Career Move SECRETS with Tony Talbot

How can executive level job seekers proactively prospect for senior opportunities in the hidden job market? In Episode 45 I interview Ian Moyse, Chief Revenue Officer at OneUp Sales. Ian Moyse is an experienced sales and technology leader, blogger and influencer. He has sat on the boards of a number of industry bodies; FAST (Federation Against Software Theft), CIF (Cloud Industry Forum) and Eurocloud. He was awarded the accolade of BESMA UK Sales Director of the year and in 2019 & 2020 was listed in the top 50 Sales Keynote speakers by Top Sales World .  Crucially Ian has also been an active executive job seeker in COVID times and he has proactively driven his job search as a sales process, using his sales skills to prospect for opportunities and turn those opportunities into job offers. Learn how he did this and what he learnt along the way by listening to this episode.

How do you attract head-hunters and gain the inside track on your top 10 dream employers? In episode 44 I interview David Perry, Managing Partner at Perry Martel International and bestselling author. Nicknamed the “Rogue Recruiter” in a cover exposé by The Wall Street Journal, David is one of North America's most successful sought-after executive recruiters. A well-known name in executive search, with 30+ years of experience, David has personally closed more than 1100 searches with a near perfect success rate, negotiating in excess of $380M in salaries.  David is perhaps best known for having co-authored "Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters” with Jay Conrad Levinson. His Keynote group presentations are memorable and educational. David brought these attributes to our discussion which was packed with valuable and actionable insights for senior job seekers.

How do you step out of the standard recruitment process and gain the attention of career changing decision makers? In Episode 43 I Interview Steve Sims. Entrepreneur Magazine labelled Steve as “The Real Life Wizard of Oz” because he has developed a reputation for making the impossible, possible. He founded the first high-end luxury concierge, through which ​he has arranged things like private dinners at the feet of Michelangelo's “David” while being serenaded by Andrea Bocelli.​ He published a best-selling book, “Bluefishing”, documenting how he built a business on social currency. He has spoken for Harvard, The Pentagon, ​and Fortune 500 Companies.​ All coming from a young lad that was only qualified to lay bricks at a construction site. He's spent 20+ years falling on his face to learn the lessons that you can implement into YOUR career ambitions. In particular Steve outlines his tactics for developing relationships with and getting in front of key decision makers.

How do you grow and build your dream career? You need to build your dream network! In episode 42 I interview Kelly Hoey. Kelly Hoey is a networking expert, and author of Build Your Dream Network: Forging Powerful Relationships In A Hyper-Connected World. Kelly offers a modern approach to this essential career skill together with practical strategies on how to connect for success in the social media age. Kelly has contributed publications such as the New York Times, Inc.com, and Forbes.com, and has been lauded from Forbes (“1 of 5 Women Changing the World of VC/Entrepreneurship”) to Fast Company (“1 of the 25 Smartest Women On Twitter”) to Business Insider (“1 of the 100 Most Influential Tech Women On Twitter”) and Inc. (“1 of the 10 Most Well-Connected People in New York City's Startup Scene”). Kelly is a speaker on the topic of networking and career advancement, including networking into leadership roles.

Did you know that your network is your greatest job search asset? Because, all things being equal, people will hire and refer those people that they Know Like and Trust! In Episode 41 I interview Bob Burg, Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker & Bestselling author Endless Referrals and the Go-Giver Series. Bob Burg is a sought-after speaker at company leadership and sales conferences sharing the platform with everyone from today's business leaders and broadcast personalities to even a former U.S. President. Bob is the author of a number of books on sales, marketing and influence, with total book sales of well over a million copies. Through his dynamic Endless Referrals system, Ultimate Influence and Go-Giver principles, Bob teaches business professionals how to leverage their network of everyday contacts into a never ending stream of new prospects. Using his highly effective relationship cultivation process, new sales are converted into lifelong customers and “Personal Walking Ambassadors” that multiply the volume of referred prospects – exponentially! In the interview we talk about the power of your network and how networking is your best way to your next career move.

