Life Strategies | 03

Being valuable and valued

Continuing on Liz's journey in the Life Strategies series...

​I could tell that Liz needed a huge dose of motivation if she was to succeed. She needed to feel she was capable, competent and that her work experience was valuable AND valued.

I asked her about her work history, what she liked and didn’t about her past positions. And I took notes! It was obvious that she didn’t mind working in a team as long as she had a certain amount of autonomy. I knew that Liz had a great phone manner and generally loved assisting people. Her computer skills needed updating (TAFE!) but for a role in customer service she would have been perfectly cast. If looking for a receptionist She would probably need a ‘refresh’ to look the best version of herself. I offered to help with that as I had done for others in many of my previous roles in recruitment and personal development.

During our ‘coaching‘ session I made a point of ‘accentuating the positive’ as the song goes in order to help build her confidence. I’m a great believer in giving people honest feedback in a positive way....not something that too many of us experience at times!
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We next looked at local ‘Positions Vacant’ ads as Liz said that it would be easier and cheaper re travel for her to work locally. The ads were few and far between and some needed deciphering with regard to what the prospective employer really wanted. Some she clearly wasn’t to and others weren’t of interest. I also asked her not to dismiss some ads out of hand because of her lack of confidence.

Next week, Liz selects which jobs to apply for and we discuss rewriting her resume.

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