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What lights you up and brings colour into your thinking and actions? Do you know what actually motivates you to be productive? Does your interest in something rocket when it’s new and exciting and then fall into a lull? Or do you only seem to come alive once a deadline starts breathing down your neck? For years, I thought there was something wrong with the way I worked. Some people have the self-discipline to plan, to focus for long stretches, to get their work done well before the deadline. I am… not one of those people. I get going when the pressure builds, when the clock starts ticking and the “oh no, I actually have to do this now” feeling arrives. For most of my school and working life, I assumed this was a character flaw - proof I lacked discipline or was, frankly, lazy. But as my career history clearly demonstrates, I work hard, and I don’t miss deadlines. I might be up half the night to get something done, but it does get done. And, importantly, I’m prepared for it. I don’t leave everything to the last possible moment, and I’m not chaotic, even if it sometimes looks that way. In reality, I plan (in fact, I over-plan), I think ahead (far ahead), I make lists (too many lists), and I build structure. But my mind flits about like a butterfly on speed and staying focused can feel like trying to pin jelly to a wall. So how did I stop fighting this, and instead learn to work with the way my brain naturally functions? I began by letting go of the idea that there was a “normal” way to be productive. I stopped comparing myself to other people whose brains seem to move in a neat, straight line. And I started asking a simple but revealing question: What actually motivates me? What gets me moving? Sometimes it’s hard to see your own patterns, so if you’re unsure, ask someone you trust. They’ll often spot things you’ve taken for granted. Through my own self-reflection, I realised three important things: I need a commitment or a deadline -an external force to spark action. Pressure creates momentum for me. I like structure, but only my structure. I rebel against rules imposed by others, yet thrive when I build my own systems. I needed to understand and accept my motivational style. I’m not lacking discipline. I’m not lazy. I just operate differently. Learning this was liberating. Different wasn’t bad. Different was just… different. And interestingly, once I stopped pretending to “work” during the hours when my brain simply wasn’t going to comply, I gained more time. Why sit at a screen all day forcing it when I know I write best after 4pm? Understanding my rhythm freed me to use my energy more wisely. Different People Are Motivated in Different Ways One of the biggest revelations was discovering that motivation is not a one-size-fits-all concept. Psychologists talk about several types of motivation, and once you start recognising them, things suddenly make sense. Intrinsic motivation This is when you do something because you genuinely enjoy it. Think of someone who gets a strange thrill from organising spreadsheets simply because it’s satisfying. Extrinsic motivation This is where I live -deadlines, commitments, promises, accountability. You give me a date, a deliverable, or someone waiting on me and boom, my brain switches on. Curiosity-driven (novelty) motivation Some people thrive on the “new and shiny.” A new notebook, new project, new app, new challenge, they’re energised by the excitement of beginning. Achievement motivation Some are fuelled by the joy of ticking boxes, reaching goals, beating personal bests. They’re the ones who sign up for a marathon six months out and train religiously because the achievement motivates them. Routine-based motivation These people love consistency. They thrive when they follow the same morning routine every day, or when they work in predictable blocks that create momentum through habit rather than excitement. Most of us don’t rely on just one of these—we cycle through them depending on mood, energy, stress levels, and what else is happening in our lives. Recognising that you have a motivation cycle rather than a fixed identity can be a huge relief. The Emotional Side of Motivation What often gets overlooked is that motivation is emotional. Some people need curiosity, some need joy, some need calm, and some, like me, need pressure. Others are motivated by the desire not to let someone down. Emotions signal the brain to start moving. Once I understood that adrenaline, accountability and obligation were powerful motivators for me, I stopped fighting them and began designing my workflow around them. How I Use My Motivational Style Now Since discovering I’m externally motivated, I’ve started putting external forces in place, even when they’re only promises I’ve made to myself. I use lists. I cross off tasks because the visual progress motivates me. I write notes in a digital notebook because the formatting and changes I can make give me clarity that paper and pen never do (the page gets too messy and I spend time re-doing it - hello more procrastination and distraction). I crave an empty desk and an inbox with nothing lurking inside. Those small wins spur me on. If you find it hard to create accountability for yourself, ask someone else to do it. Tell them what you will do, and when, and ask them to check in. This alone can make all the difference. And yes, maybe consider a coach. Someone who can help you identify your style and build a structure that plays to your strengths. I should know! How to Discover Your Own Motivational Style If you’re unsure what motivates you, experiment with questions like: When do I naturally feel focused? What kind of work feels easy, even when it’s hard? Do I start strong but fade? Or start slowly and finish with a flourish? Do I need variety- or predictability? Do I work better when someone else is expecting something from me? Understanding your own patterns can completely change how productive, and how peaceful, you feel. Understanding what drives you doesn’t just help you get more done, it helps you feel more at ease with who you are. You stop forcing, stop faking “productivity,” and stop comparing yourself to people whose brains operate differently. Instead, you build systems that match your rhythm. And once you do that, motivation stops being a struggle and becomes something far more useful: a tool that finally works for you, not against you. If you find it hard to make yourself accountable in this way then ask someone else to do it – tell them what you are going to do, by when and ask them to hold you to your commitment. Maybe a coach. They’re good at helping you recognise what works for you. I should know! Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk Why not follow me for more career confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn Louise Newton Instagram @career_therapy_uk To receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the Career Therapy Newsletter? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience - and real life. Check out my other articles on careers and confidence: The superpower of knowing your why and Want more confidence? Take control. Photo by Robert Katzki on Unsplash

Seeing all of our facets and dimensions helps us understand our strengths and how others see us Do you know your strengths? Underpinning my work - and my philosophy for building a happy, sustainable career - is the idea of focusing on what you’re good at. Strengths are the fuel that makes work feel energising rather than draining. Of course, it’s important to be aware of your weaker spots and plan around them, but true momentum comes from leaning into the things you do naturally well. When you take your strengths from good to great, and then from great to extraordinary, you not only stand out in your career, you also feel more confident, motivated and fulfilled. Strengths self-awareness makes you more productive. It helps you decrease risk. Increase positive outcomes. I’m fantastic at ideas, bouncing concepts about with other people, working out the best way to get things done. I’m not great at detail. I can make myself focus when I have to, but I’ll always get someone with ‘detail’ or ‘logic’ strengths to read a contract because I know they’ll see things I don’t. It's about using the best tools for the job - and having the self-awareness to keep space for innovation and cross-pollination of strengths. But how do you know what your strengths are? Ask some or all of these questions: What makes you successful at what you do? This question directs us to look at what you are good at, when you’ve