Seems obvious doesn’t it – but all too often people are keen to point out what their limitations.

A while back I had client who  - like the young man above – was frustrated that although she had applied for many jobs she had not been successful in being invited to interview  - until then. Now she wanted to work with me to prepare to do her best.  For that role she would be pitching to clients so – nor surprisingly – she was asked to prepare a 5 minute presentation as part of the interview which she wanted to run by me .  So she had her slides, her script  and off she went starting with

“I get really nervous about presentations so bear with me….”

Now I know we were practising but when I checked she agreed that she would probably have said that in the interview .

Being nervous when making a presentation is natural and very common.  The audience does not need to be told. And by flagging it up to an interview panel who were making a choice about a recruiting someone onto the team who would be responsible for pitching to clients was not the best strategy.

Remember to always tell us the good stuff up front – what you can do, how you do it, why you are special. Even if you are missing something let the recruiter – and if you are a business owner a potential client –  decide that on balance what you DO have outweighs what you don’t.

If you think you might be sabotaging your own best efforts with the words you use  get in touch to find out how a 60 minute coaching session might help you change that jackie@consultcameron.com

In a recent post on this blog I was talking about when people choose to leave their job rather than thinking about what they want to go to.  The HBR suggests that often what employees are looking to leave behind are bad bosses or awful co -workers – and that that sometimes panics them into action and sometimes prompts comments like -

“That’s it…I can’t stand another day with  [insert name/names here]!”

If that sounds like you then one thing you have to consider in your search for your new job is that  people like [insert name/names here] might also hang out in the new place – and then what will you do?

Why not talk to someone you trust about how you feel and see if you can find a different way to respond to people like them? Sometimes a little insight and taking time to step into their shoes to look at things from their perspective can make all the difference.

And if you are basing your jobsearch on working “anywhere but here…”  what does that place look like?  What kind of jobs are they advertising?

Wanting to run from a bad situation is natural. The difference here is that  - for most of us – being able to  pay the bills and have a reasonable quality of life away from work is quite important.

Now  might be the time to do a bit of research about what else might be possible ( it’s amazing how encouraging that can be), consider options, talk to people you trust and develop a plan of action.

If you would like to find out more about how working with me as your coach while you refine your job search strategy please get in touch for a no obligation chat  jackie@consultcameron.com

Link to HBR post  -  Harvard Business Review 

Now – let’s think about how that advice might work for your career.

What you have to offer is attractive – check!

You have worked with good quality businesses that will be recognised by others – check!

Your work experience  is varied and interesting – check!

BUT – how relevant is what you have done in the past to  today’s market?

Sadly for many people the demand for what they have to offer has dropped off . So what can they do?  Put things on hold until the market turns?

What do you think?

Imagine if the antiques expert said that there would never again be a market for that decorative bowl but mosaics made from smashed antique pottery could not be produced quickly enough to meet demand.  I am sure the owner of the bowl would hold up his hands in horror and refuse to do something so dramatic.

But how about applying that to your next career step. By breaking up your past experience(s) and reforming and presenting them to a potential employer in a new, attractive way might that be the way forward for you?

Let me help you review your career so far, recognise what you have to offer and work out how to present that to potential employers. Take a look here for what I offer

A comment he made during this interview has been much reported. When he was asked to comment on the ( apparent) view of younger people that Linkedin is for old people ( ie people in their 40s) he came back with  ”What the people who can give you a job?”

And this is key.

I speak widely to younger people – in college and university – and have run workshops to explain how important it is to have an online professional profile on LinkedIn.  They have skills in using social media – Facebook, Youtube etc – which, on the face of it, should mean that using LinkedIn should be an extension of that. But it’s a hard message to get across.

They all know about using search engines. A recruiter searching for someone with skills they have are not really likely to find them through the content on their Facebook page are they?

All of the recruiters I know are using Linkedin routinely to search for potential candidates.

I have lots of senior businesspeople and business owners in my network – all using Linkedin and the numbers are growing.

I regularly hear stories about people whose Linkedin profile contributed to getting the job they are in now.

So how much sense does it make to say – I am going to put information about me that a potential employer might be interested in in a place where they don’t visit?

It’s almost like a “Where’s Wally” ( where’s Waldo if you live in the US) scenario. Go on.See if you can find me.

If you know of  a younger person who is looking for their first job or who is maybe in a temporary job waiting for their big opportunity ask them if they have a Linkedin profile – and if they don’t maybe encourage them to get started?

And point them to read this post about Elle – who left school not that long ago.

If Linkedin seems like too big a step – or you would like to explore other ways of being visible online to those who have jobs to offer this site is also interesting http://www.cvdemon.com/

Bottom line – don’t miss out on the chance of a job because you can’t be found!

By the way – for the avoidance of doubt – this advice holds good for job hunters of any age!

You might find yourself immersed in your work a few days after returning from holiday and saying “it feels like I’ve never been away” . Some of that will be the natural comedown from having had a great experience  but for some they will return to a pile of work, backlog of messages  or deadlines now fast looming and it is not hard to see how that might quickly take away the benefit of the holiday.

Recruiters often say that there are 2 peak times of the year for people wanting to change jobs – New Year ( and resolutions) and when they come back from holiday. But it is important to be sure that deciding to move jobs is not a kneejerk reaction to the fun and enjoyment of the holiday break but really something that you want to focus your energy on.

In a recent post I talked about  the difference between leaving a job or going to a new one. That might be a good place to start.

Working with a coach can help you see and plan your way forward and if you would like to find out more about that just get in touch jackie@consultcameron.com

And why not take a moment to see what my workshops my colleagues at Career Hub Scotland have coming up the next couple 0f months.  Don’t miss out on the early bird rates.

