jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people
  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Career Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • Advertise a Job
  • Recruiters
  • Your Account

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

career-advice.jobs.ac.uk

Secondary Sidebar

jobs.ac.uk Career Advice

  • CV and Cover Letter Advice
    • CV Tips
    • Free CV Templates
    • Cover Letters with Examples
    • Personal Profiles
    • CV Resources
  • Jobseeking and Interview Tips
    • Jobseeking Tips
    • Academic Interviews
    • Professional Interviews
    • Jobseeking and Interview Resources
  • Career Development
    • Academic Careers
    • Research Careers
    • Career Progression Stories
    • Professional Careers
    • Working in Industry
    • Career Development Resources
    • Global Careers
    • Working From Home
  • Women in Higher Education
  • FE Career Advice
    • FE CV & Interview Tips
    • Working in FE
    • Managing your Career in FE
    • FE Jobs Profiles
  • Resources
    • Academic Case Studies
    • Professional Case Studies
    • Job Profiles
      • Biological Science Jobs
      • Health and Medical Jobs
      • Engineering and Technology Jobs
      • Computer Science Jobs
      • Physical and Environmental Science Jobs
      • Professional Service Jobs
        • Business Development Manager Jobs Profile
        • Chef Jobs Profile
        • Civil Service Jobs Profile
        • Email Marketing Jobs Profile
        • SEO Jobs Profile
    • Vlogs
  • Webinars
  • Country Profiles
    • Africa
      • Egypt
      • Ghana
      • Kenya
      • Nigeria
      • South Africa
    • Americas
      • Canada
      • United States of America
    • Asia
      • Bahrain
      • Brunei
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Japan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Malaysia
      • Qatar
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Dubai
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • Turkey
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Work in Vietnam – Country Profile
      • Work in Uzbekistan – Country Profile
    • Europe
      • Belgium
      • Denmark
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Russia
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • United Kingdom
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
  • PhD and Studentship Advice
    • PhD
    • Studentship Resources
    • Vlogs
  • Need help advertising a job?
  • About jobs.ac.uk
  • Ask A Professional
  • Academic Spotlight Interviews
  • Menu
    • CV and Cover Letter Advice
      • CV Tips
      • Free CV Templates
      • Cover Letters with Examples
      • Personal Profiles
      • CV Resources
    • Jobseeking and Interview Tips
      • Jobseeking Tips
      • Academic Interviews
      • Professional Interviews
      • Jobseeking and Interview Resources
    • Career Development
      • Academic Careers
      • Career Progression Stories
      • Research Careers
      • Professional Careers
      • Working in Industry
      • Career Development Resources
      • Global Careers
      • Working From Home
    • Women in Higher Education
    • FE Career Advice
      • FE CV & Interview Tips
      • Working in FE
      • Managing your Career in FE
      • FE Jobs Profiles
    • Resources
      • Academic Case Studies
      • Professional Case Studies
      • Interview questions tool
      • Vlogs
      • Job Profiles
        • Biological Science Jobs
        • Health and Medical Jobs
        • Engineering and Technology Jobs
        • Computer Science Jobs
        • Physical and Environmental Science Jobs
        • Professional Service Jobs
        • Civil Service jobs
    • Webinars
    • Country Profiles
      • Africa
        • Work in Egypt – Country Profile
        • Work in Ghana – Country Profile
        • Work in Kenya – Country Profile
        • Work in Nigeria – Country Profile
        • Work in South Africa – Country Profile
      • Americas
        • Work in Canada – Country Profile
        • Work in the United States of America – Country Profile
      • Asia
        • Work in Bahrain – Country Profile
        • Work in Brunei – Country Profile
        • Work in China – Country Profile
        • Work in Hong Kong – Country Profile
        • Work in India – Country Profile
        • Work in Japan – Country Profile
        • Work in Kazakhstan – Country Profile
        • Work in Malaysia – Country Profile
        • Work in Qatar – Country Profile
        • Work in Saudi Arabia – Country Profile
        • Work in Singapore – Country Profile
        • Work in South Korea – Country Profile
        • Work in Turkey – Country Profile
        • Work in United Arab Emirates – Country Profile
      • Dubai
      • Europe
        • Belgium Country Profile
        • Work in Denmark – Country Profile
        • Work in Finland – Country Profile
        • France Country Profile
        • Work in Germany – Country Profile
        • Work in Ireland – Country Profile
        • Work in Italy – Country Profile
        • Work in the Netherlands – Country Profile
        • Work in Norway – Country Profile
        • Work in Russia – Country Profile
        • Work in Spain – Country Profile
        • Work in Sweden – Country Profile
        • Work in Switzerland – Country Profile
        • Work in the United Kingdom – Country Profile
      • Oceania
        • Work in Australia – Country profile
        • Work in New Zealand – Country Profile
    • Studentship Advice
      • PhD
      • Studentship Resources
      • Vlogs
    • Need help advertising a job?
    • About jobs.ac.uk

How to Change Your Career Direction

change career2

Research conducted by the London School of Business and Finance suggests that 47% of UK employees would like a change in their career direction. Surprisingly, close to a third of the workers are not sure when they will make a change.  Changing career directions can be an exciting as well as an overwhelming concept for many people.  If you have been thinking about changing your career, the following article will give you some guidance and inspiration to get started.