been successful and what took and held you there. And you can ask yourself what you enjoy, what gives you a buzz. Usually, the things we enjoy, that we thrive on, that lead to good outcomes, are in some form or another our strengths. What do people come to you for? This question is another way to identify your strengths. People come to you because they know you are good at things, whether those things are what you find naturally easy or have learned how to do. Are you highly organised, a clear thinker, a strong problem solver? And don't think everyone else is - or can easily do what you do. They aren't and they can't. What are you known for? Knowing how you are seen and thought of gives very clear indicators of not just your strengths but your values. A simple but highly effective way to uncover this data is to ask 5+ people, ideally who know you in different contexts (friends, family, work, social), to give you 5 words to describe you. Put the answers in a grid to compare them and you'll see clear themes. I've done this exercise with almost every client I've worked with - it's that powerful! Your strengths include the things you do naturally well. Don't overlook or downplay the things you've always been able to do or that come easily to you. These are your super-strengths. Online tools You can get some outside help to identify and build on your strengths. The Gallup StrengthsFinder assessment tool is a $20 investment to identify your top five strengths and it's a very insightful tool. As my ideas were forming about being a career coach, it revolutionised how I thought about myself - reversing the (American-driven) quest to work on (and eradicate) your weaknesses and instead, know and build on your innate strengths. Here was a tool that said not only was I OK as I was, but I was amazing at being me and there were things I was brilliant at. Rather than continuing to tell myself I wasn't great at contracts, workflows and operating in a unilinear way, I could celebrate being curious, a maximiser, a strategist, empathetically perceptive and a keen problem solver. And knowing I was good at these things helped me exploit and amplify them, going from good to great and - in some cases - from great to amazing. Critically for my sense of self and confidence, it told me it was natural not to be good at some things. I wasn't rubbish or defective. My strengths are in other areas. From my time at school, I'd known my brain doesn't work like others'. Mine works in multiple bursts, not straight lines and is a mix of both right and left brain attributes. It doesn't make me odd, it makes me, me. And I leaned into that. It was revelatory and incredibly empowering. Over the last 12 years, I've used the Gallup StrengthsFinder with clients for work on personal brand, confidence building, CVs and career development. It’s not definitive - you can pay more for a fuller list - but I’ve found seeing the top five strengths to be uncannily accurate and insightful. And there are free tools like Strengths Profile that give you a starter overview. Talk to a professional Finally, there’s talking to a career coach (like me). Someone who can listen to you talk about your work, your passions and your hopes and pull out your strengths for you. And then show you how you can use them to your advantage to be happier, braver and more effective at work. I have a lot of experience helping my clients remove their limiting beliefs and reverse their thinking that they have no super-strengths. Know your strengths. Own them. Cherish and use them and you’ll shine. Maximise and exploit them and you will soar. Why not book a free introductory chat to see how a session of Career Therapy can help you identify your strengths and learn how to maximise them? Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk Why not follow me for more career confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn Louise Newton Instagram @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the Career Therapy Newsletter? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience - and real life. What’s stopping you? Check out my other articles on careers and confidence: What's holding you back?, Mindfulness and confidence, How strong is your personal brand?, What's stopping you?, and Summoning Courage. Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash

Working from home, I spend a lot of time with my dog, Grace. She’s great – cute, energetic, a bit needy and sometimes demanding. Watching her, she’s been a surprising source of inspiration on how to be present and enjoy life more - and how to be more confident. So here are some of the lessons I’ve learned from my dog. Here’s what she’s shown me: 1. Be present and enjoy the here and now The past has gone and we can’t change it. We can learn from it, but there’s no point hanging on to it, wishing things had been different. The here and now is what matters. 2. Enjoy the simple, fun things Find pleasure in simple things. Take a moment to smile at a kitten video, message a friend or just relax with a cup of coffee and enjoy the moment, feeling fully present. 3. Be excited about what’s to come Know what makes you happy and make time to do it. It doesn’t have to be running after a stick or jumping in mud, but book things in to look forward to. Enjoy the simple things in life, being in the moment and experiencing joy 4. Know your routine Freedom is great. It’s liberating. But having a routine can be liberating too and it’s a sure-fire way to get your basic needs met. It also gives you things to look forward to. 5. A task done well = a reward Give yourself a pat on the back when you’ve done something well or met a deadline. Working at home, it’s hard to get feedback or acknowledgement, so learn to be your own coach and hand out the treats. 7. Take a break when you need one Grace lies down when she’s tired. Wherever that may be. We all need to recharge our batteries and, personally, I do my best work in short, concentrated chunks of time. Sitting at a desk for 10 hours is actually counter-productive; it’s far better to have mini breaks and wander about to reset your focus. 8. Stretch Sitting at a desk in your home office (or at your dining table) isn’t great for your posture, so, like Grace, stretch each time you get up. Maybe give yourself a good shake, too. 9. Don’t let the kitten take your bed OK, so this last one isn’t quite so pertinent, but the point is, sometimes you need to stand your ground and let people know there are boundaries. What have you learned from your pets that could help you in your personal or professional life? If you'd like to look at how to be more present and learn some simple strategies, why not book a free intro call with me and see where some Career Therapy can take you? Click on 'Book a call' on the website for a free intro call or email me: louise@careertherapy.co.uk Why not follow me for more confidence boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn Louise Newton Instagram @career_therapy_uk And check out my blog on Mindfulness and confidence. If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the Career Therapy Newsletter? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support grounded in years of coaching experience...and real life. Check out my other content on careers and confidence: Your grass is greener than you think, and Is being stressed a choice?. Black dog photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash Playing dogs photo by Matt Jones on Unsplash

