Lucy Barnes - Career Coach

Lucy Barnes - Career Coach Lucy Barnes Career CoachPosted March 6, 2019, by Jenny Meet Lucy, PR graduate turned sale rep, turned PR professional, turned producer, turned HR member turned career coach. Yep, shes had quite the career journey. After many highs and low Lucy is a happy and proud career coach at General Assembly, helping students find success during and after their studies.Read all about her career adventures here....Tell us what a day in your role may look likeThe main aspects of my role are to teach our students the best practices when it comes to finding a job and coach them through the process from when they start their course at GA, to when they find a job after graduation. Its a varied role and my day could include- Having 11 coaching sessions with a student or job seeker. This could be helping them with their resumes or even guiding them through a salary negotiation. Whatever they need advice on, they can reach out to me- Organising networking events where our grad s can meet employers first hand- Teaching in-class workshops on a variety of topics such as the importance of networking, how to build an effective LinkedIn profile, interview preparation etc.- Prospecting and meeting with potential employers in the industry who might be interested in hiring our gradsTell us about your study and career journeyI went to university straight after school to study PR and Marketing. After uni, I couldnt find any PR roles in my local area so I took a sales role at a pillow factory (no joke). After 6 months of that, I welches actually made redundant. It was crushing. My goal was always to move to London so I packed up everything and went travelling. When I got to London I got a role as a PR Assistant in a film marketing agency. I stayed at that company for 5 years I actually moved away from PR and into production where I got to work on producing movie trailers and posters etc. It was a lot of fun but a lot of hard work and long hours. In 2013 I moved back to Australia and stayed in the agency world working with FMCG clients but was really starting to burn out. I realised that it wasnt a sustainable journey for me. If I was going to give up my social life for the office, it wasnt going to be so that some client, somewhere, could sell a few extra cans of deodorant. So, I did some thinking, 2 years of thinking in fact, and after that time I realised that the thing I liked fruchtwein about my job, wasnt my job at all. It was the thing I was always doing on the side...helping people. If a team member was having an issue with their manager, it was me that they came to for advice. If a manager was having an issue with one of their team members, it was me they came to. If a friend wasnt happy in their job, if someone wanted to ask for a pay rise, if the CEO was having confidence issues... I was there to help. So I transitioned into an HR role in the company I was already working for and eventually came across the Career Coach role at General Assembly. Ive been here for over 3 years and I love it. I love helping people, and I love having such a rewarding role.Whats the most interesting thing thats happened to you in your career?Getting invited to a movie premiere with my clientsWhat was your first job and what do you think it taught you?When I was 15 I got a casual job developing photos in a camera shop. Besides learning great customer service skills, I think the biggest lesson came later in life when film cameras became obsolete. I had that role for 6 years and experienced the digital disruption first hand. A few years after I left, I read that the whole company had gone under. Overnight your job could become obsolete and I think its important to continue learning and expanding your skills so that you can handle those shifts better. Name a career highlightA recent student of mine had moved to Australia for university and after he graduated he spent 2 years looking for work with no luck. He eventually came and studied w ith us but was lacking confidence due to his negative experience. We worked together a lot throughout the course and not long after he received an offer from one of the big four firms. He was so ecstatic and its those moments that make me really love my job. Name a career lowBeing made redundant from my first role out of uni sure felt like a career low at the time. I took it so personally and thought it was something I did wrong, when in fact it was the company that was failing. It took me a while to realise that it was actually a blessing in disguise. It was exactly what I needed to push me to go overseas and thats where my career really started.Name something in your field youd like to know more aboutNeuro-linguistic programming. Im planning to study natural language processing this year and Im hoping I will be able to bring this into my coaching conversations. Whats the most important career tip someone has given you?Its just a job. Earlier in my career, I was really tough on mys elf and would get stressed quite easily if a project was slipping. My manager at the time reminded me that it was just a job and not worth losing sleep over. It has stuck with me throughout my career and helps me to remember that I can only control whats in my control. Whats the number tip would you give someone preparing for a job interview?Research everything. Press releases, website, key players, social sites etc. What are their values, who are their clients, how long have their staff worked there? e.g. If the staff are all new, is this a sign of high turnover, or are they going through a period of growth? This research will give you an insight into the companys culture and will give you key information to focus on e.g how you prepare your answers, what questions to ask and even how to dress for your interview.What career advice do you wish someone had given you after you graduated high school?I think for me it would be two things. 1) People in the industry are very happy to help and give advice. I decided to study PR at university based on the two-paragraph description in the course guide. I wish I had reached out to someone in the field to learn more about what the day-to-day looked like before I dedicated 3 years to study it. I know now that there would have been a lot of people happy to help me. 2) What you do next doesnt have to be what you will do for the rest of your life. Im 33 and have already had 5 distinctly different careers Sales, PR, Production, HR and now Career Coaching. Just dont be afraid to try, its all of these different experiences that led me to where I am now. What important qualities and skills should people have if they want to become a career coach?Empathy resilience are key in any role where you are working with people. In my role, Im talking to a lot of different people, each of whom are transitioning their careers and that can be a stressful time for them. I need to be conscious of how theyre coping and feeling. As a Coach, Im often the first one the students come to if something is happening in their personal life but as an empath, it can be easy for me to take on their pain as well. Just know your limits and make sure you take the time you need to debrief and unwind. I have an incredibly supportive team and manager so we all look out for each other.Is a career in coaching your calling? Explore and compare a range of coaching courses right here Or check out a course by General Assembly and have the opportunity to grow your career with Lucys help.Counselling ResourcesRehabilitation counsellor sample resumeRehabilitation counsellor sample cover letterInterested in becoming a?Marketing OfficerTeam LeaderHuman Resources ManagerCommunity WorkerCounsellorPopular Career Searchescareer objective examplescareers in astronomycareer change cover letterlist of careers a-zgraduate lawyer career objectiveCounselling CoursesDiploma of CounsellingEnquire Online Enquire OnlineBachelor of CounsellingEnquire Online Enquire OnlineBachelor of Psychological Science and SociologyEnquire Online Enquire OnlineGraduate Diploma in PsychologyEnquire Online Enquire OnlineJennyRelated ArticlesBrowse moreCounsellingMental HealthMental Health Week 2013 promoting awarenessIts Mental Health Week and weve been talking to some inspiring people who have turned their mental illness into a positive path forward.CoachingCommunity ServicesMaking lives betterAre you a compassionate and nurturing person with a passion for helping people overcome difficult situations? 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