Am I too old to get the type of job I'd actually enjoy? How can I persuade employers I've got a lot to offer?

If you're not getting the right results from your CV and job search, contact us by email or 'phone for free initial guidance on what's going wrong and some advice on how you can make your job hunting more effective.  If a tip or two from us will help you move on in your career, we'll gladly offer that advice without charge. Age discrimination legislation came in October 2006 and should gradually improve career prospects for mature individuals who are job hunting or changing career.  That said, ageism is only one of the many reasons why people think changing career in mid life or finding a more satisfying job is not an option for them.  Perhaps they haven't found any suitable career option for themselves (often because most career advice / guidance is aimed at young people and misleads those changing career at the mid life stage).  People sometimes worry that changing career or job in mid life will knock them down the pay ladder  (they've mortgages to pay and families to look after).  With good advice, changing career / job often improves your salary prospects, sometimes produces a similar level of income and rarely results in a drop in pay.   Mid-career people often don't know how to use the new and more effective job hunting techniques younger colleagues learn during their university studies.  They undervalue the skills and experience they've built up so they don't do themselves justice on their CVs and at interview (and don't get job offers as a result).  Sheer lack of self-confidence is often a barrier (disability or an age spent doing a boring job because it's local and the hours suit your family can make you think you'll never be able to handle anything more challenging) ...    Career Partnership (UK)'s career change advice and job hunting giudance programmes are individually designed to get your career back on track and find you the job you want, whatever your age, disability or personal circumstances.  With our advice, it's highly likely you'll receive attractive job offers ... perhaps sooner than you'd think.   We work with you on a one to one basis on all career development / career change programmes (though the Job Hunting Help Group option only provides limited tutor contact).  It's possible to get a great deal of work done in a single half-day session, making our help affordable and accessible to clients with average incomes from most areas of the UK.  For example, a single session is normally all that's needed to improve your interview performance, providing you with a practice interview for the job / promotion you want and coaching you to perform well at all other interviews.  A single session will provide you with all the counselling and advice you need to make practical, achievable plans for rewarding career change, whatever your age. Even the most complex of career change and job hunting difficulties - eg those where you haven't done any job hunting for the last 20 years and have such specialised qualifications that changing career seems impossible - normally require no more than 4 advice sessions.  Saturday afternoon appointments are available for all guidance programmes. Choose from the following services:- CAREER CHANGE ADVICE 1 (INTENSIVE PROGRAMME) CAREER CHANGE ADVICE 2 (DISCUSSION BASED GUIDANCE PROGRAMME) NEW WAYS OF FINDING GOOD JOBS PROFESSIONAL CV WRITING SERVICES INTERVIEW COACHING JOB HUNTING HELP GROUPS

Title:	CAREER CHANGE ADVICE 2 (DISCUSSION BASED GUIDANCE PROGRAMME)
For:	This less intensive career change advice programme is designed for people who know what they enjoy doing (eg managing people) but don't like - or can't continue with - their current jobs.  Peole gaining special benefit from this career change advice programme:- - the volunteer who enjoys their unpaid work so much more than the salaried job they'd like to explore the option of changing career - the mature student who feels able to work at a more demanding level than the job they're currently doing - the job seeker who wants to use their skillset in civilian employment now they've reached the age of retirement in the Police or Armed Services.
Description:	You work one to one during the discussion based half-day career change advice session with your advisor.  This counselling meeting helps you think through and reflect on your career and life goals, then map out how to achieve the working future you want with the least delay, family inconvenience and re-training costs. The process is often one of transforming hazy career dreams, conflicting ambitions and uncertainties about the way forward into a clear, workable plan - a plan that takes into account work-life balance issues as well as career development.  Sometimes there are specific worries which need to be overcome before career change can happen (eg fear of employers' ageism or unwillingness to offer "family friendly" hours to mature professional / managerial recruits). By middle age, many adults have built up an impressive array of different qualifications, work / voluntary experience and life skills - yet almost everyone assumes they'll have to go back to college or university before they can start a new career.  Your counselling meeting will often include advice on using your existing portfolio of skills and qualification to change to a more enjoyable career without any re-training or significant loss of seniority. Even if some re-training is needed, our advice on claiming study exemptions often substantially reduces the time and cost of gaining your new qualifications. We can often identify "bridging posts" to help you avoid a dip in income as you transfer from your present job to the new career path.  Some clients wish to use the career change advice session to help them plan for a more rewarding way of life as well as a career change.  Perhaps loss of hearing or impaired mobility means clients have to adapt how they do their jobs to such an extent they question whether changing career would be an easier option, for example.  Similarly, if they work in an industry where ageism is rife, clients may want a safe environment and an objective advisor to help them decide whether to continue battling against illegal age discrimination or to change career path sufficiently to avoid the hassle.
Location   Fee: £195
	Leicester (70 mins by rail from London and close to motorways) Email enquiries@careers-partnership-uk.com Tel no: (01455) 284 023	Ref no: L2

