jdconsulting

You’ve decided that now is the time for a job move or maybe a complete career change so what’s the first step?

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You may have been thinking about it for a while, maybe even years and you’ve now decided that you’re ready for a change of job or career or maybe the decision has been made for you and you’re facing redundancy.

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Often when people find themselves in this position, their knee-jerk reaction is to update their CV, trawl through the recruitment pages in newspapers and jobsites and apply to anything and everything that they can. If you do this, you might be lucky and land the right job but the more likely outcome is that you rush into something that isn’t the right career move for you and find yourself looking for your ideal job again within a year.

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The first step should be doing something that I suspect you rarely dedicate much (if any) time to – focusing on you. Before you start looking for a job it’s really important to have a good understanding of yourself, what you have to offer and what you are looking for in your career. There are lots of useful self appraisal exercises that you can do to help you to identify your transferable skills, values, career anchors and what your needs are at this stage in your career and life.

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Once you have confidence in yourself and know what you have to offer the job market, you are in a strong position to look at your career options and then pursue your career goal.

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This entry was written by Judith Drysdale, Director and Coach at jdconsulting, www.jdconsulting.uk.com

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What is a brag file and how do you use it in an interview?

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A brag file is just exactly what it says, it’s something that provides evidence to help you brag about yourself in an interview. Historically a brag file has predominantly been used by people who are being interviewed for positions in sales. However, as evidence-based interviewing is becoming increasingly popular for many different types of positions, the role of the brag file is relevant to the majority of people.

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What’s included? Your brag file should include any evidence of your skills, experience, qualifications and achievements i.e. information that demonstrates your value to future employers. This may include:

• Educational certificates
• Awards
• Emails of thanks or positive feedback
• Quantifiable results
• Appraisals
• Examples of your work

How do you use it? Make sure that you proactively show your brag file to the interviewer, don’t wait to be asked for it. You should know your way around your brag file so that you can easily source the document that provides the relevant evidence. By doing this you can greatly strengthen your answer and consequently your success at interview.

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A brag file can also be useful for appraisals and in any situation where you are doubting yourself – as a reminder of just how capable you are.

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This entry was written by Judith Drysdale, Director & Coach at jdconsulting, www.jdconsulting.uk.com

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You’ve heard people talking about Career Coaching – do you need it?

• Are you at a crossroads in your career? You’re considering changing jobs but not too sure where to turn.
• Are you keen to develop your career within your current organisation? You’re keen to be more productive and more fulfilled at work.
• Do you need to gain a better balance between your work and home life? You feel you need help regaining some perspective.
• Are you going through redundancy? You’re not sure where to start or how to go about looking for your next career move.
• Are you returning to work after a career break? Your priorities have changed or you’re lacking self-confidence.
• Are you looking for a new job but struggling with the process of job searching? You need help with creating a winning CV, getting out into the job market and interview techniques.

If you answered yes to any of these questions then a Career Coach would be an invaluable help to you.

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This entry was written by Judith Drysdale, Director & Coach at jdconsulting, www.jdconsulting.uk.com

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