Career Chinwags for the 21st Century with Catherine Cunningham

Have you ever felt unsatisfied at work, or just not happy with your career in general? It's possible you're in a role that doesn't match your personality profile. In Episode 46 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine takes you on a self-discovery journey using MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator). Take a listen as Catherine delves into the MBTI personality profile of ENFJ. ENFJ stands for Extroversion, Intuition, Feeling & Judging. If you're an ENFJ this podcast will help you to discover what makes you tick in the world of work.

If you’re an ISFP this podcast episode can help you to discover what makes you tick in the world of work. Have you ever felt unsatisfied at work, or just not happy with your career in general? It's possible you're in a role that doesn't match your personality profile. In Episode 45 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine takes you on a self-discovery journey using MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator). Take a listen as Catherine delves into the MBTI personality profile of ISFP. ISFP stands for Introversion, Sensing, Feeling & Perceiving. If you're an ISFP this podcast will help you to discover what makes you tick in the world of work and what jobs you are most suited to.

Have you ever felt unsatisfied at work, or just not happy with your career in general? It's possible you're in a role that doesn't match your personality profile. In Episode 44 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine takes you on a self-discovery journey using MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator). Take a listen as Catherine delves into the MBTI personality profile of INTP. INTP stands for Introversion, Intuition, Thinking & Perceiving. If you're an INTP this podcast will help you to discover what makes you tick in the world of work and what jobs you are most suited to.

Have you ever felt unsatisfied at work, or just not happy with your career in general? It's possible you're in a role that doesn't match your personality profile. In Episode 43 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine takes you on a self-discovery journey using MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator). Take a listen as Catherine delves into the MBTI personality profile of ISFJ. ISFJ stands for Introversion, Sensing, Feeling and Judging. If you're an ISFJ this podcast will help you to discover what makes you tick in the world of work and what jobs you are most suited to.

Have you ever felt unsatisfied at work, or just not happy with your career in general? It could be that you are in a job that is not suited to your personality profile. In Episode 42 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine takes you on a self-discovery journey. She delves into the MBTI personality profile of INFP. If you're an INFP this podcast will help you to discover what makes you tick in the world of work and what jobs you are most suited to.

Have you ever felt unsatisfied at work, or just not happy with your career in general? It could be that you are in a job that is not suited to your personality profile. In Episode 41 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine takes you on a self-discovery journey. She delves into the MBTI personality profile of ESTJ. If you're an ESTJ, this podcast will help you to discover what makes you tick in the world of work and what jobs you are most suited to.

Have you ever felt unsatisfied at work, or just not happy with your career in general? It could be that you are in a job that is not suited to your personality profile. In Episode 40 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine takes you on a self-discovery journey. She delves into the MBTI personality profile of ISTP. If you're an ISTP, this podcast will help you to discover what makes you tick in the world of work and what jobs you are most suited to.

Do you ever feel a sense of helplessness when it comes to your career? Perhaps you’ve lost your way, or you're burnt out, or you may even feel that your career has stalled. This can be especially difficult if you are in the later years of your life, when your age can feel like a barrier between you and a new career. In episode 39 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine offers 5 Tips to help you deal with a mid-life career crisis.

Have you ever felt unsatisfied at work, or just not happy with your career in general? It could be that you are in a job that is not suited to your personality profile. In Episode 38 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine takes you on a self-discovery journey. She delves into the MBTI personality profile of INTJ. If you're an INTJ , this podcast will help you to discover what makes you tick in the world of work and what jobs you are most suited to.

In Episode 37 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century Catherine keeps it short, sharp and shiny. First, she covers a true ‘career war story’, and lessons learnt from this: In this case, she talks about your communication style in an interview and how to make this work for you. Next, she offers a tip on how to start off your interview confidently. It all begins in Reception. Your posture, your body language, your walk – all play a crucial role in how you will feel throughout the interview. Lastly, she talks through a famous quote by Scott Peck 'Our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers’. In this case she is talking about stepping out of your comfort zone in order to succeed in your career.

Have you ever felt unsatisfied at work, or just not happy with your career in general? It could be that you are in a job that is not suited to your personality profile. In Episode 36 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine takes you on a self-discovery journey. She delves into the MBTI personality profile of ENFP. If you're an ENFP , this podcast will help you to discover what makes you tick in the world of work and what jobs you are most suited to.

A question to ask yourself at the start of 2022 is - how satisfied are you at work? Perhaps it's time to switch from negativity to new, positive emotions about your career. In Episode 25 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century I use an eclectic mix of big picture items and practical suggestions to enhance your work happiness and success this year.

