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Pervin Shaikh is an experienced career transition specialist who delivers exactly what she promises.
Full disclosure: She has helped me find clarity and confidence to pursue my ideal job in the past, and I never looked back.
Pervin is passionate about working with management-level professionals to help them gain clarity, set career objectives, and manage their career transition process.
In this interview, Pervin talks about the recent developments in the jobs sector due to the pandemic.
How we can navigate the world of work to make a greater professional impact, her predictions for the employment sector’s future, career planning for 2021, and much more!
“More often than not, we use New Years Day to set personal goals or resolutions and we use appraisals at work to set goals, but why limit it to such occasions? Just by setting aside 2 hours of your precious time a week, you can begin to identify what you want to achieve and slot in times to do the things you love doing.
Pervin Shaikh
By prioritising the things you need to do with the things that you have to do such as work commitments, family etc, you will find that you do have more time on your hands to live your dreams.”
Pervin, thank you very much for accepting my invitation to be featured on GreenLivingUK. Can you please tell us a little about yourself and why you chose a career as an executive coach?
Thank you very much for the invitation, Elena. By way of an introduction, I’m a born and bred Londoner.
I’m an Executive Coach, and this is my second career with my first one being in the financial services industry, working as a researcher in Investment Banking.
One weekend, I came across an article on coaching in the weekend papers and decided to look into it.
This led me to more research and liked what I discovered about the industry.I hadn’t planned in leaving the City, but upon completing my Diploma, whilst working New York Hours in London, I decided to take the plunge. I’m glad I did.
What does your company Aim High, which you founded in 2007, offers?
Aim High Offers Executive Coaching to clients in the U.K. and internationally.
Areas we cover can include, but not exhaustive:
Leadership, strategy, career change, first 90 days in a new role, Senior board meetings, presentations, stakeholder negotiations, CV, LinkedIn, developing soft skills, confidence, goal setting, start-up coaching and dealing with change – which is a hot topic right now.
Aim High Ltd supports the “Trees for Cities” scheme. Can you tell us more about this and any other green/sustainable projects you are running within your business?
Aim High started supporting Trees for Cities early because of their tree planting initiative in urban cities in the U.K., nationally and internationally.
It’s essential to raise awareness due to increased pollution levels in big cities, plus I like the idea of trees helping people with their general wellbeing.
Since then, we’ve got a Tree Grove in the Scottish Highlands with Trees for Life. Each month, trees get planted to support the rewilding of the Scottish Highlands.
Our Grove is called Aim High….naturally.
You are also plant-based; what motivated you to change your diet?
Wellbeing is a big priority for me as a Coach and I’m always interested in anything that contributes to it.
I gave up meat 15 years ago and have never looked back.
How do you work with clients? What is your philosophy?
Each one of my clients is different, so I adapt my approach accordingly.
The majority of my clients come from the corporate world and based in London. Before the pandemic, I would meet them for face to face sessions.
However, every coaching session has now gone online, which is fine too. I thoroughly enjoy helping my clients get the best results.
It’s an honour to be part of their journey and to see them achieve excellent results.
My philosophy is to Aim High every day in everything I do. I see each day as a gift, and I believe I must make the most of the waking hours, including adding a healthy dose of wellbeing.
Who inspires you and why?
My clients inspire me, and I’m humbled by their ability to manage multiple time commitments and achieve their goals.
I appreciate their honesty, humility and can-do attitude.
I also have great respect for those who wish to better themselves because it takes great courage to improve yourself personally and professionally.
Would you agree with the statement in Forbes magazine that the “job description is obsolete“? Have you seen changes in the conventional way of hiring lately?
The Job description has evolved, just like businesses over the last year. It has become more fluid as everyone tries to figure out how to maneuver in uncharted territories.
However, this provides ample space for both businesses and job hunters to reinvent the process. I believe there lies immense learning for us all.
A key question for any job hunter would be to look at what the business needs, the challenges it faces, and what you can offer as a prospective employee.
Businesses are looking for people with a flexible mindset and a can-do attitude.
They’re looking for people who can work with change and manage the deliverables.
I firmly believe the ball is in the job hunter’s court and the onus is on the individual to showcase how they’re going to help the company succeed, with their skills, experience, and motivation.
How would you suggest people can evolve their roles at work?
Keep learning on the job and off the job and learning doesn’t have to come in a textbook or classroom.
It can be through conversations, new hobbies, projects and reading.
What are your future predictions for the employment sector?
1. Employment in the U.K. continues to be tight, given the current situation we’re in, but that’s not to say, there aren’t jobs.
2. Companies are still hiring.
3. It is competitive, so the employee has to do their bit to stay competitive.
4. The way we work has changed, especially with Working From Home.
5. Both employers and employees have seen the benefits of this and will see a different workplace when they
come back, with employees having a more significant say in the way they choose to work, and that’s a huge plus point.6. The rise of DIY learning.
7. Here, the employee takes greater control of their knowledge and education and relies less on their employer to provide anything more than basic training.
8. The employee will play a significant role in their learning and development.9. Part of this will involve their employer, but another part will include the employee designing their goals, plans and objectives.
10. The benefit of doing this is greater autonomy for the employee in career opportunities either internally and externally.
11. More people will choose to design their career path, and it may not be linear as previous generations.
12. We will see people emulating Generation Y’s working style preferences and doing work, which aligns with their values and beliefs.
13. It will also be more acceptable to negotiate time off to undertake personal projects and fulfil personal commitments.
What is the best way to go about career planning in 2021 amongst the financial uncertainty?
1. Don’t panic. Uncertainty can be a good thing because it allows you to take stock of where you are now and where you want to go.
2. Fear grips those who choose to stand still and worry about things they have no control over.
3. Instead, focus on what you can control.
4. Network with people in your industry online. LinkedIn is a great place to do that.
5. Keep your skills updated. There are plenty of free courses or reading for free online.
Is there a motivational book or podcast that you can suggest to us?
“Who Moved My Cheese” by Spencer Johnson
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy
What, in your opinion, can be the effect of a highly skilled executive coach on one’s career path
A tremendous impact because it can make the difference between getting the results or not.
An Executive Coach can work with the client as they take the steps towards their goals and focus on the plans, whilst learning along the way.
It has been a very challenging year for many in the U.K. and across the globe.
PERVIN SHAIKH
However, I’m very optimistic; this pandemic has given people the time to think and focus on what matters most to them.
Finally, where do you see your business in the future?
I’m super excited about the future, especially when the lockdown in the U.K. lifts.
My team and I have been working on a couple of new projects, and we’re excited to see them grow in 2021 and beyond.
You can find more about Pervin Shaikh: linktr.ee/AimHighLtd
Connect with Pervin: Instagram Twitter YouTube
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