This section is dedicated to the job seeker looking to change their career or re-train or refresh their skillset. We will be looking at why people choose to change their career at different stages of their life, how you can go about learning new skills and how you can re-train for a new profession. On a more local level we will also look at what resources are available in your area to assist in a more specific job search where you may not be immediately qualified.

Refreshing Your Career is Very Common

The world is full of individual success stories and most of them come about from a key decision made at an important time. This could be you, and changing your career could be that decision.

According to a study by the London School of Business and Finance, 43% of current employees aged between 45 and 54 are seeking new challenges and opportunities. This is just one age band of course, but it is a very common stage of life to reconsider where your career is taking you. On a wider scale, a 2018 study found that the average worker in the UK considers changing their career ten times a year, and 20% of workers are always thinking about re-training. These statistics span the age spectrum and show how people today are more active in finding job satisfaction and not settling for a status quo they don’t enjoy, even if it offers them some security.

Career Change Can Be Planned or Unplanned

Change can come out of necessity or out of choice. The recent COVID-19 pandemic is a good example of where there has been a widespread re-appraisal of priorities because of people being stuck in lockdown with lots of time to think, and equally people have returned from a period of furlough to find they are faced with a redundancy process.

Whether you have planned to refresh your career after a lengthy period of contemplation, or you have had change thrust upon you because you have lost your job – often through no fault of your own – your next step requires lots of planning and consideration. Of course there will be differing degrees of urgency in terms of when you need to take action. You may be in a job already and able to take your time in identifying the right re-training opportunity or new position. Alternatively you might find yourself unexpectedly on the job market, against your wishes, in an industry that is not looking too promising in the current economy, and with a family and mortgage to pay for. This requires more urgent action. But either way, there are resources, organisations and opportunities out there to help you. Our role is to provide access to them.

A Hierarchy of Needs

When changing your career you often need to look at your current circumstances, your current needs and your future needs. Many people, particularly of a younger age, aren’t able to predict their future needs with much clarity, as they may not have a home of their own yet, or a partner or family. In some ways that makes a career change much more appealing and less risky, due to a lack of financial and personal responsibilities. Right now, you just want to earn some money to allow you to buy things, go on holidays and spend time with friends. But then things can change very quickly and you need to assess whether your new career can offer you what you might need five or ten years down the line.

Alternatively, you might be in your 30s, 40s or 50s and be quite settled financially and with your family and home life. Although you definitely need a good income, your hierarchy of needs may have changed. The older you get, the more your personality develops and your needs change. So now you might want to re-address your work-life balance to spend more time at home with your family. You might have health issues which dictate what kind of job you can undertake. Or maybe you are a divorcee or have ‘empty nest syndrome’ and have now found that you have a lot more time on your hands, and would prefer to fill it in a more enjoyable way.

Refresh a Career With Us

Whatever your motivation for changing career, we are dedicated to helping you with this change and guiding you through the process with information and assistance. Refreshing your career can be a life-changing decision and therefore it merits deep thought and consideration, but also means you need the best help and resources to make the transition easier and more successful. So browse our pages and check out the links and resources, and we can help you find the new career you deserve.