From Publishing to Social Impact

From Publishing to Social Impact Success Story > From: Job To: Portfolio career From Publishing to Social Impact “I thought about how I wanted big businesses to behave differently, and knew I had to be part of making that change happen.” * From Publishing to Social Impact Charlotte Sewell couldn't bear seeing the industry she loved being strangled by big business. Determined to find another way, she joined a social enterprise programme that opened her eyes to a whole new set of possibilities. Here's how she's now doing work she believes in. What work were you doing previously? I worked in publishing. Most recently, I was Commercial Executive for Faber and Faber. I worked alongside the Financial Director, managing the reporting and communication of the profitability of key lists across the business. What are you doing now? Now I have two different jobs. Four days a week I work for COOK â€" a brilliant, family-run food company based in Kent. They make delicious, high-end, frozen ready meals you don't feel bad about eating! I'm their 'Social Impact Manager'. It's a funny title, but it basically means I look at all the ways the business can have an 'impact' â€" on the community it works in, the people it employs, the environment, the suppliers it works with, and the customers it feeds. It's a brilliant role and there's a lot of scope for exciting projects: from facilitating the move towards paying the Living Wage across the business, to launching innovative community schemes in all our 84 shops, and redesigning our packaging to reduce resource use. One day a week I also work for B Lab UK, a small start-up not-for-profit that coordinates the brand new UK B Corp community â€" an amazing gang of British companies committed to using their businesses as a force for good. Why did you change? Because working for a wonderful independent publishing house that I totally believed in, and seeing how uneven the playing field was for them, made me want to change things. Faber is one of the last great independent British publishing houses, with an amazing history. It's doing brilliant work, both celebrating phenomenal authors (from Plath and Eliot to Heaney and Lorrie Moore) and supporting extraordinary new writing. Even though it was doing a brilliant job, I felt like it could have done so much more if it weren't for the really sad dynamics of big business. The invention of online bookselling has offered a whole new adventure, but the dominance of big retailers with disproportionate control, who are held to little account, seems to me to be doing a lot of harm to an industry (and a small company) that is trying to help bring the best writing to readers by publishing intelligently, beautifully and thoughtfully. So, I thought about how I wanted big businesses to behave differently, and knew I had to be part of making that change happen. When was the moment you decided to make the change? There was a day when a few things happened. I heard the news that a particularly lovely edition of a new book had had its price slashed online (with there being very little that we could do about it). I also discovered a smaller platform, Better World Books, that was shaking up the market by using online book purchases to fund global literacy. It woke me up to how frustrated I was with 'business as usual' and reminded me that business could be seriously powerful when put to the right ends. Are you happy with the change? YES. In an office where I recently worked, there was a lovely print hanging on the wall: one red fish swimming against the tide of a swarm of blue fish. Sometimes I feel like that. But it's nice to be attempting to go the way I want to, and I'm in no way a lone fish. Every day I meet phenomenal people with staggering commitment, creativity and conviction, and that feels like a huge privilege. What do you miss and what don't you miss? I miss working for a publishing house I adore, meeting their authors and hearing first about amazing new writers. I also miss learning heaps from an awesome female Finance Director in an industry where C-suite roles are often disproportionately male! I don't miss having to watch the unstoppable machine of big business having a destructive effect on creativity and independence. How did you go about making the shift? I