What is career success?

What does career success look like, feel like or sound like to you?

Do you need more work/life balance?
Would you like less stress in your life?
Do you want better working relationships?
Would you like to earn more money?
Or is it about coping with redundancy and finding the right next step for you?

Career success means different things to different people.

Maybe you want more help to generate a winning CV?
Perhaps you want the confidence to succeed in interviews and get the job of your dreams?
Or is it more about finding out what is really important to you and taking the next step?

Let me know what career success means for you.

“The best careers advice to give to the young is 'Find out what you like doing best and get someone to pay you for doing it.'” - Katherine Whitehorn

New exciting programme of bite sized summer workshops in Hampshire

I thought you would be interested in the BITESIZE SUMMER WORKSHOPS PROGRAMME. This is a new partnership venture between three social businesses delivering bite sized training workshops to suit your pocket in this difficult financial climate.

Would you benefit from building your staff and team management skills?

Do you need to revisit the essential elements for business success?

Are you looking to revitalise your career?

These short, sharp, interactive and information packed workshops will help you to:

• Resolve difficulties
• Manage time and workloads more effectively
• Improve motivation
• Learn new skills
• Build networking relationships
• Reduce stress

Self Discovery Coaching have teamed up with Wayfinder Associates and ROCC to create a selection of 15 short workshops which will take place at convenient early evening times in Portsmouth and Southampton from July through to September.

Special offer - 5 places for the price of 4 on bookings before Friday, 3 July

Click here for more information and to book your place.

How do you feel about work?

I thought you would be interested in a recent report in HR Magazine - based on research carried out by YouGov research. Commissioned by Standard Life, 2100 workers were interviewed in the UK. Their research indicated that:

31 is the average age that works say they feel most ambitious.
37 is the average age that most workers say they feel confident about their skills at work.
Average fulfilment at work comes at the age of 50.
85% of workers do not intend to stop working once they reach retirement age - 33% want to stay on in full time work and 8% would like to start their own business.

Commenting on the findings, John Lawson from Standard Life said “Quite simply, people do not get old like they used to. The baby boomers started a trend for redefining what is effectively their ‘third age’ and these findings point to a continued trend for re-writing the rule book for younger generations.”

What do you think?

7 steps to cope with the recession

As I reported in my teleclass "How to recession proof your career", a couple of months ago, the credit crunch is placing increased pressures on organisations. Although there are reports that the downturn is soon to be over, organisations are still reducing staff, restructuring their teams, cutting training budgets or reducing pay rises, there is likely to be an impact on you.

If you are unhappy at work, this may well impact on other parts of your life - whether you become less productive, demotivated, tired, less creative or less focused. Among the raft of negativity, enforced by the reporting in the media, being happy at work is almost impossible to be. There are challenges to ensure that you stay motivated, productive and optimistic at work. Being happy at work is, however, essential for your wellbeing and ultimately your success.

So what can you do to increase your happiness and wellbeing during the recession?

1. Understand the issues that you are facing and the steps you can take to mitigate or reduce the effects. Taking action rather than worrying about a situation will help you to take steps in the right direction.

2. Understand what your strengths are. Then make sure these are recognised and work to these strengths.

3. Be positive. Encourage not discourage. Remember that you and others respond much better to positive rather than negative feedback.

4. Learn to recognise the thoughts that go through your mind when you do not feel positive, known as self talk. Take steps to distract yourself from the thoughts and focus on the positive parts of your life.

5. Take time to manage any stress in your life. If you don't manage any stress you may face, this may result in increased pressure and frustration.

6. Balance your life and work effectively. Taking time to be with your family and friends, and planning future events to look forward to will help you to feel more balanced in your life.

7. Take steps to remain motivated. This can include developing a clear plan for your future, and taking steps each day to achieve your objective.

To learn how you can cope with the recession, download my free report "7 steps to get ahead in your career (and beat the recession!)" today at www.selfdiscoverycoaching.co.uk. Let me help you to take the next step today.

How to make your CV stand out from the crowd

Fresh from an interview on Express FM where I shared my top CV tips, I thought I would share them with you too.

Curriculum vitae or CV literally means life list or a story of your life. But that doesn't mean that you should include the whole story of your life in your CV!

Just as it takes just a few seconds for someone to make a first impression of you face-to-face, it takes just a few seconds for an interviewer to reject your CV or invite you in for interview.

To be successful - especially in the current economic climate - you need to make sure your CV stands out from the crowd, clearly articulates your strengths and achievements and gives you the opportunity to sell your skills in an interview.

Your CV is a marketing tool, just like a brochure selling the benefits of a service. But in this situation, remember you are selling you! It is your chance to show an employer that you have the skills they are looking for and are the right person for the job.

You may need a CV at any time in your life, especially if you are seeking promotion, a job or career change, you have been made redundant, or are seeking voluntary work. Even self employed people often need to show a resume of their achievements too!

Here are my top tips for you:

- A great CV is around 2 pages long, typed in font 12 with plenty of white space on the page.
- Make sure you tailor-make your CV to the job you are applying for, take notice of the job description and person specification and how you meet these criteria.
- Summarise your key achievements and results in the form of a personal summary or objectives.
- Only include relevant information on your CV, such as personal details, job history, education, and professional development.
- You don't need to include details such as your age, marital status or other information not relevant to the job.
- Ask someone else to check your CV for typos or errors.

Do you need help to create your CV? Click here to read more about how I can help you to stand out from the crowd!

Have you made space for your rocks?

I've just run another of my Make Time for your Life workshops. I love helping people to refocus on their life goals and develop the motivation to take action. As an aside we talked about prioritisation and I mentioned the rocks story which I love. I would like to share this version with you.

A professor stood before his Philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with big rocks. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the big rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous - - yes.

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour them into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognise that this jar represents your life.

The big rocks are the important things - - your family, your partner, your health, your children, your friends, your favourite passions - - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full."
"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else - - the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the big rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Fall in love. Spend time with your friends. Take your partner out for a meal. There will always be time to go to work, go to the gym, give a dinner party and clean the car.

Take care of the big rocks first - - the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers!!"

How are you maximising your learning?

Today, Thursday 14th May 2009, it is National Learning at Work day, which is an annual celebration of learning at work. It aims to draw attention to the importance of workplace learning and skills. This allows employees to learn new skills and talents they can put into practice at work. What is your employer doing for National Learning at Work day?

This year’s theme is 'Skilled for Success'. In the current economic climate it is an unsettling time for managers and employees, so managing your own learning is essential for your personal success. If you can quickly adapt to change and have the right skills for the opportunities you face, this will help you to stand out from the crowd.

What are you doing personally to expand your knowledge, competencies and skills? When did you last reflect on your skills? And what is on your professional development plan for the next 12 months?

As a quick note, I recently mentioned emotional intelligence in my blog. These is part of the soft skills that are of key importance to perform effectively at work. If you can improve your relationships with others, be able to manage your stress more effectively and develop your self motivation skills, this will help you to be even more successful in your job.

Why don’t you take some time out today to re-assess where you are now in your career. Then you can plan the next three steps you can take to achieve even greater success in your work.