During the last 20 years I have been busy working my way towards discovering all the things I enjoy doing and mixing it all together into a portfolio career where I work with both adults and children helping to boost their confidence, improve well-being and bring purpose to their lives.
As always with life, there have been many bumps in the road as well as a few traffic lights which I am sure were stuck on red for a rather long time providing testing times. I would often wonder, do I just skip the red light and accelerate away quickly or wait patiently for amber and drive forward when I am ready? I soon began to realise that often the best thing to do was to stop and wait as it was during these times during the journey that my eyes were opened.
My portfolio career consists of my role as a senior accredited career and confidence coach and author, as well as Founder and Executive Director of Voices for Life, a charity to inspire children to be happy and confident through music.
To get to this point in my life has required a lot of quiet determination and perseverance and also a (sometimes reluctant!) willingness to seek advice, guidance and support from others.
I obtained a BMus Music at The University of Birmingham. I then completed a law conversion course and worked as a family law solicitor which led me to a career change. I took a break from law and became a major gift fundraiser for the amazing Macmillan Cancer Support, a move which resulted in establishing my career coaching business.
Since setting up my coaching business 12 years ago, I have developed coaching programmes for adults, children and young people and written my first book. I have also worked with children and young people in a variety of roles in both the education and charity sectors in the UK and abroad.
Along the way, one of the most important lessons I learnt was the importance of hope. If there is no hope when the lights turn red, will they ever change back again for you? If they do change, how do you then know which direction to go?
Without hope, you risk losing direction.
With hope, you open up the possibilities of finding your direction.
With hope, you give yourself the chance to become stronger and continue your journey, increasing the opportunity for life changing experiences.
“All human wisdom is contained in these two words – Wait and Hope”
Have you read Who moved my Cheese? by Dr Spencer Johnson? If you haven’t, read it now! If you have, read it again!
It’s a great book about making changes (and it is not very long). I read it about 15 years ago and have just read it again with a younger generation. It appeals to all ages, that’s the magic. It is a fun and imaginative story about mice, cheese and a maze with a serious message about how you can look for what you want in life to make you happy. The perfect balance for all!
When I was reading it, it made me think about all the changes I have made in my life, particularly in developing my career, as well as ones I am thinking of making in the future. It also made me think about the mixture of emotions that can accompany change such as feeling excited, daunted, worried and happy.
My experience of change may be very different to your experiences of change. However, what we all have in common is that we all experience it. Change is happening all the time in the world, within our own environments, to people around us and within us. It can be simple. It can be complicated.
No matter who you are or how old you are, we all experience change in our lives and cope with it in different ways. Sometimes we know what to do to adapt to or make a change, but sometimes we have no idea where to start and that can be tough. You might know that a change is needed but just can’t see how to make that first step towards making it or perhaps you don’t even know what change you need. You may be experiencing job loss, wanting a career change or perhaps something else has happened in your life that requires you to rethink your career.
Whatever your circumstances, when considering making a change think of it as changing traffic lights.
Stop!
Think about you first. What do you want? What will make you happy? What part of the change are you alone responsible for? This is the part that you can control.
Relax and enjoy imagining what life will be like if you made the change. This is the part that will make you feel excited and motivated.
Get ready!
Think about who else will be involved or impacted by the change? How will it affect them?
How does the change fit in within the world around you?
Go for it!
Take action and start taking some steps towards the change you want to make.
Seek help as necessary.
Making the first step towards change can be so worth it.
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.”
Dr Suess
It is time for a challenge! I am going to be doing a sponsored skydive for a charity I co-founded, Voices for Life. Unfortunately, it has now been postponed four times due to low cloud which is extremely frustrating but it will happen!
Why am I doing this? Voices for Life is a charity I am hugely passionate about and its programmes take children on missions into space to enable them to aim high and believe in themselves. It seemed only right that I should do the same and take on a mission that really challenged me and took me out of my comfort zone.
As I recently imagined what it is going to be like flying through the air, I started to think about the importance of recognising when our comfort zones hold us back from achieving what we want to achieve. We remain sat in our comfortable armchairs which protect us and keep us safe, stopping us from making risky decisions and saving us from any potential embarrassment of telling people that something you tried did not work.
We know our armchairs will gradually grow old and worn if we sit there comfortably for too long. It then becomes harder to find a comfortable position and we start to become restless desperately trying to find the comfort we once had. The springs weaken and the support gives way as it becomes increasingly difficult to lift ourselves out of the chair and search for a new one that provides what we need. The only problem is, sitting there comfortably for too long can stop you from finding a career you love. A career that makes you happy, giving you the opportunity to raise your confidence, create new memories and experiences you love. At this point, we know it is time for action but how do we do something about it?
