Services for the Individual

So you're thinking about your future career ... ?

Here are some general points for starters:

Are you an executive, perhaps a Director or Partner even, displaced in mid-career?

Are you an identified star but with a secret itch to change?

Are you ready to spread your wings into a portfolio of roles, and looking ahead towards retirement?

Or do you just feel trapped and frustrated because you can't or daren't break free?

Whichever you are, you're likely to feel tension between the desire to get on and get a job, and the desire to make sure it is the right job, an enjoyable one which will not fall through in short order.

The key is to recognise that choosing a career, as opposed to just finding a job, is a middle distance race and not a sprint. It takes careful thought, planning, preparation and execution.

And the more senior you are, the fewer the openings suitable for you, and the tougher the competition for them.  So you have to make sure that all aspects of your self-presentation, in person and in writing, are crisp, sharply focused, consistent, relevant and professional.

You have to think in detail about who and what you are, and then to be able to explain this accurately, briefly and differently, without resort to clichés.

Why choose CGS?

  • We offer serious value for money through a truly tailored service. For our fee levels most competitors will offer much pre-programmed, 'one size fits all' advice, with shorter duration, limited consultant access and limited ancillary services.
  • Our meticulous approach to the precision engineering of words is much appreciated by clients.  For many it is hard to find the accurate, brief and different words to describe their behaviours, their achievements and their abilities.
  • Our range of contacts and our experience are frequently quoted by clients as unusually broad and valuable.
  • Our Associates are top of the range professionals: read about the core team in Who We Are.  We use other experts from time to time to address specific client requests.

So what do our programmes contain?

There is no rocket science in any career guidance or outplacement programme.  All will cover four general phases of preparation and decision, which are outlined below. The difference lies in the depth, choice of focus and flexibility with which each consultant works.

  • A strategic look at you: your life, career and, importantly, behaviour patterns at work, using psychometric and assessment tools if appropriate.
  • The development of a toolkit of techniques for approaching the market, including putting together a CV; interview techniques; methods of defining your network contacts and using them effectively. Above all this piece is about your developing your accurate and unselfconscious presentation of yourself, your abilities and achievements.
  • Networking, including where necessary the headhunting community, answering advertisements and any necessary tweaking of the basic messages you are delivering.
  • If you are saying all the right things, in the right way, to all the right people, then by definition you will maximise your opportunities; and, if we have worked accurately on the initial self-awareness phase, then you will reach a sound conclusion, or conclusions. This final phase is about making good decisions and negotiating appropriate terms.