Podcast
The Career Farm | Grow Your Own Career | with Jane Barrett
Hosted by Jane Barrett | Careers Expert | Coach | Author | Entrepreneur | Founder of The Career Farm · EN
Career courses for individuals, universities and companies
11episodes
Episodes
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An Insider’s Guide to Getting a Job at Boston Consulting Group with Mike Mascarenhas
Nov 27, 2021Tap to summarizeOur guest this month is Mike Mascarenhas. Mascarenhas is an International Campus Recruiting Lead for Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and is based in Barcelona. Previously he was a Senior Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers and worked at IESE Business School, which is where he got his MBA. In this episode he takes you behind the scenes of BCG's recruiting process and what BCG looks for in job candidates. What you will learn: - The application process at BCG - What makes an impressive application - The biggest mistake candidates make in interviews - Ways to differentiate yourself - What people get wrong in networking and what you should be doing instead Quote: "I do think that the MBA is a really good launch pad into consulting. I can say with certainty it is, as a whole, a little bit easier to enter post-MBA than post-undergraduate, just because of the volume of applicants that we see." - Mike Mascarenhas Subscribe: Apple Spotify Follow Us: LinkedIn Instagram- @thecareerfarm The post An Insider’s Guide to Getting a Job at Boston Consulting Group with Mike Mascarenhas appeared first on The Career Farm.
Transcribe →How to get your book published with Aliya Ali-Afzal
Oct 29, 2021Tap to summarizeOur guest this month is Aliya Ali-Afzal. Ali-Afzal has been a career coach for more than 15 years and is currently a freelance career coach with The Kellogg-WHU Executive MBA Program. In addition to her coaching, she's also author of the recent book, Would I Lie to You?, and is a creative writing mentor at Jericho Writers. In this episode Ali-Afzal describes how she went from having no background in writing to obtaining a two-book deal from a leading publisher. What's remarkable is she's done this while maintaining her career and while raising three children. What you will learn in this interview: - Developing your career while being a working mother - Acquiring a literary agent and landing a book deal - Aliya's writing process - Issues surrounding redundancy Quote: "I think we know that a huge key to a lot of the things that we do, it's not our ability, it's not even our motivation, sometimes it's like a mental block and you need that coach. I really had to just give myself permission to do something for myself as well, irrespective of whether I would sell it or not, because it was enough that it made me happy and it was something I wanted to do." - Aliya Ali-Afzal Subscribe: Apple Spotify Follow Us: LinkedIn Instagram- @thecareerfarm Connect with Aliya: LinkedIn Instagram- aliyaaliafzalauthor Twitter- @AAAiswriting To find out about creative writing mentoring sessions from Aliya https://jerichowriters.com/our-services/121-support/mentoring-service/%E2%80%AFaliya-ali-afzal/ The post How to get your book published with Aliya Ali-Afzal appeared first on The Career Farm.
Transcribe →How to Launch a Successful B Corp with Paul Hargreaves
Sep 27, 2021Tap to summarizeOur guest this month is Paul Hargreaves. Paul is the founder and Chief Executive of Cotswold Fayre Ltd., which is a specialist and fine food wholesaler supplying nearly 2,000 retail outlets in the UK. He is also the author of 'Forces for Good' and the recent book, 'The Fourth Bottom Line'. In this episode Paul explains how he grew Cotswold Fayre from the cellar of his home to a leading UK food wholesaler. We'll also talk about why Paul made Cotswold Fayre a B Corp in 2015 and the benefits of running a B Corp. What you will learn in this interview: - How to start a business that has a social impact - Advice on launching a food brand in 2021 - The advantages of B Corps - Lessons in leadership Quote: "If we need one characteristic in this world for leaders, I think it's compassion." - Paul Hargreaves Subscribe: Apple Spotify Follow us: Instagram- @thecareerfarm Twitter- @thecareerfarm Facebook- @thecareerfarm The post How to Launch a Successful B Corp with Paul Hargreaves appeared first on The Career Farm.