Stepping out of your comfort zone, requires a change of mindset and courage. Finding enough confidence to enable you to take a step away from your old and comfortable chair and gradually move towards different opportunities, perhaps some you didn’t even know existed. It does not have to be jumping out of a plane but it may be something you catch sight of on the ground that you can start steering your parachute towards. As you start taking little steps, you start discovering life beyond your comfortable armchair to help realize your aspirations.
As I wait in suspense to experience freefalling through the air for 30 seconds, I wait to discover something new, something I have been told will be one of the most exhilarating things I will ever do. I will have to give up some control to do it and take a risk but it will be worth it, especially having raised so much sponsorship for the charity from amazingly generous supporters. I am sure it will open my eyes to new things about me and about the world as I look down at earth and create new memories that will steer me on my way.
As I coach many adults to step out of their comfort zones to help them steer towards a career that suits them in line with their passions and skills, I know these individuals will say that it has been worth getting out of their armchair and landing somewhere a bit different. It is all about aiming for your hopes, dreams and aspirations.
I was asked recently about the typical career path of a career coach and how my career path took me into this line of work. I think those who asked me were a little surprised by my response!
My answer to the first question is that there isn’t one. Career paths and expectations are different for everyone. The risk is that as soon as we define career paths as ‘typical’ we inevitably start to move away from our own paths and what we want to the expectations and requirements of someone else’s path (and who says they are typical!).
My answer to the second question is about to follow. As you will read, my career path is certainly not typical!
I did a music degree.
Following my degree, I studied and trained to be a lawyer and worked as family law solicitor for a few years.
I then decided to take a career break to give myself time to piece together what I wanted to do in my career as I felt there was something else. I really wanted some of my work to eventually include working with children.
During this time, I gained experience working with children as a teaching assistant as well as on other voluntary projects and completed Place2Be’s Foundation Certificate in Counselling Skills for Working with children.
Following my career break, I secured a job working as a Major Gifts Officer for Macmillan Cancer Support.
During my time at Macmillan Cancer Support, I came across the idea of career coaching through various conversations with people and the penny dropped.
I have now been a career and performance coach for over 10 years helping individuals gain confidence to achieve the best careers for them, perform well within their careers and overcome both emotional and practical difficulties. 50% of my work is with lawyers and 50% is with individuals from all professions.
While building my business, I also continued to work with children on a voluntary basis in different ways and study.
A few years ago, My Space 4 Me was created which is a part of my coaching business providing confidence coaching to primary school children to start linking my interests in psychology, counselling, education and children.
…and then in 2020, I set up and co-founded Voices for Life, a very exciting charity to inspire children to be happy and confident through music.
My path has had its ups and downs and it has sometimes been challenging working out next steps but it has been so exciting when things have come together. Some of the steps I have taken may have appeared unexpected to others but they all slot together. My music has come back into my career, my skills as a lawyer helped me to set up my business and the charity and my experience of fundraising is proving to be quite useful too! I am also using my coaching skills which include still working with lawyers.
For this all to happen, I had to create my own expectations and career path which is what I now help adults to do as well as preparing young people and children to be able to do the same.
I love seeing others become excited about what they can achieve as they create visions of what they want and move forward step by step towards these visions. It is so important to manage your own expectations and career path in line with what you want, not the ones you think are typical, and go for it.
As we approach the milestone of it being a year since we first went into lockdown, I reflect in this video on my thoughts about how a shift in thinking this year has prompted many to review what makes them happy and how the re-evaluation of career choices is becoming a large part of this review.
On the day we, in the UK, are ranked as the 18th happiest country, this video and blog seems highly appropriate! This video is all about what success and happiness means to you and what will make you smile at the end of the day and say ‘yes, that was a good day’.
This is the transcript of a podcast Tessa recorded for the International Authority of Coaching and Mentoring with one of her clients about how she works and how coaching benefitted her client, helping her client to feel excited about her career in 2021. Do have a listen to the podcast using the link above or, if easier, have a read of the transcript below.
Tessa, tell me about yourself
As you said I am an accredited career and performance coach, I specialise in all aspects of careers so redundancy, career change, confidence building, and I often help people return to work after a break. I also have personal experience of a career change. I used to be a family law solicitor. I then took a short break and pursued a career change into the charity sector where I worked as a Major Gifts Officer. I then set up my career coaching business which I have been running for over 10 years and still absolutely love doing the work that I do.