talked to people about what I thought I wanted to do before I was really sure exactly what that was. I think it was important to start doing this before I was ready, or perhaps I never would have got going. I kept reading, thinking and discussing until I worked it out some more. At the same time, I tried things out. I did things that made me feel like me: I took Spanish lessons, volunteered for some amazing organisations tackling homelessness and social isolation in sustainable and ingenious ways. I re-engaged with what I enjoyed and cared most about: learning, meeting new people, and challenging myself. I also went to events that seemed like they could be useful. Some were, some weren't. I let friends suggest people who might be helpful and I sent what felt likely slightly awkward emails to them asking to meet for coffees. One evening my housemate saw a post an old friend of hers had written about OnPurpose. She mentioned it to me and I found out more. I was very lucky indeed â€" getting a place on the OnPurpose programme opened more doors than I knew or ever could have imagined existed. What didn't go well? What 'wrong turns' did you take? Lots of events and conversations didn't lead to lightbulb moments. I made cold applications that got me nowhere and I did some soul searching that sometimes left me thinking the changes I wanted were impossible. How did you handle your finances to make your change possible? The world of publishing is full of poorly paid creatives (partly as a result of the lack of trickle down from the big agents operating at the top), so I was used to quite a lean lifestyle. I took up cycling and tried to use my bike wherever I felt the journey was safe, which is tricky in London! And I went in for a lot of frugal packed lunches. Happily, the world of social enterprise is not one of financial excess. I coped pretty well with lots of simple socialising in cheap pubs, and friends' houses. Meanwhile, I tried to put spending on hold and accepted that I wouldn't be able to save for a while. What was the most difficult thing about changing? Taking a risk and believing in myself before I had the support networks I do now. Asking for help in the first place. Accepting uncertainty. Sticking at it when it seemed unlikely (and not beating myself up when it wasn't smooth sailing). What help did you get? The OnPurpose network is out of this world. The small but powerful core team who runs it couldn't have been more supportive. The mentors and coaching that the programme gives you access to were phenomenal and the network of OnPurpose Fellows (the alumni of the programme) are among the most generous people I've ever known. It was like being given access to a special club of people who seemed to think they owed you a lot of favours and wanted to bend over backwards to help you immediately. What have you learnt in the process? That the change you want to see won't always come quickly. It is possible to stick at it, fail at it, and stick at it some more, but when the progress comes (and you might have to look hard to see it), it's a joy to observe. What do you wish you'd done differently? Sometimes I wish I hadn't been in such a rush, or felt the need to 'fix' things so fast. I could have been less hard on myself and gone at a steadier pace. But I'm also really happy to be where I am now so I'm trying to just enjoy that. What resources would you recommend to others? The DO Lectures are excellent and free to watch online. I also love a book called Do Purpose by David Hieatt, and a podcast called The Boiling Point. The Happy Startup School is also a stunning network of awesome, switched-on business people (not just start-ups) who are astoundingly generous with their time and energy. Escape the City and Amazing If are also brilliant projects â€" definitely worth exploring. What would you advise others to do in the same situation? Find out about OnPurpose. Or, do anything you can to find your 'tribe' â€" people who 'get' you / inspire you / nudge you to do what you care about. Buy (from independent retailers!) the books they write, read their blogs, watch their TED talks, meet them at events. Seek help and ask for it. Take a risk. Find out more aboutOnPurposehere. What lessons could you take from Charlotte's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