Knowing the steps you can take makes it easier to see your direction and progress A lack of confidence can be a very real barrier to career success and being fulfilled at work. It might stop you from putting yourself forward for opportunities, voicing your ideas or pulling back when faced with a new or challenging situation. It can also hinder how well you ‘sell’ yourself in interviews. Some people have a lot more confidence than others, but for those who lack confidence and experience low self-esteem, there are things you can do to help you reach a place where you feel more confident. Here is how you can build confidence in 5 steps: Step 1 is acknowledging what is going on. Put simply, to plan a journey, you need to understand where you are starting from. Most low self-esteem or lack of confidence comes from the past and negative messages we have received, though there are also people who naturally think less of themselves, are prone to anxiety or set impossibly high standards that they fail to reach. Whatever the root, we build up an image of ourselves that is either totally or partially negative. We might say things like ‘I’m bad at interviews’ or I’m no good at asking for something I want’ and over time, we start to believe these things are true - and unalterable. The key to addressing these inhibiting and self-sabotaging beliefs is to look for evidence. A coach can help you here by listening and asking you questions such as ‘Where do you think that comes from?’ and ‘Is that always the case?’ If one of your beliefs is ‘I’m bad at interviews’, but you have a job, then at some point that statement has to have been proven untrue. Pinpointing when you started to think the negative thoughts can be helpful. With hindsight and life experience on your side, you might realise the source and challenge it, or at least set it in context. Often negative beliefs start in childhood and so it is a vital step to see them – and the source – for what they were and how they are impacting us even now. And that can help us put them in perspective. Applying logic and looking for evidence to contradict the negative belief can be transformative and free you to let go of the belief because you realise it’s simply not true, or not true anymore. Other times the process is more evolutionary, where the evidence is more subtle and your belief is no longer true ‘all the time’. To further lessen the power of negative thoughts, focus more on positive ones. Start a list of things you are good at, for example, I’m a good listener, I get things done on time, people can rely on me. If my clients struggle with this in a work context, we look at personal positives. Being good at cooking requires planning, visualisation, organisation, strong time management, budgeting and multitasking. It can also require you to use risk assessment techniques [is the oven too hot?], push the boundaries of accepted thinking [I like salt, I’ll add a bit more than the recipe says], resource management [we’re going to need more milk], stakeholder management and communications [I know you’re hungry but it will only take five more minutes] and expectation management [no, it doesn’t look like the picture but it tastes good]. Through either or both approaches, you can start to break down seemingly permanent negative aspects of your personality and move on from them. They are no longer absolutes and you can move away from them to define you, your future and your true potential. Step 2 is focusing on your strengths. You might use an online assessment tool such as (Clifton Strengths or StrengthsProfile), or you can simply start to make a list. The goal is to identify what your strengths are so you focus on those instead of weaknesses. I’m not good with following detailed processes, my brain just refuses to go in straight lines. I used to focus on this, compare myself to others to reinforce my negative belief that I was rubbish and failing, and I gave it a lot of worry space. But – big BUT and major revelation – once I recognised my strengths lay in other areas, I realised it was OK to not be good at detailed processes. More than that, it was liberating. Other people are skilled in following detailed processes and can do this far more effectively than I can. And I can step aside and let them get on with it whilst I shine for seeing connections, solving problems and being amazing at getting people on board with ideas. My guiding ethos since then has been that you’ll increase your confidence and see more progress in life and your career by focusing on your strengths. You can take your strengths from good to great and great to amazing once you know and optimise them, but you’ll rarely get beyond competent by spending time trying to polish up a weakness. Reviewing your list of strengths with someone – or a few people – is a powerful way to help you identify other strengths, especially as people often see us in ways we don’t see ourselves. And it might be that you ask a cross-section of people that you know from different situations in your life to get more perspectives and data. Fundamentally, big or small, common or unique, we all have strengths and gathering evidence of them helps us be more positive about what we are capable of. Step 3 centres on detoxing to eliminate negative influences. These might be energy-draining relationships and/or demanding situations. With the former, try to spend less time around people who take more from you than they give and focus your time on interacting with people who appreciate you, energise you and make you feel good about yourself. With the latter, you may need to learn how to say ‘no’ to people. This can be tough at first, but there are tools and techniques to help you. (Check out my newsletter for practical tips.) One of the tools is to ask yourself, ‘Why is that person’s time/input/demand more important than mine? Step 4 is the energy step. This is where you find ways to assert and challenge yourself. Start small and build up confidence as more and more things go well and you say more positive things about yourself than negative. Gather the evidence every time you take a forward step so you can keep challenging those negative beliefs and stop self-sabotaging. If you believe that you are bad at interviews and no one will ever employ you, and feel it’s not worth making an application for a job, then research what interviews are about and how to prepare for them. Then prepare. There are multiple articles, tips and videos online to help you identify the types of interview questions you’ll face and how to prepare to answer them well. Then practice. Record yourself, watch it back. Practice with someone and ask for feedback. Keep practising and getting feedback to improve until you have the evidence and feel confident that you can, in fact, do well at an interview. (Check out my article on warming up for interview success.) If you’re really struggling, look for role models who project confidence and copy them. How do they stand, how do they hold themselves, how do they speak, what is their face doing? Do what they do and you can find your inner strength. Or at least you’ll be able to project confidence so you sound convincing. Eventually, you’ll start to believe it and it will feel more natural. Step 5 is about how you see and talk about yourself. If you say negative things about yourself, then you are inviting other people to see you that way. Being kind to yourself, giving yourself recognition and thinking positive thoughts goes a long way to diminishing the power of negative, confidence-draining beliefs. How you used to be and what happened to you in the past does not have to define you now. You might have been a precocious child who was criticised for being disruptive in class and too keen to follow your own direction, but is that still who you are now? And is it an issue in your professional life? As long as you see the strength in it and recognise the effect your behaviours have on others, then you can move away from the negative messages you received and harness your intellect, energy and drive for excellence. One way to see if you are being unkind to yourself is to ask yourself what you would say if you heard a friend or colleague talking down their abilities and saying how terrible they are at something. We can be harder on ourselves and kinder to others, so turn the tables and think about what you would say in that situation, then say it to yourself. If you’d like to talk about how your negative beliefs are holding you back or would like help identifying and optimising your strengths so you can feel more confident, then please get in touch and let's see where a session of Career Therapy can take you. Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk Why not follow me for more career confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn Louise Newton Instagram @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the Career Therapy Newsletter? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience - and real life. Check out my other content on careers and confidence: How to Find a Career You Genuinely Love and Would you like to be more career confident? Photo by Alex Shuper on Unsplash