In the last year, who has your typical client been?
My clients come to me from all different backgrounds and for lots of different reasons, but I would say the underlying theme at the moment is really searching for fulfilment in their careers. I think over the last year, the pandemic has thrown lots of questions for people and this has made them question their career. Many are coming to me quite unhappy or dissatisfied in their career or current job and considering a career change or seeking help within their current role because of challenges they are experiencing. Obviously, many are coming to me who have also been on furlough for quite a few months and then are being made redundant. There are lots of things going on at the moment for individuals and it’s really my turn to start helping them find that fulfilment again and find those opportunities that will best suit them.
Where do you start?
This year the focus in my coaching has slightly changed. As you know, Covid-19 has not been easy for anyone and there is certainly a much stronger focus in my programmes on wellbeing and helping people overcome many more negative beliefs that have arisen over the last year.
Prior to lock down, my focus initially in a career coaching programme would always be on wellbeing to help increase confidence, productivity, and ability to overcome challenges which then forms a good foundation for leading me to a more detailed focus on careers. I get clients to score the five recognised areas of wellbeing (being active and health, contribution, relationships, learning and relaxation) out of 10 for how satisfied they are with each area. With low scores, we would work together to put some goals in place to help raise these scores.
Since lock down, I have noticed that these scores have become exceptionally low and there have been many more negative beliefs due to the continued restrictions we are all experiencing. A client referred to this as ‘mental overload’ and I think she is right. Many are suffering and so a stronger focus on wellbeing has been needed to maintain a steady rise in those wellbeing scores to ease this mental overload and ensure motivation and good health are maintained.
When people have scored themselves, as a coach where do you take them next?
When they score themselves, we then prioritise the areas that have the lowest scores, work out what is going on for them now in terms of those scores and start putting in place small changes to help raise those scores. For example, someone I am working with at the moment is working such long hours at home and doesn’t even go outside and so a very small change to put in place is a 10-minute walk. These little changes will then make more significant changes later and help these individuals to think about what career they could do in the future because they are feeling better about themselves.
How to you bridge the gap between what’s needed now and what’s needed in the future? Do you set a vision for them to achieve or do you start very much in the moment and see where that takes them?
It’s actually a bit of both. The initial focus is on the present. As I said before about the wellbeing areas, what’s going on for then now and encouraging them to make those small positive changes so that they feel more positive. Alongside that it will also be a matter of helping them with changing any negative beliefs, discussing the triggers for those and going through a belief change process and encouraging a more positive way of thinking. Once I know that is underway and being established and, from the language of my client, they are becoming more positive, we build in the future. Their mind will be in a better place to visualise their future and work out what will be the best for them.
As coaches working with clients, in 2021, what other tips have got to help people thrive this year?
Again I think it’s about the present, then looking to the future. Firstly, it’s being really aware of the impact the pandemic may have had on your clients and be ready to help them address negative thoughts arising from this and genuine concerns about health and family members which are ongoing. I have particularly noticed the affects of remote working and isolation on work relationships. This will have an ongoing impact on individuals. Building rapport has been tricky this year or even getting hold of colleagues or managers to ask a quick question to clarify an issue – that reassurance is not so readily available anymore. This can lead to a questioning of abilities for many individuals. It’s really being aware of all these different things that clients are going through and ensuring you address those.
It is then about looking to the future. It is really important at this stage to free up their imagination. I always carry out a fantasy exercise with my clients where they have to imagine their typical day in their dream job. We cover all details including what they are wearing for this job! This exercise is so important because the inability to imagine an ideal scenario can be a real block to working out the future. I was taking a client through this exercise a couple of weeks ago and we were halfway through it and she said, ‘This is where my imagination is going to fail me’. I paused the exercise, and we discussed this statement and there were underlying thought patterns ‘I can’t do it’ or ‘I won’t be able to do another job’ or ‘I don’t have the skills’. Through a belief change exercise, she developed a positive way of thinking which in turn freed up her imagination. This was such a breakthrough for her that she cried. The freedom to imagine enabled her to admit for the first time that she did know what she really wanted to do but was too afraid to admit it. Again, it’s the combination of now and the future and giving clients the space to work through any issues and then freeing up their imagination to visualise what 2021 could be like for them.
