I have worked with Josh from Career Blueprint for nearly 7 years now. When we started, I was an intern with ‘talent and dedication, but letting myself down with my application’ as he described it. I invested so much time and energy chasing dead ends and focussing on things which were not going to get me what I wanted. I read, watched and listened to everything coaching related there was but I didn’t have a CV which would unlock doors, a network which could work for me or any sort of coherent plan as to how I was going to achieve my goal. I was just throwing a ton of mud at the wall and hoping some stuck.

We totally overhauled my early development by periodising my focus areas and my effort.  CV and networking came first as we agreed these were the immediate short-term goals. The CV got a total make over with a very clear focus on the structure, content being inline with the job spec and selling myself appropriately. This resulted which resulted in me getting interviews for every job I applied for! It was crazy going from rejection and no response to calls for interviews.

Networking support and structure was great for me, I realised how much opportunity there is to interreact within the community and also how to do it professionally. It was a game changer and it actually led to my first 2 jobs in fact.

Since those early days I have purchased the FFF decision making model which gives me principles to help me make decisions for me in 3-5-10 years’ time. I really needed this as I am getting to the stage of thinking about what’s next in my life outside of work. The career periodisation has absolutely calmed me down, I have always been in a rush to climb the ladder and actually breaking down huge goals and separating them into manageable daily actions has helped me maximise my time in each role. I think it is a bit of a must for people who can get a bit overwhelmed with what to focus on development wise and end up misspending their energy.

I will always refer back to the Career Blueprint products I have purchased along the way, but for me, my 1-2-1 consultations have always yielded tangible outcomes. So far Josh has helped me get 2 jobs, 1 promotion, 2 pay rises and talked me out of moving jobs twice (both absolutely excellent decision I must say). So, I’m a lifer. Anyone whose products and services can provide me with the guidance and skills to develop a stable, happy life is worth every penny. 

We started working together in 2013 and it’s been such a great pathway for me.

I have a young family now and its only really now that I realise how invaluable the career periodisation and FFF Decision Making Model has been for me. I didn’t know it at the time, but the work I did with the Career Blueprint guys set me up for success 5 years down the line.

I started out a bit naïve like most of us do, I was clear on my goals but I wasn’t really moving forward until we started breaking them down into daily actions and adding the structure. We mapped out a 5-year plan, then broke that down into an annual plan with quarterly goals and action items. I would never have done this for myself, the guidance and structure was so good for me.

I actually looked back at my first 5-year planner and it was amazing to see how much of it I had achieved and that is the reason I have progressed to where I am today. Because I broke down my goals into manageable chunks and then attached direct actions to them, I have grown professionally at quite a linear rate.

I am now not far off finishing my second 5-year planner and I still fill out the annual plans with regular check ins and ‘challenge sessions’ I like to call them with Josh.  Where we discuss and he challenges my plans in order for me to add another layer of depth to them.

If you are confused, maybe a slow starter, behind the crowd or keep getting rejected at interview then this career periodisation and a host of the other products they deliver will flip that on its head.

I’ve always had goals, but the steps seem so big and unattainable.  My daily actions were not in line with what I wanted to achieve long term, but now I know a lot of the small actions I need to do as part of my daily life.  I am happier and moving towards my goals again.

 
This is great value, especially to the ones who need to get their themselves together in terms of their career path (like me). I am looking forward to having my CV and networking upgraded next.

Blinkers came off on this call. I had no idea what proper, detailed, strategic professional networking was. Hence, I never got very far. I’ve now embraced a process and designed a plan which has seen me invited to the head office of a major sports science firm to view their products in action. All achieved in less than one day!

Overall, I was just plodding through life and falling out of love with the industry. But now, I feel as though I am more proactive, productive and have a greater sense of positivity towards the industry and what changes I need to make, just from getting a few early yes’s from connecting with the right people.

As I’ve been working within the NHS for several years I hadn’t needed to develop my CV, when I started to explore other opportunities I worked with Josh to help capture my experience in a way that would really speak to the new audiences.

I sent him my draft CV & we followed up with a coaching session. Josh worked through my CV, pulling out elements to enhance, suggesting areas to pull back & making several format changes, all of which he explained thoroughly with solid reasoning.

The result was a punchy CV that captured me on a page. I am now in a new role and would recommend Josh to anyone else wanting to polish their CV to help them make that next step