Considering a change of career? CV up to scratch? Interview skills need brushing up?
Over the past few months with millions of UK workers either working from home or being furloughed; it has given a lot of people time to think about their futures. As of 9th June 2020 one in four UK workers were furloughed, equating to approximately nine million workers.
During this time, furloughed workers have not been able to take up other work & a lot of people have taken to volunteering as a way to fill their time. However, there are still those who are furloughed until October 2020 & with an uncertain economic future & talks of a second wave of Covid19 as we go into winter; job security has become a nagging uncertainty.
Having so much time on your hands can & has given a lot of people an opportunity to re-evaluate their priorities. A lot of workers for example who have been able to work from home, have professed to being more productive in a home setting, while others have struggled with the lack of human interaction.
Therefore, is now really the time to be considering a new job or even as far as starting your own business? Despite the fact that all UK businesses have to be Covid Secure to be able to function & re-open; there is still an employment market. With many companies finding that they have diversified & thrived during the lockdown period for example, these businesses are seeking new staff as they continue to find ways to adapt.
One way to fathom if you are ready to make the leap & to see if your ideas are sound, is to seek out a mentor who can guide you through a process of re-evaluation & pose some open questions to help you see the options before you.
Therefore, what does the coaching/mentoring entail & how could it support you to make a decision or to change your career?
1-1 Coaching & Mentoring from Virtually Smart Ltd.
Discuss goals.
Helena Parrott – VA & Director of Virtually Smart Ltd has over 20 years experience in supporting senior leadership teams, CEO’s, senior management teams with a wide range of executive support & operational management. One of the many skills Helena brings to Virtually Smart Ltd is her understanding of HR procedures & business expectations for staff.
The first part of the Virtually Smart Ltd coaching/mentoring process would be an informal Zoom chat to gain an insight into your needs & ideas. Helena has extensive experience in being able to tease out ideas through sensitive & open questioning techniques. Helena’s cheerful yet professional manner can enable you to consider ideas you may never have even fathomed before & in doing so, open your mind to new opportunities & ideas.
CV review & adjustments.
When was the last time you reviewed your CV? Does it make you stand out from the crowd & is it up to date? Helena can, as part of the coaching/mentoring process, support you with re-formatting & updating your CV. Helena recently helped Shannon Locke to reformat her CV. Here is what she had to say about her experience:
“Helena recently helped me with a CV rewrite and did a fantastic job. I had been looking for a new job for a while and decided it was time to update my CV so I would be at an advantage as my previous CV was not grabbing the attention of employers.
From start to finish Helena was brilliant, she was professional and friendly and the communication was easy – Initially we had a zoom meeting which is when Helena talked me through the benefits of updating my CV, how it would be achieved, how the changes would help and what the employers would be looking for etc. Helena was only an email or call away during the whole process and was very efficient and supportive throughout.
I am extremely happy with how my CV turned out. I couldn’t believe what a difference Helena had made to it – It was professional, eye catching and importantly held the relevant information that stood out. I felt much more confident with it and how it portrayed me as a potential employee.
Just a week or so later I secured an interview (something I was not achieving with my CV beforehand) this then led to me securing a new career. I am really grateful for Helena’s help, she turned something I was dreading doing into an enjoyable experience and I would highly recommend her/Virtually Smart Ltd to others! Thanks Helena.”
Support with job applications.
If the idea of completing a job application fills you with dread, Helena can be on hand to help & support you through the process. Ensuring that all of the relevant information is accurately & effectively added to the application form; will give you even greater opportunities going forward.
In person interview techniques and tips.
Interviews can be daunting enough at the best of times, but with Covid19 to take in to account, a lot of interviews are now taking place via Zoom or other online meeting platforms.
Meeting in person can be quite overwhelming, but research has proven that taking part in meetings or interviews in online meeting rooms, can cause heightened anxieties as it is more difficult to read the body language & facial expressions of the person in front of you.
Helena can guide you through the ways in which to remain calm in an online interview situation & coach you in how to prepare for & conduct yourself during the interview process.
The future in a Covid19 world is an uncertain place for us all, but as the UK CSO & CMO have repeatedly said, we are going to have to live alongside Covid19 until such time as a vaccine programme can immunise us all. Therefore, we all need to adapt, to change our ways of life to live in a ‘new normal’ society.
If you are considering a change of career or need some employment or business coaching & mentoring, please do contact Helena Parrott at Virtually Smart Ltd T: 07954 994 769 E: helena@virtuallysmartltd.com or contact us through the Virtually Smart Ltd website contact page.
Written by Katy-Jane for & on behalf of Virtually Smart Ltd