Have you ever felt unsatisfied at work, or just not happy with your career in general? It could be that you are in a job that is not suited to your personality profile. In Episode 34 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine takes you on a self-discovery journey. She delves into the MBTI personality profile of INFJ – 'Catalysts for positive change'. If you're an INFJ, this podcast will help you to discover what makes you tick in the world of work and what jobs you are most suited to.

In Episode 33 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine offers 12 (career) Christmas gifts. She covers 12 important aspects of your career to review to help you find happiness in 2022.

Have you ever felt unsatisfied at work, or just not happy with your career in general? It could be that you are in a job that is not suited to your personality profile. In Episode 32 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine takes you on a self-discovery journey. She delves into the MBTI personality profile of ENTJ – 'Everything's fine, I'm in charge'. If you're an ENTJ, this podcast will help you to discover what makes you tick in the world of work and what jobs you are most suited to.

Have you ever felt unsatisfied at work, or just not happy with your career in general? It could be that you are in a job that is not suited to your personality profile. In Episode 31 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine takes you on a self-discovery journey. She delves into the MBTI personality profile of ISTJ – 'take your time and do it right'. If you're an ISTJ, this podcast will help you to discover what makes you tick in the world of work and what jobs you are most suited to.

Have you ever felt unsatisfied at work, or just not happy with your career in general? It could be that you are in a job that is not suited to your personality profile. In Episode 30 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine takes you on a self-discovery journey. She delves into the MBTI personality profile of ESFJ – the ‘conscientious helpers'. If you're an ESFJ, this podcast will help you to discover what makes you tick in the world of work and what jobs you are most suited to.

In Episode 29 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century Catherine covers practical steps to take when you’ve just lost your job. She then talks about a true ‘career war story’; one that provides lessons learnt and how to bring these lessons into your own career life. Finally, she talks through a famous quote by Steve Jobs ‘The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle’. She discusses what the quote means, and breaks it down into real-world terms. Basically, you need to identify your key drivers, what does your ideal world/career look like? Focus on this, and find a job that suits.

Have you ever felt unsatisfied at work, or just not happy with your career in general? It could be that you are in a job that is not suited to your personality profile. In Episode 28 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine takes you on a self-discovery journey. She delves into the MBTI personality profile of ENTP – the ‘visionary profile'. If you're an ENTP, this podcast will help you to discover what makes you tick in the world of work and what jobs you are most suited to.

If you're applying for jobs but not making it to the interview stage, it's most likely a problem with your pre-interview documents (i.e. your Cover Letter or résumé). In Episode 27 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine looks at some obvious and not so obvious statistics about résumés so that you can audit your document and make any necessary changes. She covers 9 résumé statistics from key sources such as Glassdoor, Jobvite, Careerbuilder and Zety so that you make it to the interview stage. 

Don’t ruin your job prospects at the last minute by failing to consider your referees. In Episode 25 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century Catherine offers 10 tips to help keep your referees on track during this final and important stage of the job search.

Think you’re too astute to make career errors? Technical blunders, lack of thought, unhelpful mindsets – any one of these can derail your career prospects. In Episode 25 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century Catherine tackles 6 mistakes that could be hindering your career. She offers tips to help you correct them and to help you get your career back on track!

Have you ever considered yourself as a brand when managing your career? In Episode 24 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century Catherine takes the work of 2 global marketing experts and translates them into the careers space so that you can take advantage of them. Master these tips to be ahead of your competitors and to be front of mind when your dream role appears.

Job interviews are not something to be considered lightly. Especially when it’s your dream job at stake! In Episode 23 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine covers critical 9 errors that people commonly make in interviews and tips on how to recover from these errors.

Troubling statistics reveal that as little as 7% of women negotiate their salary. Women executives who consistently negotiate their salary are able to earn at least $1,000,000 more than those who don’t! In Episode 22 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine covers 5 tips to help women feel more comfortable when it comes to salary negotiation.

Sometimes it only takes 90 seconds for a hiring manager to decide whether they are going to hire a candidate or not. Regardless of what you have to say during the interview. In Episode 21 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine talks through first impressions in a job interview and tips on how to make sure you’ve got this covered. She covers Body language (What to wear, posture, the handshake…), your Voice and the Words you use. Nail all 3 and you are well on your way to winning the job.              

Being successful in a job interview requires practice, preparation…and more practice (unless you’re a natural…and not many of us are!). When the job at stake is your dream role, you really want to nail it! In Episode 20 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine covers 3 types of interviews you are likely to face. She then distinguishes between standard interview questions and advanced interview techniques. Along the way, there's tips and tricks so that you thrive in this critical part of your job search.

