18-07 Careers training helped define my personal values, standards, motivations and to understand why those things were important to a career, and ultimately to secure the right role.

I have had a career in UK government, NATO and technology sales (ICT infrastructure to Machine Learning). My career has taken me abroad, working with international colleagues and onto interesting projects, but I hadn’t found a role that really engaged me.

My biggest problems in my job search revolved around three things:

1. The first was teasing out the significant achievements from my career and presenting them in the most effective way; this may sound obvious but the majority of my successes have come from activities outside of the official remit of my roles.
2. The second problem was articulating and presenting myself in the most effective way; learning to use language in the right way and avoiding reams of adjectives, both on paper and in interview.
3. Thirdly and most significantly, I was applying for jobs that didn’t suit me personally. I didn’t really want them, or I had ulterior motives. Understanding what fits you personally cannot be over emphasised. It’s a significant pivot point and it lies at the heart of what 18-07 Careers do.

From 18-07, I learnt:

• To change my mind-set and define what I did NOT want to do as much as what I WANTED to do. It’s logical; if you apply for a job you genuinely want, at a company you genuinely want to work for, you are more relaxed, more authoritative, more genuine, your supporting evidence is easier to find, and you are easier to present
• To identify significant successes
• That facts and figures speak louder than adjectives
• To think in a more efficient way
• Interview techniques
• Interview confidence – realising how you think you perform and how you actually perform is critical
• Engagement – how to engage directly with companies, identifying who to contact and why, working up contact lists and networking effectively

By learning the above, by understanding what I wanted to do and how to present myself in the best and most accurate way, I got the job I wanted. There is a job that’s right for you, you don’t have tread a well-worn path or jump at the first thing.

One has to hold one’s nerve but searching for the right role is worth it, and, because of the training I’d received from 18-07 Careers, I was able to get it.