How To Improve Your Productivity As A Manager

How To Improve Your Productivity As A Manager As a manager, you may often find things going downhill as you struggle to balance your productivity along with that of your team. There are numerous factors that can hinder your productivity levels and efficiency and can hit you and your business really hard. For your benefit, we have compiled an article to help you navigate through the lows and stay consistent in the highs in your business. Here’s how you can improve your productivity levels; First things first You may not realize the importance of setting priorities, but, if you prioritize your most important tasks first, more than half of your problems will be gone. By doing the most important things first and getting your most challenging or dreaded tasks out of the way during the first part of the day, you will be able to find your flow and easily do the remaining tasks. Undeniably, often the biggest challenge or concern is to determine which task to finish first, because as the manager, you might usually have a long list to choose from. But if you manage to filter your task list and decide which work or assignment will contribute more to your output, things will be super manageable and you will find that your day has become more productive too, without adding extra hours. You can achieve this through proper planning as research shows that for every one minute you spend planning, you will reduce ten minutes in execution. Planning and prioritizing will also help you stay on track and achieve your goals and objectives. Abraham Lincoln once said, “If I had 60 minutes to cut down a tree, I would spend 40 minutes sharpening the ax and 20 minutes cutting it down.” Focus on one thing at a time and reduce multi-tasking Trying to get several things done simultaneously can be overwhelming and if anything at all, it will only be harmful than helpful. Studies show that multitasking, on average, reduce productivity levels by as much as 40%. Stick to one thing at a time and avoid multitasking. Because not doing so will negatively impact the quality of your work too. Doing things systematically and one after the other will help you focus and also ensure mental clarity. That said, would you rather have 3 tasks on the go and produce average results or do one task at a time and excel in each? Research conducted by psychologists found that doing more than one task at a time takes a toll on your productivity levels. When multitasking, the brain go through a kind of ‘mental juggling’ because it is not designed for heavy-duty multitasking. Automate your work While that may seem easier said than done, automating some of your work will not only save you time but will also increase your productivity levels. Imagine saving an hour every day and putting it to better use. There are several online software that can automate your sales processes, CRM pipeline management, social media, data entry and much more, while giving you ample time to invest where it matters most. Adam Gurian, president of Timex also  suggests people make the most use of technology and tools such as Google Docs to collaborate with colleagues and clients, calendar planning tools and skype to make life easy and increase productivity. Delegate work and follow-up As a manager, you must already be delegating work to your employees to get a few things off your plate. If that’s not the case, you might as well start assigning tasks to your teams, but don’t forget to follow up with them to ensure productivity levels. Your goal should be to effectively delegate work, set follow-up dates and be updated with progress. This will help you keep track of all assigned tasks and ensure that the work is being done properly to maximize output. You can also seek help from a third party that can do the job for you. For example, if you are a marketing manager, you can outsource required services via a marketing agency   and follow up to track project progress. According to a study conducted on the Importance of Empowered Delegation and Measures to Develop Empowered Delegation Skill among Employees for Better Productiveness of an Organization in modern business organizations, delegation and empowerment are two key aspects to enhance your productivity and the product quality as well. The study also found that these two elements are vital for making your employees productive. Manage your email better Organizing and managing your email inbox can be quite a hassle, especially if you receive a 100 emails on a daily basis. Reading emails, replying to them, archiving old ones, deleting trash and junk, etc. can take a lot of time away from other important tasks. But, investing a few minutes every week to declutter your inbox will allow you to manage tasks better. A clean inbox is essential because it can provide you with the mental clarity to help you get things done on time. You need to come up with an email management plan on an daily/ weekly basis. You can also use smart apps like yesware that can manage your email messages by notifying you when people read your email. Peter Daisyme from Hostt says that it is best to set aside some time to respond to emails. One shouldn’t let their emails and calls determine what their day is going to be like. Boosting your productivity as a manager is a matter of being consistent in what you do and also tracking your progress at all times. If you feel that your work output is spiraling downward, it is time to take these factors into account to reverse the situation and help you manage your tasks more effectively. This post was provided by Kamil Riaz Kamil Riaz Kara is an HR Professional and Inbound Marketer. He has completed his Masters in Administrative Science from the University of Karachi. As a writer, he wrote numerous articles on management, technology, lifestyle and health. Visit his company blog and check the latest post on blog Health Fitness. Connect him on LinkedIn for more details.