• I need to get away from this job
• I want to move to another job

It should be obvious when you read them together like that.  But I often hear from people who get stuck in the first.

So often the saying “jumping from the frying pan into the fire” comes to mind when I hear about some exit “strategies” because unless you have some sort of insight into what is making your current job so unbearable how can you be sure that you are not heading somewhere where you might feel exactly the same.

According to the CIPD’s Employee Outlook report for Summer 2011  54% of respondents said that they would like to change their job to “increase salary and benefits”  which is likely to be more challenging in this current economic climate than at other times.  Respondents cited a range of things and amongst them was “increased job satisfaction” and “unhappy with leadership or management”.

It is easy to understand why those might be prompts to look for a new job  – leaving behind a bad situation and moving to what – you hope – will be better .

A couple of other reasons for looking to move on are “opportunities for promotion” and  “Opportunity to learn new things” which implies that the employee understands what they want and they are heading towards that.

Clients often start working with me when they want to change jobs.  When asked what they are looking for a common response is ” I don’t know but I know it’s not what I am doing now” . That’s a starting point for planning their job move. Sometimes they even find the move inside their current organisation!

It can be difficult to recognise what might be a good next step. But wouldn’t you rather it was running towards something rather than running away?

Information about coaching with me here. Please get in touch to arrange a no obligation chat  – jacki@consultcameron.com

Career Hub Scotland will be running career workshops in Edinburgh this autumn. A series of introductory workshops are scheduled for September and October – take a look here for more information

Did I include all of this on my CV when applying for my first “real” job? I certainly mentioned that I had worked there but I am pretty sure I didn’t give any more than that because I didn’t recognise what I had learned and the importance of telling that story to potential employers.

So – if you are about to start a summer job/temporary contract/whatever  - be sure you take a note of what you do, what feedback you get, what you learn and how you learn it ( training or under your own steam), how you handle difficult situations, what you are good at and what you might want to work on.

And – stay connected with people you worked with. They can  form the basis of your business network ie the people who know the person who might be looking for someone just like you to fill a job in future.

It’s never to early to start a Linkedin profile  www.linkedin.com

I work with clients to help them create CVs and their online profile. More information here

But we have to start somewhere.

I remember coaching a newly qualified accountant some years ago. They had been to university, completed post grad study and had passed professional exams. After a few months in their job they had decided that this was definitely  not what they wanted to do for the rest of their life and having shared that with their family were getting some grief on the lines of ” a waste of time and money”.  After a few sessions they had a list of knowledge, skills and experience gained to that point that they would take into their new career. In addition they set off on a job search where they didn’t look at the job title as much as the person specification.

Looking at this from another angle I was talking to someone I have only known for a short time and I asked her how she got into the area she works in. She laughed and told me honestly that she didn’t really know. She said that she had kind of meandered her way there – taking some interesting twists and turns. When she found herself feeling a bit bored she started to look at what else was possible and if that meant moving on that’s what she did .

If challenged she could have mapped out her route to where she felt that it was less important than  how she had used what she had learned ( in business and personally) along the way and how she was using that now.

So how did you end up where you are right now? Was it your intention from the start? Is it what you had expected or hoped for? Or have you been on a career journey with a range of experiences that are packaged up in a way that you are happy with ….or might there still be something else out there?

If you would like to understand what skills, knowledge and experience you have and consider the potential to use that fully coaching could help. Get in touch by email jackie@consultcameron.com  or give me a call on 07775 823862 for a no obligation chat.

Does this describe your network?

Maybe it describes some of it? If so how many members are you interacting with?

If you are engaging with a small percentage, think about why have you built this contact list( for that is what it really is) at all?

The list might be the start….the network comes from the activity. From the networking comes the potential to refer work and get work referred to you, co-create a new product or service, work collaboratively, flag up job/business opportunities, help with market reasearch, test ideas…..

So here’s a tip to get you started. If you use Linkedin go through your contact list. Click on each contact’s name and when their mini profile opens up on the right hand side  use the “notes” function in the ”Edit Details” section to write a comment about the last time you met/spoke to that contact. Then see what light bulbs might switch on !

We  respond best to having control over what we do – and how we do it – so here’s some suggestions for starting that process

1  Draw up a pros and cons list

What’s good about your job and what isn’t. Simple as that …or is it? If you feel that there is nothing  good about your current job take some time to reflect in a balanced way. The fact that you get paid – pro or con ?  That you have a permanent contract – pro or con? That you only have a 20 minute journey to work – pro or con? That you get 5 weeks holiday a year – pro or con. See where I am going here?

Start the list  the put it aside for a couple of days and come back to it and be ruthless with your decisions. By doing this you should start to see what you want from work and what you don’t.

2 Draw a wheel of life

Here’s an excellent link to creating a wheel of life and working through what to do with it.

3  Take stock of what you have going for you

If the first 2 exercises show you that you should change jobs  – and be open to the idea that what you really want is for your current job to be better!! – then now’s the time to list your skills, talents and experience. Be honest with yourself and list everything that you think you are good at. If you are not in a good place emotionally this might be hard to start but can really lift your spirits by going through the process. Ask friends and trusted colleagues to support you in this.  You could try a Johari Window to add more to what you understand about yourself .

4 Brush up your networking strategy

Increasingly recruiters are finding other ways to place jobs than the traditional newspaper and jobs listing websites. You owe it to yourself to get a good professional profile and network going on Linkedin.  Some advice on how to do this here .

Hopefully now you are feeling more in control. If you find that you are ready to take your career to the next stage – with your current employer or otherwise – and you would like some help get in touch for a no obligation chat ! Send me an email to to arrange jackie@consultcameron.com