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Career change

Are You A Pushover?

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I was amused to read that Pizza Express are helping their staff with training from a ‘conversational flirt expert, so customers are comfortable and relaxed. I feel comfortable and relaxed with a big glass of wine, good company and carbohydrate in my stomach. ’ I shall be extra vigilant next time I do there to see what they do, and I hope that the brand experience isn’t like that TGI Fridays Catherine Tate sketch, otherwise the only thing I will be ordering is a chat with the manager.  

I don’t know about you, but I hate being sold to. Anyone who sells to me gets short thrift. They get the “I don’t take cold sales calls” or “I am on TPS (telephone preference service), you shouldn’t be calling me. ” And if they don’t have the courtesy to check if it is a good time to speak, well. I’ll get off my soapbox now!

I am someone who thinks a lot, thinks ahead, does research and knows her own mind. If I want advice, I’ll choose to ask for it from people I know and trust. There is nothing worse than a customer care person schmoozing me and then they switch into selling mode. Really manipulative, really yuck. No thanks. There is a big difference between a genuine building of rapport and one with an agenda 

I am not going to sell to you. Here’s something free since we are in a downturn. Happy Christmas (nearly)

http://www.careerstrategies.co.uk/

Need Inspiration for Xmas Gifts??

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As I know how busy you are, I got my virtual PA to dig out some ideas for imaginative Christmas gifts for your delectation. Here’s the best of the bunch:

Protect your delicate bananas, but please note that they only work with non-EU certified i.e. ‘bent’ bananas.

Banana guards

Make an unforgettable impression at the office Christmas party

Inflatable turkey suit

Keep your hamsters fit – an alternative to the wheel for daily exercise

Hamster bikes

Multi task – play golf while on the loo

Toilet golf

Never have your memory stick mistaken for someone else’s again

Sushi memory sticks

I don’t know about you, but it is good to have a laugh, especially with the news often so sombre. If you find these ideas a bit cheesy and would rather buy a gift that gives more than a few minutes, hours or days of fun, our career change e course makes a thoughtful and practical gift giving rewards that last a lifetime. You can download one section a month over 10 months and pay as you go. Click on this link for more information:

http://www.e.careerstrategies.co.uk/

What’s Your Favourite Noise?

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Unusual question I know. Church bells? Your favourite pop star? The sound of your partner’s voice? The engine revving of the latest top sport car? A champagne cork popping?  An ex boyfriend of mine sounded like a silky radio voice-over and I played his messages so many times, the tape on the answer machine wore out!

What’s your least favourite noise? The mother-in-law on the phone? Your partner’s voice during an argument? The beep a mobile phone makes when someone presses the keys to create a text? My cat hates my sneezes with a passion. I didn’t realise they sounded like Hurricane Henrietta, but they have her running for the hills. The doorbell has the same effect and I only have to open the cupboard where I keep the monster hoover or touch the cap of a can of wood spray, and all I see is a glimpse of her rear end in a puff of smoke. It is worth being aware of what noises trigger good feelings and what cause bad, so you can manage them, e.g. that ping sound when an e mail arrives can distract you from concentrating and you can choose to change the settings and switch it off.

One person’s least favourite noise can be another person’s favourite, for example, if you work in a call centre all day, the last thing you want is the phone ringing when you go home. But if you are self-employed and work from home, then the phone ringing is welcome. Different people have a different dominant sense; visual, auditory (sound) and kinaesthetic (touch and feeling). You can often work out which one they are by the words they use and what type of work they do. Be curious today.

If you are ready to play your career to a different tune, our NEW career change e course is now ready – music for your ears? If you are 100% happy in your work, there is no need to take a peek at the link, unless you know someone who has been made redundant or who doesn’t like their job that is. http://www.e.careerstrategies.co.uk/

Are You A Bit Of A Dragon?

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No I am not talking the gatekeeper to management. Do you have the characteristics of an entrepreneur? Research by Adrian Furnham, Professor of psychology at University College London shows some interesting things about dragons. They are not motivated by money, but more by success, high quality, helping others and creating something of lasting value.

They are good at dealing with failure and picking themselves up. They take the long term rather than short term view, are self-confident, have expertise, are proactive and create their own luck and opportunities. They question the status quo, keep an eye on efficiency and monitor and evaluate success.  They are committed to others and show integrity and reliability, take calculated risks and are comfortable with uncertainty.

Sounds like a good attitude to have and way to be, and better than mediocrity and complacency, plus good people to shake up some companies. Are you an entrepreneur?  Could you be? Download our free 30 page ‘Pain free career change’ report and see if the grass could be greener. Click on this link:

http://www.careerstrategies.co.uk/

Are You Addicted to Busyness?

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What is it with our society that it is so good to be busy? “Are you busy?” is almost as popular a question in our country as “What do you do?” To reply, “no I’m not” or “I am busy doing nothing” or “I have been luxuriating in daydreaming activities ” sounds like a faux pas.