Your gut is said to be your second brain. It's certainly smart. ‘Trust your gut’ is common advice when we are faced with a decision. But why would you trust your gut instinct? What does our gut know (intuitively) that our conscious self doesn’t? Perhaps more than we know. Have you ever decided to do something and felt deep inside that it was the wrong thing to do? Has it nagged you and left you unsettled even when you try to ignore it? That’s your gut instinct talking. So, how can we learn to listen to our gut and trust it knows what it’s talking about? In her article, How to Stop Overthinking and Start Trusting Your Gut, executive coach and author Melody Wilding says, “When you approach a decision intuitively, your brain works in tandem with your gut to quickly assess all your memories, past learning, personal needs and preferences and then makes the wisest decision given the context. In this way, intuition is a form of emotional and experiential data.” Gut instinct comes from the connection between your gut and your brain, bringing everything you know, like, believe and feel together, which is why you should trust it in real-world situations. Your digestive system is made up of 100 million neurons, all connected to your brain. They are connected to your brain for a reason! Intuition is a form of emotional and experiential data that we can all utilise When an answer comes to you, listen; it might just be the right answer. Logic is powerful, but intuition brings an added dimension If you combine your logical thought with your gut instinct, you can make more accurate decisions Try not to overthink your decisions, trust your instincts more and let them guide your thought and decision process We are our own experts Malcolm Gladwell produced a seemingly convincing way of thinking about this combination of mind and gut in Outliers with his 10,000 Hours theory where he uses the example of an art expert examining work to see if it’s a fake. Their ‘instinct’ isn’t a guess or esoteric message from the beyond, it’s based on data, on hours and hours of experience all collated and channelled into what we call ‘expertise’. No one knows as much about us than us, with expertise built up from years of experience. We know more than we think we do, but often we don’t take the time to listen, to tune into what our insides are telling us. Slowing down helps, taking time to think and removing external pressures. To develop strength in intuition, achieve clarity and bring new knowledge, give your mind time and space to wander. Trust your instincts We often come up with fresh ideas and solutions when we aren’t thinking about them – picture Archimedes and his Eureka moment in the bath – and intuition works the same way. Stop thinking and listen. Charles Darwin had a circular path built in his garden to do just that: physically wander, let his mind drift and focus on the things around him, not the problem. We humans are not natural risk-takers; we have a tendency to overthink our decisions, making it much more difficult for ourselves. We don’t know what we don’t know and that can be nerve-wracking to know and hard to accept. But we can’t know everything. Sometimes we have to take a leap of faith or, to put it another way, jump and accept that we might fall. Trust your gut. “While intuition is not perfect, it’s also a decision-making tool you’re likely underutilising. You’ll probably be surprised to find that your gut is a more powerful decision-making tool than you may have realised.” Melody Wilding. That’s why trusting your gut can be helpful when making career decisions. Give your brain a break from the pressure and use your instincts to make those difficult choices; you’ll know what to do. If you’d like to tune into your gut and utilise your intuition, why not book a session of Career Therapy to help you? Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk Why not follow me for more confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn Louise Newton Instagram @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the Career Therapy Newsletter? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience — and real life. Check out my other content on careers and confidence: Are you an Overthinker?, Get Focussed, Know Your Strengths, and Boost your Career Confidence. Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

If you're like me, you hate writing your CV. It's just so hard... Why? We write reports, make presentations, write emails, so why is a CV so hard to do? Well, it is because - Everything you write down has an emotional connection to you, so you will procrastinate and struggle to get perspective because you can't separate the self-judgment from the evidence. Plus, it's hard to capture all you are, do and have done on just two pages. It can feel trite, inauthentic, impersonal - and with the rise of AI - all too generic. "Am I good enough?" is a question that plagues people trying to write their CVs It is deeply (deeply) ironic that I became not just a CV writer but a professionally certified one after the years I spent dodging writing my own. I've even stayed in jobs I hated because I couldn't face writing my CV! Now I am a CPRW (Certified Professional Resume Writer), evidence that I am a trained professional. Incredibly, for a former hater, I'm also pretty good at it and get great client feedback on how well I can shape and encapsulate their brand. Here are the two mindset shifts to making writing your own CV less hard: Your CV is about you, but not for you. You need to write for your reader, think about what they need to know. A CV is a marketing tool, a showcase. It is NOT a documentary history and list of everything you've ever done. Attitudes to working with CV writers have changed and it is now far less strange or seen to be 'cheating' to work with a professional CV writer. Would you try to fix your own car or take it to a reputable mechanic? You could even argue that hiring a CV writer demonstrates how seriously you take your CV. If you DIY it, on the technical side, even if you are up to date on all things ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) and keyword matching, it can still be hard to write your own CV because although you know all the guides and rules, it's the content that is so hard to keep clear, concise and relevant. Self-editing your story is tricky - what is needed, what isn't, how to say it succinctly - it's tough to be so clinical and external, not self-focused. That is where realising it's about you but not for you is the game changer. People are still quite cautious and even cynical about asking a 'stranger' to write their CV. There is also the idea that someone who isn't you can know you like you do. But good CV writers are professionals, not random strangers; they don't need to know everything about you to write a compelling CV - and, in fact, it can be better if they don't. A writer doesn't know the inner you, they will look at the evidence, not the emotions and work with that, removing the burden of feeling good enough or awkward that we can experience when we write about ourselves. They can also help you be more objective and pinpoint that evidence. It's common that people can't self-edit and cling to information on their CV that is no longer relevant. It might have been important then, but it's not important now to the roles they are looking at and a professional writer can help you gain that insight. A CV is a form of marketing, and we employ professional writers to create enticing copy for products, so why not employ the same methods for promoting ourselves? CVs have changed a lot in recent years. The language we use now is different. Gone are the detailed lists of responsibilities and stock third-person phrases like ‘excellent interpersonal skills’ and ‘ability to communicate at all levels’. In their place are career stories and a focus on the impact you’ve made, not the things you’ve done. They are all about evidence. And whilst AI can help you get started, it can't challenge your thinking, understand the emotions you are experiencing or help you stop agonising over whether your profile is authentic to you. If it’s been a while since you’ve been in the job market, it makes sense to find out how things are done now to increase your chances of success. But, would you go so far as to commission someone to write your CV? Think about this for a second: How many CVs have you written? Maybe one every few years if you’re like most people How much experience do you have writing CVs? Not much. See previous answer Are you aware of current CV trends? No. I’m too busy and not interested enough to find out what ATS is why keywords are so important And all that is fair enough. Why should you? Why not get someone else – like me – to do it for you? However, there’s a huge difference between handing over all responsibility and using a specialist who can help you get it right. There are systems, structures and formulas you can follow, but it still has to be “you” enough to feel real. Marketing blurb can sell a product, but sales decline and the product fails if it can’t live up to the promises made in that marketing copy. It’s the same with a CV. It might get you an