The easiest way to find a job you actually enjoy

October 2, 2018 tessaarmstrong.co.uk Career Change, job search, new job, Returning to Work, Uncategorized, work-life balance Career Change, job search, new job, Stress, unhappy at work, work-life balance

At a wedding I attended a few years ago, I started chatting to a lady during the reception. The reception was taking place in a marquee in the beautiful countryside and, as expected, everyone was in good spirits. The lady I was talking to was extremely friendly and, having introduced myself to her, I asked:

‘What do you do?’

She looked slightly embarrassed and hesitated. She eventually responded by saying that she didn’t do anything.

Really? Can this be right? Did she do nothing at all?

Baffled by her answer and unsure how to respond, I moved the conversation on as I continued chatting with her. During our conversation I discovered that she of course did do something. In fact, she did lots of things! She was a mother of three children, a housewife, volunteered a lot of time to her local community and enjoyed running.

This lady’s response is not unusual.

For many, work has been such a dominant part of their lives that it dominates their thoughts, feelings and lives. When asked ‘what do you do?’, the only thing they think of is work.

Does this mean without work, we do nothing?

There are risks involved in allowing work to dominate our lives in this way. These risks are created from the presence of a huge imbalance in our lives as we give lots of time and energy to work, leaving little time to attend to all other aspects of our lives. This imbalance is barely noticeable when work is going well. During these times you feel strong and good about yourself. You are achieving. However, we all know that work is rarely good all the time and there is a risk that when it is not going well, or you are not in paid employment, the imbalance can make you feel fragile, unhappy and stressed. It is left to the weaker areas of your life to make you feel good about yourself. While you feel like this, the possibility of finding a career you enjoy moves further and further away as you become increasingly despondent and stressed.

I may be painting a bleak picture, but I want to highlight to you the risk of allowing work to take over your life and the impact this can have on a job search, or even your performance at work, when it is not going well.

If you find that work is starting to dominate your thoughts, feelings and actions, it is time to restore the balance in your life. Take the time to think about all areas of your life, such as health, contribution, learning, relaxation and relationships, and work out how you can establish a healthy balance between them all each week. Perhaps make some time to learn something new or to help others. Also, ensure you allow enough time to exercise, see friends and to relax. You want to be able to provide a range of answers to the question ‘What do you do?’ so that when the strength of one area in your life is under threat, other parts of your life can help to strengthen and restore it again.

Restoring the balance in your life will improve your motivation, confidence and happiness, making it easier to continue your job search and find a job you enjoy.

Spotlight career interview: Creating your dream career through a portfolio career

September 6, 2018 tessaarmstrong.co.uk Career Change, job search, Lawyers and Solicitors, new job, Uncategorized, work-life balance Career Change, job search, Lawyers, new job, work-life balance

My spotlight interviews return to help and encourage those wanting to find a fulfilling and rewarding career.

My third interview is with Toni Sharp who talks about how she created an inspirational portfolio career spending part of her working week in her role as an Employment and HR solicitor whilst also spending time working as a travel consultant. Portfolio careers are a great way of creating a career which matches your interests and provides flexibility. The increasing range and variety of jobs available allows for a more creative and flexible approach when designing your career path. Toni’s journey in creating her portfolio career is an inspirational read as she details how she made her decisions to find different roles which match her passions, skills and interests.

Spotlight career interviews:

Read Toni’s interview here: Solicitor makes leap of faith and creates her dream portfolio career

Previous interviews:

Returning to work: Suzanne talks about how she made an exciting career change and successfully returned to work after a two-year break to start her own business. Read her interview here: Engineer and Mum returns to work and makes successful career change following career break.

Career Change: Radha talks about how she changed career from fundraiser to setting up her own travel company. She shows how taking control of your decisions can lead to amazing career opportunities. Read her interview here: Fundraiser follows passion and sets up travel company

Relevant help sheets:

Could a portfolio career be right for you?

Career options for lawyers

Transferrable skills for lawyers

www.tessaarmstrong.co.uk

CV Pitfalls/Setbacks and how to get over them By CV-Library

July 23, 2018July 16, 2018 tessaarmstrong.co.uk job search, new job, Returning to Work, Uncategorized job search, new job, Returning to Work

Job applications can be time consuming and it can be tempting to throw everything down on paper and get applying! However, if you’re keen to perfect your CV there are a few pitfalls to be wary off. Avoid these and you can write a brilliant CV that stands out and impresses recruiters in no time. Below CV-Library explains what these pitfalls are and how you can get over them with some helpful advice.

Lying

It might be appealing to lie on your CV in the hope of securing an interview. Especially if you feel that you lack experience or the right qualifications. However, not only is this morally wrong it could also damage your chances of securing the job.

If something doesn’t seem right to the hiring manager they may investigate it further and you could be caught out. This could affect all future applications with that company so it isn’t worth the risk.

