If you have ever felt lost or questioned who you are, then here are some of Becky Hogan’s tips for building your confidence and self-belief back up.
It won't have escaped your notice that today is International Women's Day. Perhaps, as you made breakfast this morning, the radio was full of declarations of solidarity and high hopes for progress. Perhaps your colleagues are full of renewed vigour and enthusiasm this week about the importance of gender equality in your organisation. Perhaps you took an extra moment today as you waved your daughters off to their swimming lessons to think about how their lives were going to unfold. Whether you're feeling fired up or concerned about the work still to be undertaken, International Women's Day is a time when we all pause, look back over our shoulders at the breakthroughs we've already made, and look forward at the path stretching out towards the horizon.
When applying for jobs your CV (Curriculum Vitae) is often your first impression. A well-structured and polished CV can make the difference between landing an interview and being overlooked. Here’s our guide to help get you started…
LinkedIn holds a multitude of opportunities for all. Apart from the obvious job search, it also enables you to grow a relevant business network where you can also proactively reach out to business contacts to strike up conversations. You can share content for the benefit of your personal brand, and unlock other visibility opportunities such as speaking and collaborations.
By the time you read this, your New Year's resolutions may no longer be foremost in your mind. Perhaps they've quietly fallen by the wayside - or perhaps they imploded in a puff of wheatgrass-smoothie-fuelled smoke at some point last week. You may have spent the first week of January declaring that this year you'd practise the saxophone for three hours every day, only eat hand-stroked vegetables grown in the Outer Hebrides, or never argue with your teenage offspring ever again about the levels of hygiene observed in their bedrooms…
We've all been there. A stiflingly hot room. A colleague who loves the sound of their own voice. The flashing red alert of a pressing deadline going off in your head. Your stress levels are rising, and you know that when you walk out of here, your afternoon is going to involve an imitation of the metaphorical headless chicken, and alarming quantities of caffeine…
And finally, the sun is shining! We're struck by that most British of urges - to throw caution and our cardigans to the wind, and turn our faces to the light. We find ourselves smiling at strangers in the street. Our hearts swell a little at the crescendo of birdsong, heralding the arrival of spring! Oh wait. No. No, that's not birdsong, actually. That's the repeated pinging of your work phone. It heralds not the onset of a new season, but of a new project. It signals not the turning of the earth, but rather the turning of your planned evening into several hours of answering emails...
Volunteering is a huge cultural phenomenon in the UK; in 2021/22, for example, 55% of people in England reported that they'd volunteered in the previous year, and 34% had volunteered at least once a month. That said, volunteering isn't just a one-sided undertaking - it can also be a way of acquiring new skills and experiences that you can carry across into your working life. In the immortal words of Bugsy Malone, "you give a little love, and it all comes back to you..."
Are you one of the ‘quiet quitters’, putting in minimal effort with your heart elsewhere? Are you frustrated that you’re not operating where you’re both passionate and proficient (see Free to Focus by Michael Hyatt)? Are you sick of your boss? Are your values out of kilter with your organisation? Are you returning to work after a career break and wary of stepping back in where you left off? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then it’s probably time to act…
International Women's Day - one of our favourite days of the year! It's the time when we all pause to look back at where we collectively started, cheer on our sisters who are running alongside us, and set our sights on the changes that still need to be made - here in the UK, and in other societies, where women may be facing different challenges.
We caught up with Hannah Porteous-Butler, founder of The People Practice Group, to discuss how flexible working can be interpreted differently by employers and employees, what can be done to start closing that gap, and what she sees as the future of flexible working.
