This document discusses considerations for changing careers and provides advice on how to prepare for a career change. It suggests that a career change requires completely overhauling one's work and usually means retraining and starting from entry-level positions. The document advises people considering a change to assess their skills, achievements, and interests, observe other jobs, and gain experience in their target career field. It also recommends speaking with training providers, recruiters, and finding a mentor to help navigate the career transition process.

1. Changing your Career

2. The temptation to career change…
• The thought of moving
your daily commitments
to a completely different
area of the workforce can
be exciting and nerve-
wracking.
• It’s a considerably brave
move to acknowledge that
where you are is not right
for you.

4. Let’s define career
• A career change is a
complete overhaul of what
you offer.
• They will usually require a
re-train and starting from
the bottom again (though
your experiences will set
you ahead of the
school/recently graduated
crowd).
• So changing career is a not
done on a whim.

6. Is it the hours?
• This could be to aim for a
better work-life balance…
• …or simply for a more
structured day.
• Ask your employer about
flexible working options.

7. Is it your colleagues?
• If you changed role
within the
organisation and
worked alongside
different people,
your opinion of the
workplace could
change.

8. Is it your colleagues?
• That said, a change of
career is sometimes
necessary for this; it
could be that the ‘type’
of worker in your career
just doesn’t match with
you.

9. Is it the work?
• The day-to-day tasks just
aren’t challenging enough
for you.
• You know the skills you have
could be used in a
completely different
environment.
• A change of career may be
the way to go.

10. Is it the work?
• Tell your boss.
• A good employer will respond by
offering to adjust your workflow
to incorporate more challenge.
• You may then find that a career
change is no longer on the cards.

11. So you’ve figured out that changes to the
hours, people and work itself aren’t going to
satisfy you.
If you have set your mind to it, then a career
change needs to be prepared for.
But where do you start?

12. Assess your current situation
Look at your skills
and what is
missing from your
current career.
Consider the
following
questions…

13. • What have you achieved in
your career and which of
those are you proud of?
• Have you enjoyed the
challenges, or preferred the
steadier work?
• How did promotions, if any,
make you feel?

14. • Did your salary allow you
to live the way you wanted,
and what level could that
reasonably be?
• What expertise have you
got to carry over
elsewhere?
• Then, finally, will you regret
it if you don’t?

16. Observational shifts
• Ask to join someone
else for a day-in-the-
life of their work.
• Getting a real view of
what the job is like is a
fantastic way of
building your research.

17. Work experience
• Obtaining part-time
work, an internship or
voluntary experience in
the field will help to
boost your chances of
actually getting hired.
• Build your
understanding of the
career.

18. Speak to training providers
• Research about the job,
but also about the
training you’ll need to
engage with.

19. Recruitment consultant
• Getting in touch with
a recruitment
consultant could be
the key to your
concerns.
• They will likely have
had experience with
many career changes,
and will know about
the route you wish to
take.

20. What else could help?
• Look at the education
and training required if
you need to re-train.
• Network with
professionals in the
industry you wish to
enter.

21. What else could help?
• It may be worth
finding a mentor, or
career advisor. Be they
a career consultant or
even a more informal
arrangement, mentors
can keep you on your
path and help deal
with any questions
that might arise .

22. Follow our advice if
you want to take
the career plunge