Transcribe →How to Listen and Be Heard with Janie van Hool
Jun 25, 2021Tap to summarizeOur guest this month is Janie van Hool. Van Hool is a RADA (The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) trained actress and corporate communications specialist. She's worked with many different companies (Vodafone, Nationwide, Sainsburys, London Business School, Imperial College) and leaders to improve their communication skills. She's also the author of the new book, The Listening Shift: Transform your organization by listening to your people and helping your people listen to you. Her book is a constructive toolkit for raising the game in communication, providing the tools you need to create a listening environment where colleagues are heard and acknowledged, and yet understand clearly how to move forward. What you will learn in this interview: - How preparing like a performer will improve your interviews - A breathing technique to prime you for an interview - How to use silence to your advantage - The best ways to interrupt someone - How to be listened to at a meeting Quote: "I think listening carefully is the thing that gets hijacked when we are under interview pressure.” - Janie van Hool Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Spotify Follow us: Instagram Twitter Facebook The post How to Listen and Be Heard with Janie van Hool appeared first on The Career Farm.
Transcribe →How to avoid a Climate Disaster? A career opportunity in the face of a crisis
May 28, 2021Tap to summarizeClimate change is something that has become critical in our society. Temperatures are rising to such a degree that the world will become increasingly inhospitable for humans. These temperatures have already risen by one degree Celsius since pre-industrial levels, and this will only get worse in the future. As a result, there is more chance of increased wildfire, devastating storms, droughts, and rising sea levels. Therefore, we need a change. Bill Gates’ book “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster” demonstrates that we should be aiming to reach net zero emissions as fast as possible, with a goal of hitting this by at least 2050. The problems that we face mean that we need to act to change the large amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Although we have some of the tools that can be used to reduce these emissions, we do not have enough resources to currently reach the target of net zero emissions. This means that innovation is required to respond to the problem that is posed. People need to start trying to find clean alternatives to the damaging materials that are currently used, without compromising the price. These low-cost clean energy resources can only be found by investing in R&D that will provide long term solutions to save the planet. Entrepreneurs can use this opportunity to tackle a new and emerging market that can help save our world from unsustainable temperature changes New research groups provide opportunities for work. These skills are not contained to specialists in Sustainable Development or Geography degrees. Indeed, the opportunities within environmentally concerned businesses plans are limitless. It will require a variety of subjects that will be needed to work together to tackle environmental resolutions: these being in biology, chemistry, economics, engineering, political science etc. Much like individuals, no single government or business may be able to tackle climate change alone. Instead of understanding this in terms of a job, this should be understood more as an opportunity. This is an opportunity for work towards a moral duty, to connect the world in a collective struggle for survival. For more info please see our blog https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6803997489960747008/ For more advice and career stories you can listen on Spotify. The post How to avoid a Climate Disaster? A career opportunity in the face of a crisis appeared first on The Career Farm.
Transcribe →Conquering self-sabotage, with Dr Candice Seti
Apr 30, 202100:47:36Tap to summarizeDr. Candice Seti joins Jane in a discussion on self-sabotage, whilst taking interactive questions from the audience watching along via video live stream. Throughout her time working in the field of supporting people with weight loss and weight management, Dr. Seti has come to terms with the important theme of self-sabotage. In her view, this is a crucial part of everyday life; a barrier that is preventing us from achieving our own goals and achievements. She defines this as “standing in your own way”, something that must be conquered to reach our own requirements. Dr. Seti views self-esteem as intrinsically linked with self-sabotage. Our perception of ourselves can determine our actions in the face of taking a risk, for example asking, “are we good enough to do this?”. She discusses how people should stop highlighting what we do not know. Instead, we must accept the positives on what we still have the ability to learn. Our frame of mind really does seem to impact on our abilities. Imposter syndrome is cited as another of the many causes of self-sabotage, and how it can be important to understand what we do not know. This allows us to accept who we are, rather than to try and blunder through unfamiliar territory. Jane and Dr. Seti discuss how we can move forward from our own self sabotage voices: we can give them names, maintain self-care procedures and continue to reflect on our self-worth. They talk about how we can overcome this by preparing ourselves to “combat” sabotage and achieving our goals without restrictions. Dr. Seti shows how her Workbook is an ideal manner for us to reflect on our actions, by identifying our own areas of self-sabotage we can move forward to tackle each aspect of our existence. A guide that doesn’t leave us vulnerable to a potentially damaging intrusion in our lives. Interested in Dr. Seti's work? Her book is Self-Sabotage Behaviour Workbook, A Step-by-Step Program to Conquer Negative Thoughts, Boost Confidence and Learn to Believe in Yourself Her Website: https://www.meonlybetter.com/ To participate in more live streams please follow Jane’s LinkedIn for updates, which can be found at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/careerspecialistjanebarrett/ For more advice and career stories you can listen on Spotify. The post Conquering self-sabotage, with Dr Candice Seti appeared first on The Career Farm.