What's the most successful way to make job applications and drive your job search in today's oversubscribed job market? In Episode 40 I interview Jane Ferre. Before setting up her own HR career coaching practice Jane had a 20+ year career in senior HR roles such as HR Business Partner, Head of Leadership Development and Head of Talent at British Airways before joining LEON Restaurants as their very first Head of Training.   She came to this after experiencing redundancy not once but twice in one year - once her choice, the other not.   All of this means that Jane has been active in the job market in recent years. She understands exactly how much effort you need to put into each job application and how frustrating it can be when you get ghosted after an interview.  She has also been on the other side of the recruitment table, so knows exactly what recruiting managers are looking for. Jane and I discuss the mistakes people make when applying to jobs online and what you must do to improve your job applications.

Can you deliberately design and drive your own career trajectory over the next decade? In Episode 39 I Interview with Scott Jeffery Miller, an Award Winning Author and ex-CMO at Franklin Covey. Capping a 25-year career where he served as a chief marketing officer and executive vice president of business development, Scott Jeffrey Miller currently serves as FranklinCovey's senior advisor on thought leadership, leading the strategy and development of the firm's speaker's bureau, as well as the publication of podcasts, webcasts, and bestselling books. Scott hosts the FranklinCovey-sponsored On Leadership with Scott Miller, the world's largest and fastest-growing leadership podcast, reaching more than six million people weekly. Miller also authors a leadership column for Inc.com and Utah Business and previously hosted the weekly iHeart Radio show Great Life, Great Career. He is the author of the award-winning, multivolume Mess to Success series, including Management Mess to Leadership Success: 30 Challenges to Become the Leader You Would Follow and the forthcoming Marketing Mess to Brand Success (May 2021) and Job Mess to Career Success (January 2022). Scott and I discuss his career, which he planned move by move decades in advance to reach his long term career goals along with his guiding career principles.

What does a best practice senior recruitment process look like and are you really prepared for it? In episode 38 I interview Nigel Ash, Manging Director of Network Rail Consulting. Nigel has 35 years international business experience with a proven track record in business start-up, business turnaround, profit enhancement and strategic development of international consultancy businesses. He has extensive experience in leading and managing multi-site operations in Australia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. I know first hand that Nigel has high standards when he is recruiting his senior team, having been his headhunter of choice in his previous role as CEO of MVA (Systra UK) and MD at Jacobs Consultancy. Nigel outlines the process he puts senior hires through along with his advice for senior job seekers. Listen in to learn if you are prepared for this type of process.

How do headhunters find and identify talent for senior opportunities in the hidden job market? This one of a number of thoughtful questions I was asked by Kevin Appleby on my recent guest appearance on the GrowCFO Show. Grow CFO is an online community and training programme supporting ambitious finance leaders with the different skills needed to step up to the CFO role and work strategically with C-suite colleagues. Kevin is GrowCFO's Chief Operating Officer and the host of its weekly podcast. His background is as a chartered accountant and a management consultant with the likes of PwC and IBM. Kevin is a skilled interviewer and asked some searching questions in this interview. He was particularly interested to understand how headhunters really operate and how the hidden job market actually works. The podcast was so good I thought I would repurpose and share it with my own podcast listeners! I really hope my detailed answers give you some new insider insight into the world of executive recruitment. This is a must listen for active executive job seekers!

Is it possible to forge and shape your own ideal role rather than just accept the position you are offered? In Episode 36 I interview Carol Lemmens who has successfully shaped his roles a number of times. Carol Lemmens leads Arup's Global Advisory Services. With 30 years of experience in strategy, change and business development, Carol helps senior leaders shape strategies, transactions, programmes and operations and helps clients to make sustainable choices and future proof their organisations.  He is interested in how policy makers, institutions and planners can work more closely together to design and build more resilient cities and businesses. Prior to Arup, he worked as a manager, a managing partner and CEO in numerous firms in transport, manufacturing and management consultancy. Carol is a frequent speaker and regular contributor at global industry events such as the United Nations Summit, World Circular Economy Forum and World Built Environment Forum. It proves to be a fascinating career conversation!

How do you find out if you will fit with the culture and values of a business? In Episode 35 I interview Hans Pung. Hans Pung is president of RAND Europe, a not-for-profit public policy research organisation that helps improve policy and decision-making through research and analysis across innovation, science, health, social policy, defence, home affairs, and infrastructure.  Prior to RAND, Pung served as an engineer officer in the United States Army and led the emergency power response team at the Pentagon in the aftermath of 9/11.  We talk through Hans fascinating career journey and his experiences as a hiring manager and the huge importance of culture fit.