Instead, you should focus on the transferable skills that make you great. Think about how you can sell these to the hiring manager. For example, using figures is a good way to stand out from the crowd and show what you can bring to the company results. You might include the number of people you managed, the revenue you made or the percentage of targets you hit in your previous job.

Unexplained gaps

There are a range of reasons why someone might take a break from work and there’s nothing wrong with this as long as there’s an explanation. Unexplained gaps can ring alarm bells with recruiters. For instance, when there’s no given reason why you haven’t worked for over a year they may assume the worst.

To avoid this, add information about your career break or employment gap in the ‘employment history’ section of your CV. A brief explanation that you were travelling, studying or on maternity leave will do.

Overused phrases

The recruiter will be reading a lot of CVs and will be familiar with the cliché, overused words that don’t mean a lot. Phrases such as ‘I’m a team player’ or ‘I have great organisation skills’ don’t prove anything about your real talents.

Therefore, think about what you’re writing carefully. Any statements you make must have evidence to back them up. To do this follow the show not tell rule, this means you need to pick apart everything you say on your CV and check that you’ve given examples.

For example, you might show how you successfully lead a team through a conflict or organised a challenging project.

Too long or short

A lengthy CV of four pages might send the hiring manager to sleep. Equally, a mere half a page may not be enough to convince them you’re right for the role! It’s all about balance and including the most relevant information.

To ensure you get this right, aim for two A4 pages that include only the relevant information so you can keep the recruiter engaged. This means you should cut out anything that may be deemed irrelevant, such as the Saturday job you had at 16 that isn’t related to the role you’re applying for at all.

In summary

CVs can be difficult to perfect and do require a lot of time and thought. However, putting in the effort will get you results and is definitely worth it. Follow the advice above to help you out and you could be shortlisted for an interview in no time!

By CV-Library

How to tackle the changing job market

July 3, 2018 tessaarmstrong.co.uk Career Change, Coaching, job search, Returning to Work, Uncategorized Career Change, job search, new job, Returning to Work, unhappy at work

‘It has been estimated that 65% of children entering primary school today ultimately end up working in completely new jobs that don’t yet exist.’

I have recently been providing career coaching sessions for secondary school students. Working with this age group is always a good reminder of the importance of being prepared for the evolving job market by initially moving them away from choosing specific job titles and instead creating a career vision. As these young people may not be entering the world of work for another 7+ years, a vision will enable them to be adaptable when faced with different and changing options for progressing their career as well as focussed when making the best decisions for them.

In the same way, when you started thinking about your career the job market probably looked very different to how it looks now. However, at school you were probably presented with a limited list of jobs to choose from: a nurse, a doctor, a teacher, a lawyer, an engineer, the military. Did this list prepare you for the vast array of jobs that are available today? Did any of the jobs really suit you? Did this careers advice prepare you for the inevitable changes that are occurring within the world of work?

Tackling the job market today

Picking a job title, going for it and hoping you like is no longer the best way to start thinking about the best career options for you. There will be all sorts of new types of jobs and career sectors now available (this article may interest you, 10 jobs that didn’t exist 10 years ago) and the best way to discover these is to create a career vision that helps to focus your search. This vision can be adapted to suit you and your circumstances and enables you to remain open to new ideas, rather than limiting yourself to specific jobs.

As you use your vision to search for the best job or career to suit you, your role is to discover and investigate what is available, moving you away from the traditional job search to a more creative one. There will be a job that suits you and, by keeping an open and inquisitive mind, you will find it.

When changing jobs or career, keep an open mind as you look for opportunities that best suit you.

….just one more thing before you go…

My blog was recently selected as one of the Top 10 Career Development Blogs on the web…check out the list.

www.tessaarmstrong.co.uk

FIND CAREER INSPIRATION NOW FROM OUR NEW SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEWS

May 21, 2018May 21, 2018 tessaarmstrong.co.uk Career Change, Coaching, fear of failure, job search, Returning to Work, Uncategorized, work-life balance Career Change, Coaching, fear of failure, job search, Returning to Work, Stress, unhappy at work, work-life balance

How do you make the first step towards building a fulfilling and rewarding career?

Over the next few months I am inviting others to tell you about their careers in a series of spotlight career interviews. I hope these interviews will provide interesting and inspiring reading to those of you who are feeling unfulfilled by your careers.

I decided to launch this series of interviews because many people I speak to lack the confidence to change career or are finding it hard to work out what they want to do for a job, frequently asking me for true examples of career changes to help them progress with their ideas.

I hope this series of interviews will encourage you to make the first step towards building a fulfilling and rewarding career as well as providing you with new job ideas.

The first spotlight career interview

I am launching the series with an interview that will show you how taking control of your decisions can lead to amazing career opportunities.