Lets face it, how many individuals are natural leaders? Most will actually shy away at the idea of leading a team, scared of their own abilities and perhaps lack of leadership qualities.   Yet, fortunately or unfortunately, many of the most interesting jobs come attached with the need to manage people. In Episode 19 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine outlines 10 qualities of a successful leader to help you assess your own leadership abilities. To help you with your ‘audit’, she provides examples of the attributes found in one of the most wonderful natural leaders she knows.

Leadership is probably the rarest quality in the world of work, yet the most sought after.   The pendulum has long ago shifted to this intangible quality being a necessity at senior levels, rather than a desirable element. In fact, whether we’re a University graduate, a Supervisor or an Executive, we’re all supposed to be leaders these days.  And not just a run of the mill leader, but a resilient leader. In Episode 18, Catherine to covers five critical elements of resilient leadership.  Assess your ability to prove to your future employer that you possess these rare and valuable qualities. 

Have you ever dreamed of a new career but thought to yourself ‘well I’m stuck in this job, and there are no other options’. This negative self-talk can wreak havoc in our lives, especially when it comes to finding happiness in our career. In Episode 17, Catherine looks at 5 negative self-talk moments that could be disastrous for your career. She talks through each one, and offers tips on how to switch to a more positive mindset  and how to stop the negative self-talk in its tracks.

The number of interview questions that can be asked by Human Resources, the hiring manager, and other interviewers is limitless. Imagine your horror (and resultant poor performance) when their first question is one of those hoary old questions you thought were as dead as a dodo. In this p0odcast Episode, Catherine covers practical tips to help you deliver confident, genuine and authentic responses to these common interview questions. She offers example answers along the way that will hopefully help you to win the job.

Are you on the hiring end of the recruitment process?  If so, you really need to hone in on your recruitment practices if you want to find the top candidates. Candidates may be left with a bitter taste in their mouth if they encounter any obstacles with the application process. In this podcast episode, Catherine covers 7 ‘real life’ key issues that recruiters may face during the recruitment process. She discusses the pitfalls of each one, and offers advice on how to move towards ‘Best Practice’ methods.

How would you rate your career happiness? Do you enjoy going to work each day, or do you dread getting out of bed knowing what’s ahead? Finding joy in your work and workplace may not always be easy, but it is achievable. In Episode 15 of Catherine’s Podcast, she covers 12 specific career issues that should help you to be happier at work.  

Christmas time...end of year celebrations...there is always so much happening in December. It’s important though, to take some time out to consider your career happiness. Are you actually happy with your job? In Episode 13 of Career Chinwags for the 21st Century, Catherine talks through 3 ‘brickbats’ that could be holding you back from finding happiness in your job. She then moves onto the ‘bouquets’, providing 3 examples of how doing it right can lead you to your dream job.

Interviews are a tough gig! You have to get every aspect right to be in with a winning chance. Once you’ve nailed body language, tone of voice and appearance…you need to focus on communication styles AND how you can best influence your interviewer. In this podcast Episode, Catherine introduces Carl Jung’s assessment tool ‘I speak your language’ and the 4 basic communication styles related to this. She goes into depth about each of the 4 styles, and how you can win the interview by changing your style to match the interviewer's. This technique requires high skill, but nailing it could be the difference between winning and losing the job.

If you're having trouble making it through to the interview stage when applying for jobs, you need to go back and look at why the employer is not wanting to meet you. It's likely your Cover Letter isn't doing the job it's meant to do. Statistics reveal that 40% of employers think that a Cover Letter is more important than the résumé. And, 76% will reject a candidate due to poor grammar or a spelling mistake!  The bottom line is, your Cover Letter is a crucial element to the application process. In this podcast episode, Catherine covers 10 critical areas you need to consider when writing a Cover Letter. By the end of the episode, you will be able to write a winning cover letter that has the hiring manager think 'wow, I can't wait to find out more'.  

Are you in your fifties or early sixties and have the desire to keep working, but not the confidence or belief that you'll be able to do so? You might feel as though the market place has written you off? As Baby Boomers retire and the power moves decisively to younger generations, you may need to work a bit harder to pick up that next role if you are an older worker. In Episiode 10, Catherine covers 4 specific techniques that older workers should adopt to win their next job.   

Do you get at least one phone call a year from someone asking you to come work for them? We all know and probably envy people who regularly get poached from their current role by another employer.  What these people are doing is reaping the reward for their ongoing Career Mastery. Perhaps without realising it, they behave as if they are a business – in career terms, it’s called “Me Ltd”. In this Podcast Episode, Catherine introduces this concept of ‘Me Ltd”. She covers 2 areas – how to excel in the workplace and how to create a persuasive career marketing kit.