Do you know how to have a positive mindset, strong presence and be impactful enough to influence others at interview? In episode 34 I interview Leila Singh, Personal Brand Coach & Consultant. Leila Singh is an accomplished Sales and Finance professional with a corporate career spanning over 25 years. She has a wealth of experience initially gained as a qualified accountant (FCCA) and latterly a successful Sales Executive at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Over the last six years, Leila has delivered keynotes, workshops and trainings at various events about how to establish personal brand off-line, in-person, enhancing visibility, impact and influence, and increasing personal performance. Leila delivered her first TEDx talk in December 2019. Leila and I Discuss her career, how we are all selling all the time and how you can develop the right mindset to sell yourself at your next interview.

Have you ever reached out to a CEO at a business you admire and would like to work for?  In Episode 33 I interview Dave Shemmans CEO of Ricardo plc. Dave has had a fantastic career and reached the CEO level of a Plc before reaching 40 years old. Over the last 15 years he has managed, diversified and grown Ricardo into a truly global business with operating bases at each corner of the world. Ricardo are a fascinating and innovative technology business responsible for giving us 4 wheel drive in the Jensen interceptor and Group B Rally cars of the 80's, the Bugatti Veyron's transmission and they designed and manufacture McLaren's current 600+hp twin turbo V8 engine. They are also at the forefront of EV powertrains, trains and commercial vehicles using their engineering capability to make our increasingly urbanised world more efficient and environmentally friendly. Dave explains his journey and gives us some deep insight into his recruiting methods, hiring experience and the things you should do to uncover and land senior hidden jobs.

How do you proactively build your career towards your long term objectives?  In Episode 32 I interview Alex Jan, Former Chief Economist at Arup. Alex has built a near 30 year career in professional services around the themes of Cities and Infrastructure economics. It's a career that has seen him work for the CBI, KPMG and the London Mayor amongst others wrestling with the big Policy issues and most complicated transactions in transport. Alex outlines his career journey and reflects on the lessons from his progression. He also shares his experiences as a hiring manager and offers some advice to those people looking to shape their own successful career. Finally Alex give sus his perspective and predictions on how economies will bounce back from COVID.

How do you do your due diligence on a future employer and even up the interview process? In Episode 31 I interview Mary Hewitt. Mary was recently the Interim Managing Director of Chiltern Railways and she is also the Strategy and Policy Director at Arriva Trains Trains. However, Mary started out her career as a management consultant in the energy sector working for the likes of PwC, Corven and RWE Consulting. She was headhunted and asked to consider a move to a completely new industry. Learn how Mary evaluated the move and made the transition to the Rail industry

Should you change your career direction to better suit your skills, personality and passions? In Episode 30 I interview Alex Deane, Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting. Alex is the Head of UK Public Affairs at FTI Consulting, and the former Director of the campaigning organisation Big Brother Watch. He delivers political advisory services for a wide range of UK and international businesses, leading a large team of public affairs professionals as part of FTI Consulting's Strategic Communications division. He regularly appears on UK TV, most often reviewing the headlines for Sky News or on BBC Dateline London. His Broadcast experience includes BBC Breakfast, Sky News, Newsnight, ITN, Channel 4 News, Channel 5 News, CNBC, Today Programme, Jeremy Vine and now the Career Move Secrets Podcast! Alex thought he wanted to be Barrister whilst debating and University so he set his sights on a career in Law. He went through the lengthy, costly and prestigious pupillage process and was called eventually to the bar. However he realised that the role of a Barrister didn't really suit him so despite the considerable investment in this career he changed direction. Listen in to this episode to find out why and how. How sure are you about your current career direction?

How do you gain a massive advantage over other job applicants and guarantee yourself an interview? In Episode 29 I interview Maurizio Parenti. Maurizio is highly qualified financial services executive, with expertise in Capital Markets, Treasury & Asset Management and Investor Relations. He is Head of Capital Markets at EUROFIMA and he has held senior finance and M&A roles with the likes of Zurich Insurance and Bell. So Maurizio is a senior player in the finance sector, he speaks four languages and he has lived and worked successfully in Canada, Italy, Switzerland. As such he has had to job search several times in new countries. Maurizio shares his experiences and gives his advice on gaining the all important inside track on potential opportunities and making sure your application is prioritised.