10 Essential Elements Your E-Commerce Site Needs - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

10 Essential Elements Your E-Commerce Site Needs - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Whether you’re building an e-commerce website from scratch or improving one you’ve been depending on for a while, it’s crucial to make sure it at least has some basic components that make your online destination more user friendly and increase the likelihood that first-time visitors become loyal shoppers. Straightforward Search Functionality If people can’t find what they need on your website, they’ll likely give up without buying anything. Ensure your search box is easily visible and that people won’t have trouble figuring out how to use it. You might also include filters that allow people to search by product categories, brands or colors. Make your search engine smart enough to know what users are looking for even if they make minor mistakes when typing keywords into the search box. A study conducted by the Baynard Institute found that 18 percent of websites do not offer useful results when people only type one character incorrectly in a product’s name. Purchasing Incentives Think back to the last impulse purchase you made online. What was one of the most pressing factors that caused you to go through with the purchase? Chances are, some sort of perk, such as free shipping, a percentage-off sale or a buy-one-get-one-free offer played a role in your ultimate decision to buy. With that in mind, highlight all the purchasing incentives your website offers. Banners, pop-up windows and special website sections are some of the platforms you might use to promote things that might make people more willing to buy items. A Page Devoted to Frequently Asked Questions Maybe you’ve noticed customers often contact you to ask about how to care for a piece of clothing they just bought from you. Or perhaps they inquire about whether you can ship items to other countries, or if they can return unwanted items within a particular timeframe. It’s a good idea to compile all those queries into a single, well-written, comprehensive section of your website. That way, shoppers can get the answers they need and may not have to take extra time to contact your company before making purchases. Attractive, Dynamic Images One of the potential downsides of online shopping is people can’t touch the items they’re thinking about buying. That’s one reason why it’s especially necessary to include images on your website that are excellent representations of the products being sold. Consider adding functionality that makes the images dynamic so users can click on certain sections of a picture to zoom in or look at an item from multiple perspectives. A Secure Infrastructure If customers have doubts about whether your website is set up to facilitate secure transactions, they’ll likely get scared off, especially since there have been so many high-profile merchants that have been victims of hacking who compromised customers’ payment information. It’s smart to include an image or text in your website’s footer that explains the kind of security in place. You might also include a separate page that discusses the things your company does to keep personal details from prying eyes. Mobile Capabilities We live in a world where people are increasingly on the go, and that reality extends to representatives from your e-commerce team. That’s why it’s a good idea to integrate mobile solutions into your website so salespeople can fulfill orders, check inventory and monitor sales statistics from wherever they are. Those capabilities could make it so orders get sent out faster, keeping customers satisfied. Besides giving access to e-commerce data to your employees that’s accessible on mobile devices, don’t overlook integrating responsive design principles into your e-commerce site. It’s becoming increasingly common for people to shop online via their phones, so your website should facilitate that desire. Product Reviews Customers want to know what to expect when buying your products. Reviews can serve as excellent resources for genuine, relatable information about the things you sell, including how long the items last, the way they fit, whether the materials were expected and if the prices seemed fair. A survey of over 600 online shoppers revealed more than 77 percent of them admitted product reviews impacted their purchasing decisions. That statistic alone should be enough to help you see how valuable product reviews are, and why you should include them on your e-commerce site. If you’re having trouble getting people to submit reviews on their own, see if they’d be more willing to give them in exchange for free items or discounts. Generally, people are happy to report their experiences with products, but they may need a little prodding first. An Intuitive Layout When an e-commerce site is too hard to navigate, people may get frustrated and decide they don’t want to buy things from your company after all. Spend some time thinking about the most practical and effective ways to build or improve your site layout. Drop-down menus can be especially convenient if you sell products from many categories and can’t fit all of them in vertical or horizontal orientations within your site. A Quick Checkout Process If it takes too long to get through the checkout segment of the online shopping process, you might find your e-commerce site has a high shopping cart abandonment rate. Let unregistered customers check out as guests and only make them provide the bare minimum as far as contact details. Explain what users should do to log in if they’ve shopped at the site before, and provide a hassle-free way for them to retrieve their passwords if they’ve forgotten them. You might also decide it’s useful to include a progress bar at the top of the checkout page that indicates how many more steps a customer has to go through before they are finished. Then, if a person is in a hurry while trying to make a purchase on a lunch break or in a similar time crunch, they’ll know whether it’s feasible to complete the transaction immediately or wait until later. At the completion of the checkout process, explain how users can track their orders, or get in touch with the company if they need to make changes before items are dispatched. A “Contact Us” Page Don’t make shoppers have to hunt too hard to figure out how to get in touch. Include all the necessary details on a prominent “Contact Us” page. Offer multiple contact methods if possible, and think about providing a way people can talk to company representatives through a live chat window. You’ve just learned about 10 things that’ll make your e-commerce site handier for customers to use and make them excited about what you offer. Equipped with this new knowledge, it should be much easier to build or improve a site that helps you get ever closer to your e-commerce sales goals. Keep in mind, it may take time to reach the kinds of traffic levels you hope for, especially if your site was poorly designed before or doesn’t have a strong online presence yet. Be patient and put some of the tips above into practice, and your efforts should pay off.

