Category: Career Advice Blog

During these uncertain times, you may question whether it is worth putting any energy into your job search, LinkedIn or career management.

Many of you may be facing furlough or a downturn in workload. A LinkedIn Lockdown Spring Clean, may be just the thing to support your longer-term goals and career aspirations.

So, what is a LinkedIn Lockdown Spring Clean? It is a term I have coined to encourage you to undertake a deep dive into your LinkedIn connections, to qualify, reconnect and purge – if necessary.

Some people just don’t have the time to respond to LinkedIn messages especially if connections run over 500. Thus a build-up of messages occurs and important information can be overlooked – I have been guilty of doing this many a time.

In addition, many people are not discerning when it comes to accepting LinkedIn invitations, making it challenging to keep on top of who is in their LinkedIn network.

Professional networking and relationship building is critical for effective job search and career management, yet many people neglect to stay aware of who is in their network – unless they want something of course. That’s one of the biggest challenge many of my clients face.

We know that the number one way many organisations recruit is via referrals. Thus, utilising your LinkedIn network to access opportunities, especially in a competitive job market, should be an integral part of your job search strategy.

During career coaching conversations with my clients, many shy away from reaching out to their network, (unless it is a close colleague or friend), primarily because they haven’t had the time to get to know their connections.

Top 5 Tips to Clean Your Linkedin Account

These five top tips will kick start your LinkedIn Lockdown Spring Clean, to encourage you to build a truly connected network:

1. Conduct a LinkedIn Network Audit – take stock of your connections and the role these connections can play in your current and future professional life. For example, who can connect you with others? Who are the knowledge providers? Who are the influencers and therefore can help build your own network and profile?
2. Reciprocity – is the key to networking. Share an interesting update about yourself or an article, business insight or home-working strategy you’ve found useful. If you do this on a regular basis, you can potentially avoid embarrassing outreaches in your time of need, especially if you contact people you haven’t connected with in years. The key here is to find an reason to reconnect.
3. Purge – be kind here. Take note of your LinkedIn audit and decide who stays and who goes. (LinkedIn has helpfully made this exercise discreet, so your connections may never know – unless they also conduct a LinkedIn Spring Clean Audit of course!)
4. Refresh – your profile. Given the current climate and the changeable world of work, how can you reframe your skillset to make yourself more attractive and stand out from the competition? Is it time to update your online personal brand perhaps?
5. Re-build – looking at your career audit, identify and connect with the professionals and companies you would like and need within your network.

Sit back, admire your work… and repeat.

If you would like to learn more about CCS coaching programmes, please email me at Czarina@career-counselling-services.co.uk

Czarina Charles, CCS Associate

‘I am not the richest, smartest or most talented person in the world, but I succeed because I keep going and going and going’.
Sylvester Stallone

In today’s complex world of work, searching for a job with all the plethora of social media job apps and online networking sites available, as well as more traditional methods, can leave jobseekers feeling overwhelmed and demotivated. It can be hard to stay optimistic while looking for your next job.

At CCS we often see individuals whose previous job search strategies have involved applying randomly for jobs, resulting in demotivation, as nothing seems to fit or work out. Alternatively, clients can get stuck in “either/or thinking” and fix their hopes and efforts on one or two options. They then become demoralised and give up when neither works out.

Effective Job Search with CCS

We all know that effective job search requires effort, energy and sustained motivation. But how to maintain motivation in the face of setbacks, disappointments and sheer length of time to pursue options, is the difficult part!

At CCS we realise that clients need both a clear focus for job search and also strategies to maintain motivation.

We work with clients to help them identify a good rationale for exploring particular career options based on what they want and need in any job role. We also support them in formulating action steps which are practical and specific.

But at CCS we also understand the psychological blocks to individuals maintaining motivation to carry out actions after the career coaching, even though they were committed at the time.

13 top tips for staying optimistic while looking for your next job

Here are some of the strategies, suggested to Sandra, for maintaining motivation and staying optimistic while looking for her next job. Some will resonate with you more than others and you may want to add your own:

• Imagine yourself 3 months in the future when the enthusiasm for action is dwindling. What you would you like to tell your 3-months-from-now ‘self’ to keep up motivation?
• Alternatively write a motivational letter to yourself and get it posted 3 months from now
• Remind yourself of your autonomy in choosing which action steps to follow; no one is telling you what you have to do and that notion can be empowering in itself
• Revisit the end goal and remind yourself of its importance, especially if the action steps feel removed from what you are aiming to achieve; maybe link the goal to your sense of identity, self worth and values.
• Identify some role models of individuals who have succeeded in achieving their goals by dint of hard work and effort. Draw techniques from them.
• Remember when you have been successful at keeping to your goals in the past. If you did it before you can do it again!
• Make it easy for yourself to achieve action steps by physically removing all distractions and having all the materials you need to hand.
• Celebrate and reward yourself with treats for periods of concentrated activity and actions accomplished.
• Visualise the scenario when you have achieved the goals. (Daniel Goleman, in his TED talk, tells us the power of visualisation brings the accomplishment of goals nearer and makes them more tangible)
• Find a group or a buddy going through the same experience and motivate each other.
• Find a mentor or someone to be accountable to. At CCS we encourage you to send us regular progress updates after the career counselling.
• Break down steps into manageable chunks.(John Lees calls them ‘baby steps’) and make them specific and achievable.
• Find a way of physically marking off action steps when achieved. At CCS we suggest clients physically throw away action post-it notes to symbolise completion.
• Finally just ‘get stuck in’ and commit to action and momentum will build!

As Goethe said, ‘whatever you can do or dream you can, boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now’

Contact Career Counselling Services for an initial discussion on how we can help you with your job search.

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So you are unclear about what your next job should be. You’ve thought about your skills set perhaps and the job tools available to you, and maybe what you enjoy doing? But have you included your Values – what is important to you?

At CCS, we often see people for career coaching who are a bit stuck. This is often because they have conflicting values. Consider Rena.

Rena works for an organisation with 30,000 employees worldwide. She is the mother of two small children, and provides the steady income in her family, her husband being a contracted carpenter. Rena has worked in her role as a Customer Service Adviser for the last six years, and both she and her manager believe she is ready for promotion. But the only openings available right now involve a posting abroad. Rena is torn, as although she knows she could do the job, it would involve a major upheaval for her family – her children are settled at school with good friends, and her husband at the moment has a reasonable amount of work.

It can be useful to think about what your values are, and to include them when deciding on best next steps. Try this exercise:

Job Tools – Work Values Exercise

On a scale of 1-10, mark how important each of the following Values is to you. 1- is of no importance and 10= is of the most utmost importance. Then, pick out the six most important Work Values and the three least important.

I suggest you complete the exercise twice, as your current mood may influence your results. Consider the actual meaning of the words, such as ‘responsibility’ – reflect on questions such as ‘what does this Value look like in practice?’ For example, one person might see responsibility as leading a large team, while someone else could see it as being given the freedom to carry out the job requirements.

Now ask yourself these questions:

• Which of your top Work Values would be met by the job roles you are considering?
• Which would not?
• Which Work Values would compensate for those that will not be met?
• If you were offered a job role, and it met every Work Value except one, and that missing Value made you decide to turn down the job, what would that missing Value be?
• If you were offered a job role which was quite OK (but not fantastic), and yet one opportunity it gave you made you shout “Yes, I’ll take it”, would that opportunity be?
• Which of your work values have changed over the past 3-5 years?
• Which of your top work values do you need to act on now, and which ones could you either put off or work towards? (e.g. if, like Rena, your family commitments prevent you from taking a role with travel, could you use the time to learn a new language?)

Do talk over your answers above with a trusted friend, colleague, coach or mentor. Talking it through can stop you going round in circles.

No job choice will ever be perfect. And there are many factors and job tools to consider that are complementary to Work Values. (e.g. would I enjoy it? Would I be good at it?). But, if you make your choice trusting that your most important Values will be met (or that you can work towards them becoming met), then you are more likely to live comfortably with your decision.

Career Coaching gives an opportunity for anyone facing a tricky work decision to talk over the most significant and sometimes conflicting factors, which can make all the difference.

‘I love the job but I can’t stand the macho environment any longer’ one tearful client complained to me recently. Another, newly qualified as a medical consultant, loves the huge scope of his role in public health but is unhappy with his lack of autonomy. A third client, an expert in fund raising doesn’t feel recognised or part of the bigger picture.

These three individuals typify the dissatisfaction we sometimes encounter at CCS, caused by a mismatch between an individual’s values and their work. Yet such individuals have often not given real thought to what matters to them.

When they do reflect on their values, they may well take action. For example the first client left the role she loved and excelled in, because positive social interaction was so lacking. The second client went part-time and found autonomy in other parts of his life and the third moved to a role where she found appreciation.

The point is that these individuals liked and were good at their roles but because their values were deeply out of kilter in their organisations, they were driven to take drastic action.

Why do values matter for organisations?

A survey from Globoforce’s WorkHuman Research Institute found that when employees were asked, ‘What makes you stay at your company?’ the top answer was, ‘My job; I find the work meaningful.’. A sense of meaning was even more important than compensation, which ranked third.

Individuals universally look for autonomy, mastery and psychological relatedness to give purpose and meaning in their work, according to the psychologists, Deci and Ryan.

If the organisations above had taken time to find out what their employees valued, they might not have lost them.

What organisations can do?