interview, but you have to match the CV when you answer the phone or walk through the door, which is why working with a faceless CV service or getting AI to do it for you is pointless (in my experience). In my experience, most people, especially recruiters who see 1000s of CVs a year, have an innate ability to spot inauthenticity and they respond to it negatively, whether consciously or not. Another element to consider is that in a world dominated by manipulated and filtered social media images and AI-generated content, the search for authenticity has become an increasingly necessary feature of recruiting. That’s why, when I work with clients on their CV, I ask them time and again, “Does this sound like you?” because if it doesn’t, it will fail them and I want us to succeed. And I won't even think about writing a CV without extensive conversations and a detailed questionnaire. I work together with my clients to give them the most effective and most authentic CV to help them get that interview and move forward in their career. A CV that showcases their brand, their value proposition and the impact they can have in future roles. A CV that clearly demonstrates to the reader the ROI on hiring this candidate. A CV the candidate feels proud of - seriously! - and one that boosts their confidence when they read it. A CV that is authentically them, at their best. How nice would it feel not to be staring at that blinking cursor and your CV from years ago, wondering where to start? Can you imagine having a CV you actually feel proud of? If you are looking to recharge your career and need a CV that is a clear, concise and relevant showcase of what you have to offer, then why not book a free intro call and let's chat. Click on Book a call on the website, or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk What's stopping you? Check out my other posts on CV-related topics: 4 tips for writing a 5-star CV. How to write a CV profile. How to generate results from your CV by doing this one thing. What is ATS and how do you navigate it? How strong is your personal brand? Power words make your personal brand stand out. Here are all the CV writing tips. Why not follow me for more confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn Louise Newton Instagram @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the Career Therapy Newsletter? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support grounded in years of coaching experience...and real life. Check out my other content on careers and confidence: You can grow your confidence, Pick your shine time, 5 steps to building confidence and Want more confidence? Take control. Photo by Nik on Unsplash

Stay sharp - ensure your CV is ready to use when you need it. Let’s be honest: most of us dread writing or updating our CV. It can feel awkward, overwhelming, or like a tedious admin task. (Read more about that here). But the truth is, a little discomfort now can lead to a lot of growth later and no regrets about potential missed opportunities. Think of it as a confidence workout. Yes, it takes effort. But it can also remind you of your achievements, clarify your direction, and put you in the driver’s seat of your career. Why is it important to keep your CV up to date? Here are four reasons. – Your CV is your passport, your gateway to new, more challenging, more fulfilling roles. Without a strong, up-to-date CV, you're not just stuck - you're invisible. Even if you're not actively job hunting, opportunities often come when you're not expecting them. Having a current CV ready means you can say yes with confidence to having exploratory conversations, knowing you are ready to go when the right thing comes along. – Regular maintenance is good for your car, so why not run a career MOT? Is your career performing well? Does your CV need a tune-up? We service our cars regularly, but when was the last time you serviced your career? Updating your CV is a smart way to assess whether things are still running smoothly. Are you using your skills to their full potential? Do you still feel energised by your role? This is your chance to make small adjustments or major realignments before burnout or boredom set in. – It’s an opportunity to take stock. Putting your experience on the page forces you to reflect: Are you where you thought you'd be? Are you still growing? What’s missing, and what do you want more of? This kind of career self-awareness can be a catalyst for change. Maybe you’ve outgrown your role. Maybe your values have shifted. A CV update can spark important decisions about what’s next. – It becomes your personal performance review, like an annual appraisal. We often forget our wins, especially the quiet ones. Writing your CV means digging into your achievements, recognising your growth and reminding yourself of how far you’ve come. It’s also a great way to track your development over time and ensure your story reflects who you are today, not just who you were five years ago. Ask yourself: What have I achieved? What progress have I made? What’s next? Is it time to update your CV? Not sure how to start? You don’t need to overhaul everything in one go. Even 30 minutes of reflection or a few bullet points updated to show outcomes is progress. And if you’d like help shaping your experience into a clear, confident narrative that gets results, I can help with that too. Let's review your current CV and see how to get it into shape. Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk Why not follow me for more career confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn Louise Newton Instagram @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the Career Therapy Newsletter? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience - and real life. Check out my other content on CV writing and branding - What is the most common CV mistake?, How to write a CV profile and 4 Tips for a 5 star CV. Photo by Behnam Norouzi for Unsplash+

A CV without evidence of achievements is an empty podium with no winners. As a branding expert with recruitment experience, I’ve seen 1000s of CVs over the years. Some have been good, but many have been quite poor. Sometimes they are far too long, jargon-heavy or just a bit dull and probably didn’t engage the person who wrote it, never mind the recruiter who was expected to read it. But without doubt, the most common mistake made on CVs is that they are not achievement-focused. The lack evidence. It was different in the past when CVs were essentially glorified job descriptions full of terms such as ‘responsible for…’ where you were just expected to include the things you did and nothing more. And that would have been sufficient then, but it certainly isn't now. Recruiters and hiring managers now expect something more tangible and with more context. They want to know what results you have achieved for the business, the impact you have created, the outcomes to which you have contributed and the value you have added by doing your role. They need to see proof of what you've achieved to visual you doing the same for their business. So how do you show achievements and outcomes in your bullet points? Think of it as a formula - ‘Achieved A by doing B’. Use action verbs such as ‘increased, improved, achieved, led and delivered’ to highlight the achievement. In fact, that single word can embody the evidence the reader is looking for. Dull example Responsible for managing sales Better example Responsible for managing sales team which improved sales by 25% in the first quarter Great example Improved sales by 25% in Q1 by motivating and managing individuals and team to implement consistent approach and aim for shared, repeatable business success This last example highlights the business result first and also demonstrates what was done to achieve it. And it doesn't need to be a long exmaple, just the result. If needed, you can talk about how you did it in more detail in the job interview and go through the STAR steps, but on the CV just focus on the Result part. Now, if you’re in sales, quantifiable metrics are much easier to identify, but what if you have a job in a field such as HR or engineering, which may not have results that are as easy to quantify? OK, it may not be possible to use percentage or financial increases, but there is always a business objective to what you do, regardless of your role, otherwise why are you doing it? Consider questions like these: Have you improved a situation in your company? Have you helped others to do their job better? Have you been involved in cost reductions? And then think about the results for the business of doing what you did. What changed between the before state and afterward? Examples Enabled senior colleagues to make informed decisions by analysing account data for indications of fraud, formulating and presenting results in customised summary reports Increased service provision and quality by leading new team and mentoring four Support Engineers, as well as initiating and delivering enhanced training As you can see, following the formula ‘Achieved A by doing B’ highlights the result for the business, as well as what you did to achieve it. Add this to a compelling profile and you increase your chances of your CV landing you an interview. It can be hard to see the wood for the trees when you are writing your own CV. And if you think you "just did my job" at work, you might feel like you haven't got any achievements anyway. But you do, there is always a before and after - and an outcome. If you'd like some help with identifying your achievements and putting together the best CV possible to get the job that you want, why not try some Career Therapy? Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk Why not follow me for more career confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn Louise Newton Instagram @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the Career Therapy Newsletter? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience - and real life. Check out my other content on CV writing and branding - How to write a CV profile, 4 Tips for a 5 star CV and Why is it important to keep your CV up to date? Photo by Limbo Imagery on Unsplash

You need the key to ATS to understand how to unlock it and work with it Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are software designed to help employers and recruiters find the most relevant applicants for a position. They scan and store CVs, sort applications, build shortlists and move selected applicants through to the next step of recruitment – with a real person. They’re automated and efficient but also narrowly focused, relying on keyword matching, with no interpretation of the depth or breadth of your experience. This means you might be the most qualified and relevant candidate, but your CV might not get picked up. So, how can you navigate ATS to get your CV read by a real person? You can’t ‘beat’ ATS. You need to understand it and work with it. I’ve read multiple articles with tips on how to beat the system and the truth is that you can’t. There is not just one ATS, but hundreds, and different companies use different Applicant Tracking Systems for their own purposes. On top of that, every ATS works slightly differently. However, like many things in life, although we may not be able to beat it, we can understand it, adapt to it and learn how to use it to help us achieve our goals. How can you optimise your CV for ATS? You may not be able to beat it, but there are ways that you can make your CV succeed within the ATS framework. Think of it as learning how to become noticeable to ATS. For example: Maximise keywords Recruiters and hiring managers use job-specific keywords in their ads. These keywords are then used within the ATS where the system is automated to look out for them and select CVs that contain them. So, study the job ad to identify those keywords and phrases then incorporate the majority of these into your CV – and cover letter if you do one. It doesn’t need to be festooned like a Christmas tree with these keywords – you’re right in thinking it still needs to scan well when a person gets to it at some point – but it does need to be keyword-rich so it gets passed on to that human stage. Think enough baubles to get noticed, not so many that it falls over. Tailor your CV every time Are you tailoring your CV to each targeted role? If not, you should be. A generic, one-size-fits-all CV is a waste of your time and the recruiter’s. Your time is valuable. Use it well. 'Easy apply' on LinkedIn is easy...but not very effective, so don't be tempted. Focus on quality, not quantity, when it comes to applications Have you included the appropriate skills on your CV? Have you incorporated keywords chosen specifically for the targeted role? Keep in mind that an automated system is programmed to look for a list of words or phrases. The ATS has its list and and it doesn’t do nuance or subtlety. Use industry-specific keywords to show a good fit for the sector. It’s things like that which position you as an experienced specialist in your field Keep it simple ATS doesn’t like elaborate CVs with lots of bells, whistles, tables and fancy graphics. Keep your formatting simple. ATS doesn’t read everything. It doesn’t look into text boxes, tables, logos, headers and footers. So, for example, if you have your contact details wrapped up in a header, take them into the main body so they can be seen by ATS Use a top-to-bottom format rather than columns. ATS is programmed to look for certain information in certain places, so make it easy for ATS to find, otherwise, your content will get scrambled Use simple bullet points, white space and a professional-looking, clear font such as Calibri, Aptos or Lato If you use acronyms, such as 'I was a volunteer for WHO,' also write them out in full. ATS doesn’t always recognise these abbreviations. Instead, write something like – volunteer for WHO (World Health Organisation) Use CV sections and titles that are standard, such as Professional Experience or Key Skills. ATS will notice these and keep reading. When you write ‘Work Stuff’, it will skip past it and your important information could be missed For your profile, use the target job title, not 'Profile' or anything similar, as ATS will be looking to find that title and will use that in the job title box it populates from your CV. This is an essential point of keyword matching. And when a human reads your CV, they know exactly what role you are targeting Be professional If you have a fun but maybe not professional email address, change it to something more appropriate. Even if it is an email address that you just have for your job search Are your contact details correct? Of course they are, you type them all the time and you’d never make a simple typing mistake... Check these details, check them twice! In fact, triple-check your spelling throughout your CV. It is simple and quick to use an online spellchecker such as Grammarly or an in-built one such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, but they don’t replace the human eye, so use them, but don’t rely on them. You won’t regret making certain by asking someone else to look it over. Then check it again yourself, word by word, line by line. A seemingly minor typo or spelling mistake, such as ‘Soles’ instead of ‘Sales’, isn’t always picked up and can not only demonstrate a lack of professionalism but also prevent your CV from getting past ATS because it didn’t include the keyword ‘Sales’. Rather important if you’re going for a sales role! And check formatting. Digital spellchecking won't notice if some of your bullets have full stops and others don't, or that your fonts are all consistent CV resume review sites like Jobscan can be useful to get a view of the ATS view and key skills. But I warn you, approach with caution, as they score on things like how often you repeat words from the job ad, which you would never see on a CV. They, of course, also want you to pay, but if you are smart, you can see the feedback for what it is and use the information to your advantage. So, play nice with ATS, work with it and it will be easy to navigate. Ignore it at your peril. And get AI to help you do the work. Drop a job description into an AI tool and ask it to extract the top 20 skills for you, then cross-reference this by running another prompt asking what the top 20 keywords are to tailor your CV for the role. That saves a huge amount of time and effort. You can go further and ask the AI tool to de-dupe those two lists and see which of the keywords are currently missing from your CV. Which means tailoring your CV to a role won't take hours every time you do it. If you’d like a professional review of your CV to check for ATS and human-reader compatibility, why not book a free call and let’s chat about how to make your CV work hard for you. Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk You can get more info and top tips from my other posts on CVs, professional brand and careers. What’s stopping you? Why not follow me for more confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn Louise Newton Instagram @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the Career Therapy Newsletter? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support grounded in years of coaching experience...and real life. Check out my other content on CV writing and branding - What is the most common CV mistake?, How to write a CV profile, 4 Tips for a 5 star CV and Why is it important to keep your CV up to date? Photo by Towfiqu Barbhuiya on Unsplash