Speculate to accumulate how to make speculative applications

Speculate to accumulate how to make speculative applications Although its impossible to quantify how many of the estimated 50-80% unadvertised jobs are at graduate level there is no doubt that you should tap into this market if you want to increase your chance of job search success. Dont artificially restrict your horizons by focussing on the graduate portals, fairs or company websites alone. There are a wealth of opportunities out there and a good speculative application can help you unlock the door to this seemingly hidden job market. When to  send a speculative application If you want to work for a small, medium-sized enterprise (SME), a speculative application may uncover unadvertised vacancies with an employer who will not have the same recruitment budget and resources as a high-profile, larger recruiter â€" a speculative approach to the latter is likely to be met with a referral to the company’s website. If you want to work in specific industries, for example: international development, publishing, the media and advertising, an innovative approach to job seeking will be a prerequisite rather than an additional strategy to adopt. Demand exceeds supply in these highly popular sectors and employers do not need to advertise. How to write a speculative application A speculative application does require a higher level of research, resilience, creativity and determination than a more conventional approach but the potential rewards can make this strategy well worth the effort. Weve collated our top tips to help you turn that application from a no thanks to a definitely maybe! Research Perhaps THE most important step in the whole process. Youve got to have a really thorough understanding of the company and be able to show how you would fit in and add value. Why not use Google alerts to increase your awareness and understanding of the relevant business sector? You need to find out who are their competitors, what do they sell/produce, what are their strengths and what are the current challenges facing the industry or sector. If you find your levels of motivation and interest are high whilst undertaking this research it suggests a level of congruence and a potentially good match. Find the hook Focus on the companys needs and what you can do for them. Find a niche. Are  they are looking to diversify their online presence, or break into new markets?  Perhaps you have the relevant skills to help them develop their web  profile, or maybe youve had an internship abroad and can use that knowledge to good effect to bringing products to market outside the UK. A partner at Maxwell Alves Solicitors, Daniel Cheung,  assesses speculative CVs and cover letters in 20-30 seconds: The key is identifying a need of the firm and emphasising that need in both the CV and cover letter. For example, we recently required a litigation paralegal that was available immediately and who had litigation experience. The better candidates highlighted that they had litigation experience in the first few sentences of their cover letter and CV. Daniel emphasised the need for  candidates to refer to the specific relevance of their research to the business: Some candidates moved up a level by investigating what type of litigation we were doing by analysing our website. When we see that the individual has taken that much time to analyse our firm’s work and profile, it makes it harder for us to refuse that candidate. Instead, that individual has shown commitment and more likely than not, we will invite him/her in for an interview. Sell yourself What have you got to offer why would an employer want to meet you? Employers are not benevolent folk and they wont give you a job simply because you really want it and are very motivated. You need to show and tell.  Every business wants to make or save money, so how would your skills, experience and qualifications (potentially) help to achieve this goal? Target your application If you can, try to find a named contact if you simply use a generic Dear Sir/Madam or To whom it may concern youve immediately lost the chance to make a personal connection.  Rich Hill from Atass, a statistical research consultancy, attests to the importance of targeted applications and notes that an application  addressed to a named contact is much  more likely to be received favourably  and actioned  as it emphasises the applicants level of interest in the business. Its worth the risk! A speculative approach can be frustrating and time consuming and your applications may be ignored; on the other hand, if your applications have been targeted and carefully planned, they  may lead to an exciting and rewarding career and possibly one you might otherwise have overlooked. Whats stopping you?

