Career Advice Blog

Cover letter mistakes causing your applications to nosedive

Posted by Laura Slingo on January 22, 2018

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 …
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Get the job you love or love the job you‘ve got?

Posted by Rob Nathan, Director & Career Coach, Career Counselling Services on December 29, 2017

Careers forty years on Rob Nathan CPsychol., founder of Career Counselling Services (CCS) in 1978, reflects on his forty years of experience  coaching and training thousands of people in early, mid or late career. This is the first of a …
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Interview questions: which ones catch you out?

Posted by Natalie Hunter, Career Coach on October 16, 2017

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 …
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Can you retire gracefully?

Posted by Rob Nathan, Director & Career Coach, Career Counselling Services on September 7, 2017

Do you dread the thought of stopping work? As work increasingly dominates our waking and sometimes dreaming hours, we may identify more and more with the part it plays in our lives. We not only work longer hours, but also …
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Tapping into the hidden job market: 8 top tips

Posted by Gillian Freedman, CCS Principal Career Coach on July 5, 2017

At the thought of interviewing someone for information how many times have I heard clients at the end of a career coaching programme typically say: I don’t want to waste people’s time I’ll come across as nervous and unconfident I’m …
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How to build an effective Personal Brand

Posted by Kate Mansfield, Senior Career Coach, CCS on March 28, 2017

What is a Personal Brand? A personal brand is what you are known for and how other people experience you. It involves bringing who you are to what you do and how you do it. For example, it includes: – …
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Redundancy: crisis or opportunity?

Posted by Rob Nathan, Director & Career Coach, Career Counselling Services on February 10, 2017

Bill is 39. He worked for the same company for the past 8 years, as a Management Accountant. He did his work ok, but his real passion was restoring old cars. When he was told that his department was being …
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Could I earn a living as a career coach? 5 top tips

Posted by Rob Nathan, Director & Career Coach, Career Counselling Services on January 13, 2017

Can you earn a living as a career coach? This is a question we are constantly asked. You may be working within an organisation right now, and considering your options for the future. You have done some career coaching and …
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Will 2017 be the year of career change for you?

Posted by Rob Nathan, Director & Career Coach, Career Counselling Services on January 1, 2017

At this time of year, I take out my grubby notebook that sits by my bed, and write down my ‘positives’ from the last twelve months. It stretches my memory, but it’s worth it because: it forces me to focus …
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Strength spotting: a simple tool to improve your career development

Posted by Rob Nathan, Director & Career Coach, Career Counselling Services on December 19, 2016

Strength spotting is not as hard as you might think. People who use their strengths at work: have more energy have higher levels of self efficacy (the belief that we are able to achieve the things we want experience less …
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