Career Launch

A job search that starts with a plan beats one that starts with a job board. The order is simple: know yourself, choose targets, shape your story, then meet people. Steadiness matters as much as skill.

• Write the goal in one sentence with a date: 'By 31 March I will start a role as a ___ in ___.' A goal you can test is a goal you can work toward.
• Split the search into four weekly blocks: thinking (self and targets), making (CV, stories), meeting (conversations), and practising (interviews). Put each block in your calendar.
• Many roles are often filled through conversations before they are advertised, so plan for conversations, not only applications.
• Build habits that survive a bad week: a fixed start time, a daily minimum (for example 2 conversations or 3 applications), a short end-of-day note of what moved.
• Choose one honest measure of progress per week: number of useful conversations held.

Activity. Write your one-sentence goal, your weekly four-block calendar, and your daily minimum. Share them with a peer who checks them each Friday.

Standard to meet. Write a goal with a date and a role; schedule all four blocks with times in the calendar; set a daily minimum small enough to do on your worst day.

Choices feel random until you name what matters to you. Your answers become the filter for every role you look at.

• Rank what matters at work: learning, income, freedom, impact, security, status, balance. Force a ranking: only two can be first.
• Find strengths with two questions: where do you lose track of time, and where do others come to you for help? Ask three people who know you and compare with your own list.
• Decide the size of your next move: a small step (same field, next level), a bigger jump (new field, same skills) or a complete change. Each needs different evidence and a different timeline.
• Turn the answers into a one-page filter: top 3 motivators, top 3 strengths, move size, and three deal-breakers.

Activity. Complete the one-page filter. Test it on two real job adverts: does each pass or fail, and why?

Standard to meet. Rank without ties; back each strength with one example; judge both adverts against the filter in writing.

A short, well-chosen list of targets beats a long, vague one. One page per target keeps you focused.

• Pick 8 to 12 target organisations or roles that pass your filter. If you cannot say why one fits, remove it.
• Target page: why it fits (two lines), what they need (from adverts and their public information), who you know, who you need to meet, next step with a date.
• Review weekly: move names between columns (cold, warm, in conversation, interviewing, closed).
• Count conversations as well as applications; conversations lead to openings.

Activity. Build 8 target pages and a one-screen board with the five columns.

Standard to meet. Give every target a fit reason and a dated next step; update the board twice in the week.

Employers hire results, not duties. Grow each story in three passes, keep your CV to results, and make your public profile match.

• Three passes per story: what you did; what improved (number, before and after); what a leader would call outstanding (scale and lasting effect).
• Use the story frame: Situation, Mission, Action, Result, Takeaway. Use 'I' for what you did.
• CV: one page up to five years of experience. Three to four achievement lines per role, each with an action verb, scale, result and time. Plain layout.
• Public profile: headline with role and focus; first two lines of the About section with one number; three expert topics; consistent with your CV; no confidential information or personal ID.

Activity. Write three stories through all three passes; write a one-page CV; rewrite your profile headline and first two lines. See the full flagship 'Resume and Professional Profile' for the detailed method.

Standard to meet. Number every story, keep the CV to one page, and check that two peers can repeat one number from your CV after a quick read.

Hunt for conversations, not only adverts. Four routes work together: advertised roles, recruiters, your network and direct approaches.

• Advertised roles: as a rule of thumb, apply where you meet most of the requirements (many people use about two thirds), and tailor your summary to the advert's key words.
• Recruiters: send a short note with your target, your evidence and your dates; keep it professional; never pay a fee to be placed.
• Network: start with people you already know. A short information conversation asks for advice, never for a job.
• Direct approaches: a short message to a person in a target organisation, with one specific question.
• Keep a weekly tracker: name, date, route, what was said, next step. Effort that is not recorded disappears.

Activity. Send five messages across at least three routes. Keep the tracker for one week. Write a one-page review: what worked, what to change.

Standard to meet. Keep each message under 80 words with one small ask; complete the tracker; name one change in the review.