So what can organisations do to help employees live out their values?

1. Validation: Of workers who gained appreciation in the last six months, 93% agree their work has meaning and purpose, while only 72% of workers who were not recognised say the same is true, according to the Globoforce study.

So establish a culture of recognition, appreciation and gratitude for good work done. Recognition doesn’t need to be formal but can be from manager to subordinate as well as peer to peer.

2. Connection: It’s critical for leaders to build a culture of camaraderie where individuals genuinely like to work with each other. Most of us value collaboration. We also want to help one another out and build a sense of community. When times are tough, the feelings that employees have towards others on their teams can carry them through and provide motivation to stay at the company.

So instil an open communication policy. Managers are moving from the hierarchical ‘tell’ styles of leadership and are more like coaches and mentors. This involves frequent and ongoing conversations with employees.

3. Continuous learning: In a study done by CCS for a UN agency into what is most important in their career success, learning and development headed the list. To remain sharp employees need to take on new responsibilities and have opportunities to upskill.

So make training and development resources and opportunities continuously available to employees. Everyone should become a lifelong learner to develop and grow new skills and competencies.

4. A greater cause: Every individual needs to feel a sense of ‘I matter,’ and ‘We matter’ – that turning up every day makes a difference. They want to feel proud of the work their organisations do.

So managers need to provide a context for how an individual’s work fits with the vision, strategy and goals of the organisation. Employees need to be encouraged to see how challenges they are meeting contribute to the overall business.

CCS offers training for line managers in having career conversations. Our unique Career Management questionnaire and toolkit provides a basis for these conversations.

Forbes reckons that 90% of cover letters never actually get read. So, why should you bother writing one?

The answer is simple. You should do everything you can to ensure that your application stands out from the rest of the pack. And if that means going the extra mile by taking the time to write a cover letter, it will only work to your advantage in your job search.

Your cover letter is the first contact you’ll have with the company you’re applying to as it acts as a preface to your CV. You don’t get a second chance to make this first impression, so your letter needs to be on point.

If you’re going to write a cover letter (and you really should), you want to make sure that you’re not doing yourself a disservice by including mistakes that could jeopardise your chances.

Here are our top tips on what not to do.

1. Don’t open your letter half-heartedly

The start of your cover letter must clearly state the role you’re applying for. But instead of using boilerplate text and subbing in your name and the job title, tweak your opening paragraph so it showcases your personality and immediately highlights why you’re a good fit for the job.

Do you have years of experience? Do you have some tangible results under your belt?

Lead with what you’re most proud of, that sets you apart from the other applicants. For example:

“Your requirement for an experienced sales manager is met by my five-year history of working in a big name organisation. This experience has enabled me to bolster my sales skills, resulting in an X% revenue increase from my client base this year.”

2. Don’t repeat your CV

Your cover letter is the chance to explain a few essential requirements and experiences in more detail to prove why you’re a match for the role. As a result, it should delve into the detail of the key skills on your CV, not simply repeat them.

Identify your most relevant abilities and expand on them in your cover letter to make it clear to the employer that you’re the talent they need.

3. Don’t be vague about your skills

Recruiters ultimately want to know what you will bring to the party. The company is hiring because they have a requirement that is not being met.

Writing a cover letter that references your skills without specific examples of your abilities is weak. Everyone can say that they’re a great catch, but without evidence, your claims are too vague and may cost you the role.

Instead, show prospective employers what value you will bring by supporting your achievements figures.

For example, if you’re applying for a digital marketing job and the employer is looking for someone that can increase traffic, show why you’re the perfect match. Did you increase your current employer’s traffic? If so, by how much and what did you do to enable this?

Discuss your abilities with tangible metrics to prove to the employer that you’re the talent they’ve been missing out on all these years.

4. Don’t talk about what you want to gain

When writing a cover letter, many job hunters fall into the trap of discussing how great a job opportunity would be for them, and how it will their enable growth and development.

While this may be true, it’s not the primary message you want to communicate with the potential employer. After all, recruiters aren’t judging a candidate’s suitability based on how much they want the job.

Employers have a problem, and their next hire is the solution. Your cover letter needs to display how you can bring the company success, rather than how much you need them.

5. Don’t be pessimistic

Your cover letter is not the place to explain in detail why you were laid off from your last job, or what difficulties you have been facing recently. Your woes are highly unlikely to create a positive impression.

Instead, recruiters would prefer to know what path you’re on and where you see your career trajectory heading. Employers want to hire people with drive, who possess an ability to get up and go. Show them your energy and give them reasons to hire you, not to pass you over.

6. Don’t write War and Peace

You aren’t writing a novel. You’re writing a cover letter. Like your CV, it should be succinct and pithy. Keep it to one A4 page tops. Make sure your sentences are short and your paragraphs are no more than three or four sentences. No one wants to come face to face with a wall of text, so break up your letter to ensure a digestible read.

