Career coach observations: lessons & laughs from 2024
Another year is drawing to a close, and as I look back on my journey, I’m reminded of how one leap into career coaching turned into a sprint. Reflecting on the whirlwind of achievements and challenges, from speaking at Howden Insurance on International Women’s Day, back in March, to my volunteer Impact Coach gig with two groups of Year 5s over Essex way, I feel like I’ve earned more than a few career badges (and perhaps an honorary degree in “Young Minds & Their Endless Curiosity”).
Life as an Impact Coach: Unfiltered
Volunteering as an Impact Coach for “Yes Futures Coaching” has, in short, been the perfect blend of comedy and coaching. Working with Year 5s was a daily lesson in honesty, innocence, and hilarity. Imagine explaining goal-setting to kids who then come back with insights like “My goal is to be the world's best robot maker!” and “Why do we need money when we could just have chocolate?” (Still working on a comeback for that one).
Empowering Women and Untangling Workplace Webs
Earlier this year, Howden Insurance invited me to speak on “Empowering Women in the Workplace.” I took the opportunity to unpack the unique ways women approach workplace challenges compared to men, which earned a few laughs and nods of recognition. Whether it’s our tactical empathy or our notorious multi-tasking, the insights sparked some great post-talk debates on how to harness these skills in traditionally male-dominated spaces.
CV Tips, but Make It Fun
Speaking to 260 sixth-formers and their parents about CV writing, in June, was like a series of mini TED Talks—each just ten minutes but packed with energy. Reminding them of the need to tailor their CVs to every job, include key skills from the job description to help beat the ‘bots or Applicant Tracking Systems, as they are more formally known! I knew the girl had done well when, last week, walking down my road by the Secondary School my children are at, and where a number of my 121 A’level clients go, one of them stopped me in my tracks, with a hug, to tell me he’d got through to the next round of interviews at Deloitte’s!
Radio Moments and the “Why”
Speaking on radio about why I started this business was a special moment. I shared how career coaching for school leavers, mums re-entering the workplace, and women pivoting careers is more than just a job—it’s a mission to help others find clarity in a world of noise. Plus, it’s incredibly rewarding to hear clients light up when they finally see a way forward, gain a bit of confidence or get offered their dream job!
From Digital Dinosaur to Content Creator: My (Heart-Pounding) Journey into the Tech Jungle
Starting with my dive into the tech world: as a self-admitted technophobe, completing an 8-week Level II Digital Skills course was daunting to say the least, but it introduced me to the art of crafting more engaging PowerPoint presentations using advanced technical options, online team collaboration, and even glimpses into the future of AI. Digital literacy has now become a crucial part of my business strategy, even if it’s not quite second nature yet. But the course showed me that I’m capable of stepping far outside my comfort zone, even if my heart occasionally races every time I log into a new app or have to upgrade my phone!
Social media, in particular, has become both my new friend and my never-ending project. This year, I learned the art (and grind) of content creation: finding that fine line between sharing meaningful insights and encouraging people to reach out, all while keeping things fresh and relevant. There’s a continuous cycle to it, almost like an assembly line of creativity. My foray into posting is both thrilling and slightly exhausting, but it’s given me a deeper appreciation for the tools my clients need in a tech-savvy world and the ways we can use social platforms to elevate their stories and, of course, couldn’t do any of this without my amazing Social Media Guru!
The Art of the Networking Pitch
Ah, the 60-second networking pitch—the world’s most complicated countdown. Imagine trying to distil a year of passion, accomplishments, and ambitious goals into just one minute, only to have someone respond with, “But what exactly do you do?” You’ve got to laugh! So it’s taught me to make it simple and identify the key reasons someone might need to hire a Career Coach that go way beyond just trying to find a new job.
The Road Ahead
Looking to 2025, I’m excited to launch new workshops into sixth forms, work with charities to deliver Employability Skills to teenagers who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity or desire to learn what it takes to enter the job market. I am also keen to expand my client base, with a new project helping International Baccalaureate students in Sweden apply to European Universities and perhaps even look at podcast or further radio interview opportunities? It’s all about scaling with heart—and maybe a touch more chocolate.
Here’s to a New Year full of new adventures, unfiltered honesty and plenty of laughter. Cheers!