When you are working with a client and have a set amount of sessions and then they go off to fulfil their dreams, how do you make sure that they spend time looking back and reviewing their progress to make sure they keep on track and keep flourishing?
During the coaching programme, I provide a number of exercises and templates and in the last session, for example, we revisit the wellbeing scores to ensure that they have all been raised slightly or a lot and then they can use that process to enable them to revisit it again in the future and keep track of that. We also, in line with the career side of things, develop a career vision which is set out on an A4 sheet of paper setting out their ambitions, the skills they are going to be using and an action plan so again they have something else to refer to when perhaps they are thinking things aren’t going quite right again. I also make sure clients go away with a thorough action plan to enable them to meet their goal and the career aspiration we have come up with. This is also something they are able to revisit and adapt if necessary.
Is there anything else you would like to add at the moment?
At the moment, it is about being focused on short-term and long-term planning. There are two issues going on at the moment for many people who have been on furlough for many months and have perhaps now been made redundant. There is therefore an element of short-term planning to recover that loss of income and to start earning again as well as the long-term planning of meeting their career aspirations. There is definitely more of a focus on the two and trying to get the two in line with each other.
Tell me about working with Jenny
It’s been a pleasure working with Jenny. She has a fantastic sense of humour and great determination. As you mentioned earlier, she was made redundant due to the pandemic following 7 months of furlough. Together, we recognised current barriers and broke them down to help her overcome them. We worked on building structure and positivity back into her days focusing on the 5 areas of wellbeing to inspire and motivate her. It was very simple and very effective. Her determination enabled her to explore career options for the future. Her willingness to change and work with me helped her in just 4 sessions to develop a concise and inspirational career vision and plan for 2021. She has already started progressing with this and it is very exciting!
Let’s flip over the coin now and speak to Jenny. Tell us more about yourself.
Up until November I was a regional fundraising manager for Help for Heroes and worked for them for a couple of years, although 7 months of that was on furlough so I was not doing anything. Before that I worked in hospitality and events. I was head of events for the British museum and that was my last events role and I was looking to change direction and get a better work-life balance which was why I moved to Help for Heroes. As Tessa said, the sessions I have had with her have really helped me to come up with a vision with what I want to do now given fundraising and events aren’t really in demand in the middle of a pandemic so it is a really good time for me to change direction and think about what else I might want to do.
Please can you give some insight into what tools and techniques she used with you that you found helpful for you at this time in your life.
From the first conversation we had I was at a low point and I don’t think I had realised that was the case. When she took me through the five areas and looking at my wellbeing, I scored quite low in quite a few of the areas. Because I had been stuck in the limbo of furlough, I hadn’t realised that was the case. I am usually quite a positive and determined person and I ended up in a slump without realising I had got there. Finding that was the case was really helpful and spurred me on to try and take in everything I could from the coaching and make some changes. We got to the third session which was a breakthrough. I was fixed on what I had always done and not opening myself to thinking about other possibilities. We went through an exercise where I came up with what careers I could possibly want to do if there were no restrictions. We scored these against the areas of interest and things I enjoyed doing. We came up with a career that fitted every one of my goals, my skills and my interests that I really hadn’t ever considered as an option. That is the plan I am working on at the moment. Without Tessa I would never have found that.
How are you going to keep yourself moving forward and motivated?
As Tessa said, I like structure and I like planning, so we did a lot of work around how I structure my days given I am not working at the moment. I essentially do I what do at work. I write myself a to do list and structure in around my day when I am going to do it. I make sure I am hitting every goal on the action plan I have been working on so I have an action plan, that will take me through to this time next year, of things I want to do to start my own business and where I need to get to. That’s what will keep me on track.
How do you feel about 2021 now compared to how you felt about it six months ago?
Six months ago was dread for the next year of my life. I was not going anywhere or doing anything, like most of us. I really didn’t have any idea of where I wanted to get to. Working with Tessa has really helped me to structure what I want to do next. As I said, the activity around making an action plan, goal setting and a vision has really helped me understand where it is I want to get to and the path to get there. That is what I am working on at the moment. I feel really positive about 2021. I am excited about what’s in store for me, what’s ahead and what I am able to do.
‘Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.’ (Barack Obama)
There has been a lot of waiting during this pandemic. Waiting for lockdown to end. Waiting for the next announcement from the Government. Waiting for announcements at work.
However, it is not just the pandemic that has caused us to wait. Apparently, the average person in Britain spends almost seven years waiting around. We wait 17 months of our life for food being cooked and, this is my favourite, we wait 4 months of our life for the kettle to boil!