How do you deliver a winning presentation at the final interview stage? In Episode 28 I interview Mark Inskip CEO UK and Ireland at Kantar Media. Mark is an experienced CEO, Entrepreneur and business Leader with a very impressive marketing background, so he knows a thing or two about winning presentations. He has worked for and with some truly blue chip businesses and he has Successfully led 7 business/business units launches and turnarounds Mark shares his career narrative and his insights on the hiring process. In particular Mark shares his view on the opportunities and the pitfalls of the all important presentation interview. This is the final interview hurdle that most of my clients use as the decision making test. Get this presentation meeting right and you are home and dry but get this wrong and all of your good work and relationship building to that point is wasted effort. Listen to this episode to learn how to avoid the worst pitfalls and maximise the presentation interview opportunity.

How can active job seekers gain access to their ideal roles in the Hidden Job Market? This is the key question Jeff Altman asked me when I was a recent guest on his podcast NO. B.S. Job Search Radio. Jeff was my guest in Episode 26 of my Career Move Secrets Podcast and he and I found that we were like minded in much of our views on job searching and interviewing. Jeff asked me to come on his show and talk in detail about the hidden job market and I thought I would re-appropriate our discussion for my own podcast episode. So here I am as a guest on my own Podcast, which is a bit weird but also great fun. Jeff had me really opening up on the subject and offering some in depth insider advice for senior active job seekers!

Did you know that leveraging your network is the most successful job search strategy? Use LinkedIn to turbo boost this strategy! In Episode 26 I interview Jeff Altman. Jeff is the host of the No B.S. Job Search Advice Radio, the No. 1 Podcast in Apple Podcasts for Job Searching. Jeff has been podcasting for over 10 years and his is coming up on 2000 Episodes! Jeff is also a Career Coach, a Leadership Coach and an Executive Coach having spent the previous 40 years in Executive Search earning the title the Big Game Hunter! So Jeff knows a thing or two about job searching and how it has changed over the years. We spend our time together talking about job searching, networking and the power of Linkedin. The conversation is littered with great advice for today's executive job seekers.

How much due diligence do you undertake on the recruiters you speak to and the potential employers you interview with?Episode 25 I interview Paul Micallef Managing Director at Pegasus Search & Selection. Paul has worked in recruitment focussed upon the construction sector for the last 22 years. He built up a recruitment business (Jigsaw) in the early 2000's to 40 staff before the 2008 crash sent the business under so he knows a thing or two about recessions and bouncing back from adversity. Today he is the Managing Director and owner of Pegasus Search & Selection. Paul shares his view of the job market, recessions, and recruiters and as a straight talking Yorkshireman he pulls no punches in his appraisal. Paul offers some frank advice for all active job seekers.

Have you identified the 20 companies in your niche that you admire and would work for? In Episode 24 I interview Don Leslie. Don is a well known figure in Management consulting circles as a headhunter and founder of BLT which he ran for nearly 30 years. Today he is semi-retired but very active as a Management Consultancy Careers Strategist and platform speaker at Universities and Business Schools all over the world. Don has a wealth of experience in recruitment and he shares his views on the best job searching and interview strategies in todays market. We discuss the importance of networking, direct approaching, career narratives and your all important WHY! If you are actively job seeking at the moment and you don't have a target list of 20 companies and very good understanding of Why they are interesting for you and would be interested in you I suggest you listen in!

Do you really know yourself? What role do Psychometric and Personality Tests have in recruitment? In Episode 23 I interview with Lucy Standing Vice Chair of the Association of Business Psychology. Lucy is a chartered psychologist who has enjoyed a career in Psychology practice as well as stints in recruitment with JPMorgan and as the Global Head of Recruitment at strategy consultancy L.E.K. Consulting. Today she is the Vice Chair of the Association of Business Psychology as well as the founder of Brave Starts a career change and job shadowing not for profit business thats provides a service in the UK targeted at helping those over 50 lead fuller working lives. Lucy and I have a fascinating discussion about the use of Psychometric and Personality Tests in recruitment where Lucy explain how, why and when they are used. These sorts of tests are growing in popularity and use in the recruitment process so it's well worth educating yourself and getting the inside track by listening into this podcast.

