Brilliant Career Finder 5v6a6k

brilliant career finder

brilliant career finder how to find the right career for you

Josephine Monroe

An imprint of Pearson Education London · New York · San Francisco · Toronto · Sydney · Tokyo · Singapore Hong Kong · Cape Town · Madrid · Paris · Milan · Munich · Amsterdam

PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED Head Office: Edinburgh Gate Harlow CM20 2JE Tel: +44 (0)1279 623623 Fax: +44 (0)1279 431059 London Office: 128 Long Acre London WC2E 9AN Tel: +44 (0)20 7447 2000 Fax: +44 (0)20 7447 2170 Website: www.business-minds.com First published in Great Britain in 2003 © Pearson Education Limited 2003 The right of Josephine Monroe to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. ISBN 0 273 66360 7 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A CIP catalogue record for this book can be obtained from the British Library. All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the Publishers or a licence permitting restricted copying in the United Kingdom issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. This book may not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published, without the prior consent of the Publishers. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Typeset by Northern Phototypesetting Co Ltd, Bolton Printed and bound in Great Britain by Bell & Bain Ltd, Glasgow The Publishers’ policy is to use paper manufactured from sustainable forests.

About the author Josephine Monroe is a freelance journalist and author who has written about media, the workplace and business for the Observer, the Guardian, Time Out and The Times. This is her sixth book.

Contents part 1 introduction 1 2 3

1

background to career changes 3 why people look for another career… … and why they don’t 15

11

part 2 seven steps to changing your career 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

step 1 – working out what you want work to do for you 21 step 2 – getting to know yourself 35 step 3 – working out what you want to do 53 step 4 – working out what you’re qualified to do step 5 – getting to know your destination 83 step 6 – map making 93 step 7 – getting that job 109

part 3 quick ways to change your career 11 12 13 14 15

the easiest ways to change career the voluntary sector 131 the public sector 135 getting a trade 141 predicting the future 147

125

123

19

67

part 4 sector-by-sector information for career changers 151 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

agriculture and environmental work 153 banking and finance 155 consultancy 156 crafts and trades 158 education 160 engineering, surveying and architecture 161 government and voluntary sector 163 health, beauty and well-being 164 information technology 166 law 167 marketing and sales 169 media 171 property, interiors and estate agency 172 recruitment 174 retail 175 social sciences 177 therapy 178 training 180 travel and leisure 181 writing, art and the performing arts 183

part one

introduction

1

Background to career changes

If you reach for the snooze button rather than head for the shower, if Tuesdays feel like Thursdays, or if the only time you come alive at work is when you get a chance to moan about your employer, the chances are that you’re in the wrong job. If it’s any consolation though, you are not alone. In fact, a recent survey of graduates estimated that up to 75 per cent were ‘misemployed’ ten years after graduation. It’s no wonder. A career for most of us is a chain of choices and opportunities that we don’t control, which is why most workers aren’t where they’d imagined they’d be five years ago. We head off happily in one Many people fall into their direction and get manoeuvred by circumfirst job without too much stance onto other paths. This is assumthought. ing, of course, that we set out on the right path in the first place. Many people fall into their first job without too much thought. Whether it’s the need to start earning money straight away or uncertainty about which field to enter, many workers take the first job they’re offered and don’t stop to examine the consequences for years. Without noticing, some find they’re in a position they’re unsuited to, unqualified for and unable to endure with grace. The truth is, very few people have a clear idea where they want to be or what they want to be doing there. Consequently, they land jobs by default. This book aims to take the uncertainty out of career planning. By following a clear seven-point plan it will give you the tools to uncover your innate talents, your heart’s desire and the right path to follow. It

3

4

introduction

will then hold up a few road signs to get your new career journey off to the best possible start.

The career has changed One of the reasons there is a need for this book is that many 21stcentury workers want more from their working lives than their 20th-century counterparts ever dreamed of. The generic career itself has changed. No longer do we enter a corporation on graduation from school or university with enticements of incremental promotions and a pension to keep us loyal. Whoever we work for these days, most workers understand that ultimately they are working for themselves. Work, we’ve been encouraged to believe, should be rewarding, fulfilling and possibly even fun. It’s still shocking to some people, but work should be fun. Work should inspire and sustain you, challenge and reward you. Put simply, work should bring out the best in you. If you consider that many of today’s It’s still shocking to some workers will remain in the office until people, but work should their seventies before they’ll have built be fun. Work should up a pension big enough to provide for inspire and sustain you, their retirement, you can see why you challenge and reward need to make the time now to engineer a you. career that works for you. Many books about career changes help readers find jobs in new professions – that is not the only aim of this book. The tests, tips and tools in this book are designed to bring you satisfaction in the work place. It’s not about what you can do but what you want to do and how you achieve those aims. Now that might mean striking out on your own for a while, sacrificing a regular salary for contract work, freelancing or study. Twenty-first-century careers aren’t as straightforward as we might have hoped. We’ve been raised to see a career as a ladder – a linear structure heading ever upwards. Pension contributions are calculated on the belief that you will earn more at 40 than you did at 20, that you will

background to career changes

5

stay in the workforce until you’re 65, and the ideal that you want a comfortable retirement. Well, work just isn’t like that any more. We live in the Age of Entitlement and we all feel that we have a right to be happy and rich. While it’s certainly not a right – happiness and wealth almost always require endeavour and maintenance – it’s never been more achievable for ordinary workers who are prepared to create their dream career. The new structure for the 21st-century career looks a bit like a child’s drawing of a flower: it has you at the centre of it and each petal represents one of your skillsets, your ambitions, your abilities and your desires. It’s not about progress, it’s about happiness.

AMBITIONS

EX

PE

RIE

LS

IL SK

NC

E

YOU AT T

ES ITI

RIB

APTITUDES

IL AB

UT

ES

If you change the labels, each petal could represent the different ways you earn money. Perhaps you will earn part of your income from one employer and some from freelancing or moonlighting for several employers. It may also help if you start to see a career change as a gradual progression, not a 180-degree turn that will give you whiplash! As you read this book and start to look around for new directions, keep in

6

introduction

mind that you might not just be looking for one job – maybe there are several little ones that would suit you better. The smaller the moves you make – for instance grafting on a bit of moonlighting to shift your horizons slightly – the easier it is to proceed with confidence. The reason so many people now find themselves in careers that don’t excite them is that they chose a career based on the old ladder model. Encouraged by old-school thinking into entry-level jobs in sectors that People in linear careers employed ‘people with their qualificatend to get concerned tions’, a high percentage of the workwith promotions, pay force finds itself wondering whether the rises and impressive job grass might be greener somewhere else. titles. People in linear careers tend to get concerned with promotions, pay rises and impressive job titles – and sometimes these can seem more important than their actual day-to-day work.

Career counselling If you were lucky enough to have career counselling at school or university, the chances are you were asked the kind of questions that lead to poor career choices. If a career counsellor ever asked you ‘What do you want to do?’, you can be fairly sure that you were given bad advice. For most people it’s simply unanswerable – most of us just don’t know – and asking an 18-year-old to commit to a path he’s expected to follow happily for the rest of his natural sounds like a particularly chilling edition of the The X Files. Sure, there are a few people who know ‘for sure’ that they want to be a footballer, a forensic scientist or a model, but most young people don’t know enough about the world of work to make a sensible decision. If you think about it, the only professions today’s teens really understand are those their parents are in, those in teaching, those in the entertainment industry and possibly those featured in TV dramas such as ER and The Bill. It’s no wonder then that it takes most of us a few more years to work out what we want from work.


7

This book aims to play the part of your personal career counsellor, and from time to time will have to ask some pretty personal questions. It will be worth your while not to answer immediately and to take your time to work out your replies to questions such as ‘What do you enjoy?’, ‘How hard are you prepared to work?’ and ‘How much risk can you tolerate?’ By answering different sorts of questions, you will build up a clearer picture of the work you were born to do. And by using every one of your talents and acknowledging every one of your dreams, you will build a fully Prepare yourself for the rounded career, a life of satisfaction and possibility that you might emotional gratification as well as finanend up taking on work cial reward – just don’t expect your next that doesn’t look and feel job to be a logical step forward to a higher like a ‘proper’ job. salary because the career ladder got left in the 20th century. Prepare yourself for the possibility that you might end up taking on work that doesn’t look and feel like a ‘proper’ job. Don’t worry, this isn’t the hippy manifesto for Peace At Work. Of course, one of the major – if not the major – reasons most people think about changing career is the desire to earn more money. If that’s the reward you’re most interested in getting from work then this book will give you the information you need to climb aboard the Big Salary Express. But be warned: one of the major reasons there are so many career changThe key to making your ers – and potential career changers – out career work for you is to there is because they were lured into the uncover your hidden wrong profession in the first place by the desires and secret false promises of big salaries. A lot of ambitions, as this enables people quickly become demoralized and you to unlock what you disillusioned if they’re only in it for the really, really want. money. Nevertheless, if that’s all you want, it’s within your power to attain it. The key to making your career work for you is to uncover your hidden desires and secret ambitions, as this enables you to unlock what you really, really want. This book will take

8

introduction

you through a series of prompts and tests that are designed to uncover your true desires – and whether the thing you want most from work is money, a good time or a sense of purpose, the techniques are the same.

Good time to move The good news for career changers is that there has never been a better time to start over, do a career U-turn, lateral sashay or downshift. We live in a time of virtually full employment: mostly, there is work out there for those who want it. This means employers are having to change the way they view their staff. No longer is a company’s major asset its products, its headquarters or its brand names – it’s the talent that walks out of the door every evening. Recruiting and retaining staff is one of the biggest challenges facing employers now, and that creates opportunities for workers to build jobs for themselves outside of conventional job descriptions. Smart employers now actively seek to accommodate the needs of smart job seekers. So whether you’re looking to work part time, work flexitime or get day release for training or moonlighting, things are looking good. Another factor in career changers’ favour is that it’s no longer unusual to change careers – mothers returning to the workforce have trailblazed the notion for decades – and most employers are now willing to look at candidates with a few kinks in their CVs. It will be your ability It will be your ability to to demonstrate enthusiasm for the comdemonstrate enthusiasm pany and your role within it that is likely for the company and your to impress an employer most. role within it that is likely Another boost for job seekers of the to impress an employer unconventional kind is that the concept most. of transferable skills is now well understood, and management, computer or book-keeping skills learned in one sector are rarely any different from those used in another sector. If an employer is looking for a good people manager, they won’t care too much where you learned to manage people, just how well you do it.


9

So although it’s daunting, you can see there are plenty of reasons to be enthusiastic and expectant of a glittering new career opening up to you over the next few months.

Career changer profile Hilary, 44, teacher to fundraiser I had only gone into teaching as the hours were convenient when my kids were small. But as my children got older, getting home early and having the summer holidays off was less important than it had been and I realized I didn’t want to be a teacher for the rest of my life. I started to look around for something else, not having a clue about what I wanted. So I went to a careers advice service where I was given some psychometric tests to do – they all suggested I had management skills and leadership potential, but while that gave me confidence to look for something else, they didn’t show me where to look. At the time, the only thing I could think to do was to get a qualification in something else, but having three kids meant I didn’t have the financial option of going back to college. Nor did I have the time. My only option was to do some courses at nightschool. The first course I took was a GSCE in law. To this day I’m not really sure why, I had never wanted to be a lawyer but I guess I thought it might be useful and interesting. The following year I did another GSCE, this time in business studies, which I found absolutely fascinating. During this time I also kept an eye on the job market to see what sorts of opportunities came up for a single mum, approaching middle age, with three kids. Funnily enough there weren’t that many and I really couldn’t see a way forward for a long time. I had been the union rep at my school and this had brought me into with some officials at the local council but I had no idea at the time that this would be key to finding a new career. I was vaguely aware

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introduction

that the charitable sector was more accepting of people with less experience and so I had started to look at recruitment ads in this sector. One day I read an ad for a local charity for single mums that needed someone with business experience and knowledge of how the council worked to get a new drop-in centre off the ground. Although I wasn’t perfectly qualified, I thought my status as a single mum, my council s and GCSEs would give me a chance. As it turned out the low salary meant very few people applied and, as I got on well with the interview , I was offered the job. I stayed there for two years, applying for grants and dealing with the council, and finally got the centre up and running. I discovered the bit of the job I enjoyed the most dealt with raising finance – it was much more interesting than general istration – and when the time was right to move on I looked for specialized fundraising jobs. I have now been working in fundraising for ten years and have worked for three different charities. It’s very challenging, very hard work but incredibly rewarding. I’m also quite good at it. There was no way I could have known it would work out so well, but sometimes you have to put one foot in front of the other and just see where you end up.

2

Why people look for another career …

Circumstances change We’ve already looked at why many workers fall into jobs and companies not ideally suited to them. While that’s understandable, it’s amazing that so many never look to make changes and end up staying misemployed for longer than they’d care to . For some, the motivation to look for a new line of work strikes only when the job they’ve been unhappy in for years is taken away from them. But whether they’ve been laid off or given the boot, luckily for them the scrap heap often provides a good vantage point from which to spot new opportunities. Others don’t need quite such a decisive kick up the backside to get their careers on the right track. Increasingly workers are recognizing that their grumpiness in the morning, in the office and in the pub has a root in For some, the motivation their job. And instead of just moaning to look for a new line of about it, they are starting to look around. work strikes only when Encouraged by entrepreneurs who the job they’ve been changed the British working culture so unhappy in for years is much during the dotcom boom, and taken away from them. intrigued by talk of free agents and Me Plc, a greater number of workers than ever are recognizing that work should sustain and fulfil them, and are finding the correct outlet for their professional frustration – a career change.

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introduction

While these background factors encourage some, they also make others jealous. When the papers are full of self-made millionaires, big City bonuses and second homes in the country, it’s not surprising that so many of us think we went into the wrong profession. If you’ve got friends who always get sent to conferences in exotic places, get to work from home or take home five times the salary you do, it’s only human to feel a little envious.

Money, money, money As the huge price rises in the UK property market in the past decade have locked out more and more first-time buyers, the only way to get on the property ladder has been to earn more money. While the need to earn more each month is a major motivation for changing career, it’s certainly While the need to earn not the only factor. A 2002 survey of NHS more each month is a workers in the UK found that while the major motivation for low wages were a major reason that so changing career, it’s many were looking to leave the profescertainly not the only sion, the lack of opportunity for advancefactor. ment also came in the top five reasons, as did feeling undervalued by their managers and the public. Of course, these factors affect workers in all professions, not just the public sector. There are some more practical reasons why many workers are forced to look for something new. Like miners in a coal town where the pit has been closed, there is often no option to remain in your old line of work. For instance, in Britain the manufacturing sector has declined rapidly (as have other sectors) and manufacturing workers have had to acquire the communication and computer skills required to work in the service sector, an area of the economy that now employs almost three-quarters of British workers. Even in buoyant areas of the economy, the constant march of technology continues to make some roles redundant. As an example, a secretary who can only take dictation and type letters isn’t very useful any

why people look for another career …

13

more in a culture where bosses send memos by e-mail and synchronize their diaries in Outlook. The secretary has become the PA and the skills of Even in buoyant areas of the PA include sorting out technical the economy, the constant glitches and developing a good relationmarch of technology ship with the boss’s childminder, while continues to make some in other professions the internet has cut roles redundant. out middlemen and allowed workers all over the world to share the same information, forcing several service suppliers into the ground.

3

… and why they don’t

It’s just your imagination Despite the many and varied reasons why people might need to seek out alternative employment, many of them don’t. And that’s because for every reason to look for something new, there’s a factor that convinces them to stick with the devil they know. The reason to stay put may be a simple case of lack of imagination – they just can’t see themselves on any other path. Most probably, though, it’s a case of an overactive imagination. Human beings have a safety valve that generally stops them from doing anything reckless. We have the ability to imagine the future – and to protect us from endangering ourselves our subconscious has a tendency to dwell on the worst-case scenario in the hope that we’ll stay safely where we are. What our subconscious often overlooks, however, is that where we are isn’t always the safest place to be. If our sector is shrinking, or technology is taking our jobs away from us, that scary place in the future might Fear of the unknown is well end up being a safer haven than our probably the biggest current rut. Nevertheless, fear of the reason why people stay in unknown is probably the biggest reason jobs that make them why people stay in jobs that make them miserable. miserable. First they have to overcome the fear of failure – what happens if their career adventure backfires and they have to return to their old profession with their tail between their legs?

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Well, the chances are they’d get a lot of respect for having taken a risk and sticking their necks out: employers are always looking to hold on to people with drive and imagination. But as their negative minds conspire against them, this isn’t the reaction they choose to imagine. Then they have to deal with the fear of poverty. Very often a change in career means, in the short term, a drop in salary. That’s because people leave sectors where they have several years’ experience (not to mention the associated accrued pay rises) for entry-level jobs in their new sector. For older workers with the trappings of age – children, mortgages and a taste for the good life – returning to the salary of a 20-year-old is either not feasible or not desirable. That’s one of the reasons why this book will encourage you where possible to make your career change in smaller steps, getting the experience that commands a decent salary through freelancing and moonlighting. Of course, a job doesn’t just supply you with money. Leaving your job requires leaving behind all the other things it gives you as well – friends, familiarity, status and s as well as things such as pension contriSometimes, common butions and share option schemes. sense contrives to keep Sometimes, common sense contrives to us where we are. keep us where we are. The single biggest reason, however, why people don’t manoeuvre themselves out of jobs that fail to fulfil them is that they just don’t know what they want. Either they can’t decide between several exciting options – ‘Shall I run a pub or be a beauty contest judge?’ – or they have no way of knowing how their skills would be valued in other professions. The aim of this book is to remove all the barriers we put between ourselves and the work we were born to do.

The seven steps This book will give you the tools you need to assess your worth to unfamiliar employers and aims to remove as much of the fear of breaking out as possible. The path to a fear-free move is paved with

… and why they don’t

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seven stepping stones and this book will explain all of them simply and concisely. 1 When people rush into a career change they often overlook the first step and that’s working out what you want work to do for you. Most career books start from the perspective of ‘what work do you want to do?’ and as we’ve already discussed, this rarely produces a useful answer. By starting at an even more fundamental level, we will build a better launch pad for your new career. 2 Before we get carried away, however, we need to make sure we know ourselves, and a little psychometric profiling may reveal hidden or latent talents that you’ve never offered to an employer before. The better you know yourself, the better you’ll be able to sell yourself to a new employer, client or customer. 3 The next step is to use a series of prompts and tests to divine what you really want to do. We’ll then set about some practical tasks that will prepare you for progress. 4 Unfortunately, what we want to do isn’t always possible (sadly, beer guts tend to get in the way of playing for England and a love of music doesn’t mean you’ve got the talent to make a career out of it) so we need to assess what you are qualified to do. The results of the CV exercises in Step 4 may surprise you – you should end up feeling qualified for almost anything! 5 Using all the information you’ve gathered in the first four steps, you’ll identify the areas you want to work in and start investigating them. 6 When you’re starting out on a journey, especially a tricky one, it helps if you have a map and this step is all about drawing that map. You’ll establish a plan that marks out the route from where you are to where you want to be. 7 In the final step, we will discover the best ways to approach new employers and the best ways to impress them when you meet them – the vital finishing touches required to secure the future you want.

part two

seven steps

to

changing your career

4

Step 1 – working out what you want work to do for you

When people start thinking about changing career, the first thing most want to decide on is which exciting sector to look for work in. Either they have a clear idea of where they want to go or they have the ‘anywhere but When people start here’ attitude and believe any job would thinking about changing be better than the one they currently career, the first thing have. most want to decide on is But as Glinda, the good witch of the which exciting sector to North, said to Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz look for work in. as she started out on the Yellow Brick Road: ‘It’s always best to start at the beginning’ – and thinking about your next job is not the beginning. To lay good foundations for your career change (and hopefully to avoid another one in the future) you have to start by looking at the job you have now and work out why it isn’t making you happy. Begin by looking at this random list of good things people often say their work gives them. (If you’re wondering why there isn’t a list of the bad things a job offers, it’s because all jobs consist of inconvenience, annoyances and paperwork. Sorry.) Put them in order of importance to you and discard the benefits and corollaries of work that mean nothing to you: n

money

n

status

n

power

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seven steps to changing your career

n

satisfaction

n

a sense of purpose

n

friends

n

thrills

n

challenges

n

long-term security

n

fun

n

opportunity for growth

n

creative freedom

n

autonomy

n

material rewards.

Your list should give you a snapshot of the benefits and rewards you most want your next job to give you. Now, ask yourself how many of these benefits your current job supplies you with. If it isn’t very many, it’s easy to see why you’ve been feeling restless and unfulfilled. But this short, incomplete list doesn’t reveal what really motivates and drives you at work. The next survey, however, has been designed to uncover your unconscious ambitions for work.

Career motivation survey The following eight sections of questions will help you discover the things you really want from work. Right now you might be thinking that all you want is a big salary or to do something meaningful – in 20 minutes, Right now you might be though, you might realize that’s not thinking that all you want really what you want, or it’s only part of is a big salary or to do the story. something meaningful. The instructions for completing the survey are relatively simple. Each section consists of nine statements; your task is to allocate 15 points among the nine statements. You could give all 15 points to one statement or

step 1 – working out what you want work to do for you

23

spread them fairly evenly across the statements depending on how strongly you agree with them. For the results to be accurate though, your total points for each section must be exactly 15. No more, no less. When you have completed all eight sections, fill in the category column (categories run from A to I) from the data in the results section at the end. Finally add up the points you have awarded to each category.

