How to launch a career in the AI era
Everything your recent grad needs to successfully step from uni into work they love
Their degree is done. Now what?
Recent grads have been dealt a bad hand. The job market is tougher than ever - and we both know that a corporate role isn’t the safety net it used to be.
When70-80% of job vacancies are never advertised and 34% of advertised vacancies are ‘ghost’ jobs, success feels like a lottery.
But it’s not. It just requires a different approach - one they’re not taught in school.
If your new grad is back at home, struggling to find their footing, know that they’re not alone. And they won’t be for long.
Welcome to the Side Door
A new way to launch your career
I support recent graduates to set strong career foundations, and to secure - and thrive in - their first ‘proper’ job.
Here’s how I help:
Set a strategy that focuses on them, so the tactics make sense.
Move them from deflated to energised, as they regain momentum and opportunity.
Build strong foundations to showcase their strengths and land their dream job - using a different route.
So they can officially move out of home and regain their independence.
“Truthfully, I was feeling quite lost and unsure where to turn and what to do. You’ve given me so much to think about. I honestly hadn’t thought of any of these options before!”
How we do it
The modules they didn’t get at university
First, we tackle the overwhelm.
They’ll get clear on their strengths, areas of interest, and priorities for their next role.
Strengths map
Target-list of companies
Long-term vision
Next, reduce anxiety and weather ‘failure’.
They’ll be able to confidently communicate what they have to offer, what they want to learn, and what makes them unique - on paper and in person.
Strong profile & CV
Test & learn mindset
Getting hired strategy
Meanwhile, we reduce isolation through network.
They’ll build their support group, from peers in the same boat, to industry advisors, and selected sponsors; and find the ‘side doors’ that give them maximum visibility.
Professional support network
Ways to get noticed
Interview expertise
Meet Sally
aka ‘Captain Sunshine Pants’
Find me on LinkedIn - let’s connect!
With 15+ years leading global teams at Amazon and Blinkist, and co-founding (and closing) my own VC-backed business, I’ve hired a lot of people and developed a lot of teams.
From tech to publishing and PR, from the 3-person agency to the huge multi-national, most of those great people came through a ‘side door’.
What got them there was a clear understanding of their strengths, a willingness to learn, and someone to point them in the right direction. To lift their eyes beyond the obvious - over-subscribed grad schemes and corporate internships - and help them find our own place.
I’m that person.
I take a ‘high challenge, high support’ approach. That means, I won’t let them get away with sitting in their comfort zone, but I will make sure they have the tools and momentum to move out of it.
Ready to find out if we're a good fit?
Ways to work with me
Get some Sally energy to help them shine!
The Coffee Chat
Free*
30 mins to give them some oomph
1:1 call with coach & mentor Sally
Step closer to career clarity, confidence or connection
Follow-on resources to maintain momentum
*Slots limited. Optional donation supports full programme funding for those who can’t afford it.
The Career Launchpad
£249 per session*
3-month programme to successfully take them from uni into work
10 x 1:1 sessions with coach & mentor Sally
Strong foundations & bespoke strategy to give them full ownership of your career
Side Door tactics that get them noticed by the right people
Priceless resources to support them throughout their career
*Programme includes 10 sessions. Virtual-first, in-person in Surrey available.
What’s a Side Door?
There are three ways into working at a company…
Front Door
This is the way you’ve probably tried already. Applications for job openings, graduate schemes, internships. A lot of competition, a lot of process. Often dispiriting.
Back Door
This is the door you might use if you have well-connected parents, or move in the kind of social circles I don’t really understand. You’re ‘placed’ inside, no aptitude necessary. A little icky.
Side Door
This is the hidden way in - and there are lots of them. You access them in distinctly human ways: acts of creativity, service, generosity - all of these open side doors just for you, no-one else.
The only job I successfully applied for was on a Tesco checkout.
I often make this joke, but it’s true. My track-record through the Front Door is not strong. But through the Side Door, it’s excellent.
I got into publishing by writing to an editor who had just launched a new imprint, offering support in her first 90 days. She sent my CV around.
I landed at Audible after calling the hiring manager for a different job and finding out more about the business. They invited me in for a new role, six months later.
I was introduced to Blinkist by my old boss. There was no open position, but he was pretty sure I could get them where they needed to be.
I became co-founder of WorkTripp, my first business, after enthusiastically DM’ing the author of a post I loved. She convinced me we should work together.
All this is testament to the power of human connection. To acting on curiosity, rather than waiting for permission. And it’s fully available to you - if you want it.
That’s the magic of the Side Door.