Are you able to explain your bad career moves and career transitions in a positive way? In Episode 22 I interview Travis Wright. Travis Wright is the Director of Growth at 3GIMBALS, a services firm supporting the intelligence community. His career journey began in aviation as a US Army helicopter pilot and then as a commercial airline pilot before becoming a military staff officer in the White House and eventually a management consultant. So Travis knows a thing or two about career transitions and he embraces his mistakes as learning and development. In fact he has written a book on the subject "Making New Mistakes" is the go-to book for leaders looking for guidance on how to handle these disruptive events.  Travis outlines his career transitions and the lessons he learnt along the way.

What's your Personal Value Proposition?  How do you communicate your capabilities and value in today's job market? In Episode 21 I Interview with John Tarnoff, career coach and best selling author. John's excellent book is "Boomer reinvention": How to create your dream career over 50. John had a fantastic career as a Hollywood studio executive and producer. He worked for the likes of MGM , Columbia and Dreamworks. His credits include "Pink Floyd The Wall," "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure", "Robo Cop" and "Kung-fu Panda". After a dalliance in a dot.com start-up he fell foul of the bursting bubble in 2001 and found that Career transition gets tricky over fifty. Ever since John has been on a mission to help the over 50's in todays job market. John and I agree on quite a lot it turns out. Namely that: 1: Hiring is broken (or at least very different) in the digital age. 2: To be competitive, you have to define your value proposition. It's no longer good enough to let your resume speak for you.  You have to narrow down and find your niche. You have to be very clear on what it is exactly that you offer to an employer, client, or customer. 3: It's all about your network.

Why would an interviewer remember you and like you more than the other similar candidates? What's your unique point of difference, what makes you special or interesting? In Episode 20 I interview Jonathan Goring who strikes me as special guest, very interesting and quite different from many other senior business leaders I interview. Jonathan describes himself as a maverick and he also looks for the human, personal and unusual elements of others. He has had a highly successful career which has seen him lead a 4,500 person business in the form of Capita Simmonds, acquire 26 businesses, win the largest ever UK property deal and work at Partner Level at PA Consulting. But its not all corporate career building for Jonathan he has found time to team up with Sir Ben Ainslie, the most successful British sailor of his generation, and four-time Olympic gold medallist on his Americas Cup team http://ben-ainslie-racing.americascup.com/en/home.html (Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR)) As the man in charge of the project Jonathan married a past life as a former professional sailor with his construction, project management and commercial skills to turn an Americas Cup dream into reality. Jonathan outlines his career and his outlook on life. He also explains how job seekers can and should stand out from the crowd at interview using their own uniqueness. Well worth a listen!

How do you pivot into a new industry/sector and future proof your career? How do you reinvent yourself and pivot into a completely new industry, sector or technology and future proof your career? Who better to ask than someone who has reinvented his career multiple times. In Episode 19 I interview Christopher Bishop. Christopher is a TedX speaker, a LinkedIn Learning Course creator a writer and a consultant. In fact, he describes himself as a non-linear multi-modal careerist who has experienced 8 careers to date ranging from Rock Star to IBM Executive. Chris outlines a fascinating career of constant reinvention. We discuss the nature of today's more linear specialised careers and how today's job seekers might need to pivot into new industries and emerging future careers. Fascinating stuff that you can listen into via:

Aptitude vs Attitude in the recruitment process. Is it true that it's your attitude, not your aptitude that will determine your altitude? Zig Ziglar certainly thought so. In Episode 18 I interview Justin Leigh, Managing Director of Focus4Growth. Justin is a highly experienced business leader with over 20 years of experience of developing and leading high performing Sales & Marketing teams. He was a senior commercial leader in 3M with a strong track record of recruiting, developing and leading senior teams. He is an accredited Executive Coach who is passionate about the growth of people, inspiring them to reach outstanding performance levels, through continuous improvement and clear, accountable action. Justin and I do a deep dive into the recruitment process best practice and the purpose and value of competency questions.