Section 1 i

Wherever I work I always have a prestigious position ii Friendships at work would make it hard for me to move on iii Work should enrich my personal development iv I dislike being a small cog in a big machine v I want all the symbols of wealth vi I want to do something distinctive vii I want my colleagues to look to me for leadership viii I get worried when I can’t see where my job is heading ix The ability to make meaningful contributions at work gives me a great deal of satisfaction

Section 2 i ii iii iv

I’d like a relationship outside work with my colleagues Doing meaningful work is more important than a big salary I want to be wealthy Deciding how to spend my time gives me satisfaction

Points

Category

24


v

I want to create things that people will associate with me vi Recognition as part of ‘The Establishment’ would thrill me vii I want to feel I have worked for my expertise viii I want to be a leader ix Job security is important to me

Section 3 i ii

I want my work to carry my name I won’t feel a sense of achievement unless I have material possessions iii I prefer being my own boss iv I want public recognition for my work v Work is part of a search to find meaning in life vi I want to feel I will always be all right in the future vii I’d like a role that gives me influence over my co-workers viii Professionally, I want an opportunity to demonstrate that I really know my stuff ix Friendship with people at my work is important to me


I’d like to be seen as a specialist in my field I see my career as part of a search for greater meaning in my life I want to use my personal creativity in my work I know I like to take responsibility for my decisions

Points

Category


v vi

I want to be able to buy anything I want I get satisfaction from working closely with other people vii I’d only ever relax if I was in a secure career viii Telling colleagues what to do is important to me ix Status is an important motivator for me

Section 5 i

I would find great comfort in knowing how well off I will be when I retire ii Being close to colleagues is important to me iii If I believed my job was worthwhile I would devote myself to it iv I want to innovate at work v It’s important that I have the ability to choose my own tasks vi I’d like to be known as an expert vii I want to be able to spend money easily viii I like jobs that give me power over how co-workers perform ix I’d like formal recognition from others for my achievements

Section 6 i ii iii iv v vi

Having a status job would give me satisfaction I want to do things no one has done before Usually, I take the safe option I don’t want to be watched over too closely by my boss I want to be in charge of people and money I want to get to know people through work

Points

25

Category

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vii

I want to be one of those people with valuable specialist knowledge viii There’s not much I wouldn’t do for money and status ix More often than not, I do what I believe is right rather than the things that would further my career


I want to be creative at work It’s important that I like the people I work with I’d like to influence the people I work with Choosing my work myself would bring satisfaction v I want financial security vi It feels good when people look up to me vii Only a high standard of living will give me satisfaction viii I want to be the best in my field ix I will only be satisfied if my job delivers real value

Section 8 i ii iii iv v vi

It would please me if I didn’t have to answer to others I’m happier in charge I want the things I produce to bear my name Work without meaning is not worth doing A secure future is attractive to me I would enjoy the status that comes with a senior position

Points

Category


vii High standards of living attract me viii I want to be an expert in my field ix If I’m lucky enough to work with friends, nothing else matters

Points

Category

Results Match the number of each statement (i–ix) to a category (A–I) as follows: Section 1 i=D, ii=G, iii=B, iv=F, v=E vi=A, vii=F, viii=H, ix= I Section 2 i=G, ii=B, iii=E, iv=F, v=A, vi=D, vii=I, viii=C, ix=H Section 3 i=A, ii=E, iii=F, iv=D, v=B, vi=H, vii=C, viii=I, ix=G Section 4 i=I, ii=B, iii=A, iv=F, v=E, vi=G, vii=H, viii=C, ix=D Section 5 i=H, ii=G, iii=B, iv=A, v=F, vi=I, vii=E, viii=C, ix=D Section 6 i=D, ii=A, iii=H, iv=F, v=C, vi=G, vii=I, viii=E, ix=B Section 7 i=A, ii=G, iii=C, iv=F, v=H, vi=D, vii=E, viii=I, ix=B Section 8 i=F, ii=C, iii=A, iv=B, v=H, vi=D, vii=E, viii=I, ix=G Now fill in your totals for each category below. To check your results are accurate, make sure the total adds up to exactly 120. A + B + C + D + E + F + G + H + I = 120

Then turn over to find out what motivates you.

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A B C D E F G H I


If you scored highly in this category you are motivated by the opportunity to be creative. If you scored highly in this category you are motivated by work that gives you a sense of purpose and offers meaning. If you scored highly in this category you are motivated by the chance to exert power and influence. If you scored highly in this category you are motivated by status. If you scored highly in this category you are motivated by material rewards. If you scored highly in this category you are motivated by work where you can be independent. If you scored highly in this category you are motivated in jobs where you have a good working relationship with your colleagues. If you scored highly in this category you are motivated by the need for security. If you scored highly in this category you are motivated by opportunities to use your expertise and specialist knowledge.

How to use the information The benefits of your results from this survey might not be immediately apparent – after all, what good is knowing that you’re motivated by status when you’re looking to take an entry-level position somewhere? Well, the information you’ve just gleaned should help you start to identify moves that would be right for you and at the very least stop you choosing the wrong career. For instance, there’s no point hankering after a City salary if you’ve just realized that you’re intolerant of insecurity: in the City your job is only as safe as market performances allow. The survey results might also guide you into the right kind of job – you know you want to have a bit of power, but now maybe you know you’d rather have power over creative output rather than people. Looking for a new career is a bit like looking for a new partner. But instead of wondering what you have to offer – the way most people


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write a lonelyheart ad – looking for work starts with working out which career offers you your heart’s desire. For your change of career to be a success, you want to make sure your ambitions for work dovetail perfectly with your ambitions for life (see the next exercise). Once you’ve looked at what a career can offer you, you need to look – as you would at a potential partner – at how it will treat you over the years. If you have just discovered autonomy is a major driver for you, then headLooking for a new career ing into a job where you’re likely to get is a bit like looking for a pushed around will clearly not make you new partner. happy. Now is the time to work out what you need your job to give you – is it status, camaraderie or an easy commute? Perhaps you are one of those workers who could do a number of jobs but would thrive in, say, a small company or a corporate atmosphere. Environment is often as important as salary and duties. Considering these sorts of factors before you start looking for a new career will guide you onto the right path. Before we move on to discuss your ideal job, take a few minutes to fill in the ambitions chart overleaf. It asks you to fill in your ambitions for every part of your life because satisfaction rarely comes from work alone. For each column, write your goals and aspirations and include everything from your desire for a season ticket at Highbury to a large family or a happy retirement.

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Ambitions chart Home

Family

Leisure/Travel

Money

Work


Community

Retirement

Status

Health

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Analyzing your chart will give you more information about the kind of career you’re best suited to. If, for example, under ‘home’ you described a rural idyll far from civilization, perhaps you might want to reconsider your ambitions to work in city-centred professions like the media or finance. The point of this chart is to highA good career isn’t one light the ‘must-haves’ your new career that pays well or has to offer you. Each one is a brick in the impresses your mates, it’s one that makes you well-laid foundations of your new life. happy. Building up a profile of a new career brick by brick is a much more organic way of getting the job you want and is far more likely to produce the right result than the ‘I think I’ll have a go at law today’ approach. Focusing on the small essentials is also much less daunting than creating a whole new life for yourself out of little more than thin air. While this book is about finding work, it’s also about finding happiness. To ensure you get both you need to be certain about the commitment you’re prepared to make to work before you begin your career search. A good career isn’t one that pays well or impresses your mates, it’s one that makes you happy.

Career changer profile Jerry, 32, housing officer to web designer I had only ever gone into housing benefits by chance – it was certainly never an ambition of mine. My dream had always been to work in the music industry so I took any job that allowed me to work part time so I could pursue my music. But, you know how it is, the music hadn’t progressed, I was still in housing after ten years, and I realized if I didn’t actively make changes I was going to be a housing benefits officer for the rest of my career.


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At about this time – it was 1997 – I read an article in the music press about the impact the internet would have on the music industry. This was in the very early days of the web and the music industry was scared about artists selling music directly to the public. The article pretty much concluded that the music industry was about to be replaced by the internet industry. I thought that if I could get myself proficient at using internet technology I might be able to negotiate myself a new career. There weren’t many courses available outside universities in 1997, so I had to cobble together as much training as I could. I found a course on HTML at one college and a design course at another, both of which I did part time for a year. But the internet was moving much faster than any college course could cope with, so most of my time was spent reading specialist magazines and trawling newsgroups and chat rooms for ideas, tips and experimental bits of software. It didn’t take long for me to realize that with most people still unaware of the internet and those who did use it connecting at slow speeds, it would be years before anyone would access my music online. By 1998, the internet boom was just getting off the ground and more people were planning and starting dotcoms than knew how to code HTML. It dawned on me that, almost by chance, I was one of the most knowledgeable people in the city when it came to the web and it was likely I could land myself a really good job. I got in touch with my local web networking organization – a monthly function where web entrepreneurs met with venture capitalists – and went along to see whether there were any opportunities. I went home that night with four job offers! I resigned immediately and started with a new dotcom straight away as their chief technical officer, a position I felt unqualified for even though I recognized my technical knowledge was as good as most

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people’s at that time. It was a baptism of fire – I was thrown into management, decision making, hiring and spending huge sums of money on PCs and software. As the dotcom bubble grew, so did my salary as I changed jobs three times in a year and by the time the bubble burst I was one of the most qualified people in my sector and was able to withstand the crash. I’m now on my seventh web job and still learning and loving it.

5

Step 2 – getting to know yourself

There is a concept every sales rep understands implicitly: you have to know your product inside out to sell it effectively. As you are about to start selling yourself, you need to get to know your strengths and your weaknesses so you know a) which roles suit you best, and b) which attributes you most want to tell your new employer about. When you combine the information you collated in the first step – what you want work to do for you – and the information you’ll pull together in this chapter – what you have to offer – you will have the best possible starting point from which to find a new career. The object is to find your perfect career, something ideally suited to you. To do that we need to work through some The object is to find your perfect career, something more exercises to find out what the founideally suited to you. dation stones of your career will be – the unshakable qualities you offer and your non-negotiable desires for work. Some career advisors call this ‘establishing your palette’, ie working out your personal colours from which you can paint your own personal career picture. You might be eager to move straight to the chapters concerning getting a new job, but rest assured your patience with these early, crucial steps will bear juicy fruit when you get there.

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What kind of worker are you? No matter which field you end up entering, most jobs, roles and tasks will be the same. Whether you’re in law, nursing or town planning you’ll still work with managers, researchers, specialists, assistants, etc, not to mention eccentrics, Luddites, motivators or misery guts. Practically every work place in the world is made up of the same types of people doing the same types of job. This next section will help you uncover which job types best suit you. Most of us have worked for a bad manager at some point, or with an over-ambitious junior member of staff. Generally, when we have a problem with people at work it’s not because they are bad people, it’s because Generally, when we have they are in the wrong role. When we a problem with people at work in positions we’re not naturally talwork it’s not because they ented at we make mistakes, we get are bad people, it’s demoralized and it affects our relationbecause they are in the ships with our co-workers. So it’s imporwrong role. tant to work out where your natural talents and abilities lie as this will help you understand what kind of roles you will flourish in – and therefore be happy in. Knowing your strengths and aptitudes will help you seek new roles with greater confidence, and that confidence will help you win over new employers.

Discovering the true you This next exercise has its roots in a couple of well-known and wellused team role and personality tests developed by Dr Meredith Belbin, and Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine C. Briggs. Detailed and personalized tests are widely available online, and for a small fee and five minutes in the company of your favourite search engine you can easily get yourself psychometrically tested.

step 2 – getting to know yourself

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Many tests come to black-and-white conclusions and run the risk of labelling participants as capable of working well only in a narrow field. This one has been structured to give broader results, as most workers are capable of performing many roles in the work place. Completing the survey is relatively straightforward. There are 28 pairs of statements and you must allocate three points to each pair – you can give all three points to one statement and none to the other, or split them 2:1 between the statements depending on how strongly you agree with them. When you’ve finished, add up the points you’ve awarded to each letter.

1 When plans change, I am good at spotting the opportunities and benefits the new situation offers.

A

I’m good at knowing when people have something to offer and can encourage them to in.

B

2 I can work well with anyone.

C

The success of the project is more important than my co-workers liking me.

D

3 I am capable of seeing projects through to the very end.

E

I produce ideas effortlessly.

F

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4 I have the ability to sense what will work in most situations.

G

I am fair-minded and suggest proposals without bias if I think they will work.

H

5 I come alive in meetings when new ideas are being discussed. A I find it difficult to take the lead.

C

6 In a meeting, I like to feel every viewpoint has been expressed. B Often I’m too objective about all the options to be enthusiastic about any one in particular.

G

7 People sometimes think I’m pushy when I’m just trying to get the job done.

D

Sometimes I lose concentration when I get excited about my latest plan.

F

8 Colleagues often tell me I’m thinking too much about the detail and not about the big picture.

E


I like meetings to be well structured and to stick to the agenda.

H

9 I am reliable and can be trusted to see all tasks are attended to.

H

I’m happier working towards a common goal.

C

10 I’m good to have on a project because I spot mistakes that would otherwise cause trouble.

E

I think my colleagues trust my judgement – I have a reputation for being fair.

G

11 I get frustrated when meetings lose direction and I try to bring them back on track.

D

I seem to be good at influencing people.

B

12 I like being first with new developments and information.

A

I liven up meetings by contributing something unexpected and original.

F

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13 I hate leaving loose ends at the end of projects – my colleagues say I am a perfectionist.

E

I’m comfortable holding unpopular views and will challenge colleagues when I think they are wrong.

D

14 Although I like to hear what people have to say, I find it easy to make up my own mind.

B

Getting to know my colleagues gives me pleasure.

C

15 I’m capable of seeing how ideas might benefit other departments and companies.

A

I have a talent for sticking to the brief and getting the job done.

H

16 I’m good at dousing down outrageous and unworkable suggestions from others.

G

I’m happiest at work when I’m using my imagination.

F


17 I find weighing up all the options and possibilities satisfying.

G

Meeting new people with something to offer should be one of the perks of any job I do.

A

18 I’m good at finding consensus and a way forward.

B

I’m attracted to the unusual option rather than the safe one.

F

19 Sometimes I hold up proceedings while I make sure everything has been done properly.

E

It feels good to know I’m building friendships with clients and colleagues.

C

20 I’m open to meetings going off at tangents just to see what ideas get thrown up.

A

My integrity and need to do a job well means I usually complete projects on time.

E

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21 I make good decisions under pressure.

B

Being able to devote myself to a project gives me satisfaction. E

22 When meetings become difficult, I like to go to the toilet or the watercooler to work out solutions to problems.

F

Sometimes I find it hard to get complex points across.

H

23 I am able to influence decisions and outcomes.

D

I am pleased when I solve practical problems.

H

24 If a project loses direction I am able to take control and bring it to fruition.

D

I can keep my cool and think straight in difficult situations.

G

25 Unless I have a clear goal or task I find it difficult to get started.

H

I am comfortable asking people to do things that I cannot do myself.

B


26 Others may think I lack intuition or imagination.

G

I find it exciting to work with brilliant people, even if they are a bit difficult.

C

27 I bore easily and need sparky colleagues to bounce off.

A

Sometimes I must seem impatient when progress is slow or disrupted.

D

28 When everyone’s talking in meetings I find it difficult to get my point across.

C

Explaining and clarifying detail is not one of my strong points. F

Write your totals for each letter below, making sure the grand total comes to 84.

A + B + C + D + E + F + G + H = 84

Then turn over to see what type of worker you are.

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Category A = INDUSTRIALIST You are the kind of worker who can get on with tasks unsupervised with just the sketchiest of briefs. You are a fantastic researcher and can uncover solutions through inspired investigation and diligence. Your tendency for hard work compensates for shortcomings in imagination and you keep projects moving.

Category B = TEAM CAPTAIN You are by nature both a collaborator and a decision maker. You understand the benefits of teamwork and are good at recognizing other people’s strengths. You see the big picture and communicate well with all types of people. You have the ability to encourage your co-workers and gain their respect. Your weakness is that you do not work well on your own as you lack flair.

Category C = MIDFIELDER You are great at following the plan. You are practical and have a systematic approach to work. You are known for your common sense and discipline and generally find a place for yourself in most teams. However, you do not cope well with change and can become flustered and demoralized when plans change or the goalposts are moved.


Category D = GARDENER Your speciality is taking someone else’s idea and bringing it to fruition. You grasp concepts easily and also have the intelligence to improve ideas. Although you may not be vocal in meetings, when projects are finished they clearly bear your stamp as you have a talent for influencing the people around you. Your natural drive and self-confidence are often responsible for getting complex projects off the ground. While you are invaluable, you are not necessarily well liked as you can be snappy with slower colleagues if you think they are being obstructive.

Category E = PERFECTIONIST It is your attention to detail that often saves colleagues and projects from ending up in the mire. You are fastidious – your perfectionism often bores colleagues who think you are holding them back – and well suited to detailed work and ensuring deadlines aren’t forgotten. You are the sweeper and you make sure nothing gets past you. Even though you are incredibly valuable to any team, you do not make friends easily as you are seen as self-controlled and intolerant of flamboyant co-workers.

Category F = INVENTOR You are the kind of worker who is almost useless for most of your

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working day. However, you are responsible for the ideas that drive companies forward and your moments of inspiration transform projects, teams and results. You are happier working on big, headline projects and enjoy problem solving. You are independent, imaginative and intelligent but have a tendency to think all your ideas are fantastic and you need co-workers to calculate their true merits. You can be impractical and coworkers may think you are a dreamer.

Category G = ANALYST You can process and evaluate data, situations and problems and have the ability to weigh up several options. You bring balance and a level head to most situations. Your colleagues may see you as a bit of a pessimist as you can spot where projects will go awry. While they may also see you as critical, it is just your critical thinking that ensures success. You may find it difficult to have many social relationships with co-workers.

Category H = PRAGMATIST You are the doubting Thomas of any team. You need proof that something will work before you are confident about moving forward, but once you have that confidence you are good at implementation and sticking to the brief. You prefer


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communication to be in black and white rather than proceed on a nod and a wink. You have self-control and buckets of common sense, but you can come across as unenthusiastic and inflexible.

How to use the results Most respondents find that they score highly in one category while three or four tie in ‘second place’, with just a few points between the remaining categories. Fairly obviously, your leading category is the one you are most naturally suited to. But as we might already be working with a Team Captain we sometimes seek out another role for ourselves within the work environment to avoid conflict – and this is when we work well in any of our second-place categories. On the surface, some of the categories – such as Team Captain, for example – seem more glamorous than others. However, every category is equally valid and companies cannot be successful unless they employ people in every category. In this instance though, you are not looking to create the perfect team (the reason why most employers submit their If your natural talent is for staff to similar tests) but to find out creativity, you should start where your natural talents lie. Happiness looking for work that will comes from playing to your strengths let you express it. and the information you now have will help you identify roles you would thrive in. Of course, job ads never read ‘Perfectionist required to balance out Inventor-heavy team’ and the purpose of the survey is not so you can say ‘Right, I’m going to be a Gardener’ but to learn more about your strengths. If, for example, it is becoming clear that you don’t have great communication skills but you still crave a senior position, perhaps you’d be happier in a role where you manage data rather than people. Or if your natural talent is for creativity, you should start looking for work that will let you express it.

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Hopefully the results of your survey will have confirmed things that you ‘kind of’ knew about yourself and will give you the confidence to tell prospective employers that you are excellent at idea generation, paying attention to detail or being trusted to follow the brief. Any candidate who can be sure of what they have to offer is attractive to employers – even though someone else might have more relevant work experience, you will have the edge if you can convince an employer of your worth. If you’re not worth anything, you won’t be valued. Therefore knowing and communicating your worth puts you in a strong position.

Your weaknesses Your survey results might also have revealed something about your weaknesses – perhaps your tendency to overlook details or unwillingness to embrace new ideas. This is still information you can use to guide you away from unsuitable positions. Simply knowing that you have a tendency to be dogmatic or flamboyant might help you recognize that there are times when enthusiasm and caution are called for. This knowledge will help you perform better and get more job satisfaction. If you’ve just learned that you’re a born leader but you have no leadership experience, then you have just discovered a weakness undermining a strength. If you want to seek a leadership role in the future, you need to address the hole in your work experience. It’s not enough to It’s not enough to believe believe you should be in control – you’re you should be in control – going to have to prove your aptitude and you’re going to have to ability to cope with the associated presprove your aptitude and sure. In Step 4 we’ll cover this in much ability to cope with the more detail, but for the time being you associated pressure. should be examining your career so far to find examples of times when you have taken the lead. Maybe it was just in one meeting, or when you volunteered to organize the Christmas party, but start looking for ways of


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illustrating your innate talents. No matter what strengths you’ve just uncovered, HR departments and employers will disregard them if you can’t back them up with a few facts. This survey won’t have uncovered all your shortcomings of course, but part of knowing yourself well is coming to with the things that are just beyond you. Your preparations for a new career involve eliminating the weaknesses that will keep you and your dream career apart. Your next task involves assessing your shortcomings and then addressing them. If you already know what field you want to work in, or what kind of job you’d like to do, then this exercise examining recruitment ads will be a little easier. But if you don’t, don’t worry as most recruitment ads ask for the same thing anyway.

