Grow Your Own Career | The Career Farm

For the final episode of 2021, Jane Barrett is joined by Tom Lawrance.

Tom is currently Head of Careers in Global Industries for University of Oxford's Saïd Business School. Prior to that, he was at Amazon for 11 years, where he ran the team responsible for hiring MBAs into Amazon's consumer and finance leadership programs across Europe.

In this episode Tom will take you through every step of Amazon's recruitment process.

What you will learn:
- The application process at Amazon
- How to align yourself to Amazon's leadership principles
- How to prepare for Amazon's interviews
- The steps for getting an internal referral
- A desirable skill for all Amazon jobs
 
Quote:
"There's so many people, so many roles you can't really stand out.... it's more about aligning yourself really well to the role."
- Tom Lawrance
 
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Direct download: How_to_Get_Hired_by_Amazon_with_Tom_Lawrance.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00am UTC

Our guest this month is Mike Mascarenhas. Mascarenhas is an International Campus Recruiting Lead for Boston Consulting Group (BCG) based in Barcelona. Previously he was a Senior Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers and worked at IESE Business school, which is where he got his MBA. 
 
In this episode he takes you behind the scenes and tells you what BCG look for in prospective hires and what their application process looks like. 
 
What you will learn:
- The application process at BCG
- What makes an impressive application
- The biggest mistake candidates make in interviews
- Ways to differentiate yourself
- What people get wrong in networking and what you should be doing instead
 
Quote:
"I do think that the MBA is a really good launch pad into consulting. I don't have specific statistics for you, but I can say with certainty that it is, as a whole, a little bit easier to enter post-MBA than post-undergraduate, just because of the volume of applicants that we see." - Mike Mascarenhas
 
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Direct download: How_to_Get_a_Job_at_Boston_Consulting_Group_with_Mike_Mascarenhas.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:00am UTC

Our guest this month is Aliya Ali-Afzal. Ali-Afzal has been a career coach for more than 15 years and is currently a freelance career coach with The Kellogg-WHU Executive MBA Program. In addition to her coaching, she's also author of the recent book, Would I Lie to You?, and is a creative writing mentor at Jericho Writers.

In this episode Ali-Afzal describes how she went from having no background in writing to obtaining a two-book deal from a leading publisher. What's remarkable is she's done this while maintaining her career and while raising three children.

What you will learn in this interview:
- Developing your career while being a working mother
- Acquiring a literary agent and landing a book deal
- Aliya's writing process
- Issues surrounding redundancy
 
Quote:

"I think we know that a huge key to a lot of the things that we do, it's not our ability, it's not even our motivation, sometimes it's like a mental block and you need that coach. I really had to just give myself permission to do something for myself as well, irrespective of whether I would sell it or not, because it was enough that it made me happy and it was something I wanted to do." - Aliya Ali-Afzal

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To find out about creative writing mentoring sessions from Aliya
https://jerichowriters.com/our-services/121-support/mentoring-service/%E2%80%AFaliya-ali-afzal/
Direct download: Alylia_Ali_-Afzal_final.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:45am UTC

Our guest this month is Paul Hargreaves. Paul is the founder and chief executive of Cotswold Fayre Ltd., which is a specialist and fine food wholesaler supplying nearly 2000 retail outlets in the UK. He is also the author of 'Forces for Good' and the recent book, 'The Fourth Bottom Line'.
 
In this episode Paul explains how he grew Cotswold Fayre from the cellar of his home to a leading UK food wholesaler. We'll also talk about why Paul made Cotswold Fayre a B Corp in 2015 and the benefits of running a B Corp. 
 
What you will learn in this interview:
- How to start a business that has a social impact
- Advice on launching a food brand in 2021
- The advantages of B Corps
- Lessons in leadership
 
Quote:
"If we need one characteristic in this world for leaders, I think it's compassion." - Paul Hargreaves
 
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Direct download: Paul_Hargreaves-How_to_Launch_a_Successful_B_Corp.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:34pm UTC

We are delighted to give you our new Hiring Trends Report so you can see what sectors are hiring.

Download it here

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Direct download: Jane_Barrett_Hiring_Report.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am UTC

Our guest this month is Janie van Hool. Van Hool is a RADA (The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) trained actress and corporate communications specialist. She's worked with many different companies (Vodafone, Nationwide, Sainsburys, London Business School, Imperial College) and leaders to improve their communication skills. She's also the author of the new book, The Listening Shift: Transform your organization by listening to your people and helping your people listen to you.