How to Put LinkedIn on Resume

How to Put LinkedIn on ResumeHow to put LinkedIn on resume is quite a controversial topic as it may also be said that there are no magic bullets. After all, if you are a professional with years of experience, you probably have a ton of LinkedIn profiles and it can be overwhelming at times. To ease the process, I suggest going through them and posting only the ones that are relevant to your job history. It might seem like a daunting task at first, but when you think about it, your best option is to make a rough draft of your resume that includes only the relevant information.How to put LinkedIn on resume depends on how many people have made the connection. A resume that only contains LinkedIn links will not impress your employer. However, if you manage to include other links to your personal accounts on LinkedIn, then this is a great way to add credibility to your resume. You need to remember that employers already get hundreds of resumes every day so why waste their time getting the wrong candidate? Try to include a few personal accounts, especially if they are relevant to your job description.In your resume, you have to create links to all the social media sites that are listed on LinkedIn. Do not post every link in the text as this will make the resume look untidy. Make sure you put in some keywords to narrow down the search results. Remember, once you have included the links, you have to be consistent and make sure you update the text of your resume on a regular basis.How to put LinkedIn on resume also depends on how you start using the site. If you start browsing LinkedIn profiles, be sure to comment on their posts and contribute to others as well. These will help build a positive impression in the eyes of potential employers. Also, do not forget to participate in the monthly Q&A sessions hosted by the employees.If you want to get noticed by potential employers, you need to put in some effort into social media marketing on LinkedIn. The more links you have added to your profile, the more your brand will grow and this is also true if you join groups that are relevant to your niche. In fact, you should try to get involved in these groups so that you are actively engaged in discussions. This will also create a connection with the group and give you a chance to learn more about the group's members.How to put LinkedIn on resume does not mean that you should spend hours of time getting to know the people on the network. Instead, focus on building relationships with them. Ask questions and help out each other. In addition, when you do make new connections, give them more personal attention by asking for a link or two in your profile or sending a message expressing how interested you are in them.Another effective way to keep a professional appearance on LinkedIn is to use your real name and not a handle. Employers want to see you interact with other people so make sure you regularly update your profile. For example, when you join a group, ask to add yourself to the invite list so that people can contact you there. In addition, post your job duties, so that people can easily connect to you on LinkedIn.If you are already working with a business on LinkedIn, post your other links in your profile so that you do not lose visibility. By following these tips, you can go from a zero to hero in a matter of minutes.

High praise - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

High praise - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Last week I wrote a few thoughts on how being incurably lazy has enriched my life, inspired by Fred Gratzons book The Lazy Way to Success. Fred read that post and commented on it, saying among other things: Your insight about starting many small projects and seeing which grabs you is incandescently brilliant. You are absolutely right when you say that the ideas that happen are by definition the right ones. Read Freds entire comment here. Thats the first time something Ive written has been called incandescently brilliant. Im blushing here :o) Thanks Fred. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related High praise - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Today I spoke about happiness at work and innovation at the FutureNext conference in Copenhagen. This event was arranged in part by the internationally famous Danish business leader Lars Kolind. After my presentation, Lars was kind enough to give me his honest opinion of it: Thanks, Lars Im blushing here :o) Related posts Harvard Business School study: Happy employees are more creative. 3 reasons why happy workplaces change and innovate more effextively. The Feel Factor ? why no workplace can afford to ignore how people feel. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