Title:	NEW WAYS OF FINDING GOOD JOBS
For:	The UK based job seeker applying for professional, managerial and graduate-level employment. People gaining special benefit from this programme:- - the job seeker who's tried to use recruitment agencies with little success (they suspect ageism but can't prove it) - the job seeker hunting for a job in sectors offering few vacancies or at middle and senior management level - the job seeker at a disadvantage in job hunting because of uncompetitive qualifications, an unconventional career history, recruiters' age discrimination, etc - the job seeker from a Police or Armed Services background wanting to begin a very different second career.
Description:	This one to one programme will give you more control over the job hunting process and better results.  It will also help you feel more positive and less stressed. The programme starts by reviewing with your advisor the job hunting techniques you use now and learning how to get better results from them. Although we generally advise against relying on recruitment consultancies for your next job, you'll be helped to find the recruitment consultancies working in your professional sector and recruiting for staff at your level.  These organisations are more likely to offer "career move" posts than the "high street" agencies the job seeker typically uses. You'll learn how to find all the most important professional and business journals advertising jobs in your employment sector.  Advice on web-based job hunting can be given if needed. Surveys asking the UK job seeker how they found employment show more than 70% got their jobs entirely or partly through networking.  People over 30 are even more likely than their younger colleagues to have found their next job through networking (partly because ageism is such a common problem).  Accordingly, most of our time together will be spent teaching you easy, psychologically comfortable ways of using this highly effective job hunting technique.   You'll create your own database of networking contacts able and willing to help you with your job search.  You'll have the opportunity during the session to "role play" networking with contacts to find out information about employers and job opportunities, making you feel more confident about using this job hunting technique in real life.
Location   Fee: £195
	Leicester (70 mins by rail from London and close to motorways) Email enquiries@careers-partnership-uk.com Tel no: (01455) 284 023	Ref no: L3

Title:	PROFESSIONAL CV WRITING SERVICES
For:	The UK based job seeker applying for professional, managerial and graduate-level employment. People gaining special benefit from our professional CV writing services:- - the job seeker with no recent experience of job hunting at professional level - the job seeker wanting to achieve a big change in career direction (eg after graduating as a mature student)
Description:	The best way of getting onto the job interview short list is to design your CV and covering letter to impress employers recruiting for the posts you want.  What your target employers look for really matters because your CV has to prove you're so close to their ideal candidate they must see you!  Expect lots of rejections if you send out a universal CV and covering letter. Accordingly, the experienced recruiter writing your professional CV (and teaching you how to write a good covering letter) will start the session by exploring with you the type / level of job you want and your target employers' picture of the individual they hope to recruit. The discussion with the recruiter writing your professional CV will often sharpen your ideas about the career move you wish to make, so job hunting is easier to plan.  As the UK job seeker often applies for jobs below their capabilities in the mistaken belief this improves their chances of being selected, our help with your job applications could boost both your ambitions and employment package! Your advisor will tease out the particular skills, experience and achievements you can offer in your next career move.  She'll help you identify and explain in your CV and covering letters the "value to the employer" benefits you bring. She'll advise you which CV format to use to "sell" you to your target employers.  If you're in the later stages of your career or have had a "portfolio" career, her advice about choosing the right CV format can make the difference between getting a job interview or not. She'll warn you against adding unhelpful details in your CV and covering letter that will make employers "bin" your application. If your intended career move involves a big promotion or a different type of work, the advisor writing your professional CV will "translate" your earlier achievements and experience into language that explains what you can offer in the new job. Your advisor will write your individually designed CV for your target job market and present it for your approval. Occasionally a complicated CV may need "tweaking" until both the recruiter writing the professional CV and the client are completely satisfied.  Such rewriting is free of charge. Guidance on how to write a covering letter will be included on request as part of the CV writing services programme - please ask the advisor producing your professional CV.  Please also ask for the advice sheet on how to write a covering letter.
Location   Fee: £195
	Leicester (70 mins by rail from London and close to motorways) Email enquiries@careers-partnership-uk.com Tel no: (01455) 284 023	Ref no: L4

