Simon Gray's Blog, page 5

Do you really need an executive search firm?

For senior C-suite / C-level executives looking to make a career move in the executive job market the default position is usually to register with executive search firms to handle their transition. If this is what the majority of executive jobseekers do, surely this is the best strategy to find and secure a new executive position?

To be clear in what follows I’m not saying that if you’re in the executive job market that you shouldn’t engage the help of executive recruiters, they should be par...

The new LinkedIn interface and what you need to know!

Last night, I was suddenly and rather abruptly thrust into the rather strange (at least at first glance) world of the new LinkedIn desktop interface.

I knew it was coming, but what I didn’t know was when. From my research this morning it appears the rollout is happening in waves, so if you’ve not received the update yet, it’s most definitely on the way.

As I’ve said before and will say again now – everything changes in social media and things are rarely static for long.

While this change may...

Why your CV / resume won’t find you a graduate job!

Last week I had the privilege to support an employability workshop run by Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and the Institute of Directors (IoD). In attendance were c.40 students from the university who are thinking about the direction they wish to take their careers and how best to navigate the graduate job market successfully.

In setting the scene for why employability skills are so important, Lucy Hoyes from the IoD shared the following frightening statistics:

Over 1 in 10 graduate unempl...

In the executive job market it’s your approach (not your CV / resume) that counts!

When it to comes to executive job search, the first thing that normally springs to mind is the requirement to put together a CV / resume. If you’ve been in, or are about to enter the executive job market, perhaps this is a thought you’ve had or was something prompted by the advice of others?

While a CV / resume (I use the term here interchangeably) is important and an essential component of any executive job search, in my opinion and experience, it’s only a small part of what finding success...

In the executive job market, discipline sets you free.

Discipline is not something I’ve always had, but something I’ve been working hard to build, develop and grow. It can be a daily battle, as I’m sure it is for many, but recently I’ve really come to appreciate the importance of discipline in life, in the achievement of goals and also when it comes to successful executive job search.

The dictionary defines discipline as ‘training that makes people more able to control themselves’, but for me and the clients I work with on a one-to-one basis, it’...

Are you really the architect of your career?

The original titleof this blog post was ‘time is running out for us all’, but at first glance this appearing somewhat morbid, I decided to instead pose the question – are you really the architect of your career?

What follows was prompted by a phone call I had with someone yesterday (let’s call him Rob), which turned out to be extremely thought-provoking. Before getting into the detail of what was said, I’ll first set the scene by taking a step back in time.

In 1994 having graduated from unive...

For this is now and that was then!

A very Happy New Year and wishing you a healthy and prosperous 2017!

At this time of year I always like to reflect and at the same time look to the future. I’m always looking for new ways to get creative and to explore new challenges, so thought I’d communicate (and hopefully provide some inspiration) in a different style for my first blog post of 2017.

I’ve never cared much for poetry in the past, but enjoyed working on these pieces and think I’ve encapsulated some of what I’m thinking, feel...

Is the new year the right time to start your own business (part 2)?

In last week’s blog post I explained that the best time to start your own business is not in my opinion a question of market timing, but entirely whether the timing is right for you!

Relyingon external factors to line up means you’re not in control and you might just be waiting forever. External factors can become an excuse, a reason to procrastinate and the very thing that stops you in your tracks.

I explained why it’s important to pick a lane. Know the business you’re in and more importantl...

Is the new year the right time to start your own business (part 1)?

In this week’s blog post I’m talking business and more to the point considering when is the right time to get started in your own business along with some of the things you need to consider. If you’ve never thought about running your own show it could be a very real alternative to full-time employment, but perhaps something you’ve never considered before?

If starting your own company is definitely not for you, but you’re currently engaged in the process of finding a new position then please r...

An Oasis in the desert?

For many job search can feel like chasing an oasis in the desert. Wading knee-deep through endless sand while facing extremes in temperatureis a very real analogy for those engaged in a quest for that next position. The longer the journey goes the more difficult it becomes and the frustration of seeing what looks like an oasis, yet in reality is a mirage, can be an all too regular occurrence.

In business it’s much the same and I’m often heard saying that successful job search is a business in...