Recruitment ads For job hunters, looking at recruitment ads can be dispiriting – no one ever seems to be offering a job they’re interested in or one that requires their skills. We’ve known for a long time that looking for a job in the Situations Vacant column can be frustrating as employers seek amazingly well-qualified candidates for remarkably small salaries. However, recruitment ads can be very valuable to career changers as they act as signposts down unfamiliar paths. By analyzing their content, you can identify what employers are looking for. The idea of this exercise is to compare what employers seek with what If you’re desperate to enter a particular field, go you offer to enable you to identify the out and buy the trade holes in your professional repertoire. The publication for your aim is to address as many of your profesdesired profession. sional weaknesses as possible before you head too far down an unsuitable road. Gather together all the publications you have lying around your home or your office that carry recruitment advertising. If you’re desperate to enter a particular field, go out and buy the trade publication for your desired profession and include the recruitment advertising

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from that. If you’re open-minded about what path you’ll take next, choose from a broad spectrum of publications. Find between ten and twenty adverts for jobs that you would consider doing – these do not have to be jobs you are qualified for or are in your field or have any bearing on what you’ve done so far. In a sense you are creating a beauty pageant of desirable jobs. Some of them might even be roles you don’t hope to apply for until much further down the line. Examine them closely to see whether there is a particular qualification they want candidates to have, or whether they are looking for a certain type of work experience or desirable qualities ideal candidates should be able to demonstrate. Now, ask yourself which of their demands you cannot meet. These are the weaknesses that might stop you getting your dream job. Don’t be disheartened though – if you are honest with yourself you have given yourself the best opportunity to address your weaknesses, deal with them and eliminate them. While you might be several years away from applying for some of the positions you’ve just scrutinized, you now know what skills, qualifications and experience you need to acquire to be able to reach your desired goal. In the meantime, knowing your desires, your strengths and your weaknesses will lead you in the right direction.

Career changer profile Steve, 27, electrician to journalist I left school at 15 with no qualifications to work with my dad who was an electrician. I don’t ever talking to anyone about what career I wanted, nor do I that it was expected that I would automatically follow in my father’s footsteps. I ended up working with him through lack of imagination and effort: I think it’s fair to say I never gave careers a first thought, let alone a second, until I was 22. The thing about being an electrician is there’s nowhere to go. You’re either self-employed and get paid a lot or you get regular work for a


51

construction firm and get paid less. But that’s it. There’s no senior electrician, no promotion and you know as much as you’re going to know after a couple of years in the business. So after seven years I was really, really bored and fancied trying something a bit more glamorous. I thinking that journalism seemed very exotic, like a cross between being a detective and an artist, and I decided fairly quickly that it was the career for me. I approached several local newspapers for work but I never even got a letter acknowledging receipt of my CV. I also applied for a couple of journalism courses but didn’t get anywhere with those either – I hadn’t realized what a competitive field journalism was. It was pretty clear that no newspaper or magazine was going to take a chance on an electrician with no qualifications, so I tried a change of tack. I started submitting reviews of gigs to the entertainment editor of my local newspaper and he occasionally printed one. I didn’t get paid for it, but I was starting to get my name in print. When a new local paper launched I approached the publisher and persuaded him that I could run the entertainment section. He actually thought he was getting one over on his rival by poaching one of their entertainment reporters! I never told him that I’d never even been inside The Herald’s office, but then he never asked. Working on a launch was a fantastic chance to learn about newspapers – we were understaffed and underfunded so we all mucked in and I found out about advertising, marketing and publishing. After a couple of years I moved to London and freelanced for some magazines there and slowly established myself as someone reliable. I got regular work and eventually that led to a full-time job working on a trade magazine for the TV industry. It’s interesting being in a profession where few people have done anything else – almost all my colleagues did media studies at university and went straight into journalism, all they know about is the media.

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I think my background gives me an edge because not everyone we interview works in the media and I get the impression some interviewees find most journalists a bit precious and they like being interviewed by someone a bit more down to earth.

6

Step 3 – working out what you want to do

Career clarity As we’ve already discussed, most of us don’t have a smart answer to the question ‘What do you want to do?’ If you do happen to know what kind of work you want, congratulations, you are very rare and very lucky. Very few people ever have a clear idea of what career they’d like to follow and their lack of clarity often stops them from moving forward. The purpose of this chapter is to turn hunches, dreams and possibilities into career reality. Because if you find a career you really, really want, you will look four times as hard for your next job. And the harder you look, the more you increase your chances of finding the work you were born to do. One of the dangers with the ‘What do you want to do?’ question is that it implies you have to stick to something for the rest of your life. That’s one reason why so many people find it so The harder you look, the hard to answer. Another danger is that it more you increase your forces you to choose one option over chances of finding the work you were born to do. another – few of us are so driven that we have only one thing that really matters to us. The question can produce better results if we take some of the implied pressure out of it and rephrase it as ‘What do you want to do today? Or for the next few years?’ You might also find it’s easier to work out what you want to do if you broaden the question to ‘What are some of the things you really want to do with your life?’ By breaking down the big questions into fath53

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omable sizes, this chapter hopes to elicit some genuine answers from your subconscious. If you’ve ever had any career counselling it’s possible you’ve filled in questionnaires about your abilities and aptitudes which have enabled profiling software to probe your subconscious to suggest a career as a pottery glazer or a livestock auctioneer. It never fails to amuse just how specific these programs are – they don’t just suggest you look for work as a designer but seem to know you’d really enjoy deg costume jewellery! As they never ring true and book printing technology doesn’t allow for such interactivity, there are no tests of that ilk here. If you want to try one, however, there are plenty online, some you have to pay for, some you don’t. Try www.cascaid.co.uk for a potted version of a software program favoured by UK career counsellors. Another good free one is at schoolfinder.com – it’s been designed for Canadians looking for colleges, but it’s still relevant to the UK career market and it’s good fun. You have to your details first but it doesn’t take long. Part of the problem with the results of such career profiling tests is that it’s very difficult to feel that you would enjoy jewellery design unless you have some experience or knowledge of it. The software could throw up 20 suggestions, but unless you understand what a career in that area involves, it’s impossible to be enthusiastic. It’s a bit like shopping for clothes with your mother: she keeps on holding up jumpers you can’t see yourself wearing while saying ‘What’s wrong with this one?’ A far more effective way of uncovering the field and position that’s right for you is to let the certainties you know about yourself and what you want from work to guide you to a natural conclusion. The exercises and devices in this chapter are designed to propel you to that conclusion a little faster.

A vine-ripened career If you’re wondering why we’re taking such a basic approach, talk to any gardener you know. They will tell you the fruits and vegetables

step 3 – working out what you want to do

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they grow themselves taste better than anything you can buy in the supermarket. It may not be because they actually do taste better but because the gardener gets pleasure from reaping what he sows – anything you’ve tended with care and worked hard for always tastes good because it tastes of satisfaction. By taking control of your career, by making decisions that will make you happy, by accepting responsibility, you will be tending to your career like a gardener does his produce. And the fruits of your labour will be even This methodical approach sweeter if you don’t harvest your decito career finding will pay sion too soon – some things taste better better dividends in the when they’ve been left to ripen on the long run as great careers vine. So rest assured, this methodical can only follow on from approach to career finding will pay better great decisions. dividends in the long run as great careers can only follow on from great decisions. Over the next few pages, we’re going to put all your potential careers in the greenhouse, germinate the seeds, weed out the seedlings that don’t feel right and tend to those that have a future. We’re then going to hothouse them until we’re left with career options that excite and satisfy you.

Asking the right questions So if asking ‘What do you want to do?’ doesn’t work, what questions are the right kind to ask? Generally, they’re the ones that make you analyze how you feel about specific options, that force you to answer in concrete rather than vaguely, and that make you consider the same problem from a slightly different angle. This chapter has several sections of questions all designed to prompt slightly different responses to myriad employment options. As you work through each section you should start to build up a list of things you’re good at, things you want and things you enjoy. Keeping all this information in mind, you’ll then move on to a series of questions designed to help you discover career paths you might not have considered before.

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This book can’t tell you what career is right for you – there isn’t a magic formula – so it’s up to you to look carefully at your answers to spot the patterns and clues that will lead you to a natural conclusion. There are no prizes for answering these questions quickly and experience tells us that your first answer is not always your best – it’s generally the one you’re used to giving. So take your time to break habits and consider unconventional responses – there are no wrong answers. Let’s start with a series of questions that, in a roundabout way, replace the dreaded ‘What do you want to do?’

1

What comes naturally to me?

2

How hard am I prepared to work?

3

What do I enjoy doing?

4

What aspects of work have I enjoyed the most?

5

What do I find most meaningful about the world?

6

How much risk can I tolerate?

7

What kind of work place best suits my talents, personality, values, ions and lifestyle?

8

What’s important to me?

9

What do I most value?

10

What gives me satisfaction?

If you need to, take your time to think about your answers as they might provide clues to your new career. They might also help you put your new career into perspective: while you fathom out what your new career might be you are giving it a disproportionate amount of attention and it’s easy to lose sight of what really matters. If your answers indicate that work isn’t the be-all and end-all of your life, you might want to consider looking for a career or working pattern that allows


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you to concentrate on the activities that bring you pleasure and satisfaction. The next set of questions is designed to get you dreaming. Whether or not we ever achieve our dreams, they are important as they inspire us and inform our choices. They act as a marker on the horizon and are something to walk towards – you make much faster progress if you’re aiming for a specific destination. And who knows what you’ll discover on the way? As you read these questions, let your imagination run wild – this is not the time to dismiss outlandish ideas or half-baked fantasies, this is the moment to imagine yourself attaining your heart’s desire.

1

When I was a child, what did I think I would grow up to do?

2

What did other people think I would grow up to do?

3

What work do the people I most ire do?

4

In the movies, which jobs seem the most exciting to me?

5

If all jobs paid the same, which area would I choose to work in?

6

What kind of people would I like to work with?

7

What would I wear to my ideal place of work?

8

If I could get up tomorrow and do any job I chose, what would that be?

9

How do I see work fitting into my life in a year’s time? Five years’ time? Twenty years’ time?

What do you enjoy? While your answer to the above question should be a massive clue to a career that would give you pleasure, it’s incredibly hard to answer. It’s one of those nightmare interview or dinner party questions, isn’t it?

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‘So, what do you enjoy doing then?’ Should you mention your love of newts and Stoke City or should you lie and mention opera and voluntary work with disadvantaged kids? A bit like the ‘What do you want to do?’ question we encountered earlier, as it’s one of those posers for which few us have a neat answer. Most people um and er and answer vaguely. The truth is most of us enjoy doing pretty ordinary things like spending time with our families and shopping for new clothes/gadgets/toys – not the kind of information that indicates a future career option. The way to get meaningful information is by asking the question in ways that demand specific responses. See how you get on with these.

1

I was happiest at work when . . .

2

Do I prefer spending my free time reading the paper and doing the crossword or am I happier outdoors playing sport or doing exercise?

3

Do I prefer my own company or big crowds, seeing friends one to one or in a gang?

4

I notice I start talking quickly and loudly whenever the conversation gets on to which subject/s?

5

Do I enjoy arguing the toss or am I happier just to listen?

6

Am I happier going to see a show or putting it on?

7

Do l enjoy being the centre of attention?

8

What events in my diary help me leap out of bed?

9

What makes me so excited I can’t get to sleep?


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Another way of uncovering what you enjoy doing the most is to look at the choices you make in your day-to-day life. For instance . . .

1

When you are buying a newspaper, what stories or special offers persuade you to buy a particular paper?

2

When you read a newspaper, which sections do you enjoy reading the most?

3

When you’re looking through the TV listings, what sort of programmes attract you?

4

Which subjects make the most interesting documentaries?

5

If you were in a doctor’s surgery, what sort of magazine would you choose to read while you were waiting?

6

What would be an ideal way to spend a holiday?

7

If the weekend was three days long, what would you do with the third day?

8

If you were to study at night school for pleasure, what would you like to learn?

By taking your time to answer these questions thoughtfully and fully, you should be starting to build up a list of areas that interest and excite you as well as the kind of activities and encounters that bring out the best in you. The aim is for you to discover: n

what you like

n

what you want

n

what environment you’re suited to

n

what roles you are happiest playing.

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Getting specific Hopefully these questions are helping you to understand yourself better and to reconnect you with the attributes and desires that are unique to you. They are also designed to widen the scope of what you consider work to be as well as put your search for work into a wider context. What they don’t do, however, is suggest possible career routes to you that aren’t already paths leading off the one you’re on. By contrast these next questions are designed to prompt specific responses so you can work out how you feel about specific careers.

1

Scroll through your phone book and answer the question: ‘What do your friends do for a living?’

2

Which of those friends enjoys their work?

3

Would you like any of your friends’ jobs? If ‘yes’, then think about why.

4

Who seems to get the most out of their job? Why is that?

5

What makes you envious about other people’s jobs? (Salary, conditions, co-workers, room for growth, etc.)

6

Looking at all the departments in your company, which would you most like to work in?

7

Who has the best job in your current place of work? Why is that?

8

Flick through a newspaper and see who is featured (consider everyone from the man in the street asked for his opinion to professionals quoted in articles to people selling their stories about illicit nights with footballers or wolves) and see what jobs they do. Which sound the most interesting to you?


9

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Turn to the directory at the back of this book offering sector by sector analysis of job opportunities. Ignoring salaries, level of opportunity, etc, which sectors interest you most?

10

Buy a newspaper on a day it’s packed with a variety of recruitment adverts. Ignore for a moment your suitability and qualifications – which jobs sound the most desirable?

If you’ve answered these questions thoughtfully, you should now be in possession of a bunch of fields and positions that interest you. Hopefully you will consider that a few of those options are worthy of further investigation. If you’re still feeling a bit clueless, perhaps your answers to the next list of questions will stimulate some more possibilities. Do you want to work . . . n

with computers?

n

with children or animals?

n

with creative people?

n

with disadvantaged people?

n

in a big office?

n

for a small company?

n

in a smart suit?

n

in casual clothes?

n

for yourself?

n

abroad?

n

on practical projects?

n

on creative projects?

n

outdoors?

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n

alone?

n

in a city centre?

n

from home?

How to use this information By now you should have a clear image of yourself in your next job. You should be able to close your eyes and see what sort of clothes you wear to work, what kind of office you work in, how you fit in with the people around you and the kind of work you do. You should also be starting to understand how your new career will make you feel – positive, satisfied, and enjoying each day. If work felt like a grey drudge before, it should now be a colourful kaleidoscope of opportunity and possibility. The next stage is to take this information and turn it into viable career options through careful research. Think of yourself as a career detective following up leads – there may be some very obvious lines of enquiry, Think of yourself as a but it might be the long shots or glossedcareer detective following over clues that provide your route to solvup leads. ing your career nightmare. At this stage you don’t want to rule out any suspects – keep your mind open and your research as wide ranging as possible. If you have discovered that your natural talents and abilities are leading you towards a field of which you have little knowledge or experience, you need to start investigating that field as soon as possible: when Your research will be the you’re ready to look for work you will be pole you use to vault over competing with people who have experithe competition and into a ence of that sector. Your research will be peachy job. the pole you use to vault over the competition and into a peachy job. A good place to start your research at this stage is the recruitment section of relevant trade publications. While you’re unlikely to land a job


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through an advert (very, very few people do, especially career changers), it’s the easiest way of seeing what kinds of positions are available in your new field. You may find of course that none of the jobs d appeals at all – just because you’ve found a career that is theoretically perfect for you, it doesn’t mean it actually exists and it might be that your only way to get that career is to create it yourself. If employers aren’t offering the opportunities and benefits you want, you should come to with the possibility that you may have to (temporarily) leave the PAYE nest and freelance to get the career that’s right for you. Hopefully, now that you’re looking in the right areas, you will find a range of jobs you could see yourself performing, so use the recruitment adverts to see what employers offer and what skills they are looking for. The best career changes take place where the skills fit the opportunity. At this stage you want to be looking at opportunities that are right for you. If you really can’t see a way into your desired profession, now’s the time to work out how you can add to your skillset, your professional repertoire, and look for ways to make sure your skills fit the opportunities that are out there.

Career changer profile Paul, 35, ant to flooring specialist My career started out very traditionally for a public schoolboy. I went to Oxford where I read Chemistry and upon graduation took the corporate dollar at KPMG where I trained for two years to be an ant. They paid well and it felt like a natural path for a boy like me to follow. But I hated it. Really, truly despised it. The work was tedious, the clients bullish and the atmosphere in the office was so competitive. While I was very happy playing around with a spreadsheet I found almost every other aspect of being an ant soul destroying. Yet somehow I managed to stay there for eight years.

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To this day I don’t know why it took me so long to leave. I think I had grown up viewing work as something you did for money or security or status – not fulfilment or fun. The catalyst finally came when I was having some work done on my house and I was talking to the builder who mentioned he was about to go on the most luxurious and expensive holiday. In a flash I realized two things: first, that my salary wasn’t that great after all, and second, that the guy I was talking to was doing something he loved. Over the next few months I couldn’t get this conversation out of my head and I started looking around at other sorts of jobs. I was quite scientific about it – that’s how my brain works – and realized that the people I knew who earned the most were not City high flyers but the plumbers and tilers who were working on my house. I analyzed why they could command such high fees and worked out it was because their work combined a reasonable level of skill with a job that was just beyond the capabilities of most DIYers. Their jobs were dirty and difficult – the kind of work people like me were happy to pay a for in exchange for cleanliness and convenience. I became quite convinced that I should set up in business on my own as some kind of specialist craftsman – the difficult bit was working out what that speciality should be. I had worked on enough business plans at KPMG to know a few things – I wanted to go into an area where there wasn’t any competition, I wanted to offer a service that offered maximum benefit for minimum outlay and effort, and it had to be something that most people wouldn’t attempt to do themselves. After talking it over with friends I realized a lot of people had tried sanding floorboards themselves and after doing one room vowed they’d never do another as it was so frustrating. This seemed to be my niche. It only required an outlay of a few hundred pounds to buy a sander and clients came easily through friends’ recommendations. I


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also benefited from the fact that clients had no idea what the going rate was and I was able to charge for the convenience rather than the service. I haven’t worn a suit for six years now, I earn more money than I did in the City and I can take time off whenever I like. The only thing that threatens my business is the possibility of shagpile coming back into fashion.

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Step 4 – working out what you’re qualified to do

You’re more qualified than you think It’s a common mistake for career changers to think they possess only a few skills in a narrow field and are therefore not particularly qualified to do much more than they do already. After all, if you’ve worked in only one area for no more than a few years, how many skills are you likely to have? The first mistake is to think that skills are the only kind of qualification. Your personality, attributes and talents are also qualities that make you suitable for a position. So even without any new training you might, The first mistake is to naturally, be very well qualified for a think that skills are the number of new careers. only kind of qualification. The other mistake many career changers make is to fail to recognize the scope of their skills and qualifications. For instance, someone who has been working as a teacher for the past few years might believe all they can offer is the ability to teach. What they’re neglecting to mention is their superb time management skills, their ability to deal with pressure, their knack of bringing people out of their shells and nipping trouble in the bud – all of which are attributes employers are constantly on the look-out for. The aims of this chapter are twofold: first, through a series of exercises using the old stalwart of job seeking – the CV – you’re going to multiply the number of skills and attributes you have to offer (and

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therefore multiply the number of jobs you’re qualified for); and second, you are going to realize, without any training, research or even very much effort, just how many jobs you are already qualified for. If you felt new horizons opened up in Step 3, this chapter should open up even more as you realize just how employable, desirable and damn well qualified you are without changing a thing. A word of warning though: to get the most out of this chapter you can’t skip your homework – the CV exercises don’t work nearly so well if you just try to imagine the results!

The CV always lies It’s an open secret that everybody lies on their CV, and in this chapter you’re about to find out just how much! Because people gloss over periods of unemployment or embellish achievements, some people have said that the CV has been devalued as a useful tool for recruiters and job hunters alike. Although it’s fashionable to say that job seekers secure new posts through networking, opportunism and force of personality alone, it’s inaccurate to say the CV is useless. Especially to the career changer. The reason why CVs always lie is not just because people have a tendency to inflate their successes and mislay their failures, but because they fail to list the full range of their qualifications. It is exactly this shortcoming that the exercises in the chapter will exploit. These exercises are based on a concept with which you’re probably familiar – rewriting your CV in different ways when applying for different jobs. For some positions you might want to flag up your academic qualifications while for others you might want to highlight your experience, say, of handling large budgets. If this concept is new to you (welcome to our deceitful little planet, by the way) it might help you to look at the CV as a marketing tool, one that can be ‘re-nosed’ to appeal to different audiences. Just like cleaning fluid manufacturers will use different techniques to market their product to single men

step 4 – working out what you’re qualified to do

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than to housewives, you can use your CV to market your product – yourself – to different employers. But that’s not the point at this stage. The object here is to convince you and not any potential employer of your many and varied skills. As we’ve said already, the better you know your product, the better you’ll be able to sell it. So over the next few pages you’re going to be encouraged to write your CV like you’ve never written it before – and you can tell as many lies as you like as you are the only person who’s ever going to see it. , in this chapter you only need to convince yourself, so you can forget about trying to impress an employer or writing what you think an employer wants to read. In fact, you can forget everything you’ve ever been told about writing CVs. This chapter is about working out what you’re qualified to do and the simplest way to do this is to list everything you’ve ever done, ie everyThe easiest way to thing you’ve got experience in, knowl everything edge of or a talent for. The easiest way to you’ve ever done is to use everything you’ve ever done is an aide memoire. to use an aide memoire. And that’s going to be your CV. As the CV breaks down nicely into jobs, years, studying and interests, it’s the perfect vehicle for prompting your brain to things it’s got stored away but hasn’t used for ages.

Exercise 1 – the longest CV in the world If you were applying for a job, you would tailor your CV to suit your application. You’d keep things short and to the point. You might even condense a few roles into one for clarity. In this exercise you’re going to do the exact opposite – you’re going to write a version of your CV that contains as much information as possible. Instead of just writing what your role was and what your duties were, you’re going to include everything you can about your past jobs. The reasons and benefits will become clear in subsequent exercises.

