I frequently get asked at networking events, what do I actually do?
I reply that my primary role involves providing guidance and support to people at various stages of their careers. This could include students at school, college or university. I also work with adults who are considering a career change or individuals who have left the workforce for a variety of reasons and maybe considering going back to work.
Some specific tasks I undertake are:
Assessments: I help clients to understand and assess their skills, interests, values and their personality traits to help them determine suitable career options. I have many clients who want to change career and are not sure what career option to choose. I can their offer them psychometric assessments. Doing these assessments will highlight 12/13 careers related to their strengths, interests , we will also look at their skills, achievements and values.
Career Change / Career Exploration I help clients who are considering a career change to explore different career paths, industries and job opportunities that align with their interests and goals.
Education and Training Some clients may want to change career but want help with identifying the right educational and training programmes for that particular career. I also work with clients who want to progress in their current profession / sector and want help to get to the next level. This may involve undertaking short training course or doing voluntary work to gain the necessary experience.
CV and Application Form Support- I offer guidance to help clients to write effective CVs and supporting statements for application forms together with covering letters. This will help them stand out, as many large employers use Applicant Tracking Systems. Applicant Tracking systems are looking for keywords related to the job the candidate is applying for.
Job Search Strategies I work with many clients who are struggling to get job interviews. I help them put together an effective and targeted job search strategy which will get them interviews.
Interview Techniques I also work with many clients to help them succeed at interviews by giving them tips and techniques. I also offer mock interviews to help them make a positive impression with employers and confidence too.
Career Development I work with some clients to provide ongoing support and guidance as they progress in their careers. This involves helping them to set goals, overcome challenges and making them aware of their options for career advancement.
Redundancy and Outplacement Support I support clients through redundancy and helping them to put their career back on track.
As a Careers Adviser I provide valuable advice for individuals seeking guidance and support in managing their careers effectively.
I also work with clients who are struggling with stress and anxiety in the workplace. In some cases this may mean looking to change career. Alternatively helping them to have the confidence to ask for reasonable adjustments in their current workplace.
You will be pleased to know that I offer all potential new clients a Free, no obligation, 20 Minute Discovery call.
The End of Furlough – An Opportunity
5 Things You Need to Do
With the furlough scheme having ended, you may be facing the prospect of losing your job.
What should you do?
Take ownership
It is important to take ownership at this difficult time. If you are going to lose your job then find out about the process.
Understanding your rights
Ask for careers support
Getting impartial and independent professional careers support from Stirling Careers Consultancy can make a huge difference to your job search success and reduce the amount of time taken to find your next role.
Assess Your Finances
With furlough having ended it is essential to assess your finances. This will enable you to have a realistic picture of your finances. You will then understand how much money you have coming in and your outgoings too. You can also talk to the Jobcentre Plus. They will tell you about your entitlements.
Be optimistic
With the furlough scheme having ended and the possibility of redundancy looming this can be a very unsettling time. However, now could be a good time to take a step back and assess your options. The job market is buoyant at the moment.
What next? To find out more
If furlough is coming to an end and you want to talk about your situation and find out how we can help you we can arrange a free, no obligation career conversation with you. Please either call us on 0790 461 4946 email us at info@stirlingcareersconsultancy.co.uk or contact us via our contact form on our website:
This could be the start of a new life / new future / new beginning!
We look forward to hearing from you.
This video focuses on helping people who have lost their job due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This video will give you hints and tips and strategies to help you find a job in a competitive job market. This webinar was delivered to CDS Co-op Housing Association residents to help those who may have lost their job or maybe in danger of losing their job. This blog adds to my previous blog in early May 2021.
The aim of this webinar is:
To make you a more efficient, effective and confident jobseeker.
The objectives of the webinar:
One of the key questions I get asked is:
Where do I start?
It is important to take a step back and consider the following:
You need to think about the labour market and we know some sectors are facing real difficulty and others are expanding.
It is important to consider your transferable skills and structuring your day.
Also thinking about the impact Covid 19 pandemic has had on your job sector, for example different ways of working.
How do I find a job in this marketplace?
It is important to look on company websites, search by using key words, and set up email alerts and register with agencies.
One way is to start going through your contacts, research organisations you may want to work for.
It is important to tailor your covering letter and curriculum vitae to your targeted organisation.
What other help is available to me?
Whilst you are seeking employment you could consider doing voluntary work in your local community. Through doing voluntary work you will be keeping your skills up to date and contributing to your local community website do-it.org you could also consider doing a free online course there are many free courses available at the moment. It is a case of researching what is available.