Her book is a constructive toolkit for raising the game in communication, providing the tools you need to create a listening environment where colleagues are heard and acknowledged, and yet understand clearly how to move forward.

What you will learn in this interview:
- How preparing like a performer will improve your interviews
- A breathing technique to prime you for an interview
- How to use silence to your advantage
- The best ways to interrupt someone
- How to be listened to at a meeting

Quote:
"I think listening carefully is the thing that gets hijacked when we are under interview pressure.” - Janie van Hool

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Direct download: Janie_Van_Hool_final_cut.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:23am UTC

In this episode, Jane analyses Bill Gates' new book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need.

Jane talks about what opportunities there might be in the future of work, not only in terms of innovative businesses, but also in terms of the type of work that might be available in the future.

She then discusses the emerging markets addressing climate change, including international agricultural research and global green technology. Finally, she highlights one innovative company working to make a difference.

Blog Post: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster? A Career Opportunity in the Face of a Crisis

 

Direct download: Climate_Disaster-_A_career_opportunity_in_the_face_of_a_crisis.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:12pm UTC

Clinical psychologist Dr Candice Seti joins Jane to discuss self-sabotage, with questions taken from the audience watching via live stream.

In her specialist field helping people with weight loss and weight management, Dr Seti became aware of the overarching theme of self sabotage, which she defines as "standing in your own way".

She cites imposter syndrome as one of the many causes of self sabotage, and how important it can be to admit to what we don't know, rather than try and bluster our way through unfamiliar territory.

Jane and Dr Seti discuss their own self sabotaging voices, giving them names and finding ways to externalise them to make it easier to combat. They also talk about ways to combat procrastination, using Dr Seti's writing process as an example.

Direct download: 21-04-26_Candice_Seti.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am UTC

In this episode, Jane talks to tax specialist Josephine Bush about her corporate transition into the world of ESG.

Josephine started life as a solicitor, focusing on accounting early into her career and navigating the change to a more client-focused role. After finding a niche delivering tax services for renewables businesses, working within Ernst & Young, Josephine was able to carve out this niche at a time when fewer people were thinking about renewable energy.

As she began to work within the sector, her passion for environmentalism and her sense of purpose grew. Since then she has pursued a certificate in ESG investing through the CFA Institute, and enrolled in a sustainable finance course with the Cambridge Institute of Sustainable Leadership,

Josephine believes that no business or individual is immune to the effects of climate change, but sees a wealth of opportunity for people who want to apply themselves to roles within environmental, social, and corporate governance.

Direct download: 21-03-24_Josephine_Bush.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am UTC

Jane is joined by Territory Manager at Shell, Thomas Hughes, to discuss finding work based on your passion, and making the most out of an MBA.

Thomas' first job at the age of 16 was washing pots for a banquet hall. He originally applied to study archeology, but instead chose to study international relations at Sheffield University. He was then offered a US internship to work at a lobbying company, then returned to his original occupation in hospitality.

Feeling it was time to change tack, Thomas then applied for an MBA, which encouraged and empowered him to look for work based on the impact he wanted to make in the world, rather than the industry he wanted to work within. This led him to an interview with Shell, where Thomas' passion for environmental issues saw him through the initial video interview, to the face-to-face interview, to eventually working as Territory Manager for the company.

Thomas provides his advice for students taking an MBA, and to anyone newly entering the world of work.

Going forwards, Thomas is committed to helping Shell continue its mission towards sustainable energy and electric vehicles.

Direct download: 21-02-22_Thomas_Hughes.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am UTC

Jane discusses sustainable seaweed farming with Director of SeaGrown, Wave Crookes.

Former navy man and fisherman Wave and his marine-scientist partner Laura were working on a ship Antarctica, they came up with their seaweed farming business, as a way of allowing them to work in marine biology.

When Wave originally applied to join the Royal Navy, he was told to finish his studies before re-applying, which he did, and doesn’t regret. After working in the oil and gas industry, Wave wanted to focus his company on “giving something back”. Now SeaGrown is one of only a small number of larger-scale seaweed farms.

Direct download: 21-01-26_Wave_Crookes.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am UTC

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