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Things to include might be:

1 How you got the job in the first place. 2 Why you stayed in it/left so soon. 3 What you enjoyed about the job. 4 What you did that your boss never recognized. 5 The wider role you played within the company. 6 What aspects of your personality were utilized. 7 The times you felt unrewarded. 8 The reasons why you took the job. To give you an idea of how to rewrite your CV, here’s an example. Version 1 – the traditional CV Stationery Manager, Acme Inc

1997–1999

Was responsible for overseeing the stationery supplies for the whole company. Managed a staff of two and a budget of £500,000. Liaised with management and department heads to ensure all stationery needs were met. Was responsible for securing the best price from suppliers. Version 2 – the real story Stationery Manager, Acme Inc

1997–1999

I was promoted to the position of Stationery Manager after striking up a friendship with the Head of Supplies.1 My first task was to assess the workload2 and I quickly realized we needed another member of staff.3 Management said there was no money for another member of staff so I found the money from my own budget4 while working late.5 I then looked to employ a new member of staff from within the company as there was no budget to .6


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As stationery was not a top priority within the company, getting management’s attention was difficult and mine was an area management always looked to when cutting costs. I therefore found the best way to work with management was on an informal, non-confrontational basis, getting consent for change incrementally.7 By the end of my two years8 as manager the department was 20 per cent more efficient and the stationery bill had been reduced by 35 per cent through tough negotiations with suppliers.9 To reduce costs further I suggested we move to a paperless environment.10 I was heavily involved in the introduction of the paperless system and chaired meetings,11 wrote agendas and reports12 and persuaded the Luddites of the need for change.13 This enabled me to get to know most of the people in the company, which suited my bubbly personality well. People came to me for advice and a gossip,14 which I liked although I worried my boss might think I was skiving,15 and I played the role of an informal personnel offficer.16

As you can see, this stationery manager knows an awful lot more than how to order pens in every colour. And of course we could go into even more detail, but there’s enough here to show how most CVs are neglectful of the whole truth. To complete Exercise 1, you need to rewrite your CV in this fashion. Include every job you’ve ever had (including Saturday jobs as a teenager), volunteer work, study (at school, evening classes, university, wherever). As you more detail, write it in and keep adding to your CV until your memory bank has been fully exhausted. When you’ve done this it will become clear how limiting and insufficient traditional job titles are – just because you’ve been employed as an auditor, it doesn’t mean all you do is audit.

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Exercise 2 – the spin doctor To make the most of your newly uncovered skills, you have to be able to promote them coherently to an employer and that’s what Exercise 2 is about. It involves interpreting the work you did in Exercise 1 for maximum benefit – doing the CV equivalent of a spin doctor in politics. Sticking with the example above, let’s look at how this stationery manager can transform his or her job prospects with a cunning reinterpretation of the CV. In case you were wondering, each number inserted into the text denotes a skill in need of a label. I was promoted to the position of Stationery Manager after striking up a friendship with the Head of Supplies 1 . . . Skill 1: Good networking and interpersonal relationship development skills. My first task was to assess the workload 2 . . . Skill 2: Evaluation and judgement skills that could be deployed in any situation. and quickly realized we needed another member of staff 3 . . . Skill 3: Problem solving and decision making. Management said there was no money for another member of staff so I found the money from my own budget 4 . . . Skill 4: Resourceful and practical, confident with budgeting procedures and capable of making important decisions. while working late5 . . . Skill 5: Commitment to get the job done – whatever is required.


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I then looked to employ a new member of staff from within the company as there was no budget to 6 . . . Skill 6: Ingenious, budget-aware, practical. As stationery was not a top priority within the company, getting management’s attention was difficult and mine was an area management always looked to when cutting costs. I therefore found the best way to work with management was on an informal, non-confrontational basis, getting consent for change incrementally 7 . . . Skill 7: The ability to see the big picture and understand the importance of being a cog in a big machine. Positivity, always looking for consensus and solution. By the end of my two years 8 . . . Skill 8: Commitment and staying power to see through change. . . . as manager the department was 20 per cent more efficient and the stationery bill had been reduced by 35 per cent through tough negotiations with suppliers 9 . . . Skill 9: Proven track record of improving efficiency and reducing costs. Negotiation skills that have been proven to get results. To reduce costs further I suggested we move to a paperless environment 10 . . . Skill 10: The ability to innovate, the desire for progress. I was heavily involved in the introduction of the paperless system and chaired meetings 11 . . . Skill 11: Capable of taking a leadership role when required.

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. . . wrote agendas and reports 12 . . . Skill 12: Organized. Methodical approach to paperwork. . . . and persuaded the Luddites of the need for change 13 . . . Skill 13: The ability to build consensus and create influence. This enabled me to get to know most of the people in the company, which suited my bubbly personality well. People came to me for advice and a gossip 14 . . . Skill 14: Good inter-personal skills. The ability to get on with colleagues. A level head. . . . which I liked although I worried my boss might think I was skiving 15 . . . Skill 15: The ability to see situations from other people’s points of view. . . . and I played the role of an informal personnel offficer.16 Skill 16: The ability to earn and deserve trust, the ability to be discreet, willingness to take on unpaid work if it benefits colleagues and the company.

Exercise 3 – putting it into practice Now you have labelled your previously overlooked or neglected qualities and skills, it’s time to rewrite your original CV to bring to the fore the qualities, attributes and abilities that qualify you for a wider range of positions. Compare the original CV entry with the reworded one.


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Version 1 Stationery Manager, Acme Inc

1997–1999

Was responsible for overseeing the stationery supplies for the whole company. Managed a staff of two and a budget of £500,000. Liaised with management and department heads to ensure all stationery needs were met. Was responsible for securing the best price from suppliers. Version 2 Stationery Manager, Acme Inc

1997–1999

During my time as Stationery Manager I was able to use my negotiation skills (to reduce suppliers’ bills), diplomacy skills (to persuade the company to adopt new procedures) and leadership ability to implement a new paperless system that I had identified would benefit the company. My judgement was trusted by management and co-workers alike in a wide range of situations (eg reassessing stationery needs or the best way to treat staff). I was seen as a hard-working manager capable of taking tough decisions and capable of finding imaginative solutions to problems. Changes I implemented resulted in a reduced budget and greater efficiency. Hopefully you can now see how this stationery manager, with a rewriting of his or her CV, has qualified himself or herself for much more than just managing stationery. Rewriting your CV in this way will give you the chance to apply for a greater range of jobs for the following reasons: n

Seeing your qualifications in black and white helps you believe in them.

n

If you can demonstrate your qualities and successes it’s easier to sell them.

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n

You see how skills used in one area can be transferred to another.

n

When you do these exercises for every job you’ve ever done it’s easier to spot patterns and natural talents that might never otherwise be given clarity.

Exercise 4 – ready for anything Now that we’ve demonstrated that it’s possible to rummage through your CV and pull out some forgotten or hidden assets, the next exercise aims to show that it’s possible to continue rummaging until you come up with something useful. The idea here is to make a case that proves you are qualified to enter almost any field you choose. Most jobs involve the same groups of skills – leadership, diplomacy, problem solving, persuasion, decision making, responsibility, etc. No matter what you do or where you do it, you can be sure you are using the same skills as someone in a completely different job in a completely different sector. This exercise exploits this universal truth. Let’s stay with our stationery manager. If he or she wanted to get out of the stationery game and into marketing, for instance, how might the CV look then? Acme Inc

1997–1999

While in charge of the company’s internal supplies division, I implemented a new paperless office system. This involved a major internal marketing plan that had two aims: a) to convince management of the need for the new system and gain their for the implementation, and b) to convince a reluctant staff of the benefits of adopting the new technology. I prepared presentations for internal meetings with management and staff using various visual aids and PowerPoint. Awareness was


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built up over time in the office through a series of posters, meetings, memos and leaflets. The new scheme was successfully implemented on time and on budget. Let’s understand what’s gone on here. This person isn’t lying about having marketing experience, they are only accurately highlighting the marketing work they have done and the success they experienced using their marketing skills. By avoiding the label of ‘stationery manager’ they have instantly broadened the scope of their responsibilities. This allows whoever is reading their CV to put their own label on this candidate’s time at Acme Inc and if they were considering them for a marketing position they might well infer that this candidate has marketing experience. Which they do. Now imagine that our candidate has highlighted the marketing work they have undertaken throughout their career in several different jobs. Their finished CV would be a clear and structured document stating their qualification as a candidate with marketing experience and know-how. If that was backed up with, say, a course at night school in marketing or extensive reading of marketing books, this candidate would be looking like a plausible marketing recruit. And if their CV was combined with a good interview during which the candidate engineered the conversation to make sure they talked about their love of marketing, it’s easy to see how this stationery manager could make a seamless move into their chosen career. To complete Exercise 4, do exactly the same with your CV and rework it to highlight the experiences you have in situations that would impress an employer in your new field. Do this with every position you’ve ever held and, like a barrister, build up a compelling case for your candidacy for your dream job.

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Exercise 5 – pushing the boundaries If you’re still undecided about what you want to do or are just interested in seeing how far your flexible CV could take you, why don’t you try rewriting your CV for a variety of fields and positions (for a list of possible fields, check the sector-by-sector information at the back of the book) or see if you can rewrite your CV to bring any of the following to the fore: n

management experience

n

technical ability

n

team work

n

problem solving

n

leadership

n

diligence

n

creativity

n

istration

n

specialist/sector knowledge

n

sales skills

n

communication skills

n

autonomy.

Of course, these are just suggestions. If they’re not relevant to your field or dreams, pick any skill, attribute or theme and make it stand out in your CV.

Skills and opportunity If you’re still doubtful about your suitability for a wide range of jobs, there’s another way to give you the confidence you need to seek your dream job with ion – recruitment adverts. We’ve just shown how the much maligned CV can be a useful tool for a career changer in search of inspiration and confidence. Now


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we’re going to show how that other old-fashioned job-hunting tool is relevant for career changers. As we’ve discussed, the best careers are the product of the confluence of skills and opportunity. Wherever the skills fit the opportunity you find a motivated worker who takes home satisfaction along with a pay packet.

Your skills

Your Their opportunities opportunities

As this diagram shows, you are not qualified for every job d, nor will all your skills be utilized in every job, but where your skills do match the jobs d – the opportunities – that’s where you’ll find a job match. Obviously, the bigger you can make the dark shaded area, the greater number of jobs you can go for. To do this, gather together a pile of papers with recruitment sections and plough through them finding ten or twenty jobs you’re interested in, even if it’s only hypothetically. Now make two lists, one of the qualities and skills the rs are looking for and another of the skills and attributes you offer. For example: They want Ability to work under pressure Easy-going personality Shift work Qualification in business No fear of technology Familiarity with ancy practice Analytical skills

I offer Reputation for meeting deadlines Flexibility Ability to get on with colleagues Extensive computer skills Hardworking nature Two years’ management experience Proven problem solving ability

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There is a near match between this candidate and this position, in fact it’s just really a business qualification the candidate is lacking. But the candidate has two years’ management experience, which may compensate for the lack of a formal qualification. With a well-crafted application it’s plausible that this opportunity moves from the lightly shaded area to the dark shaded part of the diagram. Look carefully at the job adverts you’ve selected. With a little bit of persuasion and a recrafted CV, how many could you shift into the dark shaded area? Very often, there is one thing that stops career changers moving rs’ opportunities into their shaded area – and that’s specialist knowledge. If you keep coming up against this obstacle, you need to find a way to persuade employers this isn’t the barrier they think it is. Perhaps The crucial thing at this you’re a fast learner, a voracious reader stage is not to rule out (who could acquire knowledge quickly) dream jobs because your or you could bring something else to the skills don’t perfectly bargain in compensation. The crucial match those that the thing at this stage is not to rule out employer is seeking. dream jobs because your skills don’t perfectly match those that the employer is seeking. It’s quite likely that the r doesn’t expect candidates to be able to tick every box – they were simply advertising their wish list. A good application can compensate for most shortcomings. Hopefully, you can see that by making a creative application – or by acquiring just one new skill – you will be able to move a whole swathe of jobs into your dark shaded area. At this stage you should realize how ‘nearly qualified’ you are for a range of jobs you had previously considered beyond your grasp. By spotting the barrier – often something that can be overcome through part-time study or making the most of your current position – you make yourself even more marketable.


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Career changer profile Gurinder, 43, media technician to teacher I worked hard to get where I did in a competitive field where few women stayed for long. I looked after editing and technical equipment for media companies and although I got a lot of pleasure out of being good at my job, after 15 years I was starting to get frustrated with being treated as part of the furniture. My clients only ever noticed me when things went wrong and never thought to thank me, or anyone else in the department, when things went right. My enthusiasm for the work waned simultaneously with my enthusiasm for London, and my husband and I started talking about leaving the capital. Although we’d occasionally talked about it in the past there weren’t many job opportunities in my field outside London so we’d never seriously considered the move before. In the end I think it was turning 40 that was the kick in the pants I needed – I just realized I’d got all I was going to get out of London and the media. I decided not to be afraid about moving on and losing income as I had got to the point where I felt I had more to lose by staying where I was. I knew I had to make changes. The problem is that there aren’t many options for a 40-year-old woman without setting up your own business, and that just isn’t me. I had often thought about teaching as a possible career as I had always liked the idea of working with kids, so I started to do a bit of research. The first thing I found out was that I needed to get my maths GCSE, which was a bit of a shock. I had hated maths at school – I was useless at it – and I was really quite unsure whether I would be able to get a GCSE in it. It took two attempts – and that meant two years’ studying after work.

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My husband and I had decided to move to the South Coast, so I approached education authorities there about starting training. There is such a teaching shortage that getting a place wasn’t a problem now that I had my maths GCSE. The PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) took a year, but I had been saving up for two years to compensate for the drop in salary. On completion I was offered two jobs at primary schools within half an hour of our new house. Changing careers and location at the same time is a massive upheaval and my first year in teaching was incredibly tough. Being on my feet all day, coping with all that noise and all that after-school work – I often wondered whether I had done the right thing. However, I am now starting my third year in teaching and loving it. I know it’s a cliché but it is so rewarding – and therefore so completely different from what I did before.

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Step 5 – getting to know your destination

Tickets, money, port At this stage in the career searching process you should have a good idea of what you want from work, what you can offer an employer and the direction in which you want to head. If you liken changing career to going on holiday, your bags are packed (you know what you’re taking with you), you’ve got the right visa (you’ve checked the entry criteria) and you think you’ve got a handle on your destination. But before you get on the boat, plane or train, you need to do some research. You wouldn’t go on holiday to a new destination without finding out what the hotels are like, what activities are on offer and how long Research can be tedious, it takes to get there. Nor should you but the benefits are embark on your career journey without countless. doing a little background reading. Research can be tedious, but the benefits are countless. Careful research stops you from making mistakes, informs you of choices you wouldn’t otherwise know about and allows you to make your move with confidence. There are three stages to effective career research. Your initial enquiries should enable you to determine things such as salaries, entry points and possible career paths in your chosen profession. The next level of research is about identifying likely employers and getting to know their needs. The third level involves identifying the areas in those companies that you would best fit into – making sure the oppor-

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tunity fits your skills. The chart below details the information you need to have to hand before you start applying for jobs.

Research chart Level 1 Identify starting and potential salaries Entry points into the profession Likely and possible paths within the profession Number of positions that become available each year Whether recruitment is seasonal

Level 2 Research companies in your chosen field Find out future plans for those companies – who’s expanding, who’s in trouble Investigate hiring procedures Identify the people who do the hiring Decide which companies most interest you

Level 3 Analyze research to spot trends and opportunities Work out whether your best way forward is as an employee, self-employed or a part-time contractor Marry your reseach into companies with your research into yourself and identify areas where your skills fit their opportunities

step 5 – getting to know your destination

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Methods of research There are a number of ways of getting to know your destination, some of them more obvious than others. To build up a fully informed picture you need to gather information from a variety of sources. If you rely on just one – articles in the press, for example – you can never be sure your information is accurate. It’s smart to keep in mind that the best kind of research is the kind that fewer people know, ie information you get from personal s, as this gives you an advantage over job seekers who get their facts from the media.

Newspapers Broadsheet newspapers carry weekly supplements on major areas of employment, such as media, law, charities and medicine. One of the motivations for newspapers to invest in such specialist journalism is the income these supplements generate from recruitment advertising. This means there are two reasons for picking up a broadsheet on the day it features your area – news and vacancies. Generally, newspaper articles carry great weight in the industries to which they relate, which means if Even on days when the you don’t know about them or about the papers don’t carry people or events they profile, you will specialized sections, it’s seem incompetent and out of touch. It still important to keep really is essential reading, so it’s worth abreast of general news. annoying your newsagent and flicking through the broadsheets to make sure you’re not missing out on vital information. Even on days when the papers don’t carry specialized sections, it’s still important to keep abreast of general news. The business pages are full of job leads every day – companies that are expanding, old s moving to positions of power, or changes in policy or direction that might create opportunities.

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Trade press Whether you want to be a professional cricketer or a marine biologist, there will be a trade publication for your industry. Trade magazines and newspapers are the noticeboards for their fields and carry a broader range of stories, most of which are too specialized to make it into national newspapers. New appointments, new technology, annual reports and industry events are all given prominence, making trade magazines a job hunters’ information goldmine. Even the adverts in trade magazines can provide useful leads for things like websites and seminars that can help further your research. It’s important to read the relevant trade publication regularly. Over time you will build up a sense of the problems facing your industry, the people whose star is on the ascendant, and areas to be avoided. It’s the best source of information for identifying suitable companies and finding out the It’s important to read the names of people to approach within comrelevant trade publication panies. If you read about someone interregularly. esting, or with whom you agree or disagree, don’t be afraid to get in touch. Send them an e-mail congratulating them on their award/promotion/point of view. It’s a gentle way of adding to your s book and an easy way of increasing the ways you will hear about job vacancies. Avid reading of trade magazines – some industries have several – is the best way of compensating for lack of professional experience in your chosen sector. You can pick up knowledge, s and tips through reading and often the information you absorb is more relevant and up to date than information you get at colleges or in books. Reading is the homework you can’t fake. As there are so many trade publications not many are stocked by newsagents – even large city-centre branches carry only a narrow selection. The best way of getting hold of them is by subscription, although many are given away free (they make their money through recruitment advertising) at industry events and in the lobbies of key companies. If you’re not sure of the name of the magazine for your sector, have a look at the website for the Audit Bureau of Circulations


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(www.abc.org.uk) or a magazine retail site like Cheapest Magazines (www.cheapestmagazines.co.uk). Alternatively, flick through the latest media yearbook at your local library or bookshop.

Internet The internet is a fantastic resource for career changers hungry for information. Most companies now have websites, so when you want to find out more about a particular company, visit its site where it might vacancies, give you biographies of key of staff or set out its plans for the next year. As well as company sites, most industries have online news services (sometimes just web versions of trade magazines) that are worth subscribing The internet is a fantastic to. But as well as checking out official resource for career sites, surf to see whether there are any changers hungry for unofficial sites where the gossip might be information. a little fresher, a little more scurrilous and therefore a bit more useful. If you’re interested in a major company, it’s quite likely it will have a listing on a service like Vault (www.vault.com) where employees past and present bitch and backstab about their bosses. Don’t forget to with an online recruitment service that can either let you know about vacancies or put you forward for them.

Books and reports As a career changer, the chances are that you are never going to be exactly what a recruiter is looking for. You therefore need to use every bit of nous you have to compensate for your CV imperfections. The best way to do that is to have more information at your fingertips than your rivals – and that means going the extra mile to get hold of annual reports and programmes for industry events and maybe even reading the biographies of the leaders in your field. You can pick up lots of good personal information about the people you will be

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approaching for work – their interests and specialisms – and if you can talk to them about their favourite subject you’ll make a good impression. Extensive reading about your new profession can make up for the years you Extensive reading about were concentrating on another field. By your new profession can swotting up you can make yourself as make up for the years you knowledgeable as someone who has were concentrating on another field. worked in the industry all their lives.

Seminars and conferences If you’ve never worked in an industry before, a really good way of getting a feel for it is to attend relevant seminars and conferences. Not only do you get to pick up lots of literature and leaflets about speakers and issues, you also get to see your future colleagues in action. Each industry operates in a different way – some are driven by personalities, others by technology, others by legislation – and mixing with your potential new colleagues will help you work out what drives that industry. It’s also the best way of making s, and as a career changer you are more likely to find work through recommendation and inside information than you are through a recruitment agency. Your ability to network at a conference or industry event will have a hugely positive effect Don’t be afraid of on your job hunt. Even if you lack the approaching people. confidence to walk up to strangers and ask them outright for a job (which is unlikely to impress them anyway), you can approach them subsequently through e-mail or a letter asking for clarification or a chance to discuss a certain issue or opportunity with them. Don’t be afraid of approaching people – they attend or speak at conferences to raise their profile and a little flattery will no doubt get most people’s attention.


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Friends Obviously you don’t want to jeopardize the position you’re currently in, but if it’s judicious you should tell as many people as possible about your plans to switch careers. Your friends and family might well have s in your target area but unless you express an interest in that area to them you may never know. And even if your address book isn’t filled with usefully well-connected friends, perhaps they will have read something of use or can now be on the look-out for useful articles and information. If you have friends in your target industry but are embarrassed about telling them of your plans, try a little flattery. Most people love telling others information as it makes them feel established, knowledgeable and generous. Psychology is on the side of the novice – make it work for you.

Work experience Once you have narrowed down the area you want to work in, you might want to think about doing a little work experience. Traditionally, work experience placements are arranged by students trying out profesTraditionally, work sions while still at college. Although an experience placements older work experience candidate is are arranged by students unusual, you will no doubt be welcomed trying out professions with open arms – after all, who would while still at college. you rather have in your office, a spotty youth who doesn’t know how to make tea or a keen job changer with a genuine interest in the company? If you can find the time it’s well worth approaching companies you’re interested in to see whether you could work with them for a week or two. Not only will you get to meet (and pick the brains of) people who do the job you want to do, you will make excellent s and get a feel for the industry from the inside. Best of all, you get to make sure that this is a move you really want to make!

