“As a product manager, you have to be an expert on your users, their problems. You need to be an expert on the business, what matters to the business. And you need to figure out a way to solve their problems in a way that also achieves your business objectives—finding the middle ground of what the business cares about, what the users care about, and aligning a product vision that helps you to sort of check both boxes.”
Read MoreLucie Cunningham is the founder and CEO of THE HomeShare, a not-for-profit organisation which provides a cost-effective solution to both home care for older people and affordable accommodation for young people, through their bespoke matching and monitoring service.
But she didn’t start there! Lucie actually started her career as cabin crew before moving into the social care industry, and then later decided to start her own business. She had no plan B but she credits her passion for the homecare service with being able to drive the business and keep going through difficult days.
Read More‘You really have to be patient with yourself in any transition period of your life, right? So when I went from full time to freelance and also when I went from freelancer to course creator, I fell into this trap of being really impatient about it and thinking, "where are the results?! [But] they take time to come. It's really a difficult period, but it doesn't last forever.“‘
Thalita Milan’s career has gone from marketing automation to online course creation, from working for startups to working for herself. What I find really interesting about Thalita, is that she’s continuously looking for ways to stand out from the crowd while adding value. She demonstrated this by learning new software in a company when others were struggling to understand it, by sending video applications for freelance gigs online, and by continuously updating her customer offers.
During the interview we spoke about how to get started with course creation, the secrets to maintaining loyal customers and the practical steps behind being an online content creator.
You can find out more about Thalita here:
Website: thalitamilan.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thalita-milan/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt9uiRkIYgo9LZ2BmUYxm2A
Read MoreLast week I went to the web summit in Lisbon and got the chance to meet with lots of ambitious people in software development and technology. One of them was Ailish McCarthy, who runs her software development studio, helping non-tech founders get their tech built.
Ailish spoke about trends in the industry, the challenges of female founders getting investment, tips for how business owners can communicate with software developers and her plans for her own business.
If you’d like to connect with, you can find her here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ailishmccarthy/
Website: ailishmccarthy.com
Read MoreTalia is a freelance travel consultant specialising in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. She has lived in 8 different countries and moved 18 times, so she knows plenty about trying new things and meeting new people.
In this interview, she discusses her struggles and accomplishments while starting her own business, working effectively with clients and her tips for others getting into the same industry.
You can find out more about her here: https://mazepatravel.com/
Or watch her informative videos on Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mazepatravel
Read MoreIn this podcast, Peter McGuire, a multi-award-winning freelance journalist with 25 years of experience, talks about his journey into journalism and offers insights into the field. He mentions that he initially resisted becoming a writer or journalist, before eventually taking the step to work for a local newspaper.
Peter attributes his ability to sustain a freelance journalism career to several factors—such as the importance of having good contacts, knowing how to pitch the work and being adaptable to different styles of writing. He acknowledges that some freelancers need to transition into other roles, such as public relations, due to financial constraints.
He also highlights the flexibility and freedom that freelancing offers, expressing his preference for this lifestyle over a traditional 9-to-5 job, however, he also recognises that freelance work isn't for everyone, as many people thrive on the structure and stability of regular employment.
Read MoreIn this interview, we speak with Victor Soto, a sales leader with a passion for helping people become the best version of themselves both inside and outside the workplace.
He shares his valuable insights on the importance of building trust, setting clear expectations, and fostering strong team dynamics, even when the team is spread out across different locations.
When he’s not working as a sales leader, he’s driving his passion project of a men’s circle—which is a trusting space for men to talk freely and openly, and connect with other like-minded individuals.
Read MoreIn this interview video, we're chatting with Federico Melandri, an Italian architect who's been working in Lisbon since 2012. He runs his own studio, focusing on residential architecture projects.
Federico discusses the importance of sustainability and durability in architectural projects and emphasizes the need for good social skills and passion for the work. He encourages architects to continuously learn and draw inspiration from various sources, including fellow architects and diverse architectural styles.
Read MoreIn this video, career coach Ronan Kennedy interviews his friend Niels about his career journey so far.
Niels shares his experience as a day trader on the stock market and his journey of starting a software company. He discusses the challenges and risks involved in day trading and emphasizes the importance of not giving up. He also talks about the psychology behind trading and gives advice to those interested in pursuing a career in the field.
