At New year people will often take stock and look at what they can do to improve their work situation. Naturally if things aren’t quite right, thoughts turn to a new job somewhere else. But is this using a sledgehammer to crack a nut as my grandad would say? Is it just something about your current role you need to change? Could you be overlooking the potential in your existing role?

Job interviews seem to hold a particular place in people’s hearts. And it’s not a good one.

A client came to me recently who had been out of work for a little while. They’d been applying for quite a few things and getting invited for interviews but that’s where it ended. It was becoming a disheartening routine.

Most of the time you can work out what you need to do if you hit a roadblock at work. Maybe you talk to people you trust and this helps you find a way forward or maybe you reach for a solution that’s worked for you in the past. Sometimes though you can get stuck with an issue at work that you can’t seem to resolve using your tried and tested methods. This is when coaching can help.  

There is a lot of advice out there these days about preparing for a job interview but how do you stand out from the crowd? For example, we all know these days that you should have a look at the company’s website, see what news articles come up when you Google them, and of course to have a few questions for the panel at the end of the grilling. It’s all good advice.

But I’ve found that if you’re not careful you can prepare so hard, you forget to be you.

When you’re in a situation it can be hard to recognise that you are in it. We all know that feeling when a friend comes to us describing a dilemma (generally an emotional one) looking for advice, and we think it’s a no brainer. In fact, it can often be that we’re wondering why they are even asking at all. You know if the boot were on the other foot, they would instantly give you the same steer.

Confidence can come and go. You might feel super confident giving a presentation to the Board but then like a fish out of water at a party. When you have it you aren’t really aware of it and it never crosses your mind. When you don’t have it, it feels like you can stop noticing it. The strange thing is in either situation, nothing has actually changed, you are still you. The only thing that’s different is your perception of you.