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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.  So when you are in a job search situation the way you introduce yourself and answer the question “what do you do?” is really important.  Sit down and write out what you want to say in a few sentences.  30 seconds is a good length to aim for.… Continue reading How to introduce yourself during job search

If you are looking for a new job, it might feel like you should slow down now till the New Year, but there are lots of ways in which the festive season can help your job search. December is often less competitive than January – many job searchers reduce their efforts then, thinking that there’s… Continue reading Use the festive season to help your job search

How many people do you know? 200? 400? 600? More? Let’s say you know at least 200. If they each know at least 200, that’s 200 x 200 = 40 000 people you can get in touch with directly or through a contact. These people will have a lot of information and advice available to… Continue reading Networking to find a new role

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