Waiting takes up a huge part of our lives. We are often waiting for certain things to things to happen.
I wonder how much time we spend waiting for something to happen in our careers. Perhaps waiting for an ideal job opportunity or for things to change for the better at work. We often find ourselves waiting for things to improve.
I know there are a lot of people waiting in their careers right now. Covid-19 has not been easy for anyone. Many are waiting to come off furlough or for a forthcoming redundancy. Many are waiting to pursue a career change or to tackle challenging issues in their current role.
How is all this waiting making you feel?
Since the beginning of lockdown, I have witnessed a gradual decrease in general morale, productivity, and confidence levels in individuals over the past few months. The structure of people’s days has started to deteriorate, and many are struggling to stay motivated. The challenges of ongoing restrictions and the constant wait for things to change is tough and is gradually taking its toll on many people.
Let’s help bring back some positivity into your life as we prepare for 2021. If you are struggling, it may be time to change your focus from waiting to doing.
Make some small positive changes to your life. If you are finding your days are starting to drift, set out a simple schedule for each day. If you are spending a lot of time sat at your desk at home, ensure you leave the house for some short walks. Each small positive change will make you feel better and help you look to the future.
Allow yourself the freedom to imagine what 2021 could look like for you. Imagine your ideal job and what this would be like. The inability to imagine an ideal scenario can be a real block to working out the future. Imagining the future can really help to inspire and encourage you to look at different opportunities. Recently, a client of mine had a breakthrough when describing her ideal job. She said the exercise had enabled her to admit for the first time that she did know what she really wanted to do but had been too afraid to admit it. What an amazing discovery!
Carry out both long and short-term planning. This will enable you to prepare short-term goals to prepare for any current loss of income and long-term goals to meet your career aspirations.
Give yourself time to think. Recently, a client referred to the impact of the pandemic as ‘mental overload’ and I think she is right. There has been a lot to process over the last couple of months. Spend time looking after yourself.
There are still lots of things you can change to make you feel better and able to focus on the next steps in your career. Remember, you can take some control back, this is possible.
‘Don’t confuse having a career with having a life.’ (Hilary Clinton)
Do you agree with Hilary Clinton?
Are you constantly balancing work and life?
It is unsurprising that I have never coached someone who doesn’t want to achieve a ‘work-life balance’. It is a well-known fact that a good work-life balance prevents stress and burnout, reduces anxiety, and creates healthy and happy lifestyles.
However, I am sometimes challenged by people about whether a work-life balance is possible and this has occasionally made me wonder whether these individuals are right. Perhaps it is unrealistic. Perhaps this is a term that will fade in popularity when we move on to the next ‘in’ phrase. However, whatever name we associate with it, I do believe it is possible. Over 10 years of coaching individuals who are unhappy in their career has taught me that ‘work-life balance’ does impact lives and I know that when I work with someone on improving their work-life balance, they always become happier and are able to give more thought to making their career more fulfilling.
Unfortunately, Coronavirus and the ongoing changes to our lifestyle and work arrangements has made maintaining a work-life balance tricky for many people. One minute we can see friends and relatives, the next minute we can’t. Many are now facing redundancy or were about to come off furlough, only for it to be extended again. Many went back to work, now to be told to work from home again. Plans have been made and cancelled. Keeping up with changes we have no control over can be mentally exhausting and can impact the control we have over maintaining a good work-life balance leading too stress, fatigue, and a decrease in work performance.
How is your work-life balance at the moment?
I know many people have been reassessing their lives and priorities over the last few months during the pandemic. Discarding things that previously made them stressed and bringing new elements in that make them happier. If you have managed to do this, fantastic! However, if you haven’t please don’t worry, it is not easy. I really mean that. It is not easy at the best of times, let alone when there is a pandemic and the rules keep changing. When a client said to me last week that they feel like they have lost control of their work-life balance, I knew they wouldn’t be the only person who currently felt this way.
If you feel this way, why not spend a bit of time doing a little review of your life. Simply follow these points to help you:
1. Consider the following five areas of your life and grade each area on a scale of 1 to 10 as they are for you now; 1 being poor or you are unhappy with what you are doing in this area and 10 being you are fully satisfied or you happy with this area.
Being active/health (e.g. Diet, physical activity, fitness)
(If you would like to go into more detail, work out how many hours you spend on these categories in a typical week. A typical week is approximately 98 hours, allowing for seven days each of fourteen hours.)
