Tag: job search

Why can it take so long to hear back after a job interview?

You’ve narrowed down your job search. You’ve spent time composing a knock-their-socks off covering letter, and CV which pays off when you’re offered an interview.  You prepare and research the company, practice your success stories, rehearse your killer questions, and have a perfectly pitched presentation ready. You carefully consider your outfit and make your way to the interview – either face to face or online.

The interview is finally over, it’s the final interview and you know you are down to the last few candidates. You think you’ve done quite well, you got a good vibe, you built good rapport with the interviewers and got positive feedback, so you’re feeling optimistic that an offer will soon come through.

Then… nothing. Continue reading “Why can it take so long to hear back after a job interview?”

Having the courage to apply for a more senior role

What’s holding you back from applying for that promotion? Is it just about the courage to take the next step, to be out of your comfort zone in some areas of the role, or is there something else at play?

There’s an often-repeated statistic that women only apply for jobs if they meet 100% of the criteria, whereas men will apply if they meet only 60%. Research in 2014 investigating this claim could find no evidence for it, but it’s true that my female clients want to meet far more of the criteria before applying for a job – especially a promotion – than my male clients do.

Continue reading “Having the courage to apply for a more senior role”

Is your job search taking too long?

Once you’ve decided you want a new job it can feel like your enthusiasm for your current one has left the building and all you want to do is get started on a new role. With a job market currently stacked against the candidate, here’s how to stay resilient if your job search is taking too long.

Continue reading “Is your job search taking too long?”

How to ace starting a new job while working remotely

Starting a new job is a bit weird when you can’t meet your colleagues as we’re all still working from home due to lockdown. And as the default setting might be working from home for some months to come, many more people will start new jobs having not met their team.

So how can you make sure you’re off to a flying start, despite the disadvantage of not being able to meet people in person? I spoke to two clients who faced just this situation to ask for their tips, plus an employer who has also had new team members start their jobs during lockdown. Here’s what they shared. Continue reading “How to ace starting a new job while working remotely”

Overcoming your fear of posting on LinkedIn

Let me make a small confession: I used to be scared about posting on LinkedIn. So I get it. You might not post because you’re worried about what people think, you might think what you have to say isn’t sufficiently “thought leadership”, or you might just not know where to start. Continue reading “Overcoming your fear of posting on LinkedIn”

The benefits and drawbacks of working interim

With one in seven people in the UK workforce now working as a contractor rather than permanent employee, what are the pros and cons of working interim? Can you successfully have a career which includes both types of working, or if you’ve chosen to work in interim roles is there no way back to permanent ones?

Continue reading “The benefits and drawbacks of working interim”

New job – stop thinking, start doing

How do you know you need a new job? Do you dread going in to work every day? Do you feel low on energy and unenthusiastic about the work you have to do and completing even the smallest of tasks feels like walking through treacle? Do you consistently talk about looking for a new role but never actually do anything about it?

If you do, it’s probably time you looked for a new challenge! Whether you want an internal promotion or a new job in a new company, deciding you want another new job and securing one can be pretty far apart, so what’s the best way to get started? Continue reading “New job – stop thinking, start doing”

Your job search is your opportunity to sharpen your resilience and come out stronger

Life requires resilience. We all need an ability to roll with the punches, to get up again when we get knocked down. In two areas of life, that can be harder than in others: dating and jobseeking.

The key with resilience in dating is to not settle. If you’re looking for someone to spend the rest of your life with, it really should be the right someone, not just the available someone.

When it comes to finding the right job, the temptation to take anything, particularly if you’re out of work, can be overwhelming. And the impact of rejection can be soul destroying. So how do you stay resilient and make sure the job you get is one that makes you spend Sunday nights celebrating instead of dreading Monday morning? Continue reading “Your job search is your opportunity to sharpen your resilience and come out stronger”

Applying for a new job? Does the potential employer share your values?

It’s easy to underestimate just how important personal values are when it comes to choosing your next employer. It’s even easier to focus on just getting that next job instead of taking the time to reflect on whether it’s the right next step for you and whether you’ll be a good fit, particularly if you’re unhappy where you are or if you’re out of work. The pay packet can become the sole focus. Continue reading “Applying for a new job? Does the potential employer share your values?”

Volunteering for the career of your dreams

When we’re working hard at work and at home and trying to make time for our loved ones and ourselves, it can be easy to think there’s no time for anything else, but what if something else could fast track your career and help you feel more satisfied and balanced in every aspect of your life?

I’m talking, of course, about volunteering. Continue reading “Volunteering for the career of your dreams”

What’s an agile career path? And how can you get one?

Long ago, in days of yore, a young dreamer would find a trade, train with an experienced practitioner and see out their days plying that trade near and yon.

Nowadays, the average UK worker changes job every five years and the idea of a “job for life” is pretty much dead. And since we no longer have our employers providing definitive career paths for us, we are far more responsible for our career success than ever before.

Continue reading “What’s an agile career path? And how can you get one?”

Acing a graduate scheme assessment centre

As graduates all over the UK start their search for a job, graduate development schemes are becoming increasingly popular options. A cornerstone of the recruitment process for these schemes, the assessment centre has a reputation for being difficult to come through unscathed.

But they don’t have to be tricky. As with all things, forewarned is forearmed, so here are my top tips for acing assessment centres.

Continue reading “Acing a graduate scheme assessment centre”