Simon Gray's Blog, page 6

Why focus always trumps flexibility!

Let me tell you a story about the most difficult candidate I ever had to try and place.

For over 10 years I worked in the recruitment industry and met candidates at all levels and from all backgrounds.Many people I met would try and paint a picture of flexibility in the belief that this would open up more opportunities and significantly increase the chances of them landing a new position anytime soon. However, despite this commonly held belief, nothing could be further from the truth.

I remem...

Why building a personal brand is essential for YOUR career success!

Last night I had the privilege to present at a special event in London designed to help people make the most of their career.

As a chartered accountant it’s always great to be back at Chartered Accountants’ Hall and while I’m no longer a practicing accountant, it’s fantastic to have the opportunity to share some of my experience since qualification and give something back.

Whether you’re in the finance industry or not, please keep reading. Whatever your profession or industry sector what foll...

The power of networking!

Over the past few weeks I’ve been asked by a number of my clients about the importance of networking. How to balance an offline strategy with communicating a personal brand online have been questions raised, in addition to when and how often?

For me networking is a habit, it’s something to be done as part of everyday life, whether you’re looking for your next position or to develop further business for your current organisation. Many leave networking until they need something – a new job or m...

How would you handle a pre-offer salary negotiation?

Once all the hard work has been done to define, find and then secure the executive position you set out to be offered at the outset, it’s time to maximise the return on your investment.

Your investment here is two-fold:

1) Your career history that has led to this moment, namely the skills and abilities you’ve accrued over the years that formed part of the employer’s decision to offer you the position over other candidates competing for the same opportunity.

2) The time and energy investment i...

How would you handle a pre-salary offer negotiation?

Once all the hard work has been done to define, find and then secure the executive position you set out to be offered at the outset, it’s time to maximise the return on your investment.

Your investment here is two-fold:

1) Your career history that has led to this moment, namely the skills and abilities you’ve accrued over the years that formed part of the employer’s decision to offer you the position over other candidates competing for the same opportunity.

2) The time and energy investment i...

Three top tips for successful executive networking.

Networking is one of the things people fear the most. The thought of walking into a room full of strangers, engaging someone you’ve never met in conversation, all while balancing a cup and saucer, can and often does send shivers down the spine of even the most experienced individual.

In the past,face-to-face networking was something I rarely looked forward to – that is until I changed my beliefs about networking, which had a direct and positive impact on my approach and associated results.

In...

Managing your career and maintaining marketability in senior roles.

Earlier this month I was back down in London to present the second of two webinars for ACCA on how to manage your career and maintain marketability in senior roles.

In February the topic was how the job market really works and how to position yourself to stand out from the crowd!

At the more senior end of the market things become more complicated and competition can be fierce. This second webinar was designed to highlight some of the principal challenges of career management at the executive...

Take your passion and make it happen!

This blog post is about three things many people struggle with in life, and especially when it comes to successful job search:

1) Focusing on and following their passion.

2) The application of acquired knowledge to achieve their goal.

3) The continued application of said knowledge over an extended of period of time – the time it inevitably takes to get results.

Yesterday I was driving back home whenFlashdance…What a Feeling by Irene Cara came on the radio. Listening to this, asong fromFlashda...

When the going gets tough, the tough get going!

Last week I explainedhow to rank with executive recruiters. Building on from this, my plan this week was to discuss the different types of recruitment companies and what this means for executive jobseekers.

This was my plan, but a surprise phone call on Friday and an email over the weekend changed the focus of today’s topic.

If you’re a regular reader, listener or watcher of my content you’ll know that my mission is to help people from all over the world navigate the executive job market succ...

How to rank with executive recruiters!

The majority of senior executives entering the executive job market in search of their next position will at some point engage the services of a professional recruiter.

Indeed an executive recruitment firm is often the first port of call in the quest for that next opportunity, whatever the motivation(s) behind the desired move. While the majority focus on executive search firms and place their success or failure in the hands of others, through Career Codex I advocate taking proactive control...