Experience and Perspective

Most people arrive at a career decision under some form of pressure. A role that no longer fits. A promotion that feels uncertain. A redundancy that was not planned. A nagging sense that the next step should be clearer than it is.

The questions underneath those situations are usually the same: what do I actually want, what are my options, and what should I do next.

Supporting professionals through most versions of those moments has been the core of my work. Thousands of CVs assessed, candidates interviewed across multiple sectors, hiring managers and business leaders advised, and individuals supported from graduates taking their first steps to executives navigating decisions they did not anticipate making. What that experience has taught me is that careers are rarely built on talent alone. The decisions you make, the opportunities you pursue, the relationships you invest in and the timing of key moments shape where you end up as much as what you are capable of. Most people underestimate this.

What most career coaches cannot offer is time spent on both sides of the table. For nine years a boutique recruitment agency brought me into daily contact with major brands across advertising, marketing and design, as the person reading the pile of CVs, deciding who gets a conversation, and advising the hiring manager on who is worth their time. That changes how you see everything: what positioning actually means, how candidates are perceived, and how large the gap usually is between how someone presents themselves and how they land.

Passion is not a reliable career compass. Talent is, because it is durable, transferable and compounds over time in ways that passion alone does not. Most people have considerably more to offer than they can currently articulate. Clarity is a skill, and one that can be developed given the right conversation.

Those beliefs sit at the heart of The Recommended Path. They are also the subject of my forthcoming book, "Shall I Apply?", a straight-talking guide to navigating your career with clarity and a bit of backbone.