Mark Tobin

York Foodbank charity donation

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Following our yearly Christmas email campaign where we give a pound to charity for every email we send out, and a pound for every reply, we have donated £400 for the Trussell Trust foodbank in York.

We recently made the first instalment of the donation to the foodbank – purchasing £300 worth of food and household goods to donate.  You’ll see Steve standing by the car and Mark doing a final check when we handed over the goods.  Look at the last photo – the bags in the middle are the supplies for a small family – not a lot to live on.

It really was a great experience buying the food and dropping it off ourselves.  We heard first hand the stories of people using the foodbank – of families where the main earners fell ill, had lost jobs or were just in need.  The volunteers all had a personal story to tell.

We found it interesting that they were really surprised at what we were doing.  They were used to personal donations and to large businesses making donations.  They were even used to supermarkets and schools arranging collections from individuals.  They weren’t used to businesses spontaneously deciding to make a significant donation.  This has to say something about the disconnection between small businesses and their communities.  It’s a shame, there has to be a place for ethical businesses operating in a commercial but socially engaged manner.

Thanks you for the support from those of you who responded. We’ll be donating again next Christmas and doing a bit of fundraising in between….but more of that shortly.

Find your nearest foodbank

CareerAdviceforMe.co.uk is updated

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CareerAdviceforMe, our job search and career management support website, has just been updated. The site is now tablet and smart phone friendly and more navigable allowing access on the move – you could even listen to refresher podcasts on the way to an interview.

More than just simple CV, cover letter and interview advice – which can be found in many places online (in varying depth, accuracy and quality), CareerAdviceforMe covers much more. It explores your understanding of what makes you tick, what you are good at (not necessarily the same things), what are your successes and what you will “sell” to potential employers. There is broader advice on negotiating packages, influencing your references and planning for the next role.

There are two ways to access the information on the site. Either register as a subscriber for free, which gives access to new page content, news, blogs and some advice pages. Or, you can sign up for full membership giving you access to every page, tool and podcast plus the online forum where you can raise questions for us to answer. Overall a great value way of making positive changes to your career in both the short and long term. See more here: Why join

Proventure’s Christmas charity fundraising

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Proventure Logo

As with previous years, we’re not sending Christmas cards but are donating £1.00 to charity for every email we send to friends, supporters, clients and contacts, and adding an additional £1.00 for every reply we receive. Last year this raised £350 for York Mind.

This year we’re supporting a food bank in York. Run by the Trussell Trust, the UK foodbank network works in partnership with local churches and communities to open foodbanks in local communities. There are now over 205 foodbanks in the UK. Last year they fed over 128,000 people. We know budgets get tight at this time of year. January and February can be the hardest months if you’re on limited resources. This year, supporting the York Foodbank seems the right thing to do.

We intend to buy the food needed and deliver it ourselves – this way we can see first hand how clients are helped. We’ll post some photos, so you can actually see the difference ours supporters’ contributions can make.

We wish you a merry Christmas and healthy and happy new year. Thanks again for your support and do stay in touch.

Best wishes from all at pro>enture
Steve Cooley, Mark Tobin, Elaine Smith, Aileen Bull, David Plant and our associates.

Career surgeries – SU2012

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Proventure continued its ongoing partnership with the National Union of Students by providing 1:1 career advice surgeries at their recent annual conference for staff and eleected officers at in Exeter. A very successful event with key note speakers, workshops and surgeries wrapping up all the very latest developments, policy and communications across the students’ union movement. We continue to meet some bright, motivated, passionate, creative and engaging individuals amongst staff members at all levels, but also some up and coming future leaders amongst the elected officers. Some were simply looking for an opportunity to reflect on the career paths they have chosen and continue to plan, while others were seeking to develop their thoughts on what next – always a challenge but constructive and rewarding.

Contact Proventure for information on how we help individuals or groups make the right choices in their career and take steps to move forward towards these goals.

New Career Planning course launched for Elected Officers

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Having developed a range of career transition coaching courses for professionals across all sectors who have already establised their careers and profiles, we have recently delivered a new course for Elected Officers in Students’ Unions.

For many of these officers, they are entering the jobs market as graduates for the first time. This requires them to identify what they sectors/roles they are most interested and try to match their skills and achievements in order to be successful in applying for roles before beginning to market what they can offer to a new employer. This very different to those with more mature careers who may be considering changes in direction, rather than officers who are looking to develop a plan for their career but have yet to sample differing career options.

