Built from the inside of hiring.
I help executives, senior leaders and specialists take control of their next move, most often in tech and life sciences.
200+
Companies hired for
750+
Hires managed
CHF
150m+
In packages negotiated
What I’ve Seen
Most people see the outcomes of hiring. I've watched the decisions.
Fifteen years in search and talent. Executive and niche hiring for a Fortune Global 500 company, seeing decision-making from the inside. Launching and growing the Swiss arm of a specialist search firm — which outpaced the market and was acquired. And, more recently, building AI products that help applicants differentiate themselves authentically.
That combination changed what I thought I knew. I had spent years on the search side, watching the outcomes of hiring decisions. Inside the company, I watched the decisions themselves: the conversation after the candidate leaves the room, the unspoken trade-off a panel makes when two people are equally qualified, the small reasons one is chosen and the other is not.
That is exactly what I now teach you to anticipate — so you can read the room instead of guessing at it.
The Basel Job Coach Story
It started over coffees. Word travelled.
Since 2024 I’ve coached more than one hundred people to take control of their search and get where they wanted to be. It began because people sought my advice when other routes hadn’t worked — talented people, PhDs, MDs and MBAs, caught on the wrong side of a transformation, who had been through outplacement and unemployment services with no change in their results. What was missing was specialist counsel with genuine been-there, done-that expertise.
What started as a passion project became the focus. It became clear that informal advice wasn’t enough — what these people needed was structured, hands-on support shaped by how decisions actually happen.
How I Work
Building for you, not lecturing at you.
No lectures, no wasted effort. Understanding HR and talent processes helps; understanding why leaders make the hiring decisions they do is the crucial part. The frameworks I’ve developed are drawn from hiring reality, not hiring theory. I build with you and for you, and around the busy life you have.
For most, that means rebuilding CVs and LinkedIn from scratch, the value proposition beneath them, and an answer to “tell me about yourself” that reflects the role they want and the person they want to be. For others, that plus an authentic, organic networking strategy and the confidence to use it.
For senior leaders, it is bespoke counsel: multiple frames for multiple audiences, executive presence, the deeper thinking boards and investors apply and even daily access through a longer move.
Making connections for others is a pleasure, where relevant. Several have led to spin-out opportunities and new company ideas as well as hires.
Clients arrive with a problem framed as “I need a new role.” They leave with new instincts and habits — in how they connect with others, how they present themselves, how they decide. The new role is the immediate outcome. The change in how they operate is the lasting one.
"What sets John apart is his ability to make sense of complcated careers and identify what genuinely differentiates someone.”
Theo Rowley, Talent Leader, Moderna, BMS; Author of Take Me Hire
Basel
Moving a career across borders, while moving a life across them.
I’m British, and I’ve lived in Basel for thirteen years. My wife and I are raising children here — house builds, the long version of expat life as it really is, rather than as the relocation brochure version.
The people I work with are often doing the same, building a career and a life across borders at once. About half are in Switzerland, or on their way here. The rest are across Europe, with others in California, New York, Singapore and Australia.
“Top of my list of recommendations to those seeking practical, common-sense and impactful guidance on their job search. Always the one with a fresh, unique, leading-edge perspective.”
Alison Barber, former Global Talent Leader, Novartis
Who this is for
For people who want to be in control of what happens next.
This is for...
People who know they’re good at what they do and want to be deliberate about their next move — even when they don’t feel as confident as they should. Senior professionals, executives and specialists. People moving between roles, weighing an offer, facing a restructure, or discreetly looking before they look openly.
This is NOT for...
This is not for people who want the result without some work: one phone number from my network, a guaranteed job in thirty days or a shortcut that skips the thinking. The rewards are real. You earn them.
“I was a bit sceptical because I was worried that I could achieve the same outcome just by using AI, but the first session was awesome."
Ivona Begic Mandic, Digital Marketing Manager
The Next Step
A conversation is the right first step.
If you’re thinking about your next move, internal or external, and you want to approach it more intentionally than reactively — let’s talk.