I used to be the one who screened your application out.
For over seven years I worked in HR, as HR Manager and Head of People. In that time I ran more than 1,000 interviews and hired over 100 people across more than twelve countries. I know the moment a CV lands on the pile, and the moment it rises back to the top.
At some point I noticed that good people rarely fail on their qualifications. They fail because nobody ever told them how they come across. That is what I do now, from the daily practice of the people who decide on offers and rejections in the German job market, including for expats and internationals applying from abroad or already living here.
I live and work in Frankfurt am Main and coach in English and German, via video call across Germany. How I got here is further down this page. Honestly told, including the uncomfortable chapters.
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Why I do this
In seven years of HR I wrote far more rejections than offers. Almost every one of them was a template: “We have decided to move forward with another candidate.” The real reason was never in there.
But I knew it every single time. A CV that hides the decisive experience on page two. An interview answer that stops two sentences too early. Small things that could be fixed in an hour. I was just never allowed to tell people.
The people who stayed with me are the ones who quietly do great work and wait for someone to notice. Nick’s Advisory exists for exactly these people.
Today I’m no longer on the employer’s side. I tell you what nobody else will: honestly, concretely, and without detours. Not because I want to sell you a course, but because I know how close many people are to an offer without realizing it.
My path, honestly told
No career is a straight line, mine included. These are the stages that shaped me.
The first stack of applications
Junior HR Manager at AMG Engineering. For the first time I sit in front of a stack of applications and realize: the decision happens faster than most applicants imagine.
Inside a large corporate
Management trainee at DekaBank. I learn how a bank hires: committees, compliance, many stakeholders. And I lead a project that makes remote work from abroad possible for 4,400 employees.
Recruiting under pressure
HR Business Partner at Procter & Gamble. I run a recruiting campaign for medical specialists on my own: 8 out of 10 roles filled in 4 months, without an agency.
The hardest stretch
At Liferay I'm responsible for a reorganization with over 150 separations across 9 countries, in just 3 months. I hold the conversations nobody wants to hold. Since then I know how both sides of a termination feel.
Rebuilding a leadership team
As HR Manager at SharkNinja I scale a region from 70 to 130 employees and rebuild the entire top leadership level. Every day I see who gets promoted and who gets overlooked. And why.
Switching sides
After a final role as Head of People I found Nick's Advisory in Frankfurt. From now on I work for the people I was only allowed to send rejections to for seven years.
The coaching I wish I’d had myself
Honest, not polished
I tell you what's actually standing between you and the job, even when it's uncomfortable. That's the only thing that changes anything.
From the decision-maker's side
I've run over 1,000 interviews and hired people myself. I know what actually counts from a hiring manager's perspective, including for candidates job-hunting from abroad.
Execution, not vague advice
You get finished results and clear next steps, not generic tips to figure out on your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I trust you over a certified career coach?
I'm not a certified coach, I'm someone who personally ran over 1,000 interviews from the hiring manager's seat and made real hiring decisions. That's different knowledge than a coaching certification: not theory about how applications should work, but the practice of how they're actually judged. For many people, that's exactly the difference that matters.
Why did you leave HR to become a career coach?
After more than seven years on the company side, I knew every reason an application fails, but applicants themselves never found out. I wanted to close that gap: honest feedback from the side that usually stays silent.
Which industries do you have experience in?
My background spans corporates to start-ups: Rail-Flow, SharkNinja, Liferay, Procter & Gamble, DekaBank, and AMG Engineering. That means I know both the formalized processes of large corporates and the faster, more informal decisions at smaller companies.
Do you work with senior professionals, or only early-career candidates?
Both. The core principles of how a profile gets screened in seconds apply from your first job to executive level, only the evidence and expectations change. I've hired at every level myself.
Do you help with a complete career or industry change?
Yes, and it's a topic I know well myself, having moved between corporate and start-up environments. The key is usually translating your existing experience so it's immediately understandable in the new field, or the new country.
Do you coach in English, or is this page just a translation?
I coach in English, not just in German. If you're building your career in Germany and prefer to work in English, that's exactly what I offer, not a workaround.
Let’s talk about your next step
The fastest way to start is the free CV check. Prefer to talk directly? The honest feedback companies won't give you, in English. 30 minutes on a video call, a clear read on your situation in the German job market, one concrete next step. Or go straight to 1:1 career coaching for expats in Germany.