CV – danSTEER

CV

October 2008 – Present

Freelance trainer + coach, speaker and learning consultant

Training and coaching in presentation and pitching skills, communication, leadership + negotiation skills.
October 2008 – November 2020:
- Over 11,000 people trained and coached
- Participants from over 500 different companies
- Training delivery in French, English (native tongue) + collaborations for Dutch
Conference speaker on topics including burnout, non-violent communication, leadership and social-media for learning
Implementation of CMS system for asbl of 60 people
Development and facilitation of brainstorming sessions
Trusted partner for NCOI
Active member ATD
Publications:
- “Improving Formal Learning with Social Media” (Whitepaper, 2015)
- “Onboard With It All” (TD Magazine)

September 2006 – September 2008

Training and Development Manager, LOGICA (now CGI)

Design and implementation of strategic training plan for +/-500 employees
Management T+D budget
Belgian champion of Performance Management System
Delivery of soft-skills and internal training modules
Management of all internal and external training resources
Other specific HR projects/initiatives designed to improve retention/employee performance

September 2003 – September 2006

Training Manager, SITEL

Head of training department, responsible for all company trainers
Development and implementation of operational call-centre training solutions
Trainer in communication and behavioural skills

September 2002 – September 2003

Trainer, SITEL

Design and delivery of technical training programmes
Support of international call-centre programmes

July 2002 – September 2002

Temporary Employment, following move to Belgium

Moving boxes for DISPORT
Getting up early and earning minimum wage … but learning French 🙂

June 2000 – June 2002

Project Manager, NOMEN INTERNATIONAL (UK)

Project management from initial brief to final presentation for international branding agency
Management of creative team and leader of brainstorming sessions
Day-today management of UK office
Major project: Creation and implementation of brand-naming strategy for Vodafone UK
Other international clients incl. Sony, Bosch, Procter and Gamble, Unilever, Philips, Toyota

Millenium

Back-packing Australia

9 months travelling following completion of university degree

September 1996 – June 1999

Reading University, Berkshire, UK

Graduate Philosophy degree, 2:1
Top of 2nd year: Logic
Dissertation on the concept of “Trust”

September 1994 – June 1996

Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School, Rochester, Kent, UK

A-levels in Philosophy, Psychology and Music

Pre-September 1994

Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School, Rochester, Kent, UK

8 GCSEs including Double Science, Mathematics and English Literature

Communication – diverse references

After a fun 2 days full of communication exercises and learning with IT consultants last week, I delivered the following references to the participants. Maybe there is something in here you can learn from?

General references

“The consultant you want to hire”
Creating strategic action
My favourite SWOT questions and 10 tips for effective SWOT analysis
Book on “Business Acumen” plus my blog-post summary/video
De Bono’s book on creativity skills: “6 thinking hats”

Basic communication

“Advanced communication”

Book on body language (including simple exercises to try): “The Power of Charm”
Book on interogation techniques, which includes a lot on body language: “Criminal interogation and confessions”
Information on “what eye movements may mean”, although this blog says it is all rubbish
Book on cultural differences: “Riding the Waves of Culture”

Commercial communication

Book on sales: “The New Strategic Selling” by Heiman + Miller
“Be FAB to be heard” on positioning benefits, instead of features
An interesting CV idea 🙂
Job-hunting strategy + tips

Presentation skills

My blog on how to build a presentation in 5 steps, including lots of examples via links
- … plus all my other posts on presenting
Prezi presentation (with sound) on the 4 pillars of an effective presentation
Video: “Create Strong Messages” including reminder of the 3 most important questions
Book “The Pyramid Principle” on how to structure communication, including “situation, complication, resolution”
- …. plus my Prezis (with sound) on the same topic, in Dutch and French
Book on Presentation Skills “The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs”

Assertiveness/Stress

Book on “ego states”, how you build your own “story” and all things “transactional analysis psychology”: TA Today
10min video on “ego states” – how your perception of the other person impacts your ability to behave in the way you want

Thanks for reading!

