for Covid-19. So, something I have been stressing about for 1.5 years finally happened. Over the course of managing the various periods of isolation, and being ill, I learnt a few important life lessons, which I share in this article.
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The strongest theme that has emerged from reading many personal development books and coaching individuals seeking change for over ten years now, is how FEAR is the one thing that holds us back from doing pretty much anything new. Here we learn why we fear change, and how to overcome those fears.
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This week, as part of my ongoing Career-Changer series, I spoke to career-shifter Ayesha Murray about her switch from a successful 20 year career in Marketing to training and starting out as a Coach and Mentor for working parents.
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On Monday, I was asked to join Simon McCoy on BBC News Live to answer questions from viewers struggling to find work during the Pandemic. I answered questions relating to CVs and interviews, offering advice and tips along the way.
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If you’re a new coach starting out, or struggling to get your coaching business going, then this video is for you. I was interviewed as part of a series of fireside chats for the coach training company, Firework (who I trained with). In it, I share all my experiences of starting my coaching business.
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As part of my ongoing Career-Changer series, I spoke to recent career-shifter Duncan Macnaughtan about his journey from delivering data science projects to starting his own alcoholic drinks company. Duncan has gone from dreading Mondays to enjoying the creative freedom his new career now offers.
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It’s taken you a while, perhaps years of niggles, but you’re now aware that a change in career is required. So, what now? Where do you start? The first thing to do is examine your career change expectations, and ensure that they are as helpful as they can be.
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A few weeks ago, I was asked to record a careers talk for the school leavers of one of my old schools. The advice I gave is incredibly relevant for graduates and career changers too, as there’s a similar sense of ‘getting started in something new’ and ‘what’s next’ that spans both situations.
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As part of my ongoing Career-Changer series, I spoke to career-shifter (and dear friend) Jemma Khan about her courageous journey from being a Recruitment Consultant, to starting a whole new career, and her own business, as a Florist.
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What I’ve noticed over the past few weeks are a handful of thinking patterns that appear to be driving the fear a lot of us are currently experiencing. What are these unhelpful thinking habits we can look out for? How can we challenge them to enable us to think in a way that’s much more helpful?
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Writing a CV isn’t an easy task for some, and can be challenging at the best of times. But when changing careers, it can be even more difficult. These simple 5 tips from job site Zoek will guide you on how to write a good CV to help you impress potential employers and score your dream job.
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For too long, we’ve relied on internet job boards to find a new career. This might work if you know what you’re looking for. If you don’t, it can feel overwhelming, and a process that often lands you back in a role similar to the one you were trying to move away from. So, what’s the alternative?
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Every interview is a nerve-wracking experience, but some can be especially difficult. In this guest post, Chris Stappard, Managing Director of Edward Reed Recruitment, shares his top tips for tackling the toughest tête-à-têtes.
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How to change career in your 30s? I spoke to a client last week who said that changing career in her 30s felt like a crazy idea. She felt trapped. She asked me what advice I had for someone changing career in their 30s. So, I thought I’d share my top tips for changing career here.
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This month, as part of my ongoing Career-Changer series, I spoke to Elle McCann about her journey from being an Account Manager to starting a whole new career as a Food Stylist and Recipe Developer. These interviews seek to share advice from those who have changed career in order to inspire those wishing to do the same.
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Do you dream of calling the shots and being your own boss? While self-employment can be a rewarding career venture, it’s not necessarily the easiest path to take. In this blog post, guest author Cloe Matheson outlines 6 crucial things to consider before becoming self-employed.
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This month, as part of my ongoing Career-Changer series, I spoke to Siobhan about her journey from working in Project Management to starting her very own champagne business. These interviews seek to share advice from those who have changed career, in order to inspire those wishing to do the same.
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Last month, I shared the career change story of the amazing Ellie White, as part of my ongoing Career-Changer Series. These interviews seek to share the inspirational stories of people who have made the decision to change career. This month we hear from the newly freelance Producer Amalie Englesson.
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Over the coming months, I will be interviewing and sharing the inspirational stories of people who have made the decision to change career. I ask them about their career shifts and what advice they have for others considering a career change. My first interview is with the amazing Ellie White.
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This month, guest author Cloe Matheson (a freelance writer from Dunedin, New Zealand) passes on her advice for why we should try to overcome our fears and make the changes to our career that we’ve been dreaming of.
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I read this morning that the average person will change career 5-7 times during their working life. If you’ve decided that this is the year that you finally ditch that job you hate, then here are five steps to help you on your way to changing career in 2018.
