Jobs & employment blogs

To be at our best in terms of performance, life satisfaction, and ultimately our psychological health and wellbeing – we need to experience both a sense of purpose and pleasure. We feel a sense of purpose inside and outside of work, when we’re engaged in a task or activity that has real meaning for us, which fits with our values and identity, and is contributing to one of our bigger picture...

We’ve all had it, that awful sinking feeling you get when you’ve just realised you’ve made a mistake. Unfortunately, there is no avoiding it, we are all human, and mistakes are an inevitable part of our daily working lives. What really matters is how we take ownership for these mistakes, how we present a viable solution for them, and then bounce back. So, if you’ve recently made a mistake...

From succeeding in your current role to finding a new job, we always face challenges and obstacles in the world of work. Frustration, anxiety, and feelings of powerlessness can leave many other struggling to perform at our best. Today, I’m joined by Doug Strycharczyk and Dr Peter Clough, whose work in psychology led them to co-author the book ‘Developing Mental Toughness:...

  I first left my homeland of England in search of personal and professional development in 1998 to venture to the other side of the world and settle in New Zealand. I spent the next 12 years working in New Zealand and Australia before being asked to depart the relatively familiar and comfortable antipodes to lead and grow the Hays business in Hong Kong. Adapting to a whole new...

  Are you considering a new job? If so, what are you hoping a new role with a different employer will offer you? A more attractive salary and benefits package? Improved career progression? Challenging and exciting work? Better work-life balance? These are all obvious and reasonable criteria of course – but have you considered the importance of working for an employer who places...

  So, you’ve been invited to interview for your dream job, and you’re starting your all-important preparation. As part of that preparation, you’ve thought about the most likely things you could be asked, such as “why do you want to work here?” or “what first attracted you to this role?” and you have diligently prepared your answers. But, are you prepared to answer those trickier...

  Whether you’re new to the world of work or an experienced leader, everyone is susceptible to thoughts that they are undeserving of the position and plaudits that they have worked hard to earn. Over time, these thoughts can impact heavily on not just your mindset, but your career and life as a whole. Today I’m delighted to be joined by Rita Clifton CBE, an expert on branding and...

Let’s face it, no-one likes failure, and for some it’s a horrible word that raises their anxiety levels. I’ve read inspirational quotes such as, “I’ve learnt more from my failures than I have from my successes”, but is it really something we all want to experience and do we really want these circumstances dredged up in the interview room? Surely interviews are the place to highlight the...

  Nothing quite beats that feeling when you walk out of an interview room. The thorough preparation, interview nerves, and the fact that you’ve had to talk yourself up for the best part of an hour, can really take it out of a person – so it can be quite a relief when it’s over. That is until you start to wonder how the interview actually went. This limbo period...

Regardless of the stage in your career at which you find yourself, it’s useful to consider your goals and the steps you will need to take in order to reach them. Whether you are navigating change or juggling external commitments, a career map will always prove a helpful tool. Today I’m joined by Kathryn Bishop CBE, an associate fellow at Said Business School at the University of Oxford. She...