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Making your research count Once you have thoroughly researched and observed your target industry, return to the research chart at the beginning of this chapter. Have you been able to deduce what your starting salary might be, or what the potential earnings might be? Do you have an idea of how your career might progress? And crucially, have you spotted a way in, either a or an opportunity that you can exploit to get your foot in the door? Before you approach the person who hires in the company of your choice, you need to work out why they need you. Not just anybody, but you. What can you offer, what do you know, how can you help? You need to match your skills to their opportunity so you can convince them to take you on.

Career changer profile Geena, 38, receptionist to interior designer I had always wanted to work as an artist but when I finished my degree I never managed to find work. I think there were just too many of us living cheaply, flying off to India or Thailand every winter and smoking dope all summer to care too much about finding work. We were just having fun. I took receptionist work because it was easy to get and easy to leave. But by the time I got to my late twenties and realized I was looking a bit pathetic in my sarong and sandals it was the only thing anyone would employ me to do. Even though it was soul destroying I still managed to do it full time for four years before I had a word with myself. I reached a point where it was driving me crazy and I felt very strongly that I had to make changes or else I’d end up going to the big reception desk in the sky.


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I had done decorating work for friends for years for a bit of cash, trading on the fact that I had an art degree. I had never thought of making a career of it, but when I looked at my options it seemed like a smart way to head. I started by telling all my friends that decorating was something I wanted to do full time and I began to get a few recommendations. I was charging peanuts but was able to keep the reception work going part time. The more decorating work I did, the more I realized how little I knew. My only source for supplies was B&Q and I didn’t have the s to offer specialist services. So I wrote to several interior design companies asking for work experience. I only got one reply – I think people didn’t know how to handle a woman in her thirties on work experience – so I said yes when they asked me to help out for a couple of weeks. I actually ended up staying with them part time for six months – unpaid except for expenses – and I made the most fantastic s with suppliers and craftsmen. I also got to see how professional interior designers behave, what their quoting procedure is, how they invoice, how they interact with clients. That kind of research was invaluable, although by the end of it I really felt I was doing them a favour working for free. I left the interiors company when a friend of mine bought an old house that needed a lot of work. He basically bankrolled me for six months and waited patiently as I single-handedly transformed his house for about the tenth of the price anyone else would have charged. After that, I got enough recommendations to avoid going back to reception work. I also put an ad in my local paper for work and that brings in about a client a month. I’m still not earning very much money, but that wasn’t why I got out of reception work. I did it to be creative, to be my own boss, and I’m really enjoying what I do.

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Step 6 – map making

Getting there from here No matter what kind of journey you’re taking, it’s much easier to reach your destination if you have a map. That’s why this step is all about making a map that sets out the route from your present job to your dream career. A career map has many advantages. Firstly, it breaks down a really big shift in your life into manageable stages. So whenever the journey ahead daunts you, the map reassures you that you’re on the right path. There might be many times over the next few months when you wonder whether you took the right turn – and if this happens, your career map will help dispel your doubts. Another benefit of a career map is that by breaking down your career change into manageable steps it makes the big leap more plausible. If anyone asks how you’re going to transform yourself from a media librarian to a marine biologist, you’ll be able to Breaking down your move into smaller steps also show them. The more plausible you can helps you visualize the make your career change, the more conproblems you may come viction you will have that you will reach up against as you change your destination. Breaking down your career and therefore move into smaller steps also helps you anticipate them. visualize the problems you may come up against as you change career and therefore anticipate them. It will also help you to see that career changes

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don’t happen overnight – you might not be able to get to your destination in one move and it may help you now to recognize that your next job will just be a stepping stone to your dream job. Some career changes happen quickly, others take years to complete. One of the reasons you’re encouraged to take your time preparing your career map is that not only does it help you believe you will attain the career of your dreams, it also serves as a personal career counsellor when you’re feeling unsure about the decisions you’ve made. Your career map will motivate you by reminding you of the progress you’ve made, the reasons you started making changes and the benefits that your career change will bring you. So what is a career map then? Essentially it’s a personal business plan that puts your move into the context of the industry you’re moving into. If you’ve ever been involved in starting a business the chances are you may have had to prepare a business plan – a document created to By methodically lay out a new company’s purpose and predicting the likely development. Careful planning at this course of your career stage can help you work out what hapchange you greatly pens if you have a couple of months increase your chances of without a salary, or need to timetable a making a success of it. series of smaller steps that must take place in the right order. By methodically predicting the likely course of your career change you greatly increase your chances of making a success of it. Now that you’ve worked out where you want to go, you’ll no doubt be eager to hit the road and the thought of sitting down to do yet more paperwork probably sounds very dull. But even if your career change is relatively straightforward, it’s worth setting aside time to sketch out a career map as it helps you anticipate obstacles before you crash into them at speed. Your career map doesn’t need to be a lengthy document – nothing here should take more than a side of A4 – but that won’t stop it being a comprehensive guide book for the journey you’re about to embark on. At the end of this chapter you will have a nine-page document that

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will inspire and sustain you and prevent you from taking any wrong turns.

Outline of a career map The following is a basic template for your career map.

1 The mantra This is the line you will keep repeating to yourself when things get tough or muddled. It replaces the standard ‘executive summary’ of business plans and doubles as an elevator pitch (a memorable and convincing statement of intent that can convince someone of your ability in the time it takes to ride to the 23rd floor). Your mantra can be reeled out to convince you – or anyone who asks – of the purpose and plausibility of your career change. Your mantra should inspire and encourage you.

2 Background In this section of the map you will set out the reasons why you’ve come to the conclusion that you need to change careers. After all, it’s much easier to work out where you’re going if you know where you’ve been.

3 Skills, attributes and assets Here you will make an inventory of what you have to offer – as an employee or a free agent.

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4 Your back-up It’s much easier to succeed if you have people who believe in you cheering you on from the sidelines. This section of the career map outlines your system and encourages you to find friends who can and mentor you through your career change. It’s the career change equivalent of an advisory board.

5 The opportunity This section will assess the job market in the sector you want to get into. By thinking laterally about your options you will hopefully discover other opportunities in the right field.

6 Your marketing plan After the mantra, this section is the most important as it sets out how you are going to let potential employers know about you, as well as what you are going to tell them about yourself.

7 A financial plan This will break down your finances to ensure that your career change won’t leave you short. And if it does, it will help you prepare and plan for financial bridging.

8 A timetable It’s not always possible to timetable a career change – sometimes you just have to wait for opportunities – but if you don’t put a deadline on certain milestones or decisions, it’s amazing how easy it is to let good intentions go to waste.


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9 The map Using all the information you’ve prepared so far, you’ll now draw a diagram of your career change. This visual tool will enable you to see at a glance whether your career change is going to plan.

1 The mantra Your mantra is a sentence or two that sums up your decision to change careers. It should tell someone who’s never met you where you worked before, why that wasn’t enough, what your new ambition is and how the Your mantra is a tool of change you’re undertaking will help you self-belief. realize that ambition. It should convince you of the worth of your undertaking – and it should convince other people (whether in dinner party banter or at a job interview) of your commitment to your chosen path. Your mantra is a tool of self-belief. Here are a few examples: n

I am changing careers to ensure that I find work that brings me *pleasure/satisfaction/money. I believe work in this field will suit my natural talents and interests and sustain me for years to come.

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I will do anything to get into profession x as my previous work experience has taught me that I need *intellectual stimulation/a sense of purpose/to feel rewarded in order to get satisfaction out of work.

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As a child I always wanted *certain things for myself but somehow I have ended up on another path. It is my intention to create an opportunity for myself to realize my childhood dreams.

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I am devoting the next 12 months to retraining and expanding my skills so I will be qualified for work in a field I love. * Substitute whatever is appropriate

Your mantra can take any form. It can be precise – ie ‘I want to practise medicine in Malawi by next September’ – or it can make more of

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an emotional statement of intent. What’s important is that when you read it back to yourself you feel inspired, determined, focused and in control. If you have a weak spot – perhaps you’re bad at time keeping or liable to lose focus – then address it in your mantra. Include a deadline or a reward for sticking to your guns. Writing your mantra may take moments, or it may be something you need to develop over a couple of weeks. Once you are happy with it, write it on a piece of paper you can carry with you – perhaps you could keep Writing your mantra may it in your wallet or travel card holder, or take moments, or it may maybe stick it to the fridge or the dashbe something you need to board. Whenever you have a bad day at develop over a couple of work, or you’re having trouble motivatweeks. ing yourself to leave the house, it will remind you of the positive changes you are making and the feelings of satisfaction that await you at your destination. Generally, the happier you are with your mantra, the easier it is to write the rest of your career map. So take your time if you need to.

2 Background You don’t need to write your life story in this section, just make a list of the things you have learned about work. Whether you know you never want to work with computers ever again or know you must find a way of not letting work take over your life, these are the kinds of things you want to include here. In some respects this section could be the basis of your leaving speech from your current job. It should acknowledge what you’ve learned, what you’ll take with you and why this is the right time to move on. Of course, you might detest your current position so much that there’s no way you’d spend five minutes saying goodbye if you had somewhere to run to, in which case this section should read like the speech you’d love to give. Let rip. Write down why you can’t stand it any more, why you have to do something better with your life.


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The purpose of this background section is to remind you of the path you’ve taken to get to this point and to reiterate the reasons why you’ve decided to make change. You don’t have to write much, just enough to be reassured that you’re making the right decision at the right time.

3 Skills, attributes and assets This section is all about itemizing what you have to offer – the weapons and supplies you carry with you as you travel along the career path, the things that will ease your age and help you reach your destination. While your skills might be easy to list – perhaps because you’ve got a qualification or a track record – some of your more valuable assets might not be immediately obvious. Start with your skills – the things you can do better, quicker or more easily than most people. Whether it’s taking shorthand, grooming ponies or backing winners, if it’s something you do well be sure to write it down. When it comes to your attributes it might help to refer to the questionnaire in Step 2. What did you learn about yourself that’s worth mentioning here? If you’re good with the detail or the big picture, if it’s a quality an Your assets are anything employer will need and value then add it that will help you get from to the list. here to there. Your assets are anything that will help you get from here to there. That might be a traditional asset – perhaps enough cash to see you through retraining or a drop in salary – or it might be a in a useful position, a ive partner or a piece of knowledge an employer will prize highly. When you’ve completed this section you should feel very capable of making your career change and very confident that you’ve got something any employer would be lucky to have.

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4 Your back-up Changing careers can be difficult and stressful – often it doesn’t go to plan, takes longer than you’d hoped and involves some form of financial sacrifice. At times you might even wonder whether it’s worth the hassle, and that’s why you need back-up. If you were starting a business you would be encouraged to form an advisory board, a collection of wise s with a range of expertise and knowledge who could see you through your start-up. While changing careers isn’t as complicated as launching a business, it will help you if you have a couple of people you trust to lean on for advice and moral . The sort of people you should be thinking about approaching for advice are friends who have changed careers and know about the insecurities and problems that occasionally arise. And it would be good to know that The sort of people you you had someone in your new field who should be thinking about you could call on when you hit brick approaching for advice walls. Perhaps someone who could make are friends who have phone calls or introductions for you. changed careers and know about the Tell relevant people that you’re underinsecurities and problems taking a career change and ask them for that occasionally arise. advice, and ask them also whether you can call them in the future if you need to talk things through. Most people will be enormously flattered and will gladly put themselves out for you if they can help in any way. Knowing you’ve got good people around you will be another confidence boost and when you flick through your nine-page career map, seeing the names of people who have been there and can help will remind you that success isn’t far away.

5 The opportunity In this section you should collate information you’ve gleaned from your research into your new field to outline the openings and oppor-


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tunities you’ve spotted. The opportunity might be an expanding sector, a new company coming to town, or a change in technology or legislation that has created a gap for you. More likely, however, is that the opportunity is something you – not external forces – will create. This is the time to think about all the ways you can get your foot in the door, by marrying the talents and skills you reaffirmed on page 3 of your career map with the s and research you carried out in Step 5 – getting to know your destination. If you are going into a very competitive field, you should consider here the ways you can force open doors that are locked or open just a crack. What are your routes in – maybe freelancing or The list you create here should be full of smart volunteer work – that will create further answers that can prove opportunities in the future? It might any doubters wrong. help to see the things you write down for this section as a defence against a cynic telling you you’ll never get where you want to be. The list you create here should be full of smart answers that can prove any doubters wrong. Essentially you’re telling someone: ‘I will reach my destination because I have found this unique route.’ By really paying attention to the ways in which you will approach potential employers, you will hopefully run into new ideas about the ways in which you can be of service in your chosen field, department or company.

6 Your marketing plan Imagine you have to raise finance to see you into your new career and you are taking your career map to your bank manager. The section to which he or she would pay closest attention would be your marketing plan. The way you market yourself, the methods you use to get your message to the right employers, will be more important than whether or not you’ve got a degree in the right field or a burning ion for your chosen profession. After all, if no one knows you exist it doesn’t

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matter how talented, committed or perfect you are. The standard way a job hunter markets themselves is by sending off their CV to recruitment agencies, but that just isn’t enough for career changers. You need to express your enthusiasm, experience and wisdom to an employer, not just your availability, so you are going to have to be more imaginative in your approach. There are two aspects of marketing you need to keep in mind: your message and your medium. Your message should be a clear and concise picture There are two aspects of of yourself (the work you’ve condensed marketing you need to elsewhere in this career map should keep in mind: your help), your abilities and your desires. It message and your should be consistent no matter which medium. medium you use to approach people. Answering the following questions should help you develop your ‘message’:

1 If you think of yourself as a brand, what would be the values you want your brand to embody?

2 If there’s just one thing you want people to about you, what would it be?

3 What do you stand for? 4 Why are you better? 5 Why should someone choose you? There are some tips in Step 7 about reaching employers through unconventional methods and it might help to return to this section when you’ve read it. To summarize though, here are some of the ways a career changer can get their message across: n

Approaching potential employers with an idea that will help their business.

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Making a name for yourself in the trade press.

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Getting an introduction from a .

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Meeting potential employers at conferences and seminars.


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Businesses often outsource their marketing and employ professional agencies to get their message across. Unfortunately there is no equivalent option for a career changer as recruitment agencies – the people who should be able to market you to employers – are briefed by unimaginative employers to find people with such specific skills that you’re unlikely to fare well next to conventional The truth is you do a competition. If it’s any consolation, better sales job if you do it yourself. recruitment agencies don’t have a great reputation for accurately selling the benefits of either candidate or company to the relevant party. The truth is you do a better sales job if you do it yourself.

7 A financial plan In order to proceed with your career change with confidence, it might help to be sure that your finances can cope with the detours your money will have to make before you settle into a regular salary again. It’s not necessary to prepare a detailed spreadsheet allocating your tax and Christmas club money for the next financial year, but it is important to make sure your financial assets are robust enough to get you from here to there. The first thing to do is to work out how much you need to earn each month. To do this make a list of your outgoings. Make sure you include things such as mobile phone vouchers, service charges and occasional costs that are easy to overlook.

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Outgoing

Amount

Mortgage/rent Bills Car/travel Loans Leisure Family commitments Pension Food Total Once you have a total you will know the minimum you need to survive each month. If your research has shown that you will need to go back to study, work part time or take a drop in salary, you need to assess whether you have the financial muscle to power through the lean times. If you see a monthly deficit of £200 for, say, the first year of your new career, then you need to have 12 months’ worth of £200 saved up to meet your shortfall. If you don’t have £2,400 in savings to carry you through, If your career change you must consider staying where you are does come with a until you’ve banked enough to provide financial penalty, don’t let the necessary financial cushion. If that’s that prevent you from not possible, maybe you need to reduce following the path that’s your outgoings, rely on a partner or right for you. family member or be prepared to take on a little debt to see you through. If your career change does come with a financial penalty, don’t let that prevent you from following the path that’s right for you. It’s important to look at a long-term picture – maybe in a year’s time you can earn a promotion, take on more hours or move to a more generous


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employer. And in ten years’ time you will have repaid any debt and be in a career that brings you greater happiness than your current salary. It’s common for career changers to experience hairy months with the bank manager – being prepared for them is the best way of enduring the lean times with confidence and belief.

8 A timetable With something as complex as a career change it’s practically impossible to say how long it will take. What can be stated with certainty, however, is that if you don’t draw up a timetable with deadlines and milestones it will take longer than if you do. Writing down the ideal sequence in which you need things to happen will help you plan more efficiently and help bring about the desired results at the desired time. Whether you’re giving yourself six months to get out of a job you hate or waiting for the new term to start before your career transformation can get under way, there are usually two or three dates you can put in your diary to remind you of your decision and help you keep track of your progress. If there are certain events that must take place in a certain order – for instance attending a seminar before sending out your CV to useful delegates – then a timetable will help you plan each step and task. You don’t have to fill every page of your diary with career change activities, but it might help to know when certain things will take place. These are some of things you might want to put a date to: n

Getting a qualification.

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Building up a slush fund.

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Rewriting your CV.

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Background reading.

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Waiting for everyone to get back from summer or Christmas holidays.

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Making s.

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Approaching employers.

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Cha employers.

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Going on holiday (it makes sense to plan one before you start a new career!).

Some things can’t happen until other tasks have been performed, and that’s why making a timetable of the most efficient order in which you need things to happen is important. It helps you keep a perspective on your progress, especially if you feel you’re not making any. Putting a few dates to a few milestones has the effect of laying paving slabs on your new career path – suddenly you can see your future roll out in front of you and it helps you move forward. It’s important to see your timetable as a guide rather than a master. It’s almost impossible to timetable a career change as mostly you are relying on other people to make decisions or create opportunities, so don’t get It’s important to see your too disappointed if milestones withtimetable as a guide out progress being made. Timetables can rather than a master. be rewritten to accommodate almost all eventualities, but the benefit of doing them in the first place is to make sure that things get under way rather than forgotten.

9 The map Your career map can be nothing more than a flow chart marking out the sequence of events that will mark your path – a simple visual aid that illustrates your journey and enables you to see at a glance whether your career change is going to plan. As you through each milestone you can cross it off and feel a sense of progress. Some people like to be creative with their maps and there are certain benefits to illustrating a difficult problem as a rickety bridge complete with tollcharging troll! If you can find visual gimmicks that create a sense of excitement Some people’s career maps look like something and adventure about your career change, out of a pirate story. that helps keep things moving.


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Some people’s career maps look like something out of a pirate story – detailed and picturesque interpretations that show there’s treasure at the end of the quest. That’s not necessary, but creating a diagrammatic interpretation of the work you’ve done elsewhere in this chapter and linking areas together really does simplify a complex journey. If it’s possible, make a miniature version of your map and keep it with your mantra. Combining your map with your mantra is a powerful motivator – the mantra is the carrot to the map’s stick – and together they serve to keep you focused on reaching your goal.

Career changer profile Julian, 33, commercial designer to property developer Graphic design was actually my second career. I started out in architecture but, in the end, couldn’t stick the seven years it took to qualify, so I looked around for something else that used my design skills. I worked for several design agencies, working my way up from little more than tea boy to heading projects as varied as advertising campaigns and new shapes for perfume bottles. I earned good money, worked in nice offices and liked the people I worked with. It would be very wrong to say I was unhappy with my choice of career, I was just unhappy with working full time and in an office. The usual route for disgruntled designers is to go freelance, but I didn’t see there was any challenge in that as I would probably work on less exciting design projects if I left the agency. My interest in architecture never waned and all the time I was in design I made money from property. I had a couple of rental investments but I also bought wrecks to live in and did them up making use of my architecture training and s. One day I realized that I was making much more from my houses than I did at work. I also realized that I got a lot more pleasure from working the property market than I did from deg prototypes for sauce bottles.

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I planned my move into full-time property work carefully. First of all I rearranged the mortgages on my rental investments to ensure the rental income would give me enough profit to live on. I then sold my house and bought a small flat, which freed up much of my capital that I then used to buy another wreck to turn around for profit. It sounds very simple talking about it now, but I was extremely scared about leaving full-time employment. I had had a salary for over ten years and it’s difficult to adjust your brain to earning a year’s amount of money in one go. Even that sounds like it’s easy, but with every property deal there’s the fear that it might be your last. If the property market nosedives, maybe there will be no profit to make the following year – I keep worrying that the money I’ve got in the bank may have to last me for several years. I’m finding that I’m using my design skills every day. Having the ability to imagine how properties will look after renovation is invaluable. I’ve also learned about colour schemes and know about design trends, and this really helps when it comes to resale. In many ways I don’t feel like I’ve changed careers at all. I know on paper it must seem like a huge shift, but to me it feels like a natural progression, or maybe just a fantastic promotion. The only difference is that instead of deg something eight inches tall I’m working on a much bigger scale.

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Step 7 – getting that job

Recognizing the size of the task ahead Looking to change career is a lot harder than just looking for a new job. As a career changer you are about to come up against barriers and prejudices that most job hunters never encounter. The best way to deal with this frustration is to try to understand its roots. It’s important for career changers to realize, and accept, that recruiters often find it difficult to find jobs for candidates with unusual CVs. They’re not dumb, they know that what you lack in sector experience you make up for with enthusiasm, maturity and wisdom, but they still feel happier giving jobs to people they can pigeonhole, or whose career paths reflect their own. In this chapter we’re going to look at ways career changers can compensate for the shortcomings of the traditional recruitment system. First though, it’s important to understand the various reasons why doors often don’t open easily for career changers. As a career changer, the chances are that you are trying to enter a profession at the same level as someone younger than you. This is one of the greatest difficulties career changers face: As a career changer, the employers would rather go for someone chances are that you are trying to enter a younger because they’re almost always profession at the same cheaper. Not only that but they tend to level as someone younger have fewer family commitments – no than you. leaving early to pick up the kids from

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school – and are generally happier to work longer hours. It’s also possible that your new manager in your new job will be younger than you, and many poorly trained managers feel uncomfortable telling their elders what to do. Consequently, they often plump for the safe option – the younger candidate. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of job seeking for career changers is that recruiters just don’t know how to value their experience. While you have spent months researching your new field and understand how Recruiting is one of those your skills are relevant, it’s likely the skills everyone thinks is person interviewing you has no knowleasy. edge of your old sector and therefore cannot assess your achievements and talents. This isn’t helped by the fact that very few managers have received any recruitment training. Recruiting is one of those skills everyone thinks is easy, yet very often the only experience of recruitment the person who sifts through CVs or conducts interviews has had has been when they were job hunting themselves. Compounding this is the fact that no one likes to think their job is easy or that their skills are easy to come by. So giving a job to someone who lacks directly relevant experience implies that their job could be done by anyone. Therefore, out of ego, most recruiters like to employ people whose background maintains the illusion that their jobs are specialized or difficult.

