Careers & Development Services from Outpost The Hague

Personal Consultancy

Through a personal consultancy service, expatriate and repatriated partners are provided with information, advice, and guidance to help meet their career and development needs. Careers & Development consultants can assist with the main steps of a career review at a time of significant change in your life.

In broad terms, this involves:

• Developing a clear picture of your life and career goals. We consider the concept of career in broad terms. No two persons’ needs are the same and you decide how you define success.
• Clarifying your options in the light of your skills and experience and also the opportunities and constraints available to you in The Netherlands. The options usually lie in the area of employment, self-employment, study, voluntary work or even ‘time out’ for family or oneself. We encourage you to consider both the short and long term and how your plans fit with your partner’s career in Shell.
• Implementing your plan. For example, if your goal is employment, we can advise you on writing or improving your CV, active job search, networking and interview skills.

This process is supported by access to a wide range of information, including links on this site, external services, and network contacts with previous clients and other organisations.

Each member of our team works with individual clients wherever possible so that you have a consistent contact for support over an extended period.

If we do not have sufficient resources to meet all your needs, we may refer you to other external services. For example, we do not provide psychological or aptitude testing facilities. We can refer you to our recommended reading list and web sites, and to individual career coaches/counsellors in The Netherlands.

Career workshops

We supplement the one-to-one support available through a series of ‘career workshops for partners’ which take you through the broad process of ‘self awareness’, ‘opportunity awareness’ and ‘transition skills’.

Specific modules are:

• Unlocking the Potential Within - self awareness
• Your CV - A Marketing Tool - transition skills
• Tell Me About Yourself - transition skills

Click here for further details of the Career Workshops and how to register.

Job vacancies and networking

Careers & Development is not a job agency and we take no direct part in recruitment processes. Underlying how we work is a philosophy of ‘helping partners to help themselves.’

Detailed information about job search in The Netherlands can be found under Job Search. We also operate a Job Club and organise networking events. See Outpost The Hague Calendar Events for details on our upcoming events. We are also a member of partnerjob.com

Confidentiality

We treat all enquiries confidentially. No personal information is passed to Shell or any other party without your agreement. We keep basic records in a secure computer database so that we can provide you the service you require. We also retain electronic copies of correspondence and your CV.

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When to contact us:

• Whenever you are considering an expatriate assignment in The Hague. You may have general questions or concerns about continuing, developing, adapting, giving up or re-starting your career. At this stage we help many spouses/partners by phone or email.
  
• When you actually arrive in The Hague or at a later stage during your assignment in The Hague. You can arrange an individual meeting with a career consultant to discuss your options in more detail.
  
• Whenever you are considering your next expatriate assignment in another location and again have questions or concerns about continuing your career in another location.

Code of practice

Careers & Development operates in line with the principles of the UK National Advisory Council for Careers and Educational Guidance.  The Guidance Council's Code of Principles may be viewed at: www.guidancecouncil.com