Here's the latest 'Job Search SOS' episode. I'm back with Lucy Cairncross, MD of VMA GROUP to tackle the questions keeping job seekers up at night. This episode is packed with straight-talking advice on: 📣 Cover letters: why they still matter (despite what everyone tells you), and what actually works 📣 How to explain a disjointed career without badmouthing your toxic ex-boss 📣 Getting your CV to the top of the pile (and why hiring a CV writer is definitely not the answer) 📣 Following up...

This week I’m bringing you another Job Search SOS episode, a recording of a Q&A webinar I ran in mid January 2025, with Lucy Cairncross. the MD of VMA Group, the recruitment specialist for communications, marketing, digital and change roles. We answered questions from the communications community, and provided an update on the state of the job market. Topics included: 📣 How to talk about a long gap in your CV 📣 Whether to talk about your current salary during the interview...

Nessa O'Gorman is a global product and marketing strategist who has had several career pivots. From an early career as an interpreter, she moved into marketing and product development, launching Expedia's first loyalty programme across 14 countries. And now Nessa has a new passion - wellbeing as the foundation of sustainable performance in work and in life. In this episode we talk about: 📣 How to bounce back from burnout 📣 The foundations for a healthy and fulfilling life 📣 Information over...

Lucy Cairncross is the MD of VMA GROUP, the specialist marketing and communications recruitment and executive search firm. In this special episode of the podcast, I'm bringing you a recording of a Q&A session Lucy and I hosted for our communities of communications professionals, frustrated by the state of the job market and the horrendous application process. We answered a multitude of questions, including: 📣 Should I be honest with a recruiter about my toxic boss? 📣 How do...

Louisa Houghton is Head of Communications at VMO2 Business. She is a storyteller and writer at her core. And having worked in the fast-paced world of telecoms for most of her career, she has experienced the speed of change from the inside. In this episode, we talk about how her mission to achieve harmony between her work life and busy home life, has informed her career decisions. And also: 📣 The experience of working with people who behave completely differently to you 📣 Knowing when to tal...

Nicole Bearne had a fascinating communications career in Formula 1 and is now a board director at Motorsport UK, and an employee experience consultant. Working in an organisation with such big budgets and high profile has given Nicole so many unique experiences (bumping into Brad Pitt at work being one of the perks). Amongst other things, we talk about: 📣 Turning your passion into a profession 📣 The dangers of ignoring the employee (and the candidate) experience 📣 From the glamour of working ...

Shan Chatoo calls herself a communications warrior. Alongside her work as a comms professional, she now combines the skill she’s developed in communication, with her passion for weights, to empower women to build mental and physical resilience. In this episode Shan will inspire you with her epic achievements, and how she picked herself up from her lowest ebb, when she was being bullied at work. We talk about: 📣 How she developed a no-nonsense, no BS approach to life and work 📣 The amazing men...

Polly Evans oversees UK audio production for the world’s largest interactive audio platform for kids. She started her career at the BBC, moving into reporting and becoming a TV news anchor. This episode is about a life and career-changing moment that happened to her on live TV, in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers. We talk about: 📣 How the worst possible thing can happen, and how she navigated her way through major personal change 📣 Redefining her priorities and rebuilding her career...

We're back with series 3, and starting strong with internal communications consultant Olivia Lawson. Olivia's career has had several twists and turns, and a couple of sliding doors moments. In this episode we talk about: 📣 How reading one book can change your life 📣 The impact of having entrepreneurial parents 📣 Being a natural networker who was afraid of LinkedIn 📣 There being no such thing as a wrong job 📣 Whether it's better to be in the fish suit, or to be next to the person...

In this, the last episode of series 2, I talk with Jenni Field, business strategist, author, podcaster and founder of Redefining Communications. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, including corporate culture, the challenges facing the physical workplace and how to future-proof your career in communication. We discuss: 📣 The role of communicators in establishing a positive corporate culture 📣 How to recruit for culture fit and build a diverse workforce 📣 Toxic cultures - how they develo...

