Don't Shoot The Messenger

How do you secure a job share role, and once in, how do you make it work?In this episode, two guests join us to share their experiences of job sharing. Will McDonald and Natasha Liedl-McDowall took different routes into job sharing. We talked about:  📣 How to win over sceptical stakeholders  📣 The unglamorous essentials: presenting a united front, handover notes and sharing all the gossip 📣 Why the relationship is the whole game, and how to know if you've got the right partner 📣 What happens when a job share starts to wobble, and how to handle itSend us Fan MailYou can find me here:WebsiteLinkedInAll resources

Jo Coxhill is on a mission to make work not suck.An expert in employee experience, organisational culture and internal communication, Jo helps companies boost performance and build happier, healthier, more engaged teams. She’s also a burnout advocate, speaker, and fellow of the IoIC, known for her authenticity and results-driven approach.In this episode - a guest expert session from our Get Hired! coaching group for comms professionals - we explore:📣 Why burnout is still rife in corporate life, even with all the wellbeing talk📣 The real causes of burnout, and the influence communicators can have📣 The five stages of burnout, from healthy striving to full-blown crisis📣 Practical strategies for prevention and recoverySend us Fan MailYou can find me here:WebsiteLinkedInAll resources

Here's the latest 'Job Search SOS' episode.I'm back with Lucy Cairncross, MD of VMA GROUP to tackle the questions keeping job seekers up at night.This episode is packed with straight-talking advice on:📣 Cover letters: why they still matter (despite what everyone tells you), and what actually works 📣 How to explain a disjointed career without badmouthing your toxic ex-boss📣 Getting your CV to the top of the pile (and why hiring a CV writer is definitely not the answer)📣 Following up on applications without looking desperate📣 Convincing hiring managers you're not overqualified and you won't get bored (code for 'too expensive' or 'flight risk').Job searching is brutal and can feel lonely - but you're absolutely not alone in this. The questions we received show that even the most experienced comms professionals struggle with the same challenges.Let me know what other subjects you would be interested in hearing about from a career coach and a comms recruiter. You can send me a DM on LinkedIn.Send us Fan MailYou can find me here:WebsiteLinkedInAll resources

This week I’m bringing you another Job Search SOS episode, a recording of a Q&A webinar I ran in mid January 2025, with Lucy Cairncross. the MD of VMA Group, the recruitment specialist for communications, marketing, digital and change roles. We answered questions from the communications community, and provided an update on the state of the job market.Topics included:📣  How to talk about a long gap in your CV📣  Whether to talk about your current salary during the interview process📣  How to negotiate when you don't know what package is on the table📣  A proactive strategy to your job search📣  Using LinkedIn intentionallyIf you'd like to find out more about my LinkedIn Unlocked online course, to help you get noticed and get hired via LinkedIn, here's the link. Listen to the episode for your 20% discount code to buy LinkedIn Unlocked for less than £80.Thank you to those who attended for your courage in sharing your challenges. Job searching is brutal and can feel lonely - but you're absolutely not alone in this.We will continue to run these sessions if there's an appetite for them. Please send me a DM on LinkedIn to ask your questions, or to join the waiting list for the next webinar.Send us Fan MailYou can find me here:WebsiteLinkedInAll resources

Nessa O'Gorman is a global product and marketing strategist who has had several career pivots. From an early career as an interpreter, she moved into marketing and product development, launching Expedia's first loyalty programme across 14 countries. And now Nessa has a new passion - wellbeing as the foundation of sustainable performance in work and in life.In this episode we talk about:📣 How to bounce back from burnout📣 The foundations for a healthy and fulfilling life📣 Information overload and the trend towards personalisation in marketing📣 A shocking personal story about the danger of business travel in Russia.Send us Fan MailYou can find me here:WebsiteLinkedInAll resources

Lucy Cairncross is the MD of VMA GROUP, the specialist marketing and communications recruitment and executive search firm.In this special episode of the podcast, I'm bringing you a recording of a Q&A session Lucy and I hosted for our communities of communications professionals, frustrated by the state of the job market and the horrendous application process.We answered a multitude of questions, including:📣  Should I be honest with a recruiter about my toxic boss?📣  How do tap into the 'hidden' job market?📣  Is gendered ageism real?📣  What should I include in my cover letter?📣  How do I answer questions about my salary when I don't know what salary is on offer?And many more.If you'd like to find out more about my LinkedIn Unlocked online course, to help you get noticed and get hired via LinkedIn, here's the link. You can get 20% off the cost of LinkedIn Unlocked until 21 November 2024 using the promo code FRIEND20 at the checkout.Thank you to those who attended for your courage in sharing your challenges. Job searching is brutal and can feel lonely - but you're absolutely not alone in this.We're thinking of making this a regular thing. If you would like to be invited to the next one, DM me on LinkedIn and I'll add you to the list.Send us Fan MailYou can find me here:WebsiteLinkedInAll resources

Louisa Houghton is Head of Communications at VMO2 Business. She is a storyteller and writer at her core. And having worked in the fast-paced world of telecoms for most of her career, she has experienced the speed of change from the inside.In this episode, we talk about how her mission to achieve harmony between her work life and busy home life, has informed her career decisions.And also:📣 The experience of working with people who behave completely differently to you📣 Knowing when to talk away from a job that isn't working📣 How it feels to go 'around the world in a week' 📣 A retro idea for internal communications prosSend us Fan MailYou can find me here:WebsiteLinkedInAll resources

Nicole Bearne had a fascinating communications career in Formula 1 and is now a board director at Motorsport UK, and an employee experience consultant.Working in an organisation with such big budgets and high profile has given Nicole so many unique experiences (bumping into Brad Pitt at work being one of the perks).Amongst other things, we talk about:📣 Turning your passion into a profession📣 The dangers of ignoring the employee (and the candidate) experience📣 From the glamour of working with the A list to ‘jumping off a cliff’ into self-employment📣 Organising the most epic leaving do ever, with pyrotechnics, fireworks and flamejetsYou can get in touch with me at [email protected] or find me on LinkedIn.Nicole’s website is www.comms-exchange.comSend us Fan MailYou can find me here:WebsiteLinkedInAll resources

Shan Chatoo calls herself a communications warrior. Alongside her work as a comms professional, she now combines the skill she’s developed in communication, with her passion for weights, to empower women to build mental and physical resilience.In this episode Shan will inspire you with her epic achievements, and how she picked herself up from her lowest ebb, when she was being bullied at work.We talk about:📣 How she developed a no-nonsense, no BS approach to life and work📣 The amazing mental and physical benefits of lifting heavy, and I mean HEAVY weights📣 The experience of being bullied at work, which led her to question everything📣 New beginnings - combining her two passions, and what they have in common.You can get in touch with me at [email protected] or find me on LinkedIn.Send us Fan MailYou can find me here:WebsiteLinkedInAll resources

Polly Evans oversees UK audio production for the world’s largest interactive audio platform for kids.She started her career at the BBC, moving into reporting and becoming a TV news anchor.This episode is about a life and career-changing moment that happened to her on live TV, in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers.We talk about:📣 How the worst possible thing can happen, and how she navigated her way through major personal change📣 Redefining her priorities and rebuilding her career📣 Putting herself in the path of luck, leading to amazing connections and unexpected opportunities📣 A terrifying and exhilarating stunt in a bi-plane.You can get in touch with me at [email protected] or find me on LinkedIn.Please subscribe and leave a review if you enjoyed this episode. Or you can send me a text message.Send us Fan MailYou can find me here:WebsiteLinkedInAll resources