@dan_steer

Job hunting strategy and 16 tips

If you are looking for a job, this post will explain the single most important thing you need to know about your job-seeking strategy. It also delivers 16 tips to get you on your way to employment…

First of all, a few assumptions

Assumption number 1: There are enough jobs for everyone
Assumption number 2: Most available jobs are not advertised
Assumption number 3: Most job seekers only reply to advertised jobs, in the normal way

Let’s use the following example to see what this means for you. I have applied the Pareto Principle and am convinced that even if the numbers are not exact, the point is true:

If there are 100 available jobs and 100 job seekers, there is enough work for everyone.
Of those 100 available jobs, up to 80 of them may not be advertised at all. And certainly not everywhere.
Of the 100 job seekers, 80 of them will only be looking in the usual channels for advertised jobs and will respond in the usual way by sending a CV and motivation letter and then waiting.
The other 20 job seekers will expand their searching horizons and use different methods to make their applications.
This means that 80 people are looking at 20 jobs (with a 1 in 4 chance of success) while the other 20 people can choose between 4 available jobs.

So: You need to be in the 20 group!

And you need to apply these 16 tips to look for a job:

Recognise that everyone you know is a potential lead. And considering “The Obama Effect”, the potential leads are far more numerous.
Email all your friends and family to tell them what kind of work you are looking for and ask them to send you any leads.
Think about your added-value and created a polished tweetable message about yourself.
Ensure any presence on social networks or the www reinforces your personal brand.
If possible, announce your intentions via social media platforms and request input and feedback from peers. Update your LinkedIn profile and get some relevant recommendations.
Research people with similar jobs in their targeted company and talk to them to get contact details, job leads and other relevant information.
If you see any news about your targeted company winning new contracts or creating a new product, service or office strike while the iron is hot.
Go to conferences in your field of interest and talk to people.
Email the person you actually want to work with. Tell them you want support and ask for a phone conversation. If you don’t get a reply, try cold-calling them anyway.
Adapt each CV and its content to the company you want to work with.
Be FAB and answer the 3 most important questions.
Use creative techniques to make sure your CV stands out.
If you make a formal application, make sure it gets in the hands of the right people, bypassing reception and generalist recruiters at all costs.
Follow up on your applications quickly.
Spy on your prospective company building at arrival and leaving times to see how people are dressed. Now you know how to dress for the interview.
Practice interview skills with a friend or coach.

To conclude, it is only fair to note whilst assumptions 2 and 3 are based on my experience with job seekers and recruiting companies, the first assumption could just be a wildly optimistic statement. All the more reason to apply the strategies noted above…

Good luck!

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Share with a job-seeker!

I could use a trainer …shoe pun :-/

This post has nothing to do with trainers. Well, sort of. It is about getting a job, getting seen or self-branding..

In 1999, a good friend of mine tried to get a job in a highly esteemed London Ad Agency. He was amongst 1000 hopeful graduates just on the market trying to get into the best spots. Big names, big competition. I wonder how many of them did what he did…

Instead of sending a CV, he sent a plastic moulded cast of his foot. In a shoe box. When the box was opened, there was a simple message: “I need a trainer. Call me” (+ his number).

I suppose that most other people sent in a CV. My guy didn’t. He did what everyone needs to do if they want to get somewhere with the help of other people….

1 – Tune in to the situation, values and needs of the other person

This is key to any “sales situation”, whether it be getting a job, selling a house or service or convincing your friends to come out on a Saturday night. You need to put your active empathy skills into practice and tune in to the other person. You’ve gotta be FAB. The shoe in a box was tuned into the need for creativity and an original dynamic approach.

2 – You have to stand out . You might say: That’s easy in the advertising world, but not in real life. OK, a good point – but I’m not asking you to be creative and wacky all the time. Just different to the other guy. What makes you different? Even if you have a simple classic CV, you have to have something that the others don’t have. A USP.

3 – But don’t bullshit. What I liked about the shoe in the box was that it didn’t make any great claims-to-fame that wouldn’t hold up. The action itself suggested “creativeness” but the need for a trainer underlined a lack of arrogance that needed supporting. Nice. Subtle. But cool.

These lessons may come from a world of advertising and recruitment, but they are valid for a lot of communication situations. Tune into the situation/values/needs of the other, stand out and keep it real.