SUCCESS STORY - GARY COSTA - Jane Jackson Career

SUCCESS STORY - GARY COSTA - Jane Jackson Career CAREER CHANGE SUCCESS STORY â€" GARY COSTA CAREER CHANGE SUCCESS STORY â€" GARY COSTAThe experience of going through a redundancy is challenging for most people.   Success stories are encouraging to hear when you are in the midst of change.In the course of my work as a Career Coach I meet so many talented professionals who have been affected by organisational change, restructure, outsourcing, off-shoring, downsizing and, consequently, redundancy.   One of the talented professionals I worked with is Gary Costa.   His Success Story is inspiration confirming that where there is a will, there will be a new career!  1. Who is Gary Costa?Gary Costa, SydneyI’m a proud Australian with a loving family and I come from the school of ‘the harder you work the luckier you become’. I am a very ‘hands on’ person who has always had a love for understanding how things work and pulled all my toys apart as a kid. I also love aviation and enjoy fossicking for gold.2. What is your new role?Working for a small family owned business involv ed in the very niche area of Non Destructive Testing Equipment. Russell Fraser Sales. I am specifically focused on the high tech world of portable 3D Laser Scanning equipment used to analyse corrosion of pipelines, manufacturing, design and engineering. The technology is relatively new so we are doing of lot market awareness activities from both sales and marketing angles.3. Where did you work before and what happened with regard to the redundancy?My previous role was Group Product Manager with the Brady Corporation. Brady are a large US multinational trying to recover to pre GFC levels. To help with this they instigated a global ‘business simplification’ program with the aim of reducing head count across all of their businesses. Unfortunately for me my role as Group Product Manager along with many other positions was deemed as being no longer required.4. How did you secure your new role and what was the process?A job for me is more than just a source of income. It’s important that I am contributing to society so my job became getting a job. I touched bases with previous work colleagues, customers, suppliers, friends, relatives and I applied for many roles. I registered on recruitment agencies job alert programs, sent my resume to companies that I would like to work for and set up auto search alerts on Seek.The role I obtained was via a job alert email that came from a recruitment agency. I sent my resume, called the agency, was interviewed by the agency then 2 interviews with the company and I had a job offer less than 1 week after seeing the position advertised.5. What did you find to be the challenges of the other job search methods?I found there was a lot of conflicting advice given by many people. I had one agency tell me that ‘applying for a job on Seek is akin to managing your financial affairs by buying a Lotto ticket’! What he failed to realise was that if I had not applied for that job on Seek I would not have been talking to him. Also by a pplying on Seek for jobs with recruitment agencies you also get the opportunity to register on their ‘job alert’ pages which was how I found out about the role I was successful for.However the biggest challenge was the lack of professionalism shown by many recruitment agencies and a number of companies I applied directly to. I understand recruitment agencies are inundated with applications, especially when the economy is down and redundancy rates are high, but there is no excuse for not returning phone calls or not responding to emails especially if there has been face to face contact.One company I applied directly to had a position I was well suited for. The interview went particularly well (I thought) and I was told I would be called in the following week for an interview with the MD. Two follow up emails sent and a phone message left but no response. I am still waiting. I’m a big boy, I can accept the news that I was not a match for the role. I can’t accept the lack of re spect it shows by not having the courage to let me know the outcome. You don’t even have to do it via a phone call, a polite email will suffice.The market I am now working in has a particularly strong need for this company’s product range. Do you think I will be using or recommending their products? Not a chance, so how much has a lack of professionalism cost this company and every other company that can’t be bothered to advise candidates about outcomes.6. What were the hardest things during your career transition and what went on in your head?During this time I found some of the thoughts going through my head quite bizarre and surprising. For example while catching the train into the city for interviews etc I started feeling jealous of the train conductor or the people doing work on the side of the road, simply because they had a job!I found it almost impossible to listen to people complaining about their work and I remember constantly hearing the song by Passenger â€" Let He r Go. In that song the lyrics reflect on the fact that we only miss the things we love when they are gone and I kept thinking a line about only missing your job when its gone would have been very appropriate.7. What assistance did you receive along the way?One of the nice things Brady did was to pay for a 3 month outplacement program with Lee Hecht Harrison. I took up the offer initially thinking they would not be able to assist but I must admit I really did find it very helpful. Jane Jackson was my career coach and she was exactly what I needed to help me through this challenging time.The world of recruitment has changed a lot and Jane was able to show me how to best utilise Linked In, how to fine tune my resume and as Jane comes from the world of recruitment she was able to explain how applications are processed etc. The focus on ‘networking’ is now so important and the assistance Jane provided was fantastic.Without doubt the most useful skill Jane taught me was how to use a s imple word at night to focus on which allowed me to stop my mind from constantly thinking and allowed me to get a better night sleep. Jane was not there to find me a new job but she was certainly there to help me through what is a roller coaster of emotions.8. What advice would you give to someone going through career transition?If you have ever been a new parent there is no doubt that everyone you speak to is an expert on how you should bring up your child. Similarly with a career transition everyone is full of sound advice.Listen to the advice given, and then take from that advice what you can use. Some of it will be perfect for you and some of it will just not be what you need.Use all forms of search methods available as you do not know where the role is going to come from.Be very organised in your search and have a system in place to keep track of your applications.9. Tell us about your most fun moment while looking for the new job!The most fun moment was when I signed the job o ffer!!10. Final thoughts?I used to drive 66km each way to work. I now work 5km from home in a role that I am really enjoying.It is a challenging time for anyone looking for work but remember nothing stays the same forever. Not having a job is a temporary situation and at the time it is impossible to believe but you will probably find things work out better than before.  For careers guidance and coaching on your next career direction, visit www.janejacksoncoach.com or contact Jane on +61(0)403 810 756 or email jane@janejacksoncoach.com