He shares his own experience of building an app and the challenges he faced in hiring and managing a team of software developers.
Read MoreAmanda Perkins is a freelancer who offers delivery excellence, business analysis and salesforce consulting.
In this interview, Amanda discusses career changes & passion projects, working at Salesforce, and consulting for companies remotely.
She is passionate about empowering women to build long-term wealth and regularly presents to her own women in finance group.
Find out more about Amanda or contact her here: aperkinsconsulting.com
Read MoreTerra has run a business supporting online entrepreneurs with technology and marketing. In that role, she's performed every job a business needs to grow, from planning and marketing to client support and project management.
In this interview, I spoke to Terra Milo about why she started freelancing, what she learned on the way, her journey to her new job and some of her top tips for landing a new role. You can find out more about Terra here: https://insidious-ulna-80e.notion.site/Terra-Milo-Portfolio-d19a38f49ed449a08f9ea9d708eb4338
Read MoreDalaney is a Marketing Psychologist, Online Business Strategist and Co-founder of Untapped, a company that guides Evolutionary Experts to scale their business, impact and community.
In this interview, Dalaney talks about impact-led work, finding your purpose and the growing market for all types of coaches and consultants. He also discusses his career path to date and the changes and revelations he had on his journey.
Website: www.untapped.nz/
Follow Untapped on Instagram: @untappedhq
And Dalaney on Instagram: @Dalaney_davis
Read MoreIn this video, I spoke to one of my friends, Dylan Mouthaan, about his career so far and his transition from working in the corporate world to life as a freelance digital marketer.
We discussed topics like financial risk, the challenges and benefits of freelancing and his top tips for making the change. You can find out more about him here: dylanmouthaan.nl
Read MoreCompetency-based interviews are aimed at finding out if you can demonstrate your abilities by describing past professional experiences. Every time you hear a question that starts with "tell me a time when…" or "could you give me an example of…", you're being asked about your experiences. Many people will wonder how much detail they should go into — the answer is to be detailed yet concise while sticking to what's relevant. A good rule of thumb is to provide as much detail as possible once it adds value. It's worth having two examples for each question just in case the interviewer asks for another — it's not the sort of question you want to get stumped on. Also, it's best to use a set structure for your answers, such as the STAR model:
Read MoreThis one stumps a lot of people. I actually think it's probably outdated considering that our world moves so quickly these days — few people actually think in terms of 5-year plans. Nevertheless, if they ask you this at an interview, you'll need to have an answer ready. They want to do see that you're: Ambitious, Forward-thinking and Committed.
So we have to answer the questions: WHAT DO YOU WANT? WHY? AND HOW? What title do you want? Who do you want to become? (skills, knowledge, experience, education, network, accomplishments, industry)
Read MoreHow do I change careers?
Should I go back to college?
How do I quit my job?
How do I make more money?
How do I build confidence?
Should I quit my job?
How do I find my passion?
Do I need to take a salary cut?
What should I do if I'm not getting responses from my applications?
What should I tell an employer about a gap on my CV?
Read MoreThis standard question is one that throws off many candidates, but it doesn't need to be that way. Be honest about your strength and make it relevant to the role. And be honest about your weakness while making sure it's NOT essential to the role. Oh and one more thing... tell them a real weakness -not just a strength in disguise - the interviewers will be smart enough to see-through that strategy, and it's unlikely to endear them to you.
Read MoreWell, what's the answer? "Why do you want this job?" Is it simply just for the cash? Or do you like the mission, vision, products or services of the organisation? I'll give you a hint - the latter is a good place to start.
Read MoreThe dreaded question! 'How do you deal with conflict?' To get this answer right, you have to show good people skills and the ability to come to a workable solution with your colleague. You'll also want to show flexibility in your approach, but also a little bit of struggle - if the conflict seems too easy to resolve, it's not going to seem like it was a big deal at all.
Read MoreEvery interviewer wants to feel that you're a good choice for their position, and that you left your last role in a positive way (e.g. that you didn't have lots of arguments, that it wasn't down to poor performance etc.). So it's important that you assure your interview that 1. you left on good terms 2. it was your choice
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