About Me

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The business bit: I have had 25 years experience in the IT sector encompassing equipment finance to computer recycling. The coaching bit: is about delivering business mentoring and personal performance coaching. My clients range from senior executives to the unemployed and I delight in working with them all to build excellence and promote growth. My specialisms are working with business leaders and entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses and enjoy themselves in the process, and helping individuals to realise their full potential. I also work with young people to build confidence and life skills so they can grasp life's opportunities and make the right life choices.

Friday 18 July 2014

How qualified are you really?

You'd think that when unemployment is high, there would be few vacancies in the job market.  And that when unemployment is low, there would be quite a few vacancies not filled.  This is the Beveridge Curve.  It usually looks like this, with a downward curve, reflecting what we've just said.


A PwC report last year suggested that £930 million pound is lost annually through a lack of productivity in mismatched talent across the UK.  So what happens to the Beveridge Curve when you get this skills/job  mismatch?  Something like this...


The process of getting the right candidate for the job has been so refined through on-line processes that it is in danger of obliterating the person in favour of the tick-boxes and algorithms.  Where is the real person in the applications?   The nuances and judgements that a good interviewer would bring to the selection process don't come in to play until way down the line, after all the skills and talents have been 'processed' by the clever automated application software.  How do you read someone's personality effectively from an on-line form?  How do you assess those all important soft skills, non-verbal and physical communication, influencing skills, conscientiousness etc?

Well here are a few tips from those in the know for applicants generally:

  • Use 'doing' words e.g. managing as well as management
  • Ditch the word 'assistant' in favour of 'executive'
  • Follow up on your application by calling the HR department or recruitment agency
  • Make sure your CV is scannable - no fancy boxed formatting and the like
  • Your LinkedIn profile is important - many employers will check it to verify your claims
  • Don't be flippant - these were genuine comments in CV's : "I have technical skills that will simply take your breath away" and "I can type without looking at the keyboard"

It's a tough world out there and one way to up your chances is to get some career coaching to help you with your application. Get in touch and we'll hold your hand