How did you find your last senior role? Was it an online job application or through the hidden job market? In Episode 17 I interview Haley Hutson a Director in the Big4 in the Middle East. I have known Haley for over 10 years now. I initially headhunted her and placed her in a senior role as a candidate and I have also acted as her recruiter of choice when she was the CEO of a specialist economics consultancy, helping her recruit her senior team. Haley is an Energy sector professional with 30 years experience and a history of working in management consulting, industry, government and a major European energy company. She is skilled in Energy Policy and Regulation, Business Transformation, Project/Programme Management, Financial Modelling, Energy Market Analysis and Due Diligence. Haley explains how her career progression has developed through reacting to opportunities that came her way as a passive candidate. These opportunities lead all the way into a CEO role. However when she more recently found herself actually actively looking for a new role she found she was ill equipped for this new challenge. Haley realised that applying to jobs online doesn't work well if you are senior person. I coached Haley to change her mindset and helped her navigate the hidden job market. This experience led to the creation of my premium CareerMoveSECRETS - the Ultimate guide to getting hired in the hidden job market. Do you know how to access to the hidden job market?

Have you got a personal brand? I argue that if you have a LinkedIn profile (and if you are reading this you do have one) that you have the basic starting point of a personal brand. In Episode 16 I interview Marianne Kilpatrick. Marianne (Mo) Kilpatrick is an award-winning leader with a 30 years background in consultancy and transport. She is the founder of Keeos, a boutique management consultancy focusing on strategy, team performance and leadership coaching. From 2015, she led the SNC-Lavalin Transport Advisory business, most recently integrating 4 different consulting teams into one SNC-Lavalin Atkins Transport Consulting & Advisory practice. We talk about her career and her career moves along with her experience as a hiring manager. We also talked about the idea of personal brand and how it can be used to attract relevant job opportunities, clients and potential candidates. Do you think your personal brand is strong enough to attract relevant job opportunities?

Should you push back and challenge at interview? How do you really find and land a senior role in the finance function?   In Episode 15 I interview with Edward Michelsberg Partner at Emu Search. Ed and I worked together in executive search in the UK over 20 years ago. Ed moved to Australia in the early 2000's and specialises in senior roles within the Finance function. He co-founded a successful finance function executive search business called Venator and ran that for 12 years. More recently he has repeated the trick with the co-creation of Emu Search. As such Ed has superb knowledge of senior recruitment within the finance function and he shares his views freely with me. Ed outlines the three pro-active things you need to do to land that senior role! Essential listening for exec level job seekers.

How does the senior recruitment process really work in the professional services sector? In Episode 14 I Interview with Rob Garner Director at Garwood Solutions Rob Garner is a strategic advisor, non-executive director and investor within the professional and technology service sector. He specialises in supporting organisations at inflexion points in their development, growth and/or ownership. He has over 25 years' experience in consulting, technology and business service organisations. This includes 15 years in executive leadership roles, where he has been responsible for the recruitment and leadership of executive teams in several companies. He spent much of my formative career in KPMG Consulting; the last four years of which as a Partner in the public sector practice and went onto co-founder of Avail Consulting which he later sold. More recently he was Interim CEO of the Tribal Group, two Managing Director positions in the NHS. He is currently Chairman of a health consultancy and an investor / strategic advisor to a disruptive technology business in the creative media sector. Rob shares his vast experience as a hiring manager and outlines how the recruitment process is a set of two way conversations designed to help both parties understand the DNA of the other and get comfortable with taking a leap of faith. How many interactions do you tend to need with a potential employer before you get comfortable enough to make a move?

What's your story? in Episode 13 Interview Matt Bennion, Chairman at Reds10. Matt explains his career story, driven by his passion for all things construction. An industry he has served for the last 25 years. Matt is the Chairman at Reds10 a modular building business that provides clients with a full turnkey service to design, finance, build, equip, operate and hire amazing healthcare, education, accommodation, and work spaces. Matt is a senior figure in the construction industry having been the CEO of Arcadis in Asia and COO of EC Harris globally. As such Matt has a lot of senior hiring manager experience and he shares his interviewing style. Like me, Matt is always keen to hear the real story of a candidates career to uncover what really drives and motivates them. Can you tell your career story in a passionate, coherent and compelling way? 

