Melanie Franklin shares her advice and constructive steps to enhance your odds of success
Proud to have helped people in lockdown to take the next step
I am so proud to be helping those in lockdown who are helping themselves. Since March when the world started to close around us, we have had to address fears over job security, with many contractors having contracts terminated early, others put on furlough or given only a short time to take redundancy or re-apply for their jobs.
It is during these stressful times that people excel, and that has been my experience of all those who have decided now is the time to strengthen their CVs, get their qualifications up to date and demonstrate that they have the commitment and resilience to study for qualifications.
I have had the privilege of training a great number of candidates who have taken action to improve their circumstances, and I wanted to share their experiences with you, to help you see that even when things look bleak, stay positive because things will improve.
Positive steps towards career succcess start here!
Positivity starts during the course - after all, positive psychology is a key component of the Agile Change Agent course! We discuss the stress we are all under - and share coping strategies from a wide range of perspectives. I also take the time to review everyone’s profile on LinkedIn and give my views of additional content they can add including identifying key words that would better represent their experience and actions they can take to make themselves stand out in a crowded job market.
Being on the Agile Change Agent course has created a number of outcomes for candidates:
1. A significant portion of those attending a course and getting a qualification have secured a new position within 3 weeks of finishing. As people email me after their Agile Change Agent course to tell me the good news, I have followed up to find out more and they have all told a similar story:
- The course put evidence on my resume of my knowledge and experience
- Studying for the course gave me back a structure to my day, which energised me
- Hearing others on the course also seeking work made me realise I am not a failure, this is just an economic issue, so I should apply for roles, I have as good a chance as anyone
2. A training course brings structure to the working day, which when you are not in work is vital to mental health. The structure begins with the pre-course reading, continues during the online delivery and then as a follow-up, people identify their next steps. This includes writing blogs and articles about what they have learned on the course. There is a strong correlation between publishing this content and those getting their next role.
3. Gaining a new qualification generates feelings of achievement and self-worth which create a virtuous circle of energy and positive thoughts. Sharing a digital badge on social media has often provided new contacts as there is a great feeling of professional community support during times like this. This creates the motivation to get on with other projects, leading to more achievements and more positivity. There is no shame in using a training course to break the cycle of negativity and inertia that easily take hold when you are not in work. I have been out of work 7 times in my 30 year career, and every time I get back into the market using the same ideas that I am writing about here.
Try it for free! Join our taster session for the Agile Change Agent course
I know it is a tough time to get your wallet out without understanding fully what you are paying for – but check out my reviews and comments from candidates….and I am warmly inviting you to attend a FREE 45 minute introductory session to give you a flavour of the course and to invite some open discussion where we can help each other to learn and progress.
Reach out to Melanie Franklin on LinkedIn