Recruitment agencies and HR departments A problem all job hunters face is getting past the CV sifters in recruitment agencies and HR departments. So understanding how they work will help you in your quest. Employers often turn to their personnel department or outside agency only as a last resort – their first choice is almost always to hire someone they know or someone who has been recommended. If you imagine a conversation between a manager looking for a new sales

step 7 – getting that job

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exec and someone from the company’s HR department, it might go something like this: Manager: I just want someone bright, who can pick things up quickly and get on with the clients. HR: If I put that in an advert I’ll get half the population applying. We’ll have to narrow it down a bit. Manager: OK. HR: Do you want someone with experience of widgets?. Manager: That’d be nice, but widgets aren’t rocket science. HR: What software do you use? Manager: Sage and Excel. HR: Presumably you don’t want a teenager. Manager: I guess the average age of the department is 24. HR (making notes): That’ll be a second jobber then. Now, what’s the most valuable thing a new recruit could offer? Manager: In an ideal world? New sales leads I guess, anything that helps the department perform better. The HR exec then goes away and writes an advert that reads: Acme Corp seeks experienced sales exec to their widget department. Must be literate in Sage and Excel, have transportable client portfolio and at least three years’ experience in the field. The advert is then placed in a newspaper and lots of people whom the sales manager would have considered are put off applying. The HR exec then collates and filters the applications from people who haven’t been put off and weeds out candidates who don’t meet the specified criteria. The HR exec then hands the sales manager the cream of the crop – maybe only ten CVs from which to select even fewer candidates for interview. Clearly, then, the traditional recruitment procedure fails career changers on two fronts: a) adverts are often filled with discouraging wish lists rather than essential criteria; and b) to make life easier, HR departments usually filter out candidates whose CVs don’t tick every

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box. What’s also clear is that career changers greatly enhance their chances of job success by avoiding recruitment adverts and impersonal personnel departments. If, for example, a career changer wanted to get a job selling widgets, their best bet would be to make direct with the sales manager. If you can get hold of the right person, convince him or her of your love of widgets and your ability to sell them – maybe on a commission-only basis at first to prove that you can do it – then the next time a vacancy comes up you can bet the sales manager would rather call you than their officious HR exec. To successfully change careers you need to avoid traditional recruitment procedures. There are three main ways of finding jobs through unconventional means: Career changers greatly enhance their chances of job success by avoiding recruitment adverts and impersonal personnel departments.

1 through personal s 2 by using research to spot opportunities 3. by persuading companies to create a job especially for you.

Getting and using s s, as you’ll almost certainly have learned in your old job, are just about the most valuable career currency you can carry. The more s A isn’t just you have, the richer your career will be. If someone influential who you think you’re a little poor in the concan make things happen; tacts department, here’s a sure-fire way a is just about to achieve overnight wealth – just redeanyone you’ve ever met! fine your notion of what a is. A isn’t just someone influential who can make things happen; a is just about anyone you’ve ever met!


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You need to start seeing yourself at the centre of an ever-growing s web and realize that your s have s of their own. If you have five people you can call on for a favour or information, it’s quite likely that they also have five people they can call on. That means you’re just a phone call away from 25 people who could be useful to you in any manner of situations. If you can rekindle old acquaintances you can also add to the entries in your phone book. Getting in touch with people you haven’t spoken to for some time can be difficult, if not embarrassing. But it’s much easier if you’re getting in touch for a reason, and it’s possible your career change could be that reason. If you’ve heard, for example, that someone you went to college with is now in the profession you covet, calling them up for some advice or help might be easier than just calling up for a chat. As a is one of the most likely ways that you are going to find the job you want, it’s imperative you make every you have count. So if that means asking a mate to put you in touch with someone useful they know, or using www.friendsreunited.co.uk to hook up with old school friends, that’s what you have to do. Even people who you think are at the other end of the useful scale are worth getting in touch with because you don’t know who they know. As soon as you know where you want to get to, you should be telling as many trusted people as possible just in case they know someone who knows someone. Even people who you think are at the other end You should also be starting to network of the useful scale are and adding new s to your address worth getting in touch book every week. You can network at with because you don’t social events, but you would do better know who they know. targeting your ‘ gathering’ at industry events. If you bother to show up at a seminar or conference in the right field you are guaranteed to meet people who can help you. It can be scary going to a conference if you’re new to the profession and don’t know anyone, but the following tips should help turn a nerve-wracking experience into a fruitful one:

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n

Always make a point of introducing yourself whenever you’re in a new environment, be that a friends’ dinner party or visiting the waste disposal department in your company for the first time. The more people know who you are and what you do, the more they can think of you for opportunities that might arise. Shyness, unfortunately, is not an option, so make sure people know who you are.

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Make the effort to go to conferences, parties or exhibitions and always wear your name badge. Delegates attend these events to meet people – it’s perfectly acceptable to walk up to a stranger in this environment because you recognize them from an article in the trade press, you’re interested in their company or you heard them speak.

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Get introductions. Make the organizers of seminars and conferences work for their money. It’s their job to matchmake, so if you recognize a name in the guest book, ask one of the hosts to introduce you. And when you’re talking to s and they happen to mention someone else, ask for an introduction – the act of introduction acts as an endorsement and helps create an air of professionalism.

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Always carry a business card. If your current position does you no favours whatsoever, get private cards printed stating your name, number and e-mail address. Of course, there’s no point having cards if you don’t use them, so make sure everyone you meet at an event gets a card before you part.

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Maintain your network. Always find a reason to keep in touch with people you meet whom you think might be useful. If you read an article about them, send them an e-mail to give them . Or if you hear about a promotion, send an e-mail congratulating them. Alternatively, if you read something that you think a might be interested in, send it to them. It’s crucial to keep finding ways to remind people not only that you exist but that you’re thoughtful, on the ball and available.


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Obviously the influential s, perhaps people who have the power to hire, are the best to have. But nearly as good to know are the people who just know about vacancies. s don’t have to be chief executives – they are anyone who can give you information you can’t get elsewhere. That information could be about job opportunities in their organization, or it might be simply that their company is changing direction slightly – and that might be enough for you to create your own role in that company (see the section below about persuading a company to create a job for you). Naturally, we’d all prefer it if a would phone us up and say: ‘I’ve put your name forward for this fantastic position that’s just come up.’ Sadly, You need to communicate this is about as likely to happen as an your needs, let people alien invasion, but you can absolutely know that you’re in the guarantee it won’t happen if you don’t market, give them some tell people what your plans are. You need idea of your capabilities. to communicate your needs, let people know that you’re in the market, give them some idea of your capabilities. After all, there’s little point having s if you can’t make them work for you. Some of your s may not even know that much themselves, but they may be able to help you access information that’s unavailable to your rival job hunters. The kinds of things even poorly connected s can do for you are: n

you copies of in-house newsletters so you can see internal adverts and exclusive news

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get you a to access company websites, often good sources of company news and vacancies

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put up an advert offering your services on the company noticeboard.

The point is, whatever someone does, if they do it in the right place then they are a you want to nurture . . . and then exploit.

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Spotting opportunities The next best way for career changers to leapfrog conventional job candidates is by spotting opportunities before they are d. With careful and dedicated research you can always make sure you are in the right place at the right time. To do this you need to keep reading trade magazines and talking to s, constantly looking for clues to potential opportunities. For instance, if you read that a company is setting up a new division there’s a chance that it will need new staff. If the article mentions the name of the new division head, send him or her an e-mail. The kinds of information that suggest opportunity might be around the corner include: n

a company expansion

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a change in legislation

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the launch of a company

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the launch of a rival company

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a new boss (this is often the trigger for a wave of resignations that makes way for new blood)

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the launch of a new product

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the development of a new technology

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a merger or acquisition.

Just sending your CV is unlikely to get you an interview. If you think of it from the new division head’s point of view, yours is probably one of a handful of CVs they’ve been sent since the article appeared. Sending an eWhen you make mail saying ‘Hi, I believe you’re expandwith a potential employer ing and here’s my CV’ makes you seem for the first time, it’s important that you come arrogant and opportunist. When you across as a serious make with a potential employer candidate. for the first time, it’s important that you come across as a serious candidate. The more time you spend writing your covering letter or e-mail, the more serious you will seem.


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Always make sure that your covering letter expresses: n

your interest in the project

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your enthusiasm for the subject/product/area

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your knowledge of the subject

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your willingness to meet informally to discuss opportunities that may arise

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your belief that you’ve got something to offer,

. . . and glosses over n

your lack of relevant experience or s

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the fact that this would represent a career change for you

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your desperation to get into this field.

All correspondence should be professional, not overly friendly, spelt correctly with good grammar and presented soberly – gimmicks involving fancy paper and unusual fonts are more likely to irritate than entice. Make absolutely sure that the person you are writing to knows how to get in touch with you – always add your details (home phone, mobile, e-mail, address). The same procedure works if someone tells you about a new development that might lead somewhere. If you can’t persuade your to make the introduction for you, approach the relevant person in the same way knowing full well that the very fact you know about the development makes you look good as you seem well connected.

Persuading companies to create a job for you This is perhaps harder than the other methods of finding work outlined above, but it is still more likely to bring about results than relying on recruitment adverts and agencies. Although it sounds bold, the procedures aren’t really that much different from the advice in the ‘spotting opportunities’ section. The big difference is that instead of

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just expressing an interest in the new venture or direction, you are explicit about how you could help. For instance, if a company is moving into an area in which you have some skills, s or knowledge, perhaps you could help it through the transition. Or if you can see that an existing company could expand into an area with which you are familiar, that’s an opportunity to put Most business owners yourself forward as someone to lead the and managers are willing business in a fresh direction. to consider suggestions Wherever you feel you can add somethat make their company thing to someone’s existing business you – or more probably just should feel comfortable about suggestthem – look good. ing a mutually beneficial arrangement. Most business owners and managers are willing to consider suggestions that make their company – or more probably just them – look good. The equation is pretty simple . . . You + company = more successful company . . . and wherever you can create success you create a job opportunity for yourself. Career changers can make this method work to their advantage if they are encouraging a company to move towards the field they are hoping to leave. Your track record in your current profession could give you the credibility a new employer will look for. You then use your new job as a bridge between two fields and look to complete your journey in a few years’ time.

Preparing to meet your new employer Whether you’ve landed a formal interview or you are meeting to talk generally about possibilities with a potential employer, there are some questions career changers are bound to be asked. Employers are often suspicious of career changers – sometimes simply because you are an outsider, but also because they think your change of heart might mean you are flaky – so you need to prepare for some tough questions.


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As a career changer, the things you Many employers never have to offer an employer that they are employ the best likely to value most are your ability to candidate – they employ understand their needs, the maturity the person they like the work experience brings and your ability most. to get on with colleagues. Many employers never employ the best candidate – they employ the person they like the most. That means coming across as curious but knowledgeable, likeable without being eccentric and professional without being dull. So, in addition to researching all you can about Your answers will enable the company, the person you’re meeting you to compensate for the and the industry you’re entering, you direct experience that’s need to think carefully about your missing from your CV. answers to some of the questions below. Your answers will enable you to compensate for the direct experience that’s missing from your CV.

Why are you leaving your old profession? You have to expect to be asked this, but you need to be careful how you answer it. Saying that you weren’t earning enough, getting promoted or having enough fun are very negative answers and they create the impression of a dour and bitter candidate. You must find a way of answering positively. ‘I realized that there was better growth potential in this industry,’ or ‘There was no clear path for me to build a future’, or ‘The market was changing and that provided the opportunity to look around for something I felt could sustain me for the rest of my career’ are all much more positive answers.

Why did you go into your old profession? Again, it is almost guaranteed that you will be asked this and again you should answer as positively as possible. Don’t mention that you drifted into it by accident or took the first offer you got after studying.

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Try saying something along the lines of ‘At the time that sector seemed to be going somewhere,’ or ‘It was a perfect fit for me at the time, but as I’ve got older my lifestyle has changed,’ or ‘It felt like the natural choice for someone with my qualifications’.

What was missing from your last job? Your answer shouldn’t be negative about the profession or company and you should keep your reply focused on what was missing for you. For example, ‘the opportunity for progress’, ‘the chance to make a meaningful contribution’ or ‘a sense of purpose’ all help to make you sound measured and sincere, as opposed to negative and pedantic.

Why have you chosen this profession? It’s always a good idea to prefix your answer with something like ‘Well, where would you like me to start?’ or ‘There are so many reasons I’m not sure where to begin’. Make it sound like you have found a profession you can commit to for a long time, but make sure your reasons aren’t glib. Something like ‘Well it’s a lot more glamorous/better paid than my last job’ won’t impress. Try something along the lines of ‘My research showed this was a field I could commit to and where there was going to be a lot of growth in the future’. Alternatively, ‘I felt this is where my skills and talents would be best used’, isn’t bad. Don’t forget to add that your research has also shown that the company you’re talking to looked like a winner, not just the industry. And make sure you don’t sound too wistful about not having chosen this profession sooner, perhaps even saying that you’re glad you’ve had the experience in your current field as you think it will help you get more out of your new field.

You don’t seem to be qualified for this position There are two things employers look for in candidates – experience and potential. The trick to getting round this difficulty is to persuade


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your interviewer that your potential greatly outweighs someone else’s experience. You might try saying ‘Perhaps I don’t have direct relevant work experience, but perhaps you should also consider my experience gained in volunteer work/study/general management, etc’, or ‘Perhaps you would consider that my success in my past field indicates my potential in this one’.

What do you hope to get from this meeting? If you’re having an informal chat and not being interviewed for a particular job this can be a tricky question to answer. To get into your chosen career you might have to accept an appointment that is not ideal – perTo get into your chosen haps part time or at a level more junior career you might have to than you’d like – but you don’t want to accept an appointment sound desperate. A good answer is to be that is not ideal. vague, in the most positive way possible! ‘I’d like to be kept in mind for any suitable positions that come up. Of course I’m open-minded about what that might be and would be interested to hear your thoughts.’

Given your lack of experience, you realize that we couldn’t pay you the going rate? While career changers do often have to take a drop in salary there is no reason why you shouldn’t be paid what you are worth. Many employers will try unfairly to make you take a low salary and if this question does come up, a smart way to deal with it is by saying ‘I accept I may not command the highest salary but I expect it to be within the range normally offered to people who take this position’. This makes you seem realistic yet not a pushover without negotiation skills.

part three

quick ways

to

change your career

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the easiest ways to change career

Although changing career can be one of the more arduous tasks you undertake in your working life, there are a few tricks that can make the transition faster and easier. They fall into four main categories: 1 Staying in the same company but moving to a different department or role. 2 Staying in the same role but moving to a different sector. 3 Staying in the same job but rewriting your job description to bring about change. 4 Coat-tailing talent into a new position. If you think of your career as a path, then these devices are vehicles that can propel you along it a lot faster! It may help here to look again at the career map you drew in Step 6. As you study it, look to see how you can speed up each step – what s have you got that enable you to queue jump?

Same company, different job Most companies employ people with very different skills to perform different tasks. You may work for a company that produces, say, furniture, but that doesn’t mean you work only with cabinet makers. There are likely to be other professionals with other crafts on the payroll – upholsterers, glaziers, paint specialists as well as ants, 125

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quick ways to change your career

marketeers, sales staff, managers, technicians. Quite clearly, then, there are several careers being followed in every company. If you fancy moving out of one career but don’t know where to head for, often the solution can be right under your nose. After all, why spend months researching and retraining when you share a coffee machine with the people you need to make the switch? A career change could be as simple as bumping into the right person in the lift. Could be. The chances are it might be a bit more involved than that. But if you think this might prove to be a good route for you, you need to start getting yourself noticed by the people working in the department you’re interested A career change could be in. The best way might not be to boldly as simple as bumping into declare your intention to them – this the right person in the lift. will only make people feel threatened and see you as misguided or arrogant. Wherever possible make friends with people in the department you covet. Take an interest in their projects, ask them about their work and ask whether they could advise you on making the move into their area. If your department overlaps with theirs, volunteer for projects and assignments that would see you working more closely with your target department. Get to know as much about how they operate as possible. Laying this ground work will enable you to approach the person who hires in that department as someone who is thought well of. When you have their respect you should tell them you’d like to change careers and The good thing about that perhaps they could keep you in mind moving careers this way for future opportunities – after all, most is that it’s not necessary people are going to be more enthusiastic for someone to create a about taking on someone they know and role especially for you. trust. The good thing about moving careers this way is that it’s not necessary for someone to create a role specially for you. Maybe they just want help with one project or just to cover someone else’s annual leave, and it’s possible to make the move more naturally.


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Same job, different company The theory for this trick is that if you can book-keep for lion tamers you can also book-keep for psychiatrists. Likewise, if you can write annual reports for a company, you can probably also write articles for a journal. A skill is a skill is a skill is a skill, but the difference between working for lion tamers and psychiatrists is so great that two similar jobs feel like they belong to different careers. This route is also worth considering for people who want to leave their current skill behind them. Let’s just say you’re an ant who wants to work in television. What better way to make that move than by getting a job as an ant at a TV company? You get to meet lots of people in TV who love working with you because it’s so refreshing to work with an ant who cares about the programmes, not just the balance sheet. You gain their trust and respect and get to do all the research you need without taking a drop in salary. You can then wait for the right opportunity to take a more creative role.

Same company, reinventing your current job This route can often be easier to exploit in smaller companies where there aren’t specialist departments for things like marketing, sales, production, etc. In small companies it’s quite normal for one employee to wear several hats, so what you need to do is add as many hats as you can to your collection and then start wearing the one you like the most as much as you can! It’s quite easy to see how an employee of a small company could start off, say, on the reception desk but take on a bit of payroll duties, a bit more and suddenly they’re the most specialized personnel professional in the company and get to call themselves human resources director. They can then apply for jobs in other companies as an experienced HR executive.

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If this sounds like a plausible route for you, start by volunteering to take on extra-curricular tasks – such as being a health and safety officer or becoming a union rep – or take on the responsibility for investigating new If your small company is a suppliers/markets/customers, etc. If your growing one, as it expands you could find small company is a growing one, as it yourself appointed to a expands you could find yourself specialist position in the appointed to a specialist position in the field of your choice. field of your choice.

Coat-tailing This is the route you have least control over, but if you work with someone who is clearly destined for great things they can be your ride to a dream job. Your loyalty, dedication, brilliance and diligence might be rewarded when your office star is promoted or poached and they take you with them. If you really are valued, you can ask for your reward to be appointed to a new sector or discipline. This route can’t be banked on, but if you are lucky enough to work with someone who is heading for the top, it might be interesting to cling on for the ride.

Career changer profile Tracy, 39, environmental control to project management I left school with three average grades at A level and no clear idea of what I wanted to do. I certainly never wanted to work for the council but the recruitment agency I approached put me forward for a general post and, somehow, I managed to hang around in various roles for almost ten years before I finally made the decision to leave. I think it’s a symptom of working for local government that you always talk about leaving, about doing something else. Lunch-time conversations with colleagues were always about fabulous retirements


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in Marbella and going to work for a mate who had just started a surefire winner of a company. It took a few years to realize that it was just talk and that nobody ever left, let alone to do anything exciting or glamorous. At times it seemed the only way out was in a box. It was actually the break-up of my marriage that made me take a long hard look at my life. At that time I felt like I had nothing to lose by just walking away from my job, and as I wasn’t exactly thinking rationally, that’s exactly what I did. I moved back in with my parents, lived off savings and had a long hard think about what I wanted to do. I decided to go to university. I felt I needed the stimulation of learning and I didn’t feel emotionally ready to commit to any particular job or career. I plumped for something general, business studies, and decided to do it over four years rather than three so I could work part time and myself. I used my experience at the council and the fact that I was studying business to get a two-day-a-week job at my local Chamber of Commerce. I worked with a team of operators who offered advice and to new and existing businesses in the borough. We also organized ‘networking’ parties for local companies that I found tedious to put together but fascinating to attend. By coincidence, my time at university and the Chamber coincided with the dotcom boom. I graduated at just the right time – there seemed to be five jobs for every applicant. I applied for project management jobs at a few dotcoms and new media design agencies simply because almost every job seemed to be titled ‘project management’. It wasn’t really a phrase I’d heard of before. Surprisingly, my age actually counted in my favour – so many dotcoms were started by people in their early twenties that their advisers were recommending they hire older staff to give themselves more credibility! At 36 I was seen as experienced even though it was my first

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job in the sector. Project management, it turned out, was pretty much common sense and good time keeping, so when the dotcom that employed me went under I found it was easy to get work with other companies. After all, everyone needs someone on their team who can kick butt and get the job done on time.

