Success Stories

Coaching and Mentoring

#1: Redundancy and new role

The client: David had worked with the same organisation for the last 14 years and was facing redundancy in the next three months. He was already in a Senior Finance role and had achieved good results.

The issue: It had been a long time since David had been on the job market. He was not clear on what he wanted next or on what he had to offer.

The process: Our starting point was to get David to understand himself and what really mattered to him. We then moved on clarifying what he wanted from his next role and exploring what he offered potential employers. Having completed this discovery phase, we then spent time on his curriculum vitae and his interview skills.

The outcome: Just 4 weeks after starting working together, David was able to secure a Senior Finance role in an organisation in a sector that he was interested in and was in line with his values. David commented that our sessions had helped him to identify what he really valued, enabled him to identify the vast range of skills, knowledge and personal attributes that he possessed, supported him in creating a powerful CV and got him to a position where he performed much more effectively in interviews.

He also said "I am sure it would have taken me far longer to secure a job had I been left to my own devices."

#2: Career Accelerator Programme

“I decided to use Duncan Brodie’s ‘Career Accelerator Workbook’ after seeing him present at a CIMA workshop which gave me the motivation to make some future changes with my career. The workbook was useful but the biggest value was gained through the three coaching sessions.

Duncan’s friendly and encouraging manner allowed me to speak openly about my career goals, highlighting what was preventing me to achieving these goals and giving me practical advice on how to move forward. We reviewed my curriculum vitae and my interview skills. After the sessions I found I had more confidence and focus. I would recommend the Career Accelerator to anyone who needs that extra motivation or direction in their future career.”

Sara Burke,
Financial Controller

#3:    Finding in a new management role in a difficult economic climate

The client:   Barry was working as an Interim Manager in the Public Sector for 7 years, achieving good results, when Government spending cuts affected the type of work I had done to improve Public Services in the Health, Education and Transport sectors.

The issue: The number of assignments and projects became virtually non existent and Barry had to focus on seeking employment Permanent roles or Fixed Term Contracts, whilst faced with increasingly tough competition in the market. He was being shortlisted for interviews, but not able to perform like the best candidate.

The process:  We met at the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, when I presented on ‘How to get that job’. Fortunately soon after, Barry was shortlisted for a few interviews in the space of a month, when a few NHS organisations restructured. Just before each interview, Barry sent me a copy of the Job Description, Person Specification and details of the company and then we had a mock interview before the interview, also covering CV strengths, model answers and presentation skills.

The outcome:  Barry was successful in one of those interviews with a famous NHS organisation and large Teaching Trust.

Barry says
“Duncan was instrumental in my success, because he helped me not think too much about the competition, and instead pitch my experience at the level of the roles I was going for, enabling me to present my vast range of skills in the best possible way. The coaching skills were also invaluable because I discovered how to close some gaps in terms of interview preparation and Duncan’s mentoring helped me markedly improve my focus. They say Good luck comes in 3’s. I was certainly luck to have Duncan coach me ahead of 3 successive interviews, because it made all the difference.”

Barry Perinparaja
Accountant