Title:	INTERVIEW COACHING
For:	The UK based job seeker applying for professional, managerial and graduate-level employment who wants one to one help in upgrading their interview performance. People gaining special benefit from the interview coaching programme:- - the job seeker with no recent experience of job hunting at professional level (eg people who've worked for the same employer for years) - the job seeker from a Police or Armed Services background who needs to explain the civilian employment value of skills learnt in the earlier career - the job seeker whose self-confidence needs boosting as they fear rejection on the grounds of disability, age discrimination, previous employment history, etc.
Description:	The "learning material" used in the interview coaching is based on a "live" job application.  This approach means you enjoy the benefits of practising for your next interview as the same time as you receive whatever job interview tips and advice you need to boost your self-presentation skills. You work one to one during the half-day session with your tutor, an experienced recruiter and coach. Your tutor will teach you to "think like the employer" when preparing for each job interview (a tip which helps you select the right evidence to show you're the best applicant for their vacancy).  You'll learn how to analyse job advertisements, job descriptions and person specifications to discover what questions you're likely to be asked at interview.  Being able to anticipate the questions means you go into the interview ready to answer confidently and persuasively. You'll be given tips to calm job interview nerves.  You'll practise appearing relaxed, friendly and confident and keeping the right amount of eye contact with your interviewer.  You'll get advice on dealing pleasantly but effectively with any ageism that you encounter. The interview practice will teach you how to analyse the recruiter's questions in split seconds, making it easier for you to give intelligent, focused answers.  You'll have the chance to try out different ways of answering difficult questions, getting the recruiter's point of view how well each approach works.  You'll be taught how to use the facts and figures of your earlier achievements to impress your potential employer.  When your career move involves a more senior role or a different type of employment , you'll be shown how to "translate" the skills you've acquired to explain what you can offer in the new job.
Location   Fee: £195
	Leicester (70 mins by rail from London and close to motorways) Email enquiries@careers-partnership-uk.com Tel no: (01455) 284 023	Ref no: L5

Title:	JOB HUNTING HELP GROUPS
For:	Professional, managerial and graduate-level job seekers (employed and unemployed) wanting to receive interview tips, personal advice, support and companionship during their job hunting as participants in Job Hunting Help Groups. People gaining special benefit from membership of these groups:- - the employed job seeker wanting to move on in their career and to learn about / share ideas on job hunting, professional CV writing and performing well at interview in the company of people of similar seniority to their own - the job seeker who'd like the support of colleagues during their job hunting while feeling that voluntary sector and government "job clubs" are not for them - the job seeker wanting to continue using their well-developed "people skills" and receive personalised help while job hunting.
Description:	Joining a Job Hunting Help Group can improve the effectiveness of your job hunting, keep you focused and provide emotional support during what is sometimes a very lonely and stressful experience.  Your colleagues in the Job Hunting Help Group may become lifelong members of your networking community, helping you achieve subsequent career moves and solve any workplace problems.  Each group consists of 8 - 10 members working together to improve everyone's employment prospects through sharing job leads and swapping skills, knowledge, contacts and resources.  Your tutor's role may be limited to bringing together individuals with common job hunting interests and facilitating their first half-day meeting (if so, the registration fee will be the only charge made for this service).  Alternatively, your group may want their tutor to attend every meeting, providing help with job application, advice on dealing with instances of ageism and unfair discrimination and giving interview coaching. Tutor-led groups meet 1.00pm - 5.00pm on any mutually conveninet day of the week, Monday to Saturday.  Many groups will want to meet every 4 weeks or so but each Job Hunting Help Group decides for itself the timing, frequency and locations of its meetings. Some individuals may find jobs very quickly (often because of a tip given by their Job Hunting Help Group).  Members are asked to continue helping and supporting each other (by email, 'phone, etc) until everyone in their Job Hunting Help Group has found the job they want.
Location Fee per person: £50 for each tutor led session
	Leicester (70 mins by rail from London and close to motorways) Email enquiries@careers-partnership-uk.com Tel no: (01455) 284 023	Ref no: L6

View more services for individuals