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Through experience I now have a pretty clear sense of what frustrates this generation about their jobs, so much so that they’re considering leaving, or even completely changing career, as a result. so, here are 7 key tips for managing Millennials in the workplace.
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If you're seriously dreading every Monday morning, and find yourself counting down the hours each day, it may be time to reassess. Here are five signs that it's probably time to quit your job.
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I work with quite a few clients who would like to feel more confident presenting and speaking up in meetings. I went to a talk recently by Robin Kermode, one of Europe’s leading coaches to CEOs, boards, and senior professionals, who spoke about bringing authority and personality to your work, and the best way to maximise the effect of personal communication and the secrets to confident speaking. A few of his tips are worth sharing if you’d like to feel more confident speaking up.
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Being creatures of habit, our minds want us to stay in our warm, safe comfort zone. To stay put saves us energy and we know what to expect. We think we have things figured out and that helps us feel in control. That’s great unless we want things to change.
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If 2014 is the year you’ve set yourself to finally launch your dream business then this interview is for you. If not, then I’m sure you will find it inspiring anyway.
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Let’s face it, even if we love our job, the thought of the first day/week back at work after the Christmas and New Year break can feel pretty crappy. I’ve been doing one or two things, which I feel are making that first week back seem bearable and I’m actually starting to look forward to it. I’ve listed these things below to help you look forward to going back to work too.
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In my role as a coach over at Mind The Gap, we’ve been working on putting together an exercise to encourage those in their 20s and 30s to review what 2013 meant to them, whilst also getting them to think about what they want out of 2014. The questions are great so I thought I’d share them with you.
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Remember that little lady, Gillian Mckieth? ‘The Poo Lady’, as I used to remember her as, who then went on to make a bit of a spectacle of herself on ‘I'm a Celebrity...’. Well, I'm beginning to realise she had a point. You are what you eat.
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In my eyes, today signifies the first day of Spring. It certainly might not feel like it as it's still bitterly cold but March, April and May are now on their way. Yay!
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If you will be spending Christmas or New Year’s Eve on your tod this year, then no worries, try out the following...
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I usually write a post each month but somehow October has just appeared out of nowhere! Anyway, here we are again in the last quarter of the year. Time to turn over a new Autumn leaf and get going on those goals you wanted to achieve by the end of 2012.
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Throughout my career as a coach for young professionals, clients have often commented on the changing dynamics of their friendships throughout their 20s. It can be a confusing time. I think this little poem can help you understand why some friendships might begin to change as we grow older.
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The other week I attended an EMCC workshop on Positive Psychology, many people think that Positive Psychology is just about adopting a more positive, optimistic viewpoint of a situation but Its actually about using your natural strengths and positives to better yourself and your situation.
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Vision Boards are great for starting to visualise your future goals. You might have a clear idea of what you want or you might not, it doesn’t matter. It is a process and it helps formalise your thinking into a kind of creative, visual action plan to refer to now and again.
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Last night I attended an event at The School of Life called ‘Understanding Depression’. Although the majority of my clients do not have depression, one or two do so I wanted to learn more about the causes, symptoms and effective interventions.
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I’ve always been known as the lazy one in my family. I’m not that fit, I don’t like running and generally, I’d rather be in bed than get out of it to do ‘exercise’. That was how people knew me. And I have to say, I wasn’t that happy. Looking back, I always felt quite low.
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In January I presented the findings of my research on the quarter-life crisis at the 8th Annual Coaching and Mentoring Research Conference. You can view the Prezi presentation that I used here and this blog post accompanies this presentation as it might not make much sense on its own.
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Throughout 2012 I am offering one person each month the opportunity to experience coaching entirely free of charge with the aim that they will be so delighted with the results that they won't be able to doing anything else but spread the word of how coaching helped them.
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This week, dating coach Liz Robson from Glow Coaching has kindly written a blog post on personal values. I invited her to write a post on relationships as a number of clients often come to coaching with questions around this part of their life.
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During our 20s and 30s we seem to struggle for several years, trying to figure out who we are, what we like and dislike and what we want to do with our lives. We want to establish our own unique identity more than anything but the current climate frustrates this process
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We all love a good list, however before you know it, the list is as long as your arm and becomes overwhelming. Here’s a hint from expert Jeff Herring, courtesy of Stylist, on how to tackle that to-do list and make it manageable.
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An excerise to develop positive thinking and appreciation. Have a read and give it a go yourself. It’s a little odd but the principle of it works wonders for positive thinking and learning to appreciate your life.
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One of the main things that seems to hold us back from getting what we want is low self-esteem. Try this exercise and see how your level of self-esteem measures up.
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