Interviewers predict future behaviour from past examples. Prepare six stories and tell each in five beats.

• Six stories: leadership, conflict, failure, change, teamwork, initiative.
• Five beats: context, challenge, action, result, lesson. About two minutes each; say 'I', give a number, and end on the lesson.
• Practise out loud with a timer. Record yourself and listen for filler words and missing results.
• Prepare two questions about the role and the team. Research the organisation: what it does, who it serves, one recent development you can honestly respect.
• Plan the logistics: route, time, documents, a calm start.

Activity. Write six stories in five beats. Do a 20-minute mock interview with a peer using a rubric. Score and note two improvements.

Standard to meet. Time each story at about two minutes or less, complete the mock interview, and date two improvements.

Follow up well and know when you have talked to enough people. Keep several serious conversations running so no single result decides your future.

• Send a thank-you within the same day; add one new idea or a useful detail you forgot to mention.
• Ask what happens next and when you will hear back; put the date in your tracker.
• As a rule of thumb, aim for about seven serious conversations at once, give or take two. Fewer than that makes every result feel life-or-death; more spreads you too thin.
• Review honestly every week: conversations held, interviews, second interviews, offers. Let the numbers guide where to spend effort.
• Handle silence: one polite follow-up after the stated date, then move on.

Activity. Write three follow-up notes for three real or practice interviews. Build a pipeline table with stages and counts.

Standard to meet. Send notes within a day; date the pipeline table; choose one action from the numbers.

A package is more than salary. Research a fair range, use more than one offer honestly and agree in writing.

• List the whole package: base pay, bonus, benefits, growth, flexibility, notice period, working place, training budget.
• Research a fair range from several public sources for your place and level; write the range down before you talk numbers.
• Say what you want in one clear sentence with a reason; then stop talking and listen.
• More than one offer gives you a calm voice, but never invent offers; honesty protects your reputation.
• Get the final terms in writing, thank everyone, and decline politely with a reason and a door left open.

Activity. Write a package comparison for two real or practice offers. Write the exact sentence you would say, and role-play it twice with a peer.

Standard to meet. Compare all package parts; source the range; write a clear and honest sentence.

Land well, keep learning and carry your method into every future move.

• The first 90 days set your reputation: listen first, learn how work really gets done, and deliver one early win.
• Write a 30-60-90 day plan with a goal, a measure and a person to check in with for each stage.
• Keep your target map, stories and network alive even when you are happy; update once a quarter.
• Review your motivators each year; careers change as you do.
• Help the next person: share what worked; generosity returns.

Activity. Write your 30-60-90 plan and a yearly review date. Mentor one peer for 20 minutes.

Standard to meet. Plan has three dated goals with measures; review date is in the calendar; one peer is helped.

On the slide: L1 Basic · What a career plan is

Notes: Say what a goal, a target and a calendar are. Notes: contrast "apply to lots of jobs" with a named role and date.

On the slide: L2 Awareness · Know your drivers

Notes: List your motivators and strengths. Notes: use a simple filter sheet and agree it with a peer.

On the slide: L3 Foundation · Aim at a target board

Notes: Choose a short list of target employers with reasons. Notes: each target page states the fit and one thing you can offer.

On the slide: L4 Practitioner · Stories and outreach

Notes: Write achievement stories and a first message to a person in the field. Notes: no request for a job in the first message; ask for a short conversation.

On the slide: L5 Specialist · Interview and follow up

Notes: Practise answers, including a failure story in five beats, and send a follow-up note. Notes: record a mock interview and score it.

On the slide: L6 Advanced · Offer and negotiation

Notes: Prepare a respectful negotiation script based on research. Notes: practise stating a range for the level and place and asking for time.

On the slide: L7 Super expert · Run a career-launch cohort

Notes: Plan a cohort programme with a weekly rhythm and a 30-60-90 plan for each learner. Notes: review progress records and adapt the plan.