Yet research consistently shows that we need time to think and that insights, clarity and creativity pop in when we allow ourselves that time.  So far, I refuse to have e mails/Internet on the move because I believe that it would gazump my thinking/reading time.  I get all the benefits to fans of this service, but I think I would live in a state or permanent stress and fiddling with the device! If that makes me a fossil with technology, then so be it.

What’s your view? Do you get enough time to think? Do you consciously plan thinking time in your diary and go to a different place to do this? RSVP I have been creating an e course about career change over the last few weeks and I have spent about 9 days holed away, e mail free. Without this, it would have taken a great deal longer.

Are you in the right career for you? Download the FREE report “Pain free career change” to find out. http://www.careerstrategies.co.uk

Caught That Tail of Yours Yet?

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August is a funny old month isn’t it? Not funny ha ha, funny peculiar, but a nice kind of peculiar. Commuting is a sprint instead of a marathon, and it’s a great opportunity instead of playing telephone tennis, to have a proper rally and meet up with people. Then just when you have had a minuscule chance to catch your breath, bingo there’s September, a rush hour in my year as people are ready to change career having reflected during their holidays.

I love August because it feels like a creative month, and I love creating things, but there’s always those things lurking at the bottom of the ‘to do’ list. And as someone who helps people to tackle such things as part of being a coach, that’s quite an admission!  Don’t tell anyone!

The “clear out the files on my computer” task has been languishing at the bottom of my ‘to do list’ for quite a while now, sunbathing in a sprinkling of new file rays. I am pretty focused, but I let myself off the hook – “that’s a task for dark winter days while recovering from legionnaire’s disease,” I justify to myself. Trouble is I have a vivid and visual imagination, and I picture my computer getting so full, it explodes very messily, bytes and megabytes like rain dust, contributing to global warming. As for the Internet reaching capacity, well I think I’ll keep a lid on that thought for now. 

If you have some time to think and reflect this August, you might fancy a personal springclean, in which case click on the link below for some free tips.

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1103381622768.html

A Good CV Is Like Juiced Oranges

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A good CV is like juicing oranges because you only want to have the best bits – the juice. The skins, pith and pips represent all the ‘stuff’ that you have done in your jobs, with often duplication. 

A CV needs to be focused and especially at the moment with so many people applying for jobs, so yours needs to work even harder than it would normally.

What’s the best and tastiest ‘juice’ from your career – achievements, best skills etc?

If you want to change career direction or have a few years on the clock, it is even more important to take the ‘juicing’ approach.  Don’t let your CV let you down, many people do.

Have you downloaded our FREE 30 page Energise report yet – ‘Pain free career change’? Click on this link: http://www.careerstrategies.co.uk/

Are You Hiding Away Your Talents?

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People are really good at hiding their talents away. We all have strengths and yet most people don’t know what their talents are, don’t have jobs that play to their strengths and don’t blow their own trumpet.

The result? They achieve less than they could do, do work that underplays their talents and have less fulfilment from their work. What are your best talents and how could you utilise your talents more in your career?

Are you doing your dream career and if not why not? If you’d like a FREE 30 page report “Pain free career change” – click on this link and download it now:

 http://www.careerstrategies.co.uk/

Time or money? What would you choose?

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New research by The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) shows that there is a hidden and growing trend of ‘under-employed’ people stuck in part time unemployment or temporary work. It is the highest figure on record, an increase of 45% since the recession began and likely to stay at these levels for 5 years. The world of work has changed forever, and yet I find from my career change Steer your career workshops for executives who have been made redundant, that not many people realise.

Isn’t life ironic? Do you find that? When I do executive or personal coaching, people complain about never having enough time. Then when they have more time, they want more work. Of course people need to have enough money to have peace of mind and give themselves permission to pursue interests for example. Planning time in first for interests would make them feel more resourceful and positive to focus on job search for example, but they don’t let themselves. Aren’t human beings good at giving themselves a hard time?! We chain ourselves to our desks and work harder and ‘do’ more when what most really want is a better work life balance and to ‘be’ more.

I did a workshop in a woman’s prison once and was racking my brains re how to engage them as I haven’t had that particular experience yet, you’ll be glad to hear. Closest I got was setting light to a beer mat in a nightclub on my 20’s and being thrown out.  “The one thing you have that people outside lack” I said “is time. Time to think. And that is precious. “ Their home, an open prison, was a converted stately home with stunning grounds. I might move in for some more time to think. If it’s quiet on my blog, you know where I am. 

Energise – The Talent Liberation Company

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Variety is the spice of life

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Metro newspaper today in London featured research showing that over half of women are bored. Bored with too much housework and their work being the same.

I refuse to iron – it’s against my principles and love linen as I can get away with it! Variety is one of my values and I feel ‘out of sorts’ if I don’t have enough variety, both socially and in my work. All my clients are different – the themes are similar e.g. fears about change, lack of confidence, challenging relationships, lack of time, and I learn so much from my clients. Often it’s like a mirror – they reflect the issues that I am facing!

What is an important value for you?

Knowing your values helps you to make more conscious choices about decisions and what you say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to. They also help to make sense of difficult emotions, because when our values aren’t honoured, we feel frustrated, sad etc. But that’s a topic for another day!