We will be running more of these courses at regional locations across the UK in spring of 2013. Please enquire if your organisation could benefit from hosting a career development course or if you would like to attend an upcoming course.

Getting the best from coaching

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You can’t turn around these days without hearing about coaching. But while coaching can be really useful in addressing specific issues, its present high profile and many vocal supporters can give the impression that it’s a magic bullet. It’s not for everyone, and is being over-sold and over-hyped.

So let’s look a little closer at what coaching can deliver, and where it works most effectively. The core of a good organisation is a mix of personalities, policies, structure, vision and strategy, leading to consistent delivery with a clear focus and long-term vision. Get these right first, and then use a coach to hone, sharpen and refine the individual and the team.

Organisations, roles and demands change. Do you still have the right people in the right role? Are their skills and strengths aligned with their responsibilities? Once you have answered these questions, consider coaching. Let people play to their strengths – if you don’t know what they are, assess them, get some 360˚ feedback, talk to them – then use the coach to sharpen their skills and help them really fly.

With a determined empire-builder who’s undermining colleagues, whose very presence disrupts, and who is unwilling to adapt their behaviour, coaching may not be the answer. First, have a straight talk about your expectations, the need to work together, the vision for the business and the damage being done. They have a responsibility to rise above petty battles and focus on the organisation. If your director can’t see this, then they should move on.

Are they in the right role? Have they got the ability and skills to succeed? Do you want to keep them, or give them another chance? If the answer is yes, a coach might help. If no, you have a different problem. Don’t use a coach to duck a tough decision.

Coaches should clarify issues, help people to see solutions for themselves, to understand their role, or to develop new skills or behaviours. They can help pull a top team together, focussing their energies in the right areas, understanding each others’ strengths and styles, moulding the differences into a cohesive whole. But for an over-promoted manager, destructive organisational psychopath, dysfunctional team or critical misalignment between vision and capacity, your issues need a more fundamental solution.

Good coaches market themselves, so don’t be dazzled by the sell. Be clear about what you want, why, and how you want to improve. Set outcome measures that test and stretch your coach, and expect improvement. Finally, coaching is not counselling, so watch out for dependency – a mark of bad coaches. Feeling better about yourself is immaterial, unless you’re also performing better.

Director of Member Support & Development – Liverpool Students’ Union

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Liverpool Students’ Union Director of Member Support & Development– up to £38,000

The Director of Member Support and Development will make Liverpool SU shine by strategically developing and delivering high quality services to our membership. They will understand the changing needs of our members, configure accordingly and ensure all support services perform to a high standard. For further information on the role and Liverpool SU, including the job description and instructions on how to apply please see: Liverpool SU

Director of Commercial Services – Liverpool SU

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Director of Commercial Services Liverpool Students’ Union – up to £55k with bonus

This key role of the Director of Commercial Operations will make Liverpool SU shine by delivering relevant and effective commercial operations in line with corporate goals and aims. This will include recognising commercial opportunities in the marketplace, developing existing and potential revenue streams and effective business planning, delivery and operations. For further information on the role and Liverpool SU, including the job description and instructions on how to apply please see: Liverpool SU

www.careeradviceforme.co.uk is launched

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While helping to support a few organisations who were undergoing major downsizing and closure and the ongoing career support to many individuals, Proventure realised that there was nowhere online where you could get good career advice in one place. We were always of the opinion that individuals themselves could have a far greater impact on their career management and job hunting than they realised. With some guidance and basic principles contained within www.careeradviceforme.co.uk those looking for new opportunities can take control of their future. The service is subscription based purchased either by individuals or organisations.

Director of Legal & Democratic Services – Trafford Council

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Director of Legal & Democratic Services Trafford Council – c£80k

Trafford Council is looking for an outstanding individual to take on the role of Director of Legal & Democratic Services.  Trafford is proud to be recognised as one of the most desirable places to live in the country and is renowned internationally as a visitor destination hosting world-class attractions such as Manchester United, Lancashire County Cricket Club and the Trafford Centre. For further information on the role and Trafford Council, including the job description and instructions on how to apply please see: Trafford Director of Legal & Democratic Services