2. For scores below 9, spend time thinking about what you can do to improve your score in that category. Think about changes you can make to your life to increase the lowest scores. Remember, you do not need to make big changes. Focus on one category at a time and take small steps towards improving your score.
Remember, once you have started the process of restoring the balance, you will start to feel happier and have more energy to eventually raise all the scores.
Whether or not it is the correct term to use, having a ‘work-life balance’ and keeping it at the forefront of our minds is really important for developing a happy and fulfilling life and career.
Do you worry about being found out at work? You think you are not as good as people are making you out to be and one day you will be exposed. You may be suffering from imposter syndrome.
I recently contributed to an article on Imposter Syndrome in the Happiful Magazine and, while making my contributions, I realised how many of us suffer from this syndrome at some point in our careers.
What is imposter syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is believing you are not as competent as others believe you to be. You develop a fear of being found out and may believe you have only got to where you are by luck. This commonly leads to feelings of self-doubt and anxiety. Some say it is more commonly seen in women, but I have seen it equally in both the men and women I have worked with.
If you think you suffer from imposter syndrome, you are not alone. Many people suffer from it. We live in a world of high expectations which is largely experienced through education and in the workplace. This can lead to individuals developing high expectations of themselves, often setting unrealistic goals or challenges. It also leads to individuals not speaking out when they are struggling. They do not want to be found out.
Imposter syndrome and perfectionism
Imposter syndrome is often linked to perfectionism and this is a link that I frequently see displayed, particularly in professions such as law. Signs include spending far too much time over preparing for tasks and after the event over analysing how you did, often thinking your performance was worse than it really was. Unfortunately, this forms a vicious cycle as thoughts such as ‘I don’t want to fail’ or ‘I’m not good enough’ trigger self-doubt and feelings of anxiety. Individuals don’t tell anyone because of the fear of being found out and therefore do not seek help.
What can I do if am struggling with imposter syndrome?
If you are struggling with imposter syndrome, be aware of when your imposter syndrome or perfectionist thoughts occur and what they make you feel. The more you are aware of these thoughts and feelings, the easier it will be to do something about them. Ultimately, you want to be able to challenge these thoughts and believe you are good enough and can do it. Remember it is normal not to know everything. If you are unsure about something, talk to someone who can help you. It may also be a good idea to ask for feedback from colleagues, it’s often more positive than you expect.
To find out more about this topic, have a read of the article I contributed to here, ‘What is Imposter Syndrome’
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change”
(Albert Einstein)
We are all now starting to look to the future in a post-coronavirus world. Some of you may already be putting plans in place for your careers, others may still consider it too early to make any decisions or are unsure what to do next. How do you prepare to make changes in your career in a post-coronavirus world?
I am finding that career change, flexible working and wellbeing are some of the main areas of change being reviewed by individuals at the moment as they consider the future of their working lives. These are the areas that are often considered when deciding on best-suited career paths.
Career Change
According to recent research by the Adecco Group UK and Ireland, 29% of the UK’s workforce is considering a significant career change. One of the reasons being that many individuals (nearly one in five) felt they were not being treated well by their employer during the pandemic. There are also many people who, before the time of coronavirus were considering a career change, and still want to pursue this.
Flexible Working
Working patterns have changed over the last few months allowing for more flexibility and working from home arrangements. This has prompted thoughts on how our working lives can benefit from this flexibility. Is there more scope for portfolio careers? Can our working lives work around our family and home life in a more beneficial manner?
Wellbeing
In recent months, we have also had lots of time to think about our wellbeing. Spending more time at home has enabled us to spend time discovering what really makes us happy and feel good about ourselves. There will be changes many individuals will want to make to their lives now and in the future.
Since March, I have published a series of blogs, articles, and videos to assist you in navigating the impact coronavirus is having on the world of jobs and careers. These are all summarised below – I hope they will be helpful for you as you start to make decisions about what the future holds for your career as we emerge from the affects coronavirus has had on our lives.
Just for a bit of fun! Have you ever thought of presenting your CV in the form of a cereal box? Discover some fun and creative examples of CV writing to make you stand out from the crowd.
My book provides a structured process to help you move forward in your career. I had had over 700 downloads over lockdown so I’m hoping it is currently helping lots of individuals with their careers!
Whatever your circumstances, this may be the right time for change no matter how big or small. If you need some assistance do have a look at my website where you can browse through lots of free career resources.
Tessa Armstrong 