Q and A with a careers guru: kickstarting your career

When beginning a career, few things are more vital than a plan, a vision and guidance to allow you to achieve it.

Q Brendan you are a careers coach, what does that entail?

A “I provide career and interview guidance and coaching, mainly in agri-business, but in other areas as well. Most of the people that gravitate towards me are from the agri-business world. You get a variety of people, from those who come out of college wondering what they will do next, right up to someone mid-career who wants to change.”

Q What would be the main element of what you do?

A “The main side of things would be interview preparation. I will take people through the whole process of preparing for an interview as best they can. What would make an impact, who is on the board, what are they looking for. Matching what you are offering with what they are looking for and all the fine-tuning in presenting yourself well.

Q If I were to go into an interview tomorrow, what do I need to do to get the job?

A “A person must identify what unique quality they have to allow them to do the job better than others. If you don’t know what that unique thing is about yourself, going into an interview will reflect badly on you. It’s down to a lack of preparation. Stories with a purpose are also great ways to distinguish yourself from others. If an interview board asks you to identify something about yourself, a story with a purpose is a great way to demonstrate this, all the while knowing what it is the interview board is looking for.”

Q What is the biggest thing people do wrong?

A “The single biggest thing is people don’t prepare properly. People do not prepare early enough. If you have an interview coming up in November, now is the time to be starting, so you have a full month of preparation. Getting your mindset right.”

Q What is the biggest frustration for people that you see in terms of starting or changing careers?

A “I suppose what is hugely annoying for people is the lack of quality feedback. When you do an interview that you thought you did well in and you don’t get the job and don’t get feedback, you are back at square one. When I do a mock interview with people, we go through exactly where they went right and wrong.”

Q The best advice for someone just out of college or wanting to change careers?

A “Draw out a career plan. It doesn’t need to be 100 pages. A one-page career plan will do. It should outline: What you are looking for? Why are you drawn to this job? Does it suit you? Is it the job you really want? The second thing would be to bring your CV alive. That is something I work on with people.” CL