I was at the crossroads in my career and getting increasingly disillusioned with my employer, so in desperation I agreed to invest over £3,000 with another well known career management consultancy. They promised much and months later they had delivered little.

Around this time I had a chance phone call from Steve, who had mentored me as a raw teenager and been a big influence on my early career. I had overlooked that Steve had his own Career Development Consultancy, SMP Solutions and was unaware of how well established they were and what a good reputation they had. I shared my career dilemma with Steve, who was keen to turn things round for me and help move my career forward.

Steve picked up very quickly why I was not getting any success, as he said my CV in no way reflected me as a person, my skills or achievements, so it was hardly surprising that I wasn’t getting interviews! It was so obvious but I just couldn’t see it and the consultancy just told me to be patient! Within a couple of weeks of Steve rewriting my CV, the interviews were flooding in and I realised that what I was doing with the other consultancy having absolutely no effect.

Months of preparation and applying for jobs yielded zero results and a complete waste of money for me. Steve encouraged me to attend their Full Day Move Your Career ‘One Step Beyond’ Workshop and Steve and Debbie really did take me on a ‘voyage of self discovery’.

For the first time ever, I understood what I wanted from my next job, my own values and needs, what I really have to offer employers, how to go about presenting myself and succeeding at interviews. I was definitely applying for the wrong jobs!

I really found my focus and with Steve and Debbie’s coaching and encouragement, I found the right job for me and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I would have no hesitation in recommending SMP Solutions to anyone...

Dino Toouli