Use the 4 Ps to feel confident, competent and convincing at interviews - and add P5 - patience! Interviews are a defining feature of our working lives. Being able to articulate clear, engaging answers about who you are and what you offer is a powerful skill, but not one many of us naturally possess or feel confident to use. The good news? You can learn it. You can practise it. And it’s not as difficult as you think. Yes, you may have to overcome nerves and fear, but the more prepared you are, the more your confidence grows - and the more those fears step aside (or at least quieten down). Looking to make an impact? Use these steps for Perfect Interviews: the 4P Approach. Purpose Why are you doing this interview? The obvious answer might be, “Because I want the job.” But taking the time to dig deeper into the why can reap big rewards and set you up for success. Firstly, think about the organisation and the role. Why does this position exist? What problem are they trying to solve? Are they looking for someone to steady the ship, drive growth, fix something broken, build something new? Secondly, who is interviewing you? A hiring manager? HR? A future peer? A senior leader? Each will have a slightly different lens. Your goal is to connect with them and align your response to what they are looking to hear, not just recite rehearsed answers. What do they care about? What do they already know about you from your CV or LinkedIn?What might they be unsure about? As with all good communication, it’s about saying what you want to say in a way your audience wants - and is ready - to hear it. Research the company. Understand its challenges. Align your examples with what matters most to them. When your purpose is clear, your answers become sharper, more relevant and more persuasive. Prepare Preparation for interviews should be divided into content and context, and you need to prepare thoroughly for both. Too many people assume they’ll “just answer the questions on the day, so they don't sound scripted.” Good luck with that. Some can. Most can’t. First impressions count and waffle is the enemy. Start with content. What are your primary messages? What are the three to five strengths or points you want them to remember about you? Which achievements and outcomes best demonstrate those strengths and your impact? Map out your stories - and make them stories that flow, not just a set of points, so you don't sound like a bored robot. Structure your stories clearly - headline result, brief situation, pivotal actions, deeper dive on result, tie in to role. Be specific. Quantify where possible. Decide what you don’t need to say - not every detail deserves airtime. (And you can always expand if asked). You don’t necessarily need to script answers word for word, but you do need clarity on your key points so you can deliver them in a confident, structured way. And if, like me, a full script is how you prep, great, but don't try to memorise, lift the key points out and keep them agile. Now think about context. Have you planned your route? Tested your tech for a virtual interview? (And cleaned up the space behind you?) Chosen what you’re wearing? Prepared thoughtful questions to ask them? Logistics matter. Small errors - a late arrival, glitchy audio, visible panic while searching for notes - can knock your confidence and distract from your message. Give yourself every possible advantage. And interviews are not a memory test. You can take some notes, have a page or open notebook on the side to refer to, so you don't miss the good bits. Practise Just what it says. And - BIG tip - say your answers out loud. This is critical. Why? Because it’s only when we hear words spoken that we discover whether they flow naturally or feel awkward and overcomplicated. Do you hesitate on a word, run out of breath because a sentence is too long, does it feel like natural flow... You need to know all these things. You may think your example is crystal clear, until you try explaining it and realise it takes three minutes to get to the point, or your brain has a blip on a word. (I will never ever use the word verisimilitude again - total tongue-tied, brain blip moment made even more embarrassing when someone else had to finish the word for me. Urgh). Practising out loud helps you: Tighten your stories Remove jargon Improve clarity Reduce filler words Manage timing Better still, practise with someone you trust. Ask them: Does this make sense? What stands out? Where do I ramble? Do I sound confident? Cringeworthy but incredibly effective? Record yourself. I know, awful to think about, but if you can't watch yourself, how will you know how you come across - and how to improve? Feedback is not the enemy, fear is. The more you know, the more you can refine. And the more you do it, the less awkward/more comfortable you get. Win-win. Watch your posture. Listen to your tone. Are you rushing? Monotone? Over-apologetic? Swivelling in your chair? Tugging your ear? Don't let your body run or ruin the show. Make sure you build in Warming Up for Interviews so your body works with you when you need it to. Interviews are a skill. Skills improve with repetition and that's how you get those extra Ps - polish and perfection. Persuade with Passion Interviews are not interrogations, they are opportunities to influence. You are not simply answering questions. You are building a case. Passion is often misunderstood. It doesn’t mean over-the-top enthusiasm and arm-waving. It means energy. Conviction. Belief in your own value. It doesn't need to be loud, just quietly, authentically convincing. Think about it - if you don’t sound interested in the role, why should they be interested in hiring you? Optimise your body language. Sit upright. Make eye contact. Smile when appropriate. Let your voice carry some variation and warmth. Speak as though what you’re saying matters - because it does. When you combine clarity with energy, you move from “competent candidate” to “compelling hire.” And the Fifth P: Patience Interviews rarely end the moment you walk out of the room or close your laptop. There may be multiple rounds. Delays. Silence. Second-guessing. Patience is crucial - with the process and with yourself. Not every interview will result in an offer. That does not mean you failed. It means there was a particular fit or level of experience they were looking for. And hiring decisions are rarely based on one factor alone. Each interview builds skill. Each one sharpens your message. Each one grows your resilience. Confidence doesn’t come from never feeling nervous. It comes from knowing you’ve done the work. If interviews fill you with dread, remember: this is a skill you can learn. You can improve. You can get better. You may still feel self-conscious. You may still feel nervous. But no one else needs to know that. If you aren't sure where to start, why not begin with a chat? Let's look at what you need most and how to boost your skills - and confidence. Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk And take a look at my other articles and tips on presentations here on the website. Why not follow me for more career confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn Louise Newton Instagram @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the Career Therapy Newsletter? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience - and real life. Check out my other content on careers and confidence: Perfect Presentations - Tip 1, Perfect Presentations - Tip 2, The 4 Ps of confidence and Purpose, Passion, Progress. Image by Resource Database for Unsplash+

