There’s no question that LinkedIn has become an essential tool in having a successful career. Despite this, many Financial Services professionals are not using the platform in the most effective manner. In this short read, I’ll focus on the importance of connection requests and how best to open productive conversations.

You might be forgiven for thinking that having a successful career is a result of getting the right opportunities. In a way, you’re right. However, there are some other factors that are in a chain that need to be in the right sequence to ensure that you actually find career success.

As we stride into 2024, it’s time to look ahead to what that year might hold for you and your career. In our last blog, we encouraged you to ask some questions about how things went for you in 2023. Now in Part 2, we’ll ask some questions that will help you to look forward. We invite you to take a moment to create a compelling vision for the year ahead.

As we come to the end of the year, you might be able to find some time to reflect on what happened for your career in 2023. In this first of a two-part blog, we’ll ask some important questions, which, when answered, will create a base from which to move on and think about your ambitions and plans for 2024:

It’s highly likely that at some point in an interview process, you’ll be asked a situational question. The STAR approach is a great way to answer these questions. In this blog, I’ll discuss situational questions, the STAR method, and how to utilise it to best effect. 

There are a few slightly odd things that can happen in job interviews that can throw you off track. However, if you anticipate them and factor this into your interview preparation, it’s possible to use them to your advantage. In this short read,I’ll go through them so that you can add them to your job interview preparation and rehearsals.

Imagine this situation. You’ve conducted your job search well and have secured an offer that you’ve signed and agreed. You’re now in the process of resigning from your current firm and lo and behold, they set to work persuading you to stay. This is a career shaping moment and it can go badly wrong. Let’s look at what’s in play.

You’ve decided to make a change in your career and have successfully conducted a job search and now you have an offer. Why is it then that you’re hesitating about taking the plunge?

As you engage in a job search and then find yourself in an interview, what should you do if it becomes apparent that you lack a key component that the interviewer is looking for? 

I’ve just had a conversation with someone who has been conducting their job search for some time and has yet to have any success. It was difficult to diagnose where the problem in their process lies because their activities have been somewhat haphazard. They haven’t kept track of the results they’ve been getting at each stage for the journey. This means that they have no real data to draw on and analyse.

Getting a verbal offer is a real achievement and milestone in your job search. It may mean that you’re now close to getting your desired result. However, it might also mean that the number is too low and that you’ll have to turn the offer down and keep looking. So, what are the questions to ask both the potential employer and yourself? Let’s go through some ideas.

Job searches can be a long and exacting process. If you’re employed, you’ll be short of time and if you’re out of work, there may well be cash flow pressures so the clock is ticking.

How useful would it be to have an easy checklist of the most essential things to do in preparation for a job interview? Well, with that in mind and drawing on the work I do as part of my career coaching, here are 10 key things that will help make sure you’re well prepared for any upcoming interview. 

With 930 million members, which includes all of your colleagues, competitors and future employers, on LinkedIn, I think that we can agree that doing just the basics to enhance your profile is something to seriously consider. In this blog, I’m going to focus on two simple things that you can do to make yourself more findable and more likely that someone will reach out to open a conversation.

Like it or not, the job interview remains the gateway for getting any new job. Therefore, avoiding common mistakes when trying to get interviews for jobs that you’re targeting is critical. So let’s have a look at the things not to do in a job search.

We are speeding towards the last quarter of the year and attention will soon turn to end of year appraisals, bonus conversations and planning for next year. We know that it’s a time when people quit for new jobs with new firms. Management teams will have to go out and hire to replace those that they have lost to the competition.

In our previous blog post, we looked at the importance of recognising the early signs of burnout for professionals in Financial Services and what those signs are. Taking action early before burnout is clearly imperative. With that in mind, let's consider 4 practical steps you can take to prevent it developing and reclaim balance so that your career is more fulfilling and better aligns with your career vision, values and ambitions.

Over the years, a small number of clients have come to me because they have felt simply burnt out. I suspect that physical and emotional burnout is not uncommon in Financial Services. Often, those professionals are highly ambitious and are working their way to the top of their field, but perhaps not without sacrifices. After a while, however, the work rate no longer becomes sustainable.

An issue that seems to affect a number of Financial Services professionals is Imposter Syndrome. It comes up frequently in conversations with coaching clients. With that in mind, let’s look at what it is, how it manifests itself, why it can adversely affect your career, and what you can do about it

We all know that at some point, we’ll want to ask for help during a job search. However, it’s important to do this as intelligently as possible. After all, if you don’t, it’s likely that you’ll waste what were potentially valuable opportunities. Do that too often and your errors risk compounding into a downward spiral towards failure. By the same token, do it well and doors will open and opportunities will present themselves.