The big global businesses often have internal talent acquisition teams.  How do they operate?  Do they use LinkedIn? In Episode 12 I Interview with Benjamin Roberts. Ben is an accomplished Talent Management, Human Resources and Talent Acquisition Professional with over 15 years experience in leading business partnership, recruitment strategy, strategic workforce planning, human resource management and negotiation. Ben has held very senior talent roles such as Chief Talent Officer Worldwide for Saatchi & Saatchi. He has a proven track record of working across geographies in diverse roles, facilitating top-level hiring, succession planning and end-to-end talent management. Ben shared with me how these teams operate and how they use LinkedIn to target and approach senior talent. He also shares with me exactly what he would do if he was looking for a new role in todays job market. Very interesting stuff for active job seekers.

Did you know the job market has really changed over the last 5-10 years? In Episode 11 of CareerMoveSECRETS Podcast I interview JC Townend, CEO UK and Ireland at LHH an outsourcing and Talent Management business. JC Townend is one of the very best senior Executives I have had the pleasure to work with as both a client and a candidate. JC has over 25 years experience leading Professional Service businesses. She has lead Management Consulting businesses of over $100 million turnover and managed workforces of over 1000. JC brings a very interesting triple layer perspective to our discussion. JC is a real top level operator, she shares her experience as a senior hiring manager, all the different methods she uses and when she is prepared to create a role for the right individual. She also shares her career story and she admits that even with her experience, the task of being an active job seeker was very tough. Finally JC explains how her business Lee Hecht Harrison works with clients to manage their redundancy programmes. LHH helps 30,000 people a year make career transitions, in a job market that has changed so much over the last 10 years. An excellent episode with an excellent guest!

Would you like to learn the three things you need to do to get hired into your ideal role through LinkedIn? In Episode 10 of CareerMoveSECRETS Podcast I interview Tony Restell. Tony is the Founder and Director of Social-hire.com a social media marketing agency that serves the recruitment and the consulting industries. Tony has been at the forefront of recruitment innovation over the last 20 years. He was the co-founder of Top-Consultant the leading job board for the management consulting that dominated the industry in the early 2000's. He sold it to Jobsite and the Daily Mail before going on to create Social-hire.com, a pioneering and market leading, recruitment focussed social media business. We discuss how LinkedIn has changed the recruitment industry over the last 10-15 years. As you might imagine Tony is very active and very effective on the LinkedIn platform. Tony also reveals the three things you need to do on LinkedIn to get hired into your ideal role. If you want your LinkedIn profile to support your career development, this Episode is essential listening.

Mel Karam is a very modest chap. Initially I had to work quite hard to convince him to do the podcast with me. I'm glad I did because I think its the best CareerMoveSECRETS Podcast to date. It's packed with deep insights for exec level job seekers and the career minded. Mel is the Chief Executive Officer at Bristol Water PLC. He is a really well known and well respected executive leader in the Infrastructure and Utilities sector. As I suspected Mel's career story is very interesting and he is extremely knowledgeable and insightful about how exec level recruitment really works. He previously joined KPMG as a Partner (which is a rare achievement in itself) and was responsible for the development of their Global Asset Management Practice. He has also held several Senior Executive positions in UK utilities including Thames Water, SSE, National Grid, British Gas. Mel reveals the importance of investing in and leveraging your network and what's important to him when he hires his c-suite team. Mel is really honest and open, it's rare to get such a candid insight to how c-level recruitment really works. Essential listening!

In this episode I interview Stephen Mc Donagh. Stephen is a Principle with Arcadis in New York. He has 30 years' infrastructure and economics consultancy experience, and the good fortune to travel to many parts of the world helping clients develop and deliver key infrastructure. This has ranged from large scale port developments in the Middle East, to P3 toll road developments in Texas and economic regeneration grant funding applications in the UK. Stephen explains how he has only successfully applied for one advertised job in his 30 career, yet he has worked for 6 different companies. Stephen's moves have come about from reaching out from his network and companies that he felt he might be a good fit when no active role existed. He has been able to create his own job opportunities simply by having conversations with relevant businesses and demonstrating his value. Learn how by listening now!

Whats the most important investment you make in growing your career? In Episode 7 I interview Jim Coleman Head of Economics at WSP. Jim is a specialist in the economics of cities: economic strategy, large-scale urban development projects, industrial development & clusters, and urban regeneration. He has over 20 years of experience in economic competitiveness, labour markets, industry-sector development, FDI, business modelling and feasibility studies of major urban development schemes, ports, airports, urban technology & innovation districts. He has extensive experience in the UK, Europe, USA, China, Russia, the Middle East and Africa.  Jim brings the perspective of a leading Economist, a hiring manager and as a recent job seeker. Jim argues that investing in your business network is the best way to grow your career!