By making the first step and trying out ideas, Radha made a successful and inspirational career change from fundraiser to setting up her own adventure travel company, Flash Pack. Do have a read of her interview below. She gives some great advice for those wanting to change career and you may also be inspired to take a holiday!

FUNDRAISER FOLLOWS PASSION AND SET UP SUCCESSFUL TRAVEL COMPANY

www.tessaarmstrong.co.uk

Stop procrastinating and just do it!

May 8, 2018 tessaarmstrong.co.uk Career Change, Coaching, fear of failure, job search, Performance at work, Returning to Work, Uncategorized, work-life balance Career Change, Coaching, fear of failure, job search, Perfectionism, Performance at work, Returning to Work, unhappy at work, work-life balance

Do you procrastinate over making decisions about your career, leaving your success to chance?

A few years ago, I did a seminar for the Coventry and Warwickshire Young Professionals titled ‘A great way to get ahead in your career and it’s much better than leaving it to chance’. It was about developing the ability to step out of your comfort zone and take control to enable you to achieve a fulfilled and successful career, full of opportunities and enjoyment.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? All you need to do is take control and you will be successful and happy.

If only it was that simple. If it was, I would certainly be out of a job! This is certainly a case of ‘easier said than done’, but why? Why is it so hard to take control of our own lives? Why do people need my help?

Procrastination, procrastination, procrastination…

Yes, we procrastinate.

I am sure you have been guilty of procrastinating, finding it creeping into your decision-making process and casting doubt on your great ideas.

Think about it. What was the last big thing you wanted to achieve in your career?

A promotion at work?
A better work life balance? (Given we spend 70% of our waking energy on work, unsurprisingly I hear this one a lot.)
A career change?

What happened next? Did you achieve it?

We all want things from our working lives, but often it stops there. Procrastination takes control and we do nothing about it. We leave success to chance.

However, it doesn’t have to end there. You don’t have to leave your career progression to chance. If you want to get ahead, there is a more beneficial and reliable way….

Just do it….

Do something about it: Become aware of the challenges you face at work and the resources available to overcome them– don’t wait for someone to tell you what to do (it may never happen).

Do try different things: if what you are doing is not working, try something else. For example, if you are constantly running out of time to complete work – research different time management techniques and adapt the way you work. It could be as simple as turning off your emails for parts of the day as emails are a big distraction.

Do think long term – Think to the future. What are you aiming for? Make an action plan to help you to move forward in the most efficient way.

Needing more inspiration? Have a look at this:

Art Williams: Just do it speech

As Art says, just do it! Take control and do it – this is much better than leaving your career to chance.

If you don’t climb the mountain, you can’t see the view (Harvey Mackay)

How to explain a career break

April 16, 2018April 16, 2018 tessaarmstrong.co.uk Career Change, Coaching, job search, Returning to Work Coaching, job search, new job, Redundancy, Returning to Work

Have you ever taken time out of your career and subsequently found yourself worrying endlessly about how to explain this break in a job interview?

I was recently asked to contribute to an article on career breaks on jobsite.co.uk. Whilst reflecting on the subject, I realised that through my coaching work I am starting to see a rise in the number of people taking career breaks. They are taken by individuals for many different reasons and at different stages of their career. Some take time off to look after their children or a sick relative, some are having time out having experienced a stressful time in their previous work, others want to experience something completely different through voluntary or project work.

Whatever the reason for your career break, returning to the workplace can feel daunting and this is often made worse by a common misconception amongst ‘career breakers’ that prospective employers will be reluctant to employ someone who has had a career break. However, you will be pleased to hear this is not true. If you focus on how you used your career break to your advantage so that a prospective employer can understand your reasons for the break and what you gained from it, they will be far more interested in employing you.

Tips for returning to work

If you are planning on or are currently taking a career break, have a read through the following headings to help you start preparing for your return to work.

Be positive

Be positive about your experiences to enable you to demonstrate what you have gained from the break. Focus on what you have done, not what you haven’t done. It’s all about developing the right attitude.

Be Prepared

Prior to taking a career break, think about what you want to achieve and how you may wish to use your experience upon your return to the workplace.

Whilst taking your career break, develop your ideas about what you want from your future career. Be open to meeting new people and discovering new opportunities.

Remember, you will always have strengths and skills to offer a prospective employer. Spend time identifying these.

Be organised

Once you have decided what you want to do after your career break, make an action plan to enable you to network, seek additional help and prepare for applications and interviews.

Practise

Rehearse the benefits of your career break to ensure you can fluently explain this to a prospective employer.

If you would like to read more about career breaks, have a read of the article I referred to, ‘Taking a career break from work’, for more information and guidance.

www.tessaarmstrong.co.uk

Hidden careers you never knew existed

February 5, 2018February 5, 2018 tessaarmstrong.co.uk Career Change, job search, Returning to Work, Uncategorized Career Change, job search, new job, Returning to Work

The more time you spend investigating different sectors, the better suited your career choice will be.