Transcribe →How to Change Career from Hospitality to the Energy Sector with Thomas Hughes at Shell
Feb 25, 2021Tap to summarize This month on my podcast I did a live interview in front of the MBA class at Leeds University Business School with alumnus Thomas Hughes who made a career switch from a Manager in the hospitality industry to a Territory Manager for Shell with additional responsibility for sustainability initiatives being rolled out in the field. Thomas readily admits that he has never had a clear idea of what he wanted to do in this career having applied to do archeology at Sheffield University then switching to politics. A chance encounter led him to an internship for a political lobby in Washington. Despite this experience that he wouldn't swap for the world, he found the conflict with his principles meant it wasn't a long term career for him. He decided to come back to the UK and fell back into the hospitality industry, where he had worked since he was 16. Despite being a successful Manager for Mitchells and Butler, one of the largest pub, restaurant and bar operators in the UK, Thomas again knew this industry wasn't the long term career path so decided to apply to do a MBA at Leeds University Business School. He says 'Doing a MBA was probably the best decision I ever made not only from what he learnt but also the career progression it allowed me to make.' The career self-reflection process allowed him to focus on finding a company that would align with what was important to him, namely the opportunity to help a company to transition to electric vehicles and make an impact at scale, in the field of environmental sustainability. His role combines his cross transferable skills with his passion for the environment, clearly made him standout. He continued to pursue this once he had joined Shell, which led to the responsibilities he has for sustainability. Advice for other career changes includes really working out what you want to do - even if it takes some time, as this shines through at interview and can inform which companies you actively target for applications. Thomas is a great example of really taking charge of your career! For more advice and career stories you can listen on Spotify. The post How to Change Career from Hospitality to the Energy Sector with Thomas Hughes at Shell appeared first on The Career Farm.
Transcribe →116: How to make a Business out of Seaweed as well as Helping the Planet, with Wave Crookes
Jan 27, 2021Tap to summarize This month I discuss sustainable seaweed farming with Director of SeaGrown, Wave Crookes. Former navy man and fisherman, Wave and his marine-scientist partner Laura were working on a ship Antarctica, when they came up with their seaweed farming business, as a way of allowing them to work in marine biology but not in Antarctica! When Wave originally applied to join the Royal Navy, he was told to finish his studies before re-applying, which he did, and doesn’t regret it at all. After working in the oil and gas industry, Wave wanted to focus his company on “giving something back”. Now SeaGrown is one of only a small number of larger-scale seaweed farms in the UK. It's a long-term business with heavy infrastructure investment but seaweed has many varied uses such as packaging and clothes - helping us move to a more sustainable world. To buy the seaweed products already produced by Seagrown - such as the seasoning for cooking and bath salts, please go to the website SeaGrown I found out about Seagrown from the excellent magazine Positive News For more advice and career stories, subscribe for free in Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The post 116: How to make a Business out of Seaweed as well as Helping the Planet, with Wave Crookes appeared first on The Career Farm.
