preparing for my radio interview….
Welcome “Gentle Readers” to my 2nd blog. I am a massive fan of Bridgerton but I am no Lady Whistledown, although I did enjoy writing my first blog, which began in August 2021, with a very different purpose - given “The C Diaries” catalogued my journey through Stage 3 Breast Cancer and my recovery. This blog, however, is intended to help those who may need a bit of practical help, hand holding and navigation through the job market, as it is today, with a sprinkling of good humour chucked in for good measure.
Why start this blog today? What is the significance? None, really, other than to share that I had the privilege to be interviewed, on radio, by Matthew Soper at “Made in Kent Radio”, in their Bexley Village studios this afternoon!
Matt set the radio station up during the pandemic as a way to help bolster local Kent businesses by creating a platform for them to share what they do - the intention behind its inception was “instead of traditional radio commercials, “Made In Kent” will feature hourly business profiles showcasing local organisations from across the county.” You have to complete an application form to get selected for interview and pitch what your business does. Luckily for me, my story was seemingly interesting enough to be chosen and so, today, was the day!
Ever since my first foray into being interviewed on radio by 1230 Women’s Network Group leader, Jackie Groundsell, at “Love Da Beat Radio”, earlier this year, I have wondered how I could find other radio interview opportunities? I am no media expert and haven’t ever warranted being interviewed on any kind of medium before now. There is something almost a bit narcissistic about believing you have something useful to say that others will want to hear.
But, if one takes the ego out of what I’m trying to do in terms of supporting women in changing careers, helping mums back to work and guiding school leavers and grads in how to navigate the challenging employment landscape, surely I should put aside my ego, or my fear, and be brave, like my clients, and share what I have learned so as to benefit those who are still pushing through the muddy waters of today’s job market.
Having launched my Career Coaching business in October 2022, I have found myself in a permanent state of asking myself “What are the topics my future clients are most interested in?”, “How can I reach more people?”, “What other communication platforms could/should I utilise?”
In my first year of trading, much of my client base was word of mouth and recommendation. I did a lot of ‘freebee workshops’ for groups of mums returning to work who needed a new CV as well as one-off training sessions for groups of Sixth Formers at local schools. This year I have ramped up my efforts to broaden my reach and expand my client base. I took on a 5 month volunteer role as an Impact Coach at Yes Futures Coaching. I hired a social media expert to help me diversify my content and create planned reels and posts and, I have attended and presented at various networking events. In attempt to reach my younger audience, I even set up a Tik Tok account - much to the bemusement of my teenage kids and their friends who think this is hilarious - although every time I bring myself to create a post, it fills me with the dreaded heebee geebies. I’m certainly not trendy enough or cool enough to regularly post!
But, all these attempts at ‘pimping myself out there’ - as I affectionately refer to my social marketing activities - has started to finally pay dividends. As a result, I have now landed paid gigs at Sixth Forms in Bromley and Kent; Howden Insurance Brokers found me on a lead generation website and asked me to come speak at their International Women’s Day on “Empowering Women” - a super scary but amazing experience. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was asked to deliver 5 x ten minutes presentations on “How to write a killer CV” to approximately 270 Y12s and their families for Hayes Secondary School, as part of their ‘Career Destinations Evening’ and, I am in current talks with the charity, Bromley Children & Families Forum, who is run by the amazing Sam Britnell and who has asked me to get involved in delivering their Employability piece as part of their partnership with the government’s National Citizen Service - “the flagship Government initiative aimed at 16-17 year olds… to realise their potential and reach their future goals”.
So much to talk about, but, when you only get 30 mins of interview time and only 6-9 minutes on air, how do you pick out what to say? What bits do you leave out? Well, simply, just sometimes, it’s what the interviewer asks you. But, just like preparing for a job interview, when you don’t know the questions you’ll be asked, you need to prepare a key list of what you want them to know about you/your business. What are the headlines you want the listeners of Kent to walk away with about you?
So, what did I want the listeners to feel, think and do as a result of listening in to my interview? I wanted them to ‘feel’ like I was personable, approachable, likeable and knowledgeable, as well as brave and maybe a bit inspirational. I wanted them to think, “she’s had her own life challenges”, “she’s someone who has lived”, “this is a lady I could work with” or “I must tell my mum friend about Cecilia, or their children who are finishing school this summer!” If just one person reaches out to me, as a result of this interview, and I can help them, then my radio ramble will have been worth it!