In this series of five articles, I cover top tips for delivering a professional, impactful presentation. Let's focus on Perfect Presentations Tip 2 – 5 Steps for when you are asked to give a presentation during an interview. Build your skills and confidence to face an audience and present with impact Interviews can be stressful and certainly require a lot of detailed preparation. If that’s not enough to worry about,…then you are asked to give a presentation. Why? Well, presentations serve two core functions in the interviewing process. They showcase both your knowledge of a topic or process and your skills, whether that’s your ability to synthesise information, to speak with confidence, to influence and explain and to stay calm under pressure. Like lots of seemingly stressful and insurmountable obstacles to persuading someone of your general wonderfulness and getting hired, there are clear steps and actions to make the experience easier and more impactful. 1 Clarity Get absolute clarity from the recruiter or hiring manager on the what, how, when, with and why. Ask lots of questions to get the direction and information you need so you can properly and fully prepare. Plus, this shows you have a strategic brain, can ask the right questions and are not just taking information at face value. Include the practicalities as well – who will attend, on what platform and what package should the materials be in? Will you need to send slides or materials in advance? Don’t leave room for error or assumption. Be fully prepared so there are no surprises. 2 Thinking Yes, thinking. Not jumping into preparing. Take your time to think about what you’ve been asked to do, why and what it is the audience is looking for. Perhaps check in with peers or contacts who might have been through the same process or who can provide insight on what may be expected. Candidates often rush or miss out this step and it comes back to bite them, so put time on one side to really think about the what, why and how. 3 Preparation This is the doing bit. Sketch out the structure, add in the key points you want to make and start to draft content. As you do that, remember this is an interview so try to integrate examples from your career to showcase your knowledge, skills and experience and connect what you have to offer to the job requirements. The conclusion or recommendations at the end are a great place to offer insight into how you see the role progressing (with you in it). Prepare supporting notes that you can have on one side should you be asked to go into greater detail. Keep your visuals brief, highlighting key messages and data points only to keep attention on what you are saying. 4 Practise Practise again. Record yourself. Then practise some more. Practise with someone else and get feedback. You get the message. Make sure you run to time and know your content. Speak out loud when you practise so you find the flow with your words, editing or removing and phrasing or words that interrupt that flow. You don’t need to memorise your script but you do need to be able to speak with confidence. 5 Deliver And think about doing it like a tour guide. Set the scene as to what you are going to show the audience and then take them on the tour. Indicate as you go, pointing out key messages – “as you can see here…”. Your aim is to highlight and inform, not to describe what your audience already knows or can see in front of them. Like a guide, give your audience a few seconds to absorb the information, make your point and move on, signposting where you are going next. In your delivery, harness the power of the pause, steady your breathing and remember to keep eye contact with your audience. That’s it. Five steps to giving a hire-worthy presentation. If you are struggling with your preparation or practice, why not get in touch and see where a session of Career Therapy can take you? Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk Check out my other articles on interviews and presentation tips as well as on careers and confidence: You can grow your confidence, 5 steps to building confidence and Want more confidence? Take control. And utilise these tips from the job board, Indeed. Why not follow me for more career confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn Louise Newton Instagram @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the Career Therapy Newsletter? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience - and real life. Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

A pen is the perfect prop to focus your presentation In this series of five articles, I cover top tips for delivering a professional, impactful presentation. Let's start with Perfect Presentations Tip 1 – The Pen. It’s interesting how many people like to talk but don’t like to listen to themselves. And how many people don’t know what they sound like. Back in my twenties, I was surprised when I heard myself on someone’s answering machine and realised I sounded like Minnie Mouse on speed. Was my voice really that high and fast? Not long after, evidence emerged that it really was that high when I called for an ambulance and the operator asked me in a gentle voice, “Is your mummy there?” assuming I was far, far younger than my 24 years. I put that assumption down to being in pain and needing an ambulance and moved on. Or so I thought. What I realised over the years is that I had both slowed down the way I speak and lowered my voice. Partly in an attempt to lessen my accent (this was a long time before regional accents were deemed acceptable) and partly to emulate the people I admired at work, most of whom were much older than me. During a group coaching session a few years later, something happened that opened my eyes to how the way we speak can impact our ability to communicate and be understood. There’s nothing quite like being filmed giving a presentation and having to watch it back with a group of (not very supportive) colleagues to open your eyes to the way in which you come across. Surprisingly, it wasn’t my voice that lowered my performance score. That seemed OK. I spoke clearly and time seemed to have dulled the high-pitched edge, but… I waved my hands around. A LOT. So much so that no one focused on what I’d been saying, and all the feedback was about how distracting my hands had been. Clearly, I needed to keep evolving and make some changes. Being me, I researched. I studied body language articles, communication textbooks and then started to look online at successful speakers. I didn’t want to adopt the slightly odd Tony Blair “puppet hands” approach, so I settled instead for a pen. How does that work? Hold a pen loosely with one hand at either end. Don't let go. Your focus stays centred when you’re talking, and you aren’t flinging your energy - or your point - around the room. It works standing or sitting. Genius. Problem solved. I still gesticulate a bit (I am still me, after all), but at least now it tends to be with more emphasis on key points and with more certainty than in my arm-waving days. But, back to voices, I was phone coaching for interviews a few weeks ago and asked my client if he was sitting. Yes, he was. I asked him to stand and try his interview answer again. The difference was immense. Gone was the mumbling, gone was the deflated tone and gone was the monotone delivery. By standing, more air was coming into his lungs, removing the deflated, flat sound. His upright head made his voice clearer and he sounded much more confident. Not sure that he could register the difference, I suggested that he record himself speaking in both poses and he was stunned by the difference. Of course, it’s not always possible to stand on a video call or in a meeting, but we can apply the same principles – shoulders back and down, chest open and head up. All of those acts make a difference. Try it. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re interviewing. As a transition coach, I work with a lot of people now who have been made redundant and are feeling deflated. With each, I go back to a time when they felt confident and get that version of themselves to speak so they can reconnect with their strengths. Once we’ve achieved that, I ask them to record themselves and, for the brave, to film themselves. Like the pen, this simple technique produces incredible results. I’ve worked with very few people who would willingly submit to being filmed or recorded. I understand why, but based on my own experience and the experience of 100s of clients, I try to convince them that they really would benefit from seeing how others see and hear them, and from making a few changes to boost their presence. If you’d like to be more confident at interviews or in presentations, why not try a session of Career Therapy? Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk Check out my other articles on interviews and presentation tips as well as careers and confidence: You can grow your confidence, 5 steps to building confidence and Want more confidence? Take control. And find more tips in this article on using body language. Why not follow me for more career confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn Louise Newton Instagram @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the Career Therapy Newsletter? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience - and real life. Photo by Syed Hussaini on Unsplash