In this episode I interview Tom Haak the director of the HR Trend Institute. The HR Trend Institute follows, detects and encourages trends in the people and organisation domain and in related areas. Tom is also the chief curator of The Museum of HR and he is considered to be one of the leading global HR thought leaders. Tom has an extensive experience in HR Management in multinational companies. He worked in senior HR positions at Fugro, Arcadis, Aon, KPMG and Philips Electronics. Tom has a keen interest in innovative HR, HR tech and how organisations can benefit from trend shifts. In the last years, Tom Haak conducted workshops on HR Trends, HR Tech and innovations for organisations as AstraZeneca, Booking, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oracle, Perfetti van Melle, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, JDE, Deutsche Telekom, Heineken, Siemens, Nutreco, Airbus, Ferrovial, ABN-AMRO, FrieslandCampina, Amway, Philips, KPMG, Nestlé and various others. He is also a regular key note speaker at prominent HR conferences.  Tom shares his views on recruitment and the best way to operate pro-actively as a job seeker is todays job market.

I interview an old friend from the world of recruitment. Dylan Hall has 18 years of executive search and selection experience in the global infrastructure construction market. Dylan shares the current state of the market given COVID-19, the economic boost of HS2 and the new normal of Zoom interviews. We discuss the best way to find a new role right now and we discuss the merits of online job applications, internal recruitment teams and the direct approach for getting in front of decision makers. Once you gain an interview Dylan explains how rapport building at the personal level will determine your success.

Mike has worked in recruitment since 1994, so 26 years at the time of publication of this podcast. Mike helped to build a significant recruitment business as a senior manager and then bought it as part of a Management Buy Out. Today he is global executive recruiter in the Low Carbon Economy. Mike explains how Executive recruitment in the 90's was all about Advertised jobs in the national press. Today the market is all about Executive Search and the hidden job market. Mike, like me, has not advertised a senior role online or anywhere else for over 10 years! Mike also explains how he would look for a role if he was looking for a new role in the current market and how a specialist recruiter can add value to you job search. Mike advocates extensive research into the company's you interview with to develop a competitive advantage and extract all possible marginal gains over your competition.

Most people think that most jobs are found via an online job advert. I know this is not the case and I'm on a mission to educate job seekers that 80% of the jobs filed each year are not advertised online or anywhere else. The hidden job market is the major job market, particularly for more senior hires. Often this market comes to you but there are ways that you can access this market and even create your own job. I can show you how to access this market effectively. I interview Natasha Rouse the CEO Of Birmingham Highways and learn that in a very successful 20 year career she has never applied for a job posting. She has however worked with me in the past to pro-actively find a new opportunity and together we outline how this process works. If you are active in the job market learn the pro-active strategy you should adopt.

Andy Preston has been working in the recruitment industry for nearly 20 years. He has built and managed three successful recruitment businesses, opened recruitment offices in London, Dubai and Sydney and led teams of over 100 recruitment consultants. He has experience of a range of sectors including FMCG, Life Sciences, Financial Services, Accountancy, Intellectual Property, Energy and consulting. Andy knows how both the permanent and contract recruitment markets work worldwide and he is generous in sharing his knowledge with me. In our conversation Andy reveals his thoughts on the COVID-19 affected job market and is able to offer some positive news stories. He does however feel that the job market will become more of a buyers market and much more competitive for job seekers moving forward. Luckily Andy outlines what makes a really good candidate and what you should improve to become one and out perform your competition

For the very first show I wanted ease myself in gently, so invited an old friend to have a chat. Luckily Jules is recruitment expert with over 20 years experience, in fact we worked together as headhunters back in the year 2000. Today Jules is the Group Head of Talent Acquisition at Stickyeyes a leading international digital marketing company. He has helped the business grow from 50-130 staff, recruiting 90% of the hires directly. Jules highlights how companies really want to recruit candidates directly and what you can do to get in front of decision makers. Jules also shares his view on the current job market and specifically what job seekers could and should do to stand out from the crowd, ace interviews and land job offers ahead of their competition in an increasingly competitive job market. He offers some great advice that will help you gain a competitive edge in the job market. If you are an active job seeker right now this is essential listening!