Following his first Cabinet meeting after having become First Lord of the Treasury, the Duke of Wellington opined that he “gave them their orders and they wanted to stay and discuss them.” Such was the reaction of a man used to being in total command succumbing to the realisation that power in civilian life isn’t wielded nearly as straightforwardly as on the battlefield.  Humans often overestimate the impregnability of their position. Whether it’s thinking themselves…

I came across a comment on LinkedIn the other day, which I found quite offensive. It was a comment that marked the writer out as a judgmental, miserly and unsupportive troll, and it served no purpose other than to make someone else feel bad and inept, wrongly and deviously in my opinion. The temptation was to comment on the comment in turn, saying something to put this person in his place, but I stopped myself…

One of my favourite writers once penned a metaphor I’ve always been fond of: a man crawling through the desert dying of thirst sees an oasis. Racing towards it, he sinks to his knees at the water’s edge and begins drinking furiously, only to discover that the oasis is a mirage and he’s drinking sand. Instead of spitting it out he continues to drink regardless of it being neither what he needs nor wants. The…

We are excited to announce a series of breakfast talks for 2018. Victoria will explore the topical gender equality debate, sharing quick tips on how to ‘manage’ performance review and compensation conversations in a confident manner. Please find below our speaking schedule. Let us know if you would like an invitation! 22 MARCH 2018 “Compensation Gap or Confidence Gap – which is it?” – a breakfast talk by Victoria Wall JULY 2018 “Mindfulness: Transcend the…

Having spent almost seven years working for Victoria Wall, I have now fully moved over to the Consulting arm of the business, Victoria Wall Consulting. We are an Executive Coaching and Leadership Development consultancy founded twenty-four years ago and made up of a highly experienced team of Occupational Psychologists and HR Consultants. Our approach is based on rigorous psychological research and is tailored to clients’ needs; we are an entirely distinct business, separated by a…

How do we look back on 2017, what will be our abiding memories? Such a question is inevitably a very personal one, driven by our beliefs and values and, indeed, by whether we were caught up in any of the extreme events of last year. What can be said is that it was very eventful across the globe. Take your pick from the terrorist attacks in Manchester or London Bridge, the liberation of Mosul, the…

Modern, fresh and spirited: our new brand identity reinforces our positioning as a leading recruitment consultancy in an exciting and dynamic market, in which confidence, capability, approachability and smart insights count – for candidates and clients alike. In today’s world, technology drives opportunity – we’re at the forefront of that trend, always looking for novel ways to connect our candidates and clients with new openings.  Our new identity is the result of a decision to refresh and reposition the…

This sounds the exclamation of both the irate ice cream purchaser and, alas, the occasional client. The former problem is easily fixed and has no long-term consequences for anybody (unless you take ice cream very, very seriously). If only the same could be said of the latter… But sometimes we lose sight of the fact that in life we’re always part of something greater than ourselves. Such a mindset underpins that looming horror which blights temp desks throughout the land: “flakery” [cue:…

When the sun comes out in London everyone flocks to the best rooftop hangouts for socialising and sun worshipping whilst sipping sundowner cocktails. Here are a few favourites worth trying out in London this summer, the perfect options for an after-work aperitif, wherever your office is located. Radio Bar at Me London Hotel The stylish Me Hotel is popular with the fashion crowd thanks to its close proximity to Somerset House (the LFW venue). Radio Bar offers panoramic views of London’s iconic…

It’s not unusual for a candidate to progress to final round with a client, nail the interview, receive an offer and not accept immediately. They want to mull it over, weigh up their options and seek advice from peers before saying “yes”. The client, whose expectations have hopefully been properly managed, is usually understanding of this. But from time to time we encounter a client who seems genuinely dumbfounded that the candidate doesn’t enthusiastically accept without hesitation. That candidates are sometimes a little…