Gain experience

Employers are particularly interested in hiring people with experience. A genuine interest in the job and excellent qualifications are no longer sufficient. Organisations prefer taking on staff who have already proved competence in a similar role because it will help them lower their risk of making poor hiring decisions. Higher education providers in the UK have adopted a similar approach. Gaining experience is key to help you change career direction.

But how do you gain experience in a new field? It might seem like a vicious circle at first. Without a job, you will not get the experience, and without the experience, you will not get hired. Rest assured, there are some ways to gain some experience and to help you stand out from the crowd.

One of the best ways to move into a brand new career path is through part-time work or volunteering. Devote some time to researching vacancies and submitting some carefully written applications. Spend a couple of hours a week investigating new opportunities. When you see an exciting post advertised, do apply as quickly as possible. Do not forget about freelance or seasonal roles. These can provide fantastic opportunities for dipping your toe into a new career field.

Many not-for-profit organisations have a wide range of volunteering roles. You could start volunteering a few hours a week and start building up your knowledge and skills. Whilst remaining employed, you will have the opportunity to test if the new direction is the right option for you.

Think of knowledge

Clara worked as an administrative manager for a well-known university. She often thought about how much she would enjoy teaching and working with young people. Clara started volunteering as a mentor first. She thoroughly enjoyed her new volunteering role which she has taken up whilst keeping her full-time job. Then, a friend recommended that Clara looked into some academic courses to receive further qualifications.

Clara decided to take up postgraduate study and successfully completed her course. She now works as a lecturer and she is thrilled to work with students. In fact, she wishes that she had made the career direction change earlier.

Developing a good balance between your professional experience and your academic credential is key. If you are thinking about making a significant change in your career, you need to prove that you are qualified to do the job. Going back to study can be an exciting prospect and a life-changing experience for you.

Clarify your options

Are you thinking about changing your career, however, you are not sure about what else you can do? It is wise to take some time out and reflect on your options. Ask yourself ‘If I could take up any job, what would that be?’ and ‘How could I best use my skills to make a difference?’ and ‘What are my real strengths’?

You might find that you need to spend weeks or months mulling over your options. Try not to jump into any new fields too quickly. Devote ample time for exploring possibilities.

If you are not clear about what your key skills and strengths are, it is a great idea to start collecting some feedback from the people around you. You may approach some supportive friends, family, or colleagues. Once you have selected up to five people, ask them to share three of your strengths with you. Explain to them that you are completing some research and would very much appreciate their feedback. It is best to focus only on your strengths and not on your weaknesses. They do not need to make suggestions for your improvement areas. Make sure that you have a pen and notepad with you to jot down their insights. This exercise can reveal to you some of your strengths which you may not have noticed before!

Remember that a third of the workforce is not clear about when to change (as the above research suggests). Create a realistic timeline. Think about both your short and long term aspirations. Find yourself a coach who can hold you accountable.

For some people, changing careers can be a challenging concept in the short term. However, the longer-term benefits could be endless. You could find a role which really suits your skills, bring creativity to your work and make a positive difference in the world.

Find your next career move here.

What did you think of our article? - please rate

5 / 5. 1


Share this article

Henrietta Nagy

Henrietta Nagy is a seasoned portfolio worker with over 10 years’ experience in the UK education sector. Henrietta writes educational content, designs academic courses, delivers university lectures, mentors entrepreneurs, and provides career development coaching. One of Henrietta's recent organisational clients is the Oxford University where she has facilitated over 100 hours of learning events. With 9 years of higher education studies internationally (including an MBA), she has worked with CEOs, academics, scholars, managers, women entrepreneurs, academic administrators and other consultants.

Reader Interactions

You may also like:

  • Supporting Individual Researchers in a Publish-or-Perish Culture

    Supporting Individual Researchers in a Publish-or-Perish Culture

  • Online education training and e learning webinar on internet

    Basic skills in Moodle management

  • Successful teamwork in a diverse office: Colleagues smiling and talking in a productive meeting

    How can I build my experience in the HE sector?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

seventeen − fourteen =

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Follow us

Searching for a job in the United Kingdom

Latest Jobs

  • Faculty Position in AI/ML for Biosciences

    Department of Biosciences and Bioinformatics, Xi'an Jiaotong - Liverpool University

    Location: Suzhou

    Salary: Competitive salary in the market


  • Apprentice - Chemical & Environmental Engineering

    Engineering, University of Nottingham

    Location: Nottingham

    Salary: £23,563 - £23,946 per annum, depending on skills and experience.


  • Research Assistant / Research Associate (Fixed Term)

    Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge

    Location: Cambridge

    Salary: £32,546 - £45,413 per annum


  • Professor of Computer Science and Head of Department

    School of Mathematical Physical & Computational Sciences - Computer Science, University of Reading

    Location: Reading

    Salary: Competitive Salary plus excellent benefits


  • Head of Student Marketing & Recruitment

    College of Social Sciences, University of Glasgow

    Location: Glasgow

    Salary: £49,559 - £57,422 Grade 8, per annum


  • CISM Research Assistant

    Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University

    Location: Swansea

    Salary: £34,132 - £38,249 per annum


Footer

jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people
  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Career Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility Statement

Copyright © jobs.ac.uk 1998 - 2025

  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Careers Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility
jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people

Copyright © jobs.ac.uk 1998 - 2025