Jessica McGregor Johnson's ShiftSurgery

How do I write an effective CV when I'm going for a totally new job?

Jessica McGregor Johnson — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:38:39 +0100

People often think that you have to show that you've done a similar job before when going for a new role, but it's actually a matter of demonstrating effectively that you have the skills required for the job. Here's how to do it...

Stuck in a good salary and limiting beliefs!

Jessica McGregor Johnson — Wed, 28 May 2008 21:35:32 +0100

Henry Ford said "Whether you think you can or you can't, you are right"... Start to challenge your beliefs - those are what are getting in the way of you creating a job that grabs your interest, that motivates you to want to go to work everyday and do the best you can.

After 33 years with the same employee I want to change career, but I don't know where to begin.

Jessica McGregor Johnson — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 23:08:47 +0000

I am not surprised that you have little joy scanning the job websites. We can only become enthused about what's on offer once we have become excited about what we are looking for...So Instead of trying to match your current skills to another job, reconnect with your interests - your passion and purpose - and go from there.

I'm worried of the impact my career change will have on my wife and family

Jessica McGregor Johnson — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:55:57 +0000

Change by its very nature is scary. There is always an element of us that likes to maintain the status quo, even if we know intellectually that the change could be good for us or someone we love. I am reminded of a client who took the risk and went for the dream with many of the same trepidations as you. Ultimately his partner had flourished in the light of his happiness, had been drawn forward by his fulfilment.

I'm worried of the impact my career change will have on my wife and family

Jessica McGregor Johnson — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:55:42 +0000

I don't know what job will keep me satisfied both mentally and financially

Jessica McGregor Johnson — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:40:19 +0100

First I think you could do an exercise that truly identifies what skills you actually feel passionate about using. Here's how to do it...

Potential employers can't see beyond my past role in sales!

Jessica McGregor Johnson — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 14:25:38 +0100

What you need is a CV that doesn't mention roles or titles so much as skills that you have that are relevant to the role you are going for. Here's how to go about it...

Safety and security vs. taking a risk to follow your heart's calling

Jessica McGregor Johnson — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 14:30:58 +0100

It seems to me that this is about the compromise between safety and security or taking a risk to follow your heart's calling...Look at your situation, very safe but not very interesting...I think you need to ask yourself 'how much do I want to live life to the full?'.

Do I have to live a dual life - becoming the real me only when I leave work at 5.30pm everyday?

Jessica McGregor Johnson — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 18:09:27 +0100

In some ways you have to start at the end of your question, and that is whether you want to stay in the corporate world...I recently worked with a client who thought that he needed to leave the corporate world, but on deeper exploration realised that he liked the actual work, it was his attitude to the work and the people around him that was causing the problem.

Retraining seems so expensive. How will I cope?

Jessica McGregor Johnson — Mon, 07 May 2007 17:39:33 +0100

In order to make this transition less daunting you need to break it down into doable steps. If you can take a step back and begin from where you are, a path with individual steps can be picked out.