On any day at work, you are likely to speak more than 60% of the time - persuading, instructing, influencing, explaining, motivating or counselling others. Sometimes the words and phrases you use may damage your interactions with work mates, or even worse, they may affect your job prospects at interviews! In this Podcast Episode (and upcoming episodes), Catherine takes a break from the Managing your Career during the Corona Virus Season. Instead she will discuss various career issues. The issue of damaging words, is an important one, especially in a job interview when you only get short time to impress your potential employer.  Episode 8 covers 10 words and phrases that you should try to avoid at work AND in a job interview.

How do you feel about your current job? Are you happy…bored…or are you just feeling a little lost in your career and not sure where to go from here? In Episode 7 of Managing your Career during the Corona Virus Season Catherine covers 4 tips to help you find the ideal job. She talks about the important self-assessment tools used to determine what a 'perfect' career might look like.  The self-assessment tools include: - Myers Briggs Type Indicator - Career Values -  Career Skills and Interests - Assessing Workmates and Work Environment

The coronavirus pandemic has left many of us feeling severely pressured due to the disruption it has had on our careers and lives. A report just released by ING Bank said that more than three million Australians are thinking about changing careers once the Corona Virus subsides and nearly 30% have considered learning new skills to insulate themselves from future economic upheaval, including those who actually still have jobs. In Episode 6 of Managing your Career in the Corona Virus Season, Catherine covers 5 areas for you to consider to help you feel more secure in your career both now and once the coronavirus crisis has subsided. The first tip she covers is look before you leap, and carefully consider what it is you want to do. Secondly, she talks through making sure you investigate the safety of potential job sectors. She then moves onto a discussion about right brain jobs, and whether these are worth considering. Next, it's how to minimise the pain of moving jobs and finally, if you decide to stay in your current role, how can you future proof yourself (from losing your job!).

Younger workers typically have more trouble finding and maintaining employment in a recession. In the US during what Australians call the Global Financial Crisis, although the unemployment rate for all workers peaked at 10%, the rate for workers between 16 and 24 years old rose to 19.2%. Unfortunately due to the coronavirus crisis, many young Australians are now faced with a tough gig...of finding their first job during a global recession. In Episode 5 of Managing your Career in the Corona Virus Season, Catherine offers 5 specific tips to help graduates win a GOOD first job as quickly and easily as possible amid a pandemic.

To be successful in a Video Interview you need to be both mentally and technically ready. If you’re new to Zoom/Skype or any other platform interviewers may use, it may be time to upskill! In Episode 4 of Managing your Career in the Corona Virus Season, Catherine offers tips to help you sell yourself in a Video Interview. First, she covers the importance of treating the interview like a performance. She then delves into the technical side, with tips on lighting, IT and sound.

When it comes to Job Search Networking, most people misunderstand how to use this wonderful tool to get a job. They think of sipping Champagne and schmoozing people at a function. But Job Search Networking is much more involved than this. Those who do understand the strategy and who are brave enough to do it, will not only survive, they will also thrive in their career. In Episode 3 of Managing your Career in the Corona Virus Season, Catherine delves further into how to use Job Search Networking to win a job, especially in a time of crisis. This follows on from Episode 2, where Catherine covers Part 1 of this topic. This is a wonderful but very strict and specific approach so Catherine takes it slowly. First of all she talks you through how to contact your Secondary Contact and set up a meeting. Secondly, she covers in detail how to conduct this meeting and finally, the next steps after the meeting.

Most people have heard of job search networking but they misunderstand how to use networking to get a job. They think of sipping Champagne and schmoozing people at a function. Or they ask their contacts if they know anyone who needs someone like them. Neither of these approaches works well.   There is actually a very specific approach to job search networking. It will require a considerable amount of time and effort...BUT...the rewards will be worth it, especially if you target a specific sector/industry...or even job! In Episode 2 of the Managing your Career in the Corona Virus Season, Catherine will outline how to use Job Search Networking to pick up a job, especially in a time of crisis. There are 2 parts to this topic, and in this first part, Catherine covers the oh-so important topic of how to set up a meeting with your primary contact. She provides many examples, scripts and true stories to help you along the way.

One of my friends works in the theatre and she sees no hope of returning to that world even after the initial coronavirus crisis passes. She needs a job. Another client came to me last year because he wasn’t enjoying work anymore. If I was talking to him now, I’d be talking to him about how to reinvigorate his job in case he just has to stay put. What about you? Are you looking for work? Unhappy at work? Not sure of how to manage your career during this crisis? Or even whether your career will survive? Managing your career has become a lot more difficult and complicated. Pre Covd-19, if you didn’t like your job, you just left. And what about trying to get a new job when you’re competing against so many others? In Episode 1 of the Managing your Career in the Corona Virus Season, Catherine covers 2 critical areas. First, she will outline how to revive your love affair with your current job, if you’re decidedly over it. Then, she talks to you about exactly WHICH ducks you need to get in a row to win that next job.