In this episode I talk with Tony Stewart, Head of digital at scarlettabott and self-confessed digital geek, about how to get your digital strategy right in a Covid world. We discuss: 📣 The 7 fundamental pillars on which to build a winning digital strategy 📣 How success leads to behavioural change 📣 The technical challenge of ongoing remote working 📣 A great example of using gaming technology to support a business challenge 📣 Being responsible for Boris’s presence on Twitter If you’d lik...

In this episode, I talk with Robbie Sommerville, Director of ESG Communications at Credit Suisse about the impact of COP26 and the evolution of environment and social issues in different regions. We discuss: 📣 The impact of COP26: moving from the focus on carbon to a more diverse range of environmental topics 📣 Regional priorities across the ESG agenda and juggling those needs in a global organisation 📣 The push and pull of profitability and purpose 📣 Internal engagement as a driver of corpor...

In this episode I talk with Sheena Thomson, an expert in international relations, reputation and crisis management, who started her communications career with the Royal Navy, about what the corporate world can learn from how the Navy manages a crisis. We discuss: 📣 Being thrown into the deep end, handling crisis communications for the Navy 📣 How to keep a rational head when all around you are losing theirs 📣 What constitutes a corporate crisis, and if it’s ever as bad as what happens at...

In this episode I talk with Sam Bleazard, Employee Communications and Engagement Lead at Fortnum & Mason about the unique challenge of working in retail communications We discuss: 📣 The challenge of working strategically in an environment where results are examined on a weekly basis 📣 How retail has been affected by COVID, e-commerce, Brexit and the sustainability agenda 📣 What goes on behind the beautifully curated shop floor of a high-end destination like Fortnum & Mason 📣 How to ne...

In this first episode of the second series, I talk with Kim England, VP of Global Employee Communications at Pearson, a self-confessed tech geek who is passionate about collaboration and community, about using technology to build a global internal community We discuss: 📣 How education is having its ‘Spotify’ moment 📣 Enterprise Social Networks - so much more than an intranet 📣 Allowing the ‘non-professional’ conversations to happen 📣 Fighting Zoom fatigue, and motivating employees when morale...

In this, the last episode of series one, I talk with Rachel Miller, consultant, trainer, podcaster, and a recognised authority on internal communication, about the challenges internal communicators face to rebuild collaboration and company culture as we return to the workplace. We discuss: ⭐️ What will never be the same again, post COVID ⭐️ How to create a sense of belonging when teams are apart ⭐️ The danger of burnout and being mindful of your own, and your colleagues’ mental health ⭐️ Hybr...

In this episode of the podcast, I talk with Vicki DeBlasi, who specialises in PR and marketing for innovation and technology projects. We’re talking about the unique challenge of working on projects that have the potential to change the way we live and work. We discuss: ⭐️ The role of psychology in communications and marketing ⭐️ 5G, conspiracy theories and how to stop the spread of misinformation ⭐️ What happens when innovation teams are homogenous and why diversity is fundamental to a proje...

In this episode of the podcast, I talk with Neil Henderson, a corporate communications director, whose earlier career was in broadcast journalism for the major TV networks. We discuss: ⭐️ The assumptions journalists make about PRs and vice versa ⭐️ Is there such a thing as bad publicity? (See the European Super League fiasco) ⭐️ How PRs can keep up with the changing media landscape ⭐️ Why you should always check if the talent you’ve booked has vertigo. Send us a text You can find me her...

In this episode of the podcast, I talk with George Blizzard, co-founder of The PR Network, about the benefits and challenges of flexible working in all its forms. We discuss: ⭐️ How to make job-sharing work for the benefit of all involved ⭐️ How to build a strong company culture with a team you have never met ⭐️ What big corporates could learn from more agile, flexible organisations ⭐️ What pitching has to do with breastfeeding. Send us a text You can find me here: Website LinkedIn All resour...

In this episode of the Don't Shoot The Messenger podcast, I talk with Jonathan Hemus, Managing Director of Insignia, who helps companies plan and rehearse for the worst-case scenario. We discuss: ⭐️ Why most businesses find it so challenging to prepare for crises ⭐️ Where the UK Government went wrong in their handling of COVID-19 ⭐️ Who got it right: examples of superior crisis communications ⭐️ The impact of cancel culture Send us a text You can find me here: Website LinkedIn All...