Another way is to take a strategic approach to your job search. For people who are looking to move and settle in the UK, you can look at the United Kingdom Shortage Occupation list. This list highlights professions and sectors which are struggling to recruit.
Now could be a good opportunity to consider retraining or change career. I would recommend talking to a careers adviser to help you consider your career options.
Where are the vacancies coming up?
This slide highlights where some of the vacancies are recruiting at the present moment in time. These are in the NHS, construction sector, public sector, customer service and IT roles. Also, LinkedIn has list of vacancies.
To summarise: Where to look for work?
This slide 16 summarises all the different things you can be doing to widen your job search.
Goal Setting
It is important to set some goals both short term and long-term goals, create a weekly timetable and keep a record of your job applications.
Well-being
It is really important in these difficult and challenging times to look after your own health and well-being and build it into your daily job search timetable.
For example, this could be exercise, talking to friends, family, work colleagues and taking up a new hobby. Have some fun!
My clients are getting jobs and in some cases they are changing jobs too.
Finally, you need a plan that you frequently review to ensure it is working for you.
And you need to widen your job search.
You need to be
The job search cycle is broken down into these four stages:
There are jobs out there it is just a case of being persistent and keeping at it.
How we work
We offer a free initial telephone conversation to find out about your current career situation and discuss your previous job roles you have held.
We work closely with you to listen to you and understand your background and career aspirations.
We will discuss putting a tailor-made programme together to suit your needs.
The more sessions that you have the more likely you are to be successful.
We deliver one-to-one career coaching sessions through Skype, Zoom, telephone and we then follow-up with additional information and resources and email them through to you.
For a Free informal chat please call Alistair Stirling on 0790 461 4946 or Email us at info@stirlingcareersconsultancy.co.uk or contact us via our contact form on our website: http://stirlingcareersconsultancy.co.uk/contact-us.html
We look forward to hearing from you.
As a careers adviser I frequently get asked by my clients who have lost their jobs
“How do I find a job during the pandemic?”
This article will be particularly helpful to you:
Alistair Stirling, a qualified and experienced independent and impartial careers adviser, who runs Stirling Careers Consultancy, works with a wide range of clients at different stages of their careers.
Many of my clients find it difficult to make a plan and get started. Here are some suggestions to get you started.
Where do I start?
If you have lost your job or you are in the process of leaving your employment, it is important to take a step back and consider all your options before moving forward.
It is important to look at:
Look at the current jobs market
Look at your transferable skills
We encourage our clients to look at their transferable skills. For example, if you work in a customer service role in retail you could consider other customer facing roles such as sales or customer service roles working from home .
It is important to:
At the end of each day and week review your job search plan and ask yourself what else could you be doing to enhance your chances of getting an interview.
I encourage all my clients to take a targeted approach to their job search. This will enable you to be more targeted and focused. Taking a scatter gun approach makes life much more difficult.
Where do I find a job in this marketplace?
You can start by identifying companies that you want to work for and set up email alerts on their website. In some cases, organisations use particular agencies to recruit their staff. You may want to find out which recruitment agency they use. You can register with agencies but you need to be clear about the type of roles for which you want to be put forward.
How do I stand out?
Use your Network -I always encourage jobseekers to use their network. I tell clients to tell their family, friends and colleagues the type of roles they are looking for. We all like a personal recommendation and it can be your chance to be interviewed before they advertise the role.
Hidden Jobs Market- You can research organisations you want to work for and write to them directly. For example, if you want to work in marketing you may want to write to the marketing manager. You can then follow up with a telephone call a week later.
LinkedIn-I encourage all clients to have a LinkedIn profile. This is a professional network. Many jobs appear on LinkedIn. Head-hunters use this website to find future applicants, so it is worth having a profile on LinkedIn and engaging with fellow professionals and keeping it up to date. You can also use the research tools to research organisations and people within those organisations.
Tailor your curriculum vitae and cover letter to the role for which you are applying. When you are applying for a job you need to make sure that your CV and covering letter are tailored to the particular job. Before you send off your CV and covering letter ask someone else to read it to check for spelling and grammar mistakes. It will really help your chances of being invited for interview by making sure there are no errors. If you do not hear back, we encourage all clients to contact the organisation and ask for some feedback. This will help you with your future applications.
What other help is available?