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the voluntary sector

Creative recruitment Many career changers have long ended up working in the charitable sector and the factors that encouraged their commercial to charitable migration in the past are still persuading many to make the switch today. The voluntary sector is an obvious destination for those career changers looking for a little more purpose and meaning from their 9 to 5, but that’s often a secondary reason why career changers fare so well in this sector. The main reason why you stand a good chance of finding a rewarding career in the voluntary sector is that charities have always had more flexible hiring criteria, mostly due to necessity. They have recognized that charitable work is rarely anyone’s dream job, which is why the sector has never had hordes of hungry graduates fighting for jobs in the way they do in the finance and media sectors. Consequently, charities have had to employ either less talented As charities can’t pay huge salaries they have to graduates or enthusiastic career changtake a creative approach ers. Naturally, the latter is often preferto recruitment in order to able. appoint people of the As charities can’t pay huge salaries right calibre. they have to take a creative approach to recruitment in order to appoint people of the right calibre. Transferable skills have long been valued in the voluntary sector and a much greater value is placed on your life experience beyond work. 131

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These aren’t the only reasons why you should consider looking at charities as potential employers. Careers in the voluntary sector have changed radically in the past two decades. The image of them being run by ‘do-gooders’ and ‘fuss-pots’ is out of date – many charities are now run exactly like corporations by chief executives with decades of private sector experience handling multi-million-pound budgets. Salaries have crept up too. You shouldn’t hope to exceed the salary of a similar job in the private sector, but nor should the salary be a reason to turn down a job any more.

The charity challenge The voluntary sector can provide you with the greatest challenge of your career. Not only might you be given responsibilities you would have to wait years for elsewhere, but the problems charities regularly face – lack of funding, public apathy – mean people who work for them have daily battles to get relatively simple tasks accomplished. This may well sound like a nightmare and if it does then the voluntary sector almost certainly isn’t for you, but if you like a challenge you’ll find you’ll use every skill you’ve got to make things happen. It might even be that if you transferred your current job to the voluntary sector you would get career satisfaction just because the greater challenge brings greater rewards. If you work in marketing, for example, it’s easier to care about and promote the latest fundraising initiative than it is the latest detergent or clothing fad. Jobs in the voluntary sector have challenges in-built and that’s why so many people report that they find career satisfaction when they move to a charitable job. Another reason so many charity jobs come with satisfaction is that charities can provide an opportunity for professionals to work in areas they are ionate about. If you think about it, most charities would never launch, get off the ground and stay afloat if it wasn’t for the dedication of the ionate people who work for them. Whether it’s a charity for sick children, homeless ponies or retired footballers, it couldn’t function without the ion of its workers. And this provides

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another route in for career changers – it’s an obvious way to turn your hobby into your career. If you’re applying for a job at a small charity there’s a chance you will be interviewed by one of the founders, ie someone who’s No matter what you’ve ionate about the purpose of the chardone before, doing it in an ity. If you can share his or her ion, environment where you you become a more desirable candidate can live and breathe the than someone who has no empathy with thing that excites you the the cause. most will prove No matter what you’ve done before, rewarding. doing it in an environment where you can live and breathe the thing that excites you the most will prove rewarding. You may even find that for some positions your ion is more important than your experience and you could get a more senior appointment than you would in the private sector.

Every skill is needed Just like private sector companies, charities need the full range of employees. From creatives to s to computer engineers, the voluntary sector offers every career you can think of. Whether you’re a writer, a teacher or an engineer, there’s a charity somewhere that needs what you’ve got to offer. The voluntary sector offers just the same broad range of options as the public and private sectors. But it has the added benefit of giving opportunity to those who might get the door slammed in their face elsewhere. If No one is saying going you’re getting frustrated with HR departinto the voluntary sector ments not recognizing your potential, is like entering the send your CV to a couple of charities and Promised Land. see how different the response is. Of course, many charity workers complain about their jobs just like everyone else – no one is saying going into the voluntary sector is like entering the Promised Land. Charities

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are bound by covenants to their donors, can be run by people who lack sufficient management experience and may be hampered by a lack of funding. It’s not an easy option. But it can be thoroughly stimulating, reasonably well paid and you get to go home at night knowing that you did a good day’s work.

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the public sector

Over the past few years it’s been hard to miss government advertising aimed at recruiting people into teaching, the armed forces and the police service. The lack of personnel in these areas means that career changers Many people ignore the can do very well as people from all sorts public sector as it has a of backgrounds, with all kinds of job hisreputation for low salaries tories, are given an equal chance. and lower morale. However, many people ignore the public sector as it has a reputation for low salaries and lower morale. The government is aiming to change that by increasing salaries, adopting better recruitment procedures and developing career structures aimed to keep staff motivated and dedicated.

The health service The NHS is the largest employer in the country. It has over one million of staff – just about 5 per cent of the total working population – and offers more than 70 professions, ranging from the obvious (nursing and midwifery) to the unexpected (medical illustration and estate management). Working for the health service is not considered an easy option, but like the charitable sector, the challenges it provides new recruits often lead to handsome emotional rewards. Many jobs in the health service, particularly nursing positions, require several years’ training, a fact that often deters career 135

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changers looking for a quick solution to their present job frustrations. However, to encourage people to enter the NHS, regardless of age or background, the health service offers some favourable financial aid packages Benefits include paid for candidates undertaking study to course fees, a bursary meet the entry requirements. Benefits and paid study time. include paid course fees, a bursary and paid study time. There are also plenty of auxiliary and careers that do not require medical or nursing training and these are outlined at www.nhscareers.nhs.uk or you can call 0845 60 60 655 for an information pack. If you are considering a move into nursing, you should be aware that you will remain a student nurse for two to three years on a small salary (Grade A nurses earn £9,735–£12,220 outside London and £12,963–£15,448 in inner London), but new career structures mean nurses who stay in the service have the possibility of earning up to £46,975 (£50,903 in inner London) if they progress to the very top. Once qualified, you don’t have to stay in the NHS of course. Private health companies may offer slightly more generous packages, and being a qualified nurse makes it easy to find work – and the necessary visas – almost anywhere in the world.

The police force The government has ambitious targets to get thousands of new police officers on the beat. Consequently the police force is actively recruiting people from a wide range of backgrounds and looking favourably on career changers. The force has also developed the High Potential Development scheme to fast track talented entrants to senior positions. Nevertheless, the force estimates that only one in seven applicants is successful. The main reason for rejection is a lack of fitness, but if you think you could chase a suspect up several flights of stairs you should know that police training starts with an Initial Recruitment Test where your powers of observation, command of English, ability to

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handle numbers and logical thinking will all be assessed, as well as your fitness. Potential police officers have to prove that they are of good character and must be financially solvent. A criminal conviction doesn’t necessarily mean you cannot become an officer, as long as exposure of your crime Potential police officers doesn’t make you vulnerable. You also have to prove that they must be a British, Irish or Commonare of good character and wealth citizen with no restrictions on must be financially your ability to remain legally in the UK. solvent. If you make it through the first phase you will undertake residential basic training for 15 weeks. Following that you spend two years training on the job before making the rank of constable (although you are paid throughout your training). Details are available at www.policecouldyou.co.uk. It is not possible to go straight into a specialist division like CID, but there is a wide variety of roles – from scenes of crime work to istration – that could see you working in rewarding situations in a shorter space of time. Officially, there is no upper age limit for applicants but as normal retirement age for police constables and sergeants is 55 years, and forces want to receive a reasonable return on their investment in training, you should ideally be in your forties – or younger – to embark upon a second career as a police officer.

Teaching The nation is so desperate for good teachers that there is a range of financial incentives in place to encourage graduates and career changers alike to enter the profession. However, you do still have to be a graduate to start teacher training – this is one job vacancy where age and experience cannot compensate for the necessary qualification. In a special bid to win over career changers, it is now possible to do your teacher training part time (it takes two years rather than one) and you are entitled to half the £6,000 training bursary awarded, tax

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free, to full-time teaching recruits. (Participants in ‘flexible post-graduation training’ get their second half of the £6,000 when they qualify.) There are additional incentives for trainees on the Fast Track programme designed to get people to senior positions – with all the necessary manIn a special bid to win agement skills – sooner. To cap it all, your over career changers, it is tuition fees should be paid by your local now possible to do your education authority. In addition to being teacher training part time. paid to train, if you go on to teach a subject where there is high demand – maths, sciences, languages – you may get a ‘golden hello’ of £4,000 on completion of your first year in the job. Full details are available from the Teaching Information Line on 0845 6000 991 and you can start your research at www.canteach.gov.uk. As of April 2002, salaries for qualified teachers started at £17,595 (£20,700 in inner London) for good honours graduates. Salaries then rise on a scale depending on experience and extra responsibilities undertaken. With five years’ experience a teacher outside London could expect to earn £21,591, rising to £25,713 after seven years. If you move into management your salary rises further, to £34,542 for a deputy head in a small primary school to more than £80,000 for a headteacher in a large inner city secondary school. Advanced Skills Teachers are paid on a scale rising from £28,917 to £46,131. Up-to-date pay details can be obtained from the DfES website (www.dfes.gov.uk).

Career changer profile Tony, 29, management consultant to corporate management I was one of those people who did a degree in the thing I enjoyed most at school – physics. Just about the only thing it qualified me to do was to teach physics. I knew this was the last thing on earth I wanted to do with my career but wasn’t sure what else was out there. After backpacking for a couple of years I was pressurized by my family to ‘do

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something’ so went for the best paid option I could find – a graduate trainee scheme for management consultants at one of the big City firms. Like most people, I had no idea what a management consultant was until I trained to be one. Mostly, I discovered, it seemed to involve telling companies how they could earn bigger profits by either screwing their staff or their customers. I spent all my time analyzing spreadsheets to see whether costs could be saved or markets expanded. After three years I realized I knew remarkably little about business and that I had no idea whether my recommendations helped as my firm never stayed around long enough to witness the results of the changes we suggested. What I did learn as a management consultant was that business fascinated me. I was mesmerised – and still am – by the mechanisms and motivations of commerce, and I loved watching hungry hustlers walk into our offices with plans to save the world and pipe ketchup or data to every house in the country. I was in the right field, but knew I had the wrong job. I am lucky enough to come from a well-off family who ed, financially, my decision to study for an MBA. They paid for me to go to a good management school, where I worked hard and graduated third in my class. It was enough for me to have my pick of jobs. I went to work for an engineering company – I thought my love of physics would help somehow – as director of new business. Instead of dealing with abstract opportunities I was dealing with realities – coping with unexpected resignations, surges in oil prices and clients who needed solutions yesterday – and I found it enormously challenging. For 18 months or so I thought I was really making a difference. It took me that long to realize that I was kidding myself. While I may have finally been involved in implementation rather than imagination, I

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still wasn’t really making a difference. Internal politics meant I had been sidelined to minor projects, many of which never got off the ground. So I looked around for other work and applied to work for a small firm with a much more inclusive management agenda. I now work somewhere where anyone can come up with the idea that propels a project or the company forward – it’s the inclusive, positive atmosphere here that I find exciting. But most of all I’m trusted to see projects through to their conclusion, I’m allowed to motivate my staff in the way that I want and I get to take the credit when my team pulls rabbits out of hats. I work with the best people I know – both on the board and in my team – and I am incredibly proud to get up and go to work in the morning.

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getting a trade

A job for life The government’s target is for 50 per cent of 18 to 30-year-olds to participate in higher education by 2010. With so many young people being encouraged to see university as the first step towards a career, many who traditionally would have chosen a trade end up in service sector jobs. But the world still needs plumbers, sparkies and chippies. We still need chefs, hairdressers and mechanics – we’ll always need them – and the shortage of people coming in at the bottom means there are opportunities for people to enter later on in life. But that’s not the only reason why getting a trade is so appealing for career changers. A trade is a port without an expiry date to the world of work. If you can plaster walls, you can plaster walls anywhere in the world and many people use their trade as a platform for travel. Having a trade behind you can A trade is a port give you the confidence to take on more without an expiry date to exciting tasks because you’ll always have the world of work. it to fall back on. A trade is a job for life. Another aspect of getting a trade that attracts so many career changers is that the shortage of skilled tradespeople means that, once you’re qualified, you stand to make a very decent living. The hourly rate for plumbers, electricians and mechanics is often higher than that for well-paid office workers. Perhaps the best reason to consider getting a trade later in life is that age is no barrier. Think about it – when you call out a plumber in 141

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an emergency, you’d prefer it if someone who didn’t look like they’d just left school turned up. Simply by understanding your customers better – because you’ve lived long enough to have been a customer yourself – will enable you to leapfrog over equally well-qualified whippersnappers into the affections of potential customers. If you haven’t thought about getting a trade before, maybe it’s worth thinking about it now.

Getting a trade Many career changers find a trade grows out of a hobby. Let’s face it, if you’ve done up a few houses in your time and you’ve become proficient at, say, decorating, it’s possible your friends might ask you to decorate their houses. Soon, if you wanted to, you might get recommended to Sometimes you don’t enough people to be able to set up shop need a qualification to as a decorator. Some of the career prove you’re good enough changer profiles in this book indicate to do the job. this is a credible way for an amateur to become a professional. Sometimes you don’t need a qualification to prove you’re good enough to do the job. However, if you don’t have enough amateur experience to turn a ion into cash, there are a number of established ways to get yourself a trade. The government’s Learning and Skills Council (www.lsc.gov.uk) has been charged with running the new Modern Apprenticeships (MA) drive (www.realworkrealpay.info) which is open to people aged between 16 and 24 who are paid and trained in professions as disparate as beauty therapy and agriculture. The apprenticeships are undertaken at individual employers, not at a college, and are eligible to anyone who meets the basic literacy and numeracy requirements. Your MA on-site experience can also count towards NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) level I qualifications. Additional off-the-job training can take you to NVQ level II. There are practical and theory assessments and at the end of approximately 78 weeks, you should have achieved NVQ

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level II. If you’re really committed and want recognition as someone of ‘craftsperson status’, an additional 78 weeks should see you up to NVQ level III – the mark of a professional. Training for all the construction trades is normally approved by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and candidates who are accepted onto one of its recognized apprenticeship training schemes are eligible for registration onto the Construction Skills (CSR). In addition to apprenticeships and NVQs, you can still study for a City and Guilds (www.city-and-guilds.co.uk) in almost any trade you care to mention. Whether you want to be a pastry chef or a cabinet maker, most night schools and colleges in the country offer part-time courses leading to a professional qualification. Course fees may even be subsidized if you are on a low income or are unemployed. If you can combine some amateur experience working for personal s with a bonafide professional qualification such as a City and Guilds, it’s hard to think of a smoother way to establish yourself in a new profession.

Potential pitfalls While getting a trade is one of the best ways of guaranteeing yourself a job for life, it’s by no means the right route for everyone. You should keep in mind that the later you enter the profession, the more likely it is that you will need to be self-employed to earn a living. Understandably, most The trades are still very employers prefer to take on younger traditional, so not only do apprentices and – perhaps less underthey favour younger standably – are a bit suspicious of older entrants, they definitely applicants coming into the profession. favour men, too. The trades are still very traditional, so not only do they favour younger entrants, they definitely favour men, too. While becoming self-employed can be such a release for some professionals that they actually feel like they’ve changed careers when

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they haven’t, you need to be honest with yourself before you decide whether it’s the best option for you. Being self-employed means being disciplined, possibly working through minor illnesses, kissing holiday pay goodbye and taking responsibility for annoying things like your tax affairs. Another thing to is that trades move with the times. Changes in technology and fashion can put you out of business if you let yourself get too comfortable. It’s essential to keep your skills and training topped up. Perhaps the real thing career changers need to bear in mind about trades is that you can’t morph yourself into a qualified anything overnight. Generally, to move from the job you’re in now to earning a regular income in your new trade takes two to three years. If you’re in a hurry, you might need to look somewhere else.

Career changer profile Mat, 26, painter and decorator to tour guide There are quite a few decorators in my family and although it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that I would them, it was an easy option I was happy enough with when I left school. I went to work for my uncle who let me go to college for a day and a half each week to do my NVQ levels I and II. After college I continued to work for him and did a couple of jobs for myself with a view to setting up my own business. It was all working out fine, I was earning decent money doing something I was good at, but something was missing. I just had this vision of my life stretching out endlessly before me – one magnolia wall after another. I was still a young man and I just thought there had to be more. I think I’m lucky to have my trade behind me, and when I was telling my mum that I was thinking of jacking it in for something a bit more exciting, she was reassured that I could always fall back on the decorating.

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I realized that I wanted a bit of adventure. I’d gone straight from school to work and really felt like I’d missed out on something. Like most people, I liked the idea of working abroad, of getting a bit of winter sun and not being tied to a desk. The travel industry seemed like an obvious choice and there were lots of vacancies for tour reps. However, I ed some of the holidays I had been on and how badly treated the reps were. And when I found out how poorly paid they were I was about to consider another industry. I did some research on the travel industry and realized that being able to speak another language completely changes your job prospects. I wasn’t about to go back to college to do that, so I just packed my bags and went to live in Greece where friends of my parents ran a guesthouse. I worked with them for the winter and took every opportunity I could to learn the language. By the time the season started my Greek was good enough to get me an job at a local travel agency where I mostly dealt with English-speaking clients. After a year at the agency I had made good s with local tour operators and my Greek was good enough to get me by in most situations. The next season I started work with an upmarket tour company doing walking tours with small groups. Mostly I did clerical work – arranging airport transfers and special meal requests – but I let them know that I really wanted to lead the tour groups. The following season I started doing the walking tours and I’m getting a lot out of it – meeting the kinds of people I’d never have met if I’d stayed in decorating. I may go back to it one day, but hopefully not for a while.

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predicting the future

Getting into position If you ask a football striker the secret to scoring lots of goals, they’ll probably tell you it’s all about getting into position. It’s just the same if you want to hit the back of the career net – you need to be able to anticipate chances before you can seize them. If you can move into open space and let the ball come to you, you get ahead of the game and put yourself in a job scoring position. Chances – or opportunities – are usually created by forces beyond your control. Things like mergers and acquisitions, changes in legislation or poor stock market performances can all exert pressures on companies to Chances – or change direction. The secret is to be able opportunities – are to anticipate how companies will usually created by forces respond to changed circumstances and beyond your control. acquire the skills they will need before they even know they’ll need them. Take, for example, those who acquired web skills before companies even realized they were going to need a website. Many of those people had no experience with technology or design, but they got dream jobs by gaining the knowledge their colleagues lacked. So if you’re having difficulty finding an entry point into your desired profession, it could be because there isn’t one – yet. But if you can predict the direction your chosen industry or company will take in the future, that’s where several entry points may open up to you.

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Technical innovation Many opportunities will be created by a technical innovation. Most industries are affected by two types of technological change: generic and specific. Generic changes include events such as the invention of the computer that affect every company and every industry. Career changers in the 1970s and early 1980s who acquired computer skills found industries previously closed to them opened up virtually overnight. If you are aware of a similar shift in technology approaching, then being the first to operate – or repair – the new bit of kit could be your port to any profession you choose. Specific technological changes can affect either single industries or individual companies. These opportunities can be easy to spot and exploit if you keep up to date on your research: if you see one company has adopted a new bit of kit that gives it an advantage, it’s likely that other companies in that sector will be forced to adopt the same bit of kit in order to compete. However, it’s better if you can combine your research into what a company needs with what technology is out there. Ideally, you want to be the person who can marry a company’s needs with a new technological Ideally, you want to be the solution. It will be your ability to cure a person who can marry a company’s headache that will make you company’s needs with a employable, rather than your track new technological record. solution. Technological innovation isn’t always related to computers. Keep your research broad ranging and include anything that’s relevant to your sector – plant machinery, printing processes, photo imaging, transport, mobile technology, etc.

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Legislative change and financial opportunity Whether it’s the lifting of a trade embargo or a new diktat from the Department of Trade and Industry, legislative change can create opportunities for companies and career changers alike. The key to success is understanding how best to exploit changed circumstances. If, for example, a particular industry is starting to source materials or customers from a certain region, you might be able to create an opportunity for yourself in that industry if you speak a useful language. Or if a change in legislation will enable a company to increase production, maybe it will need as many new recruits as it can get its hands on. Careful reading of the trade press should give you ideas about the sort of opportunities that will arise and what skills you will need to acquire in order to exploit them. Reading the business pages and following the financial fortunes of your sector can also give you clues as to how the future might pan out for your target companies. Changes of personnel, the creation of new divisions or the need to expand the number of revenue streams can all help you identify future opportunities and give you the chance to get into position. In addition to these warning signs, another way career changers can leapfrog their way into jobs is by attaining a qualification before it becomes the industry standard. Whether it’s a City and Guilds or getting shorthand of 120 words a minute, when employers get nervous they like to appoint people with qualifications as they see pieces of paper as Use your s, your guarantees that you can perform at a cerresearch and your nous to tain level. work out what’s just around the corner. Use your s, your research and your nous to work out what’s just around the corner. Try to anticipate potential problems and their solutions, new markets and new technologies, and work out where your opportunity lies. Then all you need to do is improve your skills to match the approaching opportunity and you can sit back and anticipate your dream job becoming a reality.

part four

sector-by-sector

information for career changers This part of the book analyzes the opportunities in the 20 most popular career sectors for career changers. Here you will find outline information on salaries, entry points, future career paths and suggestions of places to look for further information.

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Agriculture and environmental work Sector overview Although this is a relatively poorly paid sector, competition for jobs is still fierce in some areas. Agriculture is in decline in the UK, but with fewer and fewer children following in their parents’ footsteps there are opportunities for those who want to work hard for only a modest financial reward. As you would expect, days are long, the work is hard and you are at the mercy of external factors (early frosts, foot and mouth, a change in EU subsidy). As environmental work is carried out by either voluntary agencies or the public sector, salaries remain low even for management positions. For those wanting to work on ecoprojects overseas, it’s possible you will be expected to work for little more than accommodation and travel costs. If you think that means organizations must find it hard to fill positions, think again. Many career changers and idealistic graduates choose this route because the lifestyle means more than money.

