+44 (0) 783 77 52 163
Blue Sky Reflections offers a personal
and practical approach to those looking
for support and guidance in career
counselling and in the other areas that
stop you making the most of your life.
Has your job become more of a chore than a career?
Do you sometimes wish you could do something else for a living?
Sally Storr, Director of Blue Sky Reflections, uses an eclectic approach to career coaching.
“When a client comes in, each and every one has different needs and expectations. My first job is to find out what those are. My next job is to work with the client to see how we can achieve their objectives together, be they big or small. I use a variety of techniques, depending on their objectives. Some people need to talk over their career dilemma, others may need help in putting together a career development plan, while others need something more specific."
"I am very grateful to Sally who helped me considerably when I was applying for a new job. Sally helped me re-draft my CV and gave me an extremely professional mock interview. I have to thank Sally for the confidence and encouragement she gave me which secured me the job I applied for. Sally has a great skill in bringing out the best in people and making them feel better about themselves. She is an expert in her field of work and her friendly and professional approach puts everyone at ease."
Liz Long, British Vice-Consul, Geneva
Sally says:
“I take a holistic approach to career coaching, because these days our work and the rest of our lives are so closely linked by the use of technology and global communication.”
Take a look at what we have to offer at BlueSky Reflections on our other pages. You will also find useful tips and information on networking, recruitment in international organizations and even on how to reflect!
For information about fees, all in complete confidence, please contact Blue Sky Reflections.
posted in Balanced life - 08-09-2010, 10:55
Do you ever forget you have a body? Are you living life so much in your head that you can't remember what you had for your last meal, or even when?!?!?
If you are caught up in the hamster wheel of work, even if you love it, sometimes you can ignore the warning signs from your body: those gnawing pains and noises from your stomach which say "I'm hungry"; a headache caused by not drinking enough; aches and pains in your neck and shoulders caused by hunching over the PC too long. Any of those sound familiar?
I was lucky enough to be offered Pilates classes at lunchtime when I worked at the World Health Organization. Becoming aware of my body and my physical well-being not only made me feel better, it also lifted my spirits, and allowed me to focus better when I got back to my desk.
It is only when something goes drastically wrong that we become body aware. I come across cases like this again and again. Last week, I heard about a family of workaholics who changed their entire life-style because the father had a major heart attack and nearly died, and his daughter had a nervous breakdown. You don't need to go that far before you decide to look after yourself.
Pilates is an ideal way to start. It involves gentle but powerful exercise to strengthen your core muscles (those round the belly and lower back) so as to improve your posture (for example, hunched shoulders and sticking out tums), prevent injury and allow you to function more efficiently on a daily basis. I love it because focusing the mind very precisely on the exercise you are doing is very relaxing.
That's why I decided to do an intensive 6-month course in Pilates Instruction. I now understand how the joints and muscles work, why we need to strengthen the core and how getting a better posture is so beneficial. It is suitable for everyone of any age. One of my physiotherapist teachers told us that practically all injury can be avoided or lessened by improving the posture, and almost all injury can be cured by movement. So what are you waiting for? Try it out!
posted in Balanced life - 07-29-2010, 15:38
Anxiety and stress management: Living in society today can be very stressful. Whether it’s work, home life or a specific problem which is getting you down, I can help you find short-term and long-term solutions for coping.
My technique involves adopting a new mindset (find out about the RED lifestyle!) and thinking about ways to adapt your everyday reactions and behaviours so as to live a more enjoyable life. Some of the things we discuss include issues of control and perfectionism, as well as changing the negative thinking patterns of a lifetime. These may be simple ideas but they can be very powerful influences over our mood and attitude in every context.
Getting what you want by being assertive: Have you ever missed out on something you would love to do because you haven’t spoken up in time? Do you ever bottle up your feelings and then explode big time – and then regret it?
Learning to be assertive and getting what you want is about finding the right balance and living authentically. You don’t need to be aggressive, and being passive doesn’t get you anywhere. However, learning some simple techniques to get yourself heard and listened to allows you to do what you want when you want without offending anyone. It’s all about the way you say things. I can help you to improve your assertiveness by learning how to judge a situation and use the right language.
Mid-life crisis: Do you ever feel that life has lost its meaning? Are you worried that you are going to end up doing the same boring job for the next twenty years? Maybe the recession is affecting your company, and you think you should find something else?
I specialize in careers advice. Many people either “fell” into a job or just picked up whatever came along, without clearly thinking out what they would love to do for their career. I can provide the encouragement and support you need to make that break! Or if you don’t really want to change career but need guidance on how to get the best out of work, I can provide career coaching.
posted in Career hints - 05-24-2010, 18:24
Are you competent to do the job?
When did you last time sit an interview for work? If you were faced with a “competency-based” interview would you know how to prepare for it?
Competency-based interviewing is currently used by many companies and organizations to select the right candidate for the job. What does it mean? Well, a job description is usually based upon a set of “competencies” which are considered necessary to effectively carry out the tasks linked to a job. They can cover a whole set of abilities which apart from technical skills can include things as diverse as communication skills, teamwork, creating and maintaining relationships with people, managing oneself, producing results, and managing change. The job description or vacancy notice usually carry these and they will give you some clues about the type of interview questions you will have to answer.
Competency-based questions work around the tenet that you need to demonstrate that you have the required skill by producing evidence in the form of an example. A traditional interview may include a question like:
“What would you do if you were faced with a difficult customer?”
The candidate may answer with:
“I would always be calm and give good service.”
This may be true but how does the potential employer know without any evidence? By contrast, in a competency-based interview you would be asked:
“Tell me about a time when you were faced with a difficult customer.What did you do and what was the outcome?”
If you don’t have an authentic example prepared, this can be truly challenging. However, if you sit down with a list of the competencies required and think back to some of the projects and tasks you have done in your job, and in previous jobs you are bound to come up with at least one or two examples which you can re-produce at interview. You will need to prepare several examples for each type of competency so as to be thoroughly prepared. Each response can become an anecdote, so the skill is in the telling too.
A good example of a response to the above question might be:
“Yes, when I was working at Oldhams as Departmental Manager, there was a situation with a man who became very abusive because we would not give him his money back for a faulty kettle. The problem was that his guarantee was well out of date. In the end, I calmed the customer down by listening to the him and I gave him a credit note. Fortunately, he came back and bought a much more expensive kettle!”
This response answers all the parts of the question and clearly demonstrates the candidate’s attitude towards customer service.
posted in Careers News - 12-07-2009, 21:27
At the Expat Expo in Lyon, France in October 2009, Laetitia Valli, Executive Director of the Corporatys headhunting firm, which has headquarters in Lyon and virtual offices wherever needed, gave some excellent advice to expats wanting to work in France:
- Get qualifications! The better qualified you are, the more likely you are to get a job.
- Don't approach a French company until you can speak and write the French language well enough to work in it!
- Networking is the best possible way to find work: if you can share a meal with a group of French people, this is a very good starting place.
- An informal interview can take place in a lift or at a dining table, treat every meeting as a potential job interview.
- Have your business cards ready to give out anywhere and everywhere: it doesn't matter if you are still a student or unemployed, put your profile and contact details onto cards and give them out: who you are, what you do, and what you can do!
- Contact companies directly about getting a job, but not a head hunter. Head hunters will find you if they want to do so!
- If you are independent and approach a company for work, they are more likely to take on SARL registered companies than freelance employees.
- Don't let the economic crisis put you off: it could be the best time to find business opportunities. Think Environment! Think Ethics! Think mobility!
If you have any more questions about working in France, contact Blue Sky Reflections.