Remember that you only need to include enough information to get you through to interview – then you can delve into more detail. In the meantime, write enough to pique the employer’s interest; make them want to find out more about you and your skills.

7. Don’t leave in typos, grammatical errors or factual inaccuracies

Finally, and probably the most important point of all, make sure your letter doesn’t contain any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. There’s no greater turn off than a lack of attention to detail.

Proofread your cover letter thoroughly. You might like to print it off and read it aloud to ensure you’ve captured every mistake.

While you’re checking for typos, also scan for any incorrect details, such as numbers, dates and any other claims. The last thing you want is to catch yourself out in a job interview or sell yourself short and not land the interview at all.

Laura Slingo is Content Executive for the UK’s leading independent job board, CV-Library.

For more expert advice on job searches, careers and the workplace, visit their Career Advice pages.

Be ready for the “simple” questions

I was working with a client who, fresh from an interview, explained that she was pleased with the way she’d answered the competency-based interview questions about her skills and experience. She then said she had come a little unstuck when faced with what she’d assumed would be the “simpler” questions (e.g. “Why do you want this role?; “Tell me a bit about yourself”; “What would you bring to this role?”).

Because she’d spent most of her preparation time building up a bank of detailed examples and stories to demonstrate her skills and expertise, she realised she’d neglected to fully prepare and rehearse her answers to some of the questions which, on the surface at least, seemed more obvious.

When ‘simple’ interview questions are the hardest to answer

What appear to be the simpler, more obvious questions, however, are often the hardest to answer and yet, arguably, the most important ones to get right. Simple in form only, they leave you wondering where to start or what to include.

Another of my clients described the bitter-sweet experience of the time she couriered a letter to the founder of a high profile online retailer. As an enthusiastic customer of the site, and experienced PR professional, she wrote to say how much she admired the brand and offered some suggestions as to how she believed the customer’s experience could be even better.

Within half an hour, the founder called my client and invited her in to talk further. The meeting seemed to be going well and, as they walked through the offices, the founder said that she liked her ideas but was “wondering how she might fit her in to the company”.

My client recounted how, in the moment, she had no answer to this and, at that point, felt any potential opportunity slipping away. With the benefit of hindsight, she wished she had prepared a range of options as to how she might fit in. A painful learning opportunity and one that many of us can no doubt relate to.

An example, closer to home, is about one of my teenage daughters who was recently looking for weekend work. As one of the shops she’d handed her CV in to told her they would be calling to ask her a few questions, I offered to help her think through what type of questions they might ask so she could prepare some answers. I got the not entirely unexpected response of:

“Don’t be silly Mum, I’ll know what to say”.

So, when I asked her how the call had gone, she said it had been “average”. When I probed a little (just can’t help myself!), it was apparent that she hadn’t really anticipated quite a few of the questions and hadn’t done herself justice. Frustrating.

Informal not trick interview questions

Sometimes, it’s the more informal or unplanned situations that catch us out, rather than more deliberate trick questions. I’ve kicked myself a few times over the years for missing opportunities in an informal situation and giving weak, off-the-cuff answers.

Obviously different organisations have different approaches to interviews and some will place greater emphasis on the competency-based type questions than others. Prepare for these too of course, but not at the expense of the not-so-simple “simple” questions.

Interview Tips

Follow these interview tips to be ready for these:

• Make a list of all the interview questions that might come up in formal or informal settings to gauge your motivation, strengths, interests, what you’re looking for, what you’re offering, etc. Prepare and rehearse until you have a well-crafted, brief, confident answer for each, packed with relevant and interesting content.
• We tend to remember the first and last things that people tell us, so make each end of your answer strong.
• Rather than answering with vague generalities, weave in specific examples that show how your values overlap with their organisation and how your skills, experience and strengths would make you a good fit.
• Do your research so you can use relevant language that shows a contemporary grasp of their culture and business issues.
• Your CV and LinkedIn profile are important and it’s tempting to put this at the start of your search. However, prioritising time to figure out your answers to the “simple” questions will make it easier for you to create a CV that paints a coherent picture of who you are and what you’re offering/looking for.
• Treat all encounters as a chance to sell yourself. Anyone in your network could play a role in helping you to secure your next role or opportunity. Even if they’re not in a position to help, they may well tell someone else who will be.

Clearly you don’t want to sound like an automaton reading a rehearsed script, but if you have prepared the key ideas and messages that you want to get across, you can keep it natural and be ready for any encounter, chance or otherwise.

Let CCS help you prepare for interviews

If you would like help in preparing for your next interview and those tough or unexpected interview questions you might have to answer, then enrol in CCS’s Job Search Programme.