Transition coaching
client story

Opening doors. Pursuing potential.

When Sarah engaged me, she had been the Acting Departmental Secretary in a government department for nine months. Her goal was to formalise this appointment. Or so she thought.

Sarah was in two minds

Although Sarah enjoyed the acting role, she lacked the authority to enhance the department’s performance – which compromised her success.

To fill the permanent position, her employer had engaged an external search consultancy to assist with the selection and appointment process. But Sarah believed she didn’t have the consultancy’s full support. Nor did she have an internal sponsor to advocate strongly on her behalf.

During interviews, Sarah struggled to present herself favourably.

Faced with these roadblocks, Sarah became curious about other leadership roles outside the department. But this presented a new challenge: tackling the external employment market effectively – and presenting herself to potential employers successfully.

Supporting a big dream with powerful tools

Through transition coaching, I helped Sarah develop a suite of job search strategies. These included:

Information interviews with people within her network who worked in her areas of interest. These informal conversations allowed Sarah to gather intelligence on the employment market.

Using anecdotes to enrich her story, highlight lessons in her career journey – and showcase key achievements. This gave Sarah the skills and confidence to sell herself during interviews.

Aligning her LinkedIn profile with her CV and aspirations. This meant Sarah was now presenting her personal brand professionally and consistently.

Role-playing interview questions with her husband and me. This improved Sarah’s confidence and encouraged her to match stories from her career journey to relevant selection criteria.

Unlocking a world of opportunity

Sarah’s hard work and dedication during our coaching sessions paid off.

She successfully positioned herself as the ideal candidate for a CEO role in an agency – as well as the permanent secretary position.

In the end, Sarah accepted the CEO role. She saw this as an opportunity to embark on a different and exciting career.

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