Career advice
Job searching tips from a headhunter
Everything here comes from the other side of the table — the CVs I read, the shortlists I write and the offers I see accepted and declined across UK housebuilding and social housing.
What a headhunter actually looks for on your CV
Your CV gets six to eight seconds on a first pass. Here is exactly what I read in that time, and what makes me stop.
How to work with a headhunter (and get called first)
Recruiters are not a job application service. Here is how to become the person we call before a role is even advertised.
Interview preparation for housing roles
The questions housebuilders and housing associations really ask, and the preparation that separates a first interview from an offer.
Making your LinkedIn profile work for you
Your profile is the search result headhunters see. Small changes dramatically increase how often you appear in ours.
Counter-offers: why most of them fail
Accepting more money to stay feels like a win. Here is what usually happens next, and how to resign properly.
Negotiating salary without losing the offer
What is actually negotiable in a housing package, when to raise it, and the one mistake that costs candidates offers.
Covering notes: when they help and when they hurt
Most covering letters are ignored. A four-line application note, written properly, gets read every time.
Explaining redundancy, gaps and short tenures
Housing is cyclical and everyone knows it. What damages you is not the gap — it is the way it is handled.
Second stages, panels and presentations
First interviews test whether you can do the job. Second stages test whether people want to work with you.
The competency questions that come up every time
Ten questions I hear across housebuilders, contractors and associations — and what a strong answer contains.
Searching discreetly while you are still employed
Housing is a small sector. Here is how to run a confidential search without it getting back to your MD.
How to read a job advert properly
Adverts leak more than employers realise. What the wording tells you about level, budget and whether it is worth applying.
Notice periods, garden leave and your first 90 days
The offer is not the finish line. How you exit and how you start decide whether the move actually works.
Moving between housebuilders, contractors and associations
The skills transfer better than people think, but only if you translate them. How to make a cross-sector move credible.
Stepping up to your first director-level role
The jump from senior manager to director is not more of the same. What boards look for, and how to evidence it early.
Planning your next move before you need one
The strongest candidates I place were not desperate. They were prepared. A simple framework for the year ahead.
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