I was unsurprised by a recent headline that popped up in my newsfeed last month.

Children in poorer countries have higher career aspirations than UK

On the face of it, you would perhaps question the accuracy of this headline when there are hundreds of amazing careers available to us in the UK within countless sectors. However, this article was prompted by the results of a survey of 20,000 children so there must be some truth behind it!

The finding from the survey that took my interest was the evident need for children to be introduced to different types of careers at an early age. As children are heavily influenced by their social surroundings and who they know, their career expectations did not always match the opportunities available to them, limiting their chances of finding a career that gives them happiness and fulfilment.

However, it is not just children who lack knowledge of different sectors. Adults, through no fault of their own, are guilty of this too!

How many different career sectors are you aware of?

At school, we were typically taught to think about careers in fixed categories with no overlap, common examples being law, medicine, veterinary science, engineering and teaching. This is fine until you have spent five years in your chosen sector and realise it doesn’t quite feel right for you (perhaps it didn’t ever feel right). Your job role may contradict your true values or differ from your interests. However, you feel your career choices are limited and have little knowledge of what else you can do.

The reality is, there are thousands of sectors to choose from. There is something for everyone, to fit with all personalities, skills and interests. If you were not introduced to these at an early age, perhaps it is time now to seek them out. Identify your passions and start making links between them by stretching your imagination. Pretend you are back at school again and revisiting your choice! For example, if you are interested in young people, education and creative writing, expand your thinking beyond teaching. You could investigate writing short stories or educational materials or working for a charity that promotes creativity in young people. There will be so many different and exciting strands to explore. Just remember, your investigations may take a few steps rather than one big jump!

Expanding your sector choices will increase the opportunities available to you and enable you to find a career that best suits you.

www.tessaarmstrong.co.uk

Unpacking an inspiring career in 2018

January 5, 2018 tessaarmstrong.co.uk Career Change, fear of failure, job search, Performance at work, Returning to Work, Uncategorized Career Change, fear of failure, job search, new job, Perfectionism, Performance at work, Redundancy, Returning to Work, Stress, unhappy at work, work-life balance

Can we all find an inspiring career which makes us feel happy and fulfilled?

We all want a career we love but often lack the ability to find the job that inspires us the most. In fact, many people I speak to say they would change career tomorrow if they could but have no idea what motivates them or what they could do. I then wonder, where has their positivity gone? Where has their childlike curiosity disappeared to? Do they really have no idea about what motivates them?

The reality is that our positivity and curiosity does not disappear but instead becomes buried deeply under a sea of everyday thoughts and beliefs about ourselves, the world and the future. These have formed through past experiences, knowledge and predictions for what might happen.

‘I am not good enough’

‘If it goes wrong it will be my fault’

‘They will think I’m crazy’

It is these negative thoughts that are pushing your positive thoughts under the surface and preventing you from being open to opportunity and fulfilment.

So, how do we allow our positive and curious thoughts to resurface? Well, if you bear with me for a moment and use your imagination to work through the following instructions, I will attempt to help you…

First, pack the interfering everyday thoughts into an old suitcase and secure the case (you can unpack them later if they mean that much to you!).

Your positive and creative thoughts now have room to resurface, retrieve these and pack them into a new suitcase. Use these questions to help your thinking:

What jobs would you like to try for a week?

If all jobs were paid the same, what would you do?

What are the three things you feel most passionate about?

Great! You now have two suitcases, one with new inspired thoughts, the other with old everyday thoughts.

Now imagine both these cases are on an airport conveyor belt. They will pass you once and you must choose just one of them to take home and continue filling, the other will be left behind. Which case are you going to keep, the case of positive ideas and thoughts or the case of old everyday thoughts?

Quick, they are passing you…this is your chance…GRAB ONE NOW!

I am sure you are now getting the point!

Remember, you know yourself better than anyone else. If you actively seek out the thoughts and ideas that will give you the best chance of finding an inspiring career, you will find happiness and fulfilment.

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND INSPIRED NEW YEAR!

www.tessaarmstrong.co.uk

Tessa’s 2017 career blog round-up – something for everyone!

December 11, 2017December 11, 2017 tessaarmstrong.co.uk Career Change, fear of failure, job search, Lawyers and Solicitors, Performance at work, Redundancy, Returning to Work, Uncategorized, work-life balance Career Change, fear of failure, job search, Lawyers, new job, Perfectionism, Performance at work, Redundancy, Returning to Work, Stress, unhappy at work, work-life balance

Will you be pondering over your future career during the Christmas break? If so, perhaps one of my blogs from 2017 will help to guide your thoughts. I have provided all the links below (please excuse any inaccuracies with the publishing date– these became slightly muddled when I launched my new website in June!).