Are you looking for insights into the current state of the UK job market, or professional career advice?
Then you need the knowledge and expertise of some of the key players in the industry
Check out our guide to ten of the top UK career experts and what it is that makes them so qualified.
Andrew Fennell, Founder of StandOut CV
In addition to founding StandOut CV, the UK’s biggest CV advice website, back in 2015, Andrew has worked as recruiter for over 10 years, helping some of the world’s biggest companies find talent.
Andrew regularly writes CV and job search advice articles for websites like Forbes, Fast Company and the Guardian – and provides comments about careers and workplace to the BBC, Yahoo News, Business Insider and more.
Andrew has also led numerous studies into the workplace which have received global coverage from some of the most read publications across the globe.
He has also created the most watched CV advice video on YouTube, which has over 3.8 million views.
James Reed, Managing Director of REED
James Reed CBE is the Chairman and CEO of REED, one of the UK’s biggest and most recognisable job boards.
But more than that, REED is a recruitment brand and it is the largest family-owned recruitment company in the world. James joined the company in 1992 and eventually took over from his father who originally founded the business in 1960.
Since then, James has become a giant in his field, regularly providing career advice, as well as comments about the workplace and labour market to news outlets and industry publications. Some of his most recent appearances include BBC News, BBC Radio 2 and even The Apprentice.
James is a best-selling author of three career advice books and the REED website has a comprehensive Career Advice blog, where his insights and books are also available.
As well as sharing his insights with the media, he is also active on both LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).
Lee Biggins, Founder and Managing Director of CV-Library
Lee Biggins is the award-winning founder and managing director of CV-Library, another one of the UK’s leading job boards.
Starting the company back in 2000, Lee now has an impressive 24 years of industry experience under his belt and has become a go-to source for career advice and insights into the recruitment landscape.
Now rapidly expanding his operations overseas, including in the US and South Africa, his understanding of the industry and career expertise continue to go from strength to strength.
Lee and the CV-Library team showcase these insights on their dedicated Career Advice blog, offering tips and advice to professionals at every stage of their careers.
The job board also has a Recruitment Insights page sharing statistics, advice and the latest trends with HR and recruitment professionals.
Lee is quite active on LinkedIn and often shares his expertise and experience with other career advice and recruitment websites and publications.
Sonya Barlow, Founder of the LMF Network
Sonya Barlow is the founder of the LMF (Like Minded Females) Network, an AI-enabled app designed to connect professional women in the workplace. Launched in 2018, is described as a careers platform and inclusion consultancy, and offers the UK’s largest mentoring programme.
Sonya herself is a best-selling author and a BBC Radio presenter who has won a number of awards over the years, including Marie Claire’s Future Shaper in 2020 and LinkedIn’s Changemaker in 2021.
She supports professionals and their careers through masterclasses, mentoring and sharing her expertise. To date, she has delivered two TED talks and a keynote for the House of Commons.
Sonya has over 100,000 social media connections and is very active across a variety of platforms, including LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and more.
Through the LMF Network, professionals can access her insights and expertise using a variety of blog posts, as well as the company podcast and a range of published case studies.
Chris Eldridge, CEO of Robert Walters UK
Robert Walters is a world-leading specialist recruitment consultancy that has been connecting employers and professionals across the UK for over 38 years.
In 2023, Chris Eldridge joined the team as CEO of Robert Walters UK. But the recruitment industry is not new to him as he has been working in this space since 2000 and has a huge amount of industry experience behind him.
Chris and his team are passionate about the sector and he often shares his expertise and insights with publications like the Financial Times, HR Review and other industry sites.
In a bid to support both employers and candidates on a personal level, Robert Walters has its own blog and also shares a variety of interesting and in-depth content, including webinars, podcasts and e-guides.
As well as sharing his own insights through this content, Chris also connects with other industry experts and relevant parties to provide the latest tips and advice.
Margaret Buj, Interview Coach and Career Strategist
Margaret Buj is an interview and career coach who specialises in helping professionals advance in their careers. She has supported thousands of job hunters since she began back in 2006.
Her insights have been featured in media outlets such as Forbes, Business Insider, Financial Times and Cosmopolitan.
As a leading authority in the industry, Margaret has spoken at a number of prestigious events and conferences, offering career advice from London to Saudi Arabia. She also runs training sessions and workshops aimed at empowering professionals to conquer the job market.
As well as public speaking, she has a dedicated career advice blog on her website and offers a whole host of free resources (alongside paid training courses). These include video interviews with industry professionals on a range of related topics.
Plus, free training and insights are available through her e-courses which can also be found on her website, Interview Coach.
Andrew MacAskill, Founder of Executive Career Jump
Andrew MacAskill is a job search expert, career coach and founder of the company Executive Career Jump. His life as a coach began as a side hustle and something that he did in the evenings alongside his role as MD of an international executive recruitment company.
However, in 2019 he made Executive Career Jump his full-time job and has dedicated his life to supporting job hunters ever since. He is also the author of “The Job Search Playbook” and is part of the LinkedIn Changemaker campaign.
Andrew is so passionate about the industry that he creates a range of resources to support professionals. To date, he has delivered over 1200 interview coaching, speaking and workshop sessions.
He offers a free LinkedIn group for professionals and those who want to be part of a supportive community sharing useful content. Through his website, you can access his content hub, home to the Executive Career Jump podcast.
He is also very active on YouTube and shares expert videos alongside his best-selling online courses.
Mayur Gupta, CEO and Founder of Career Accelerator
Founder and CEO of Career Accelerator (CA), Mayur Gupta is dedicated to supporting young people from underserved backgrounds as they prepare for their professional careers.
He does this through his company Career Accelerator which currently works with 30 schools across England and three of the UK’s leading LGBT+ career conferences.
On top of that, CA works with 25 businesses, including Just Eat Takeaway, Centrica and Cisco, on employee volunteering, social impact opportunities and inter-company collaboration.
Mayur is a public speaker dedicated to supporting diverse young people and as a result, he has spoken at The Economist, The Labour Party and Teach First. He has also contributed towards two books.
But more frequently, Mayur and his team can be found hosting inter-company diversity and inclusion roundtables, speaking at events and offering career consultations.
Diana Dawson, Founder of Working Career
Diana Dawson is the founder of Working Career, her own career coaching business.
She is a qualified coach, counsellor and psychologist who specialises in career consulting. Her career in this space spans over 20 years and during that time she has supported thousands of professionals and job hunters.
Diana has a long and impressive list of academic qualifications to her name and is an Accredited Master Coach with the Association of Coaching.
Some of her past clients have included GlaxoSmithKline, BBC, RBS, BP, the NHS and Deloitte.
When she’s not coaching individuals, she shares her insights with relevant industry publications, as well as producing content for her own career blog. She is also active on LinkedIn and runs in-person coaching workshops.
Ellie Rich-Poole, Founder of The Recruitment Coach
Ellie Rich-Poole has 25 years of experience working in HR, recruitment and talent. She founded her own business, The Recruitment Coach, in 2016 to offer support to both organisations and individuals.
She gives a number of in-person talks and group webinars and has also taken part in a number of podcasts on career and recruitment-related topics. These can be accessed through her website, along with her own dedicated career advice blog.
In the past, she has produced content for publications including Stylist, We Are The City, Life Lovers Magazine, Trapeze HR and more.
Ellie is very active on social media and writes her own LinkedIn newsletter called The Positive Pause. She also has a YouTube channel where she shares more tips and advice about career-related subjects.