Whilst you are looking for employment you can consider doing voluntary work or you can consider doing a course to up skill. If you decide to volunteer decide what you are hoping to achieve and how much time you are prepared to commit. A rough rule of thumb would be a morning or afternoon or a whole day. I would be very reluctant to commit to more than that unless I saw a really good opportunity that might arise now or in the future.
There are many universities and other organisations offering free courses, for example Futurelearn. There are a lot of online groups which you can join to help you to continue to develop your career too.
Are you considering a career change?
If you are considering a career change, we can help you plan your future career too. We will introduce you to a career planning model which will help you plan your career going forward. Also, we offer psychometric assessments which will give you further options and careers related to your skills, attributes and strengths. Psychometric assessments are particularly useful if you are not sure what careers you are best suited too or alternatively you may want confirmation your chosen career is right for you.
How we work
The more sessions that you have the more likely you are to be successful.
We deliver one-to-one career coaching sessions through Skype, Zoom or telephone. We then follow-up with additional information and resources and email them through to you.
For a Free informal chat please call Alistair Stirling on 0790 461 4946, or Email us at info@stirlingcareersconsultancy.co.uk or contact us via our contact form on our website: http://stirlingcareersconsultancy.co.uk/contact-us.html
We look forward to hearing from you.
Did you see the recent article on the BBC website and other newspaper articles highlighting the fact that younger people are bearing the brunt of the jobs crisis due to widespread job cuts in the retail, hospitality and entertainment sectors?
Between Jan 2021 and March 2021 811,000 jobs were lost in the UK, 80% of them were lost by the under-35s.
Young office workers are not being given help by their employers to develop their careers.
As an experienced qualified impartial and independent Careers Adviser I have worked with many young people to help them develop their careers.
At Stirling Careers Consultancy we introduce clients to an excellent and effective career planning model used in universities and the health service. This will help support you on your career journey.
We work with clients who are unsure about their career direction introduce them to psychometric assessments which highlight careers tailored to their skills, abilities and aptitudes.
We offer a free initial telephone conversation to find out about your current career situation and discuss your previous job roles you have held.
We work closely with you to listen to you and understand your background and career aspirations.
We will discuss putting a tailor-made programme together to suit your needs.
The more sessions that you have the more likely you are to be successful.
We deliver one-to-one career coaching sessions through Skype, Zoom, telephone and we then follow-up with additional information and resources and email them through to you.
For a Free informal chat please call Alistair Stirling on 0790 461 4946 or Email us at info@stirlingcareersconsultancy.co.uk or contact us.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Your employees may need some help and support to understand the contemporary job market.
All the research suggests that people who are helped and supported are more likely to make a successful transition to their next destination. Bringing in outside help frees up Human Resources time and energy and shows the organisation is trying to help staff. It can also be a motivating factor for those ‘surviving’ a change management programme. For employees being involved in a restructure or being made redundant can be a very stressful period. Being able to talk to an independent and impartial careers professional helps to allay some of their fears and also allows employees to understand how the contemporary job market works. It also enables them to plan their future career direction.
Stirling Careers Consultancy
Stirling Careers Consultancy has worked with organisations which have had to restructure and to help staff reapply for their jobs in the new structure. Most staff had been at the organisation for number of years and they were unsure of the contemporary job market.
During the restructure staff had to reapply for their jobs and Stirling Careers Consultancy helped them with their applications for their new roles. Stirling Careers Consultancy helped them with their Curriculum Vitaes (CV) and interview techniques.
Sometimes it can be harder going for an internal vacancy than an external vacancy. Never assume the organisation / interview panel fully understand your current role. Also, they may not know what your full range of abilities and skills are so you need to sell yourself to the panel in the most effective way.
Top Tips on Curriculum Vitaes (CV) and Covering Letter / Email
Get the basics right (i.e., no spelling mistakes, grammar and punctuation mistakes)
Stick to two pages of no more than A4 size
Ensure the CV relates to role the you are applying for
Include a covering letter / Email addresses essential criteria highlighting skills and job roles relevant to the post you are applying for
Presentation Size 12 Font
Make sure your skills, achievement stand out and our relevant to the role you are applying for
Top Tips on Interview Techniques
Accept invitation for interview and understand interview format and process
Re: Read through your notes, covering letter and CV or application form
Research as much as possible about the reorganisation and more importantly think about how you fit into it and what you can contribute to the new structure
Research and anticipate possible questions and practice with a careers professional, family member or friend
A simple technique for answering questions is:
Stirling Careers Consultancy will work with the organisation to put together a tailored programme of support for your employees.
