For National Coaching Week 2019 we asked our Career Coach Jade Brady typical questions she is asked and what her responses would be:

1. Is it necessary to have a LinkedIn profile?

Many people still underestimate the importance of LinkedIn in their job search and are sometimes reluctant to embrace social media. Not only do recruiters and hiring managers use LinkedIn heavily to source candidates, LinkedIn has an extensive job board which gives you exposure to roles that may not be advertised on generic job sites.

Having a profile gives you the ability to showcase your  expertise, not only is your profile the first professional impression of you when recruiters and employers use LinkedIn to search for candidates but it also demonstrates credibility in your industry and highlights your achievements.

2. What is the best job search method or strategy for me?

There are multiple ways to search today’s job market, from online job searching, working with recruitment agencies to networking and making speculative approaches to companies. I work with individuals and discuss all options available to create a job search strategy they feel comfortable with, its important to not rely solely on just one method and ensure you adopt a balance with different techniques.

Dependent on the sector/role you may find that some methods will work more for you than others. To maximise opportunities its vital your job search approach includes traditional job searching techniques but also utilises modern methods such as LinkedIn.

3. How can I change career - where do I start?

Many people will change their jobs and careers a number of times over the course of their working life. This could be for reasons such as redundancy, money, progression, or new challenges. A good place to start is by conducting some self-analysis to identify your transferable skills, career interests and priorities.

I then encourage individuals to create a criteria, prioritising the skills they want to use moving forward they can then use this criteria to explore and analyse possible career matches. Changing career is possible but requires time, effort and using your network of contacts.