Transcribe →115: How to Get into the Technology Industry with Jeremy Schifeling
Dec 11, 2020Tap to summarize Hot off the heels of our recent report on hiring trends where we learnt that the tech sector is accelerating it's upwards trajectory, I interview Jeremy Schifeling who is based in Mountain View, California to talk about how to 'Get into Tech'. Jeremy is a perfect example of how to make a big shift in sectors and also role. He studied education at undergraduate level and started his career teaching kindergarten children in Brooklyn, New York. He then made the change from education to marketing via companies such as Apple, Linkedin and a series B funded ed-tech start-up. He used his MBA to press the reset button on his career, positioning himself in a new industry. He admits he had a strong focus from the get-go, knowing where he wanted to be in the end and having a singular focus on technology. So what advice does Jeremy have for MBAs wanting to make this shift? - it bolis down to doing your homework so you can understand the different paths to your ideal role. Then to gain his internship at Apple, he connected what he had done in the past to the kind of role he was targeting in the future. He had a clear narrative about the skills and experiences that he could demonstrate. When Jeremy had made the big shift to technology he then drilled down to the micro level to understand what kind of organisation best fitted him. He talked to people working in different environments to understand where he could do his best work. Jeremy realised that he enjoyed working with small groups of teams to be more effective and wanted to go back to the not for profit sector where he could work with others who were driven by the same purpose, leading him to the Khan Academy. He advises that to really stand out and compete in the labour market you need the extra edge. He describes this as: Doing your homework - to find the right path and know where you fit in Tailoring your Linkedin/CV - so it's right for the path you want to follow and will help you get in the door Imaging you have the job already - so approaching opportunities to explain how you will execute, which also gives you confidence. This is exactly what Jeremy did when he landed his current role at Khan Academy. He proactively discussed what he would do to increase usage by teachers. So the key take aways is connect what you do now to the right job in technology, there are many more roles that just coders! and focus on providing solutions to the problems of your target companies. For lots of free resources go to Break into Tech * For more advice and career stories, subscribe for free in Apple Podcasts and Spotify. *Please note this is an affiliate link The post 115: How to Get into the Technology Industry with Jeremy Schifeling appeared first on The Career Farm.
Transcribe →114 What are the hiring trends in 2020? Our gift to you – some light in the gloom
Nov 27, 2020Tap to summarize The research in the report has been put together to create a picture across all sectors of the current hiring trends in Europe in 2020. No industry has escaped the effects of Covid-19, but as companies have to rise to the challenge of reinventing around the constraints of the pandemic, there are some sectors that have had a remarkably good year. UK Vacancies (as of 26th Nov 2020) For a specific breakdown of how the pandemic has affected individual sectors Deloitte has compiled an extensive list, which might be useful for job seekers to see if there is a fit within their background. LinkedIn has also assembled a list of companies that are currently hiring, which is regularly updated. The technology industry has boomed since the beginning of the pandemic//, and is the sector with the second highest number of vacancies after healthcare. Recruiters are looking for skills such as software development, cloud migration and scripting languages among others, and LinkedIn’s Emerging Job’s Report 2020 named Artificial Intelligence Specialist as the number one emerging job in the UK. Although AI will displace around 85 million jobs, it is thought that it will create 97 million posts by 2025. In the switch to remote working, the IT sector also currently accounts for a third of all remote job postings, and the salary for technology jobs remains higher than the majority of other fields, with the average salary being £39,000, compared to the non-tech median of £27,840. Proving that an MBA is always a good investment, business school graduates are still in demand, with 89% of employers planning to hire MBA graduates in 2021. The NHS increased its recruitment drive during the first lockdown, with 13,840 more nurses and 9,306 doctors in mid-August than the same time the previous year. There are plenty of other vacancies within the industry though, especially as investment in healthtech is ramped up. Similarly, martech and edtech are also growing fields. The Covid-19 pandemic has not halted growth in the martech sector, as 60% of marketing leaders indicating that they are anticipating an increase in martech spend over the next 12 months. The shift in the educational world to a focus on online teaching has also increased funding in the sector, with London raising significantly more funding than any other European city this year, suggesting that there will be plenty of opportunity in the future. Planned staff cuts in the finance industry were largely put on hold, with eight of the top fifteen firms increasing their headcount, while only four reduced it. However, while companies like Barclays took on more than 7000 people in the first half of the year, HSBC is planning to cut 35,000 jobs over three years. Technology based positions will largely be safe, with companies like Citigroup, Barclays and TSB investing in their digital services. Fintech is also having a moment, with fintech investment in the UK has actually increased by 500% in the last three years, in comparison to only 170% in the US. More detailed information on the sectors mentioned above, and on the energy, transport, consultancy, cybersecurity, real estate and other industries can be found in the full report here. For more advice and career stories, subscribe for free in Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The post 114 What are the hiring trends in 2020? Our gift to you – some light in the gloom appeared first on The Career Farm.
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