Career paths Careers in agriculture are as varied as the food we eat. Professionals as disparate as land managers, livestock auctioneers, farriers and stable hands are all employed or used by landowners and farmers. Horticulture, landscaping, farriery, fencing, fish farming and game conservation are other options requiring specialist knowledge. Environmental agencies need office and staff as well as skilled forestry workers/botanists/dry stone wallers. A career in this sector doesn’t have to mean ruddy cheeks and frozen fingers.

Entry points Volunteer work is a standard route for career changers, but most voluntary sector agencies keep an open mind about job applicants’ backgrounds. Agriculture jobs are d locally and in the specialist press. 153

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Qualifications Some environmental work in the field only ever goes to graduates with the right degree (land management, marine biology, zoology). The less glamorous positions tend to go to committed enthusiasts who can demonstrate their ion for the field. There are plenty of qualifications that can be earned part time – National Traineeships, Proficiency Tests and Craftsman’s Certificates, First Diploma, National Diploma and Higher National Diploma, National Certificate, Higher National Certificate. Check listings on www.hotcourses.com for one in your area.

Salary information Salaries in farming have been painfully low over recent times – even large farms have difficulty paying salaries over the £10,000 mark. Salaries seem low as jobs can come with accommodation and food included. Environment workers in the field often find their take-home pay is less than the office-based s of their organizations – £15,000–£25,000 is typical.

Further research New Agriculturalist Magazine www.new-agri.co.uk Lantra www.lantra.co.uk or call 0845 707 8007 for careers information. National Council of Voluntary Organisations www.ncvo.org.uk


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Banking and finance Sector overview Career changers are still attracted to this sector because of the enormous salaries on offer. Banking is a volatile sector, subject to the whim of the markets and greater competition. Some analysts predict there are more takeovers to come, which would almost certainly lead to job losses. It is a very traditional area of the economy and it’s still the case that young white men who went to the right university rise highest and fastest, although the picture is improving for female and minority candidates. Generally, the salaries compensate for a stressful work environment. Burn-out rates are high, working weeks can easily be 80 hours for juniors at City firms and competition for promotion is fierce. Consequently, this is a sector to which not everyone is suited.

Career paths You can specialize in any number of disciplines – fund management, stock broking, currency trading, corporate finance, venture capital – or you can work in a high street branch as a mortgage adviser, business banker, etc. Often managers take entire teams with them when they are poached and career advancement seems to have nearly as much to do with networking as it does performance.

Entry points Generally, this industry is geared up to recruit graduates and getting in several years after university can be difficult without a personal recommendation. Try smaller banks as they often have a more creative approach to recruitment. Non-graduates can take part in in-house training schemes (normally three to five years) operated by most banks that pay between £12,000 and £17,000 pa. You could also work

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as a clerk – maybe in a department such as settlements or funds – and earn £18,000 to £22,000 pa.

Qualifications A 2:1 degree or higher is a standard for City jobs and generally banks only look at candidates with at least 24 UCAS points at A-level. For career changers, banks also look for the following qualities: problemsolving and numeracy skills, lateral thinking, good communication and analytical skills, leadership potential.

Salary information Starting salaries are higher than most sectors, typically around £25,000, but senior bankers earn anything up to £150,000 a year, with an annual bonus of roughly a year’s salary on top of that. Top brokers and financiers can easily earn a basic £500,000 pa.

Further research The Chartered Institute of Bankers www.cib.org.uk

Consultancy Sector overview Most people think they can tell other people how to do their jobs better. This universal truth of ego means there are plenty of people who want to get into consultancy, either as a one-man band or by ing a City firm. The belief that consultants are well paid, do very little work and accept no responsibility still seems to be true. Career changers tend to fare far better by going the solo route (City firms are geared up for recruiting recent graduates) and if you have extensive enough


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knowledge of and experience in a certain field, becoming a consultant could be lucrative. Generally you will be self-employed and build up a portfolio of clients for whom you will work on a project-by-project basis or for a few days a month. Many consultants report earning more money for working fewer hours.

Career paths Ideally, you should be able to line up your first clients before you leave your current job. Clients are generally built up through recommendation and networking. Career progression comes from working for more exciting companies on more exciting projects.

Entry points If you’re looking to a firm of consultants, your opportunity to the team may be pegged to them securing contracts requiring your specialist knowledge. Alternatively, smaller and specialist consultancy firms tend to have more liberal entry criteria and will consider candidates on aptitude and attitude as well as academic brilliance.

Qualifications If you are working for yourself, it will be your s, networking ability and experience that qualify you best for a lucrative career as a consultant. If you want to a firm, specialist sector knowledge and a good degree from a good university will open a lot of doors.

Salary information A consultant at a City firm can expect a salary of between £40,000 and £60,000 after a couple of years. Partners earn considerably more (£125,000–£350,000). Self-employed consultants’ earnings

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depend on their sector, with rates varying from £200 a day to £200 an hour.

Further research Trade press can advise on sector-specific consultancies. Management Consultancies Association www.mca.org.uk

Crafts and trades Sector overview This area attracts many career changers who are hoping to change their lifestyle as well as their livelihood. While there are some big employers in this sector, work tends to be for smaller companies or on a self-employed basis. Generally, those who find the right speciality and the right market can earn a good living, get plenty of job satisfaction and avoid unemployment in economic downturns. Those prepared to set up their own business have the potential to earn well.

Career paths Those who manufacture goods (eg potters, metal workers, jewellery makers) find their careers are only as good as their clients allow. You need to be able to find people to buy what you make – talent is not enough – and many see their talent go unrewarded as they cannot establish a market. Those who qualify in trades (eg plumbers, electricians, gas fitters) find the market often comes to them, especially if they work for a firm. If you can specialize (for instance in marble rather than just ceramics) you can raise your prices, assuming you market yourself well enough. Progression relies on the size of jobs you are able to take on.


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Entry points If you’re young enough (generally this means under 25) you may be able to get taken on as an apprentice. If you study for a recognized qualification, this may act as a port into a firm in the right field. If you’re setting up business on your own, your entry points are really your clients – the more you acquire, the greater your chances of building a new career.

Qualifications Most crafts and trades have recognized qualifications (eg City and Guilds, NVQs). It’s not always necessary to get the paperwork, but most reputable firms won’t hire you without it. If you want to work as a sole trader in other people’s homes you may find it difficult to get insurance without an appropriate qualification.

Salary information What you earn is up to you – it depends on your craft or trade, how well you market your goods or services and how hard you work. If you work seven days a week and find enough clients you could enjoy the kind of income normally reserved for City bankers. Builders and specialist tradespeople often earn between £50,000 and £100,000 a year in the South East. However, an employee of a small pottery firm in the North West will be lucky to break through the £10,000 barrier.

Further research City and Guilds www.city-and-guilds.co.uk Learning and Skills Council www.lsc.gov.uk

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Education Sector overview With government-backed financial incentives and a shortage of teachers, it’s a good time to find work in this sector. Teachers are required at all levels, from pre-school to post graduate, with the greatest need at inner city secondary schools. Teachers still complain there is too much paperwork and red tape eating into time they would rather spend in the classroom and there is a high drop-out rate. However, qualified teachers can insure themselves against unemployment in recessions and often get preferential visa status if they want to work abroad. There is also the holiday factor that attracts a lot of parents into the profession – you can be off school when your kids are and save on childcare costs. Careers in education extend beyond teaching in schools of course and include disciplines as varied as educational psychology, TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and groundskeeping.

Career paths With so many vacancies it’s possible to move up the ranks to become a head of department or to increase take-home pay by taking on extracurricular duties. Experienced teachers may choose to apply for deputy headships and headships. Universities also need staff and it’s possible to lecture part time on specialist subjects without extensive teacher training.

Entry points Vacancies are frequently d in the national, local and specialist press. You can get (unpaid) classroom experience as a teacher’s assistant in many schools.


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Qualifications You need a degree to start teacher training and must have your Post Graduate Certificate in Education before you can apply for teaching work.

Salary information Newly qualified teachers can expect a starting salary of between £17,000 and £21,000. Teachers with seven years’ experience can look to be earning more than £25,000 outside London. Head teachers of schools that perform well in inner cities are being incentivized with salaries up to the £80,000 mark.

Further research The Department for Education and Skills www.dfes.gov.uk Those who can, teach www.canteach.gov.uk

Engineering, surveying and architecture Sector overview Clearly these are sectors that require professional qualifications and attract career changers who studied the relevant course at university but never made use of their degree professionally. Department for Education and Skills research found that the engineering industry was likely to need as many as 270,000 additional professionals to its ranks over the course of the following decade. Skills shortages and increasing international competition are fuelling a struggle among organizations for qualified engineers which is producing some of the highest salary increases the sector has seen.

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Career paths It’s possible to earn a decent salary as a sole trader and as an employee in this sector, whichever way you prefer to work. If you work for a firm, there are the usual opportunities to move into management, but progress really comes from the size and type of projects you get to work on. It’s also worth noting that more trained engineers run FTSE 100 companies than trained ants. People from these disciplines are clearly valued as lateral thinkers and problems solvers.

Entry points While experienced practitioners can operate as sole traders, they trade on their experience at a company. You should the HR departments of individual organizations to find out what their policy is.

Qualifications To reach the top of the engineering profession, you’ll need to have either chartered (CEng) or incorporated (IEng) status. Architects must fulfil seven years of study to fully qualify and get RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) accreditation.

Salary information Chartered engineers generally earn 20–30 per cent more than incorporated engineers (CEngs can expect a UK average salary of £45,000 compared with £36,000 for IEngs). Architects often complain they earn less than the builders who execute their plans, but you can expect anything from £40,000 with a medium-sized firm to £250,000 with one of the flash, fashionable firms.


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Further research The Engineering Council www.engc.org.uk Institution of Civil Engineers www.ice.org.uk Royal Institute of British Architects www.riba.org.uk

Government and voluntary sector Sector overview With increasing volatility in the private sector and stock market performance reducing the value of stock options and bonuses, many private sector professionals are seeing the public sector as an attractive option. Backed by government initiatives, salaries have been increasing faster than the private sector for the past few years and look likely to continue to do so for the next few. In addition to this, the public sector is the last bastion of the final salary pension, a fact that is attracting a lot of career changers worrying about their retirement finances. Top-level positions for senior managers in both the public and voluntary sectors can command six-figure salaries, but in general pay is less than private sector equivalents. The public sector is creating more jobs than the private sector for the first time since 1977, according to a 2002 report from Manpower. There is some evidence to suggest that the emotional fall-out from September 11 2001 has prompted many people to reconsider their careers and opt for jobs in these sectors.

Career paths Charities and government departments need leaders and chief executives just like private companies and for those with desire and determination, some consider that it’s easier to reach the top in this sector than in the more competitive private sector.

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Entry points You can use your existing career to move sideways into these sectors as they are more used to accommodating applicants with unusual CVs. You don’t have to start by volunteering – whatever you do in the private sector (sales, statistics, , etc), your skills are needed here.

Qualifications Few positions require formal qualifications except those working with children, animals and certain care positions.

Salary information Senior managers in these sectors can look to earn between £40,000 and £100,000 depending on the size of the organization. Entry-level salaries tend to be low (eg £12,000 in nursing, £18,000 in teaching, £10,000–£20,000 for most full-time positions in charities).

Further research The National Council for Voluntary Organisations www.ncvo.org.uk The Guardian’s Society section (out on Wednesdays) www.society.guardian.co.uk

Health, beauty and well-being Sector overview The private health sector is booming – private gyms, health food shops, spa retreats and Pilates practitioners are all in demand. It’s an area that attracts a lot of career changers and looks likely to continue to do so. Formal, nationally recognized qualifications aren’t required for many aspects of work in this sector (although some training is


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necessary), meaning you don’t have to study for several years before you can start earning. Salaries are higher than average but more importantly so are work satisfaction levels – people are attracted to jobs in this sector because they tend to believe in the good they are doing.

Career paths Careers available in this area include work in beauty salons, health farms, gyms, cruise liners and film and television make-up departments. Work can involve massage, hypnotherapy, aerobics instruction, beauty therapy and health foods. It’s possible to work freelance or for a salary.

Entry points Many night schools offer courses in these areas and it’s possible for keen amateurs to use knowledge and s to become professional. Large leisure companies expect some formal training.

Qualifications Fitness instructors can get NVQs at college and further industry qualifications through the YMCA. Many beauty therapy careers are also ed by NVQ training. Therapies at the new age end of the spectrum are less well regulated.

Salary information Gym instructors can expect a starting salary of around £15,000, but senior managers and personal trainers can easily double that. Generally, self-employed professionals earn more.

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Further research YMCA Fitness Training www.ymcafit.org.uk Carlton Institute of Beauty and Holistic Therapy www.beauty-training.co.uk

Information technology Sector overview According to an Office of National Statistics survey in 2001, more than 50 per cent of IT workers are under the age of 34. This is because large companies prefer to employ recent graduates with the latest technology knowledge. Getting taken on to an in-house training scheme after the age of 29 can be almost impossible. Salaries aren’t as high as people think unless you have detailed technological knowledge of programming.

Career paths The best routes for career changers lie on the fringes of pure IT. If there is an area in which you can use your existing knowledge – perhaps customer relations, business analysis, implementation – and combine it with technology skills, you are more likely to find a senior position with a higher salary.

Entry points Candidates under the age of 30 might want to consider in-house training with a large firm. Courses last two to three years and provide a thorough grounding. Other options are to start on help desks, marketing or sales – any area that allows you to accumulate detailed knowledge.


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Qualifications A degree in IT is not necessary and in many cases nor is a degree of any kind. Many people are acquiring IT skills through their general work and this experience is often more useful than a qualification. The ability to deliver a benefit to the customer and an ability to absorb and use complex information is more important.

Salary information Regional discrepancies are huge in IT (workers in the South East can earn 30 per cent more), with salaries outside of London typically around £20,000 for starters, rising as you specialize. Freelance problem solvers can earn up to £100 an hour.

Further research E-Skills NTO, a government agency for the IT industry www.e-skillsnto.org.uk Inside Careers, specialist IT recruitment site www.insidecareers.co.uk

Law Sector overview On paper this is a highly attractive sector – well paid, interesting work – but the reality is that many career changers find it hard to break into law. The main problem lies in the fact that there are so many law graduates waiting to get pupillages or to start practice exams that they are taking the paralegal jobs traditionally taken by non-law graduates. Work is still available in the courts and in istrative roles, but research and investigative work is becoming hard to get without a law degree. The market is less competitive outside urban centres. You may also want to investigate work as a legal executive dealing with con-

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veyancing, probate, litigation and business or commercial law where you advise clients on tax laws and company law.

Career paths Clerks of courts and paralegals with experience and s are highly valued. It’s also possible to get work as court ushers, court istrative assistants and officers. In private practice, work for non-law graduates tends be istrative.

Entry points You can approach your local crown or magistrates’ court for vacancies. Law firms tend to positions in The Times, although some positions are d in local papers and through recruitment agencies. If your current work is in a specialized field, it may be possible to trade on this to get work with a legal firm that has clients in your field.

Qualifications The minimum qualification to start the year’s training to become a clerk of the court is three GCSEs, although A-levels are preferred. Legal executives need good English and the ability to work with anxious or distressed clients. Legal executives must with the Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX), although formal qualifications can be avoided if you have relevant work experience. HNDs and Diplomas in Legal Studies are also available.

Salary information Court ushers are generally paid £9,000–£12,000 pa, court clerks about £20,000 and legal executives between £25,000 and £40,000.


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Further research The Law Society www.lawsociety.org.uk The Law Careers Advice Network www.lcan.csu.ac.uk

Marketing and sales Sector overview Perhaps more than any other sector, sales and marketing are meritocracies. That means you succeed if you prove you’re good enough, and career changers get a chance to compete on a level playing field with graduates. Although big companies’ HR departments will look to take on recent graduates onto their in-house training programmes, there are plenty of opportunities at smaller companies for those with ability. Earnings can be high and the work can be interesting and varied. Generally, companies look for enthusiastic professionals who can understand the customer and find a way to meet their needs. A business background can be seen as an advantage.

Career paths Successful sales and marketing professionals can expect to be rewarded with pay rises, promotions and greater responsibility. If you can learn how to sell you will never be out of work. Many successful marketing and sales managers make it to director level.

Entry points Telesales jobs are d constantly and although they tend to be difficult and thankless jobs, they provide free training and experience with which to impress your next employer. For career changers trying to show commitment to the field, gaining a qualification (see below) can be a catalyst for breaking into the profession.

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Qualifications Certificates and degrees are not required – track record is infinitely more important – but with a range of industry-standard qualifications available for part-time study, a certificate can give you credibility. The Institute of Sales and Marketing Management offers a Certificate in Sales and Marketing, an Advanced Certificate in Sales and a Diploma in Key Management. The Institute of Professional Sales and The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply offer similar qualifications that can be earned in two or three days.

Salary information Junior marketing executives can expect a salary between £18,000 and £25,000. Sales executives may be offered smaller basic salaries but with commission could earn much more. Marketing managers typically earn about £30,000, with directors on £45,000–£60,000. Very senior and experienced managers can double this. Sales earnings depend on rates of commission and performance, but sales professionals often earn more sooner and can look to earn six-figure incomes in big companies.

Further research The Chartered Institute of Marketing www.cim.co.uk Marketing Magazine www.marketing.haynet.com The Institute of Sales and Marketing Management www.ismm.co.uk The Institute of Professional Sales www.iops.co.uk The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply www.cips.org


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Media Sector overview This is a highly competitive sector, but with no industry-standard qualifications (bar technical disciplines in broadcasting) the media opens up to talent ahead of certificates. Whether you want to work in TV, radio, magazines, newspapers or book publishing, if you’ve got the ideas and the drive you should be able to force your way ahead of the thousands of media studies graduates who try to get into the sector every year. It is true, however, that it is a ‘who you know’ sector, with most jobs never d. Networking is essential to getting ahead. Many workers – even quite senior editors – are on short-term contracts or freelance and benefits are often non-existent. However, you’re quite likely to get an expense to make up for it.

Career paths As long as you continue to do good work, you will generally be asked to come back. Networking and maintaining s are necessary for promotion, and your late start in the industry shouldn’t be a barrier to high-flying success.

Entry points If you have specialist knowledge, use it. If you know about trains, then write about trains. If you’re a baker, get work experience with a cookery show. If you’re interested in journalism, start by writing for the trade magazine in your current sector. The media is very competitive and it may be necessary to get involved in work experience to make your initial s. Don’t approach people empty handed – always have ideas to offer.

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Qualifications Most media workers tend to be university educated but few employers specify the need for a degree or even A-levels. It’s about what you can offer and who you know to offer it to that counts.

Salary information Junior employees are often poorly paid, especially on local papers and in small production companies, as they are prepared to work for little more than work experience. After a few years in the field, a salary of about £25,000 is achievable and if you move into management £40,000–£75,000 is realistic. People in front of camera, columnists, commissioning editors and senior personnel can earn several hundred thousand pounds a year.

Further research UK Press Gazette www.pressgazette.co.uk Media Week www.mediaweek.co.uk The Guardian’s media section (out on Mondays) www.media.guardian.co.uk

Property, interiors and estate agency Sector overview The UK property boom has meant estate agents have earned huge commissions and many people have moved into this area to cash in. Others have realized they’ve earned more with their property investment than they have in their job and have decided to concentrate on full-time property speculation. Many people feel they have a talent for interiors, regardless of background, and it’s one of the most popular areas for setting up a business. While there is money to be made, there are also fortunes and jobs to be lost if the market collapses. There is a


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danger of amateurs believing they are experts because they’ve done so well with their own property – in truth this is a ruthless field full of backhanders and back scratching that can make deals and profits hard to come by.

Career paths Estate agency tends to be a short-lived profession – typically agents stay in the business for five years – as the management structure in many agencies (lots of negotiators, few valuers and managers) means there is little room for promotion. Property developers’ fortunes are linked to market performance and interior designers are often only as good as their last job. To succeed you have to take risks and innovate.

Entry points Estate agents are used to hiring older staff and many have their own training programmes. Spending a year or two as an estate agent can be good training for other careers in property as you get to make the necessary s.

Qualifications A degree impresses the bigger agencies but aptitude and commitment impress more. If you want to speculate in the market, the only real requirement is cash. And lots of it.

Salary information London estate agents can expect a basic salary of between £15,000 and £22,000 with a top-end agency. Commission can take total take-home pay over the £50,000 (rising to £70,000+) mark when the market performs well. Company cars are standard. Property speculators take their profits as capital gains and if they are smart and lucky can hope to make 20–30 per cent a year.

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Further research Take a look at the websites of a few estate agencies to see what training programmes they offer.

Recruitment Sector overview This is an area more companies are taking seriously as they look to build better teams to give them a competitive edge. Many senior HR executives have no formal recruitment training but have been appointed on their track record for displaying people skills, decision making and understanding finance. Some business analysts believe the head of HR is the single most important appointment in an organization – getting the right person in position can change the fortunes of companies. However, much of the work involves legal compliance and istration. It is an area in which career changers do well for two reasons: a) the lack of an industry standard qualification and b) skills learned in other areas are readily transportable. Many professionals acquire personnel skills through the general course of hiring and firing.

Career paths Senior managers have been known to move sideways into HR manager roles on the basis of their ability to run departments and deliver budgets. A more usual path is to start in a clerical position and combine promotion with additional training. It’s possible to work in-house and for third-party recruitment agencies.


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Entry points Most recruitment agencies offer in-house training for their employees and welcome applications from career changers. If you are approaching a company’s in-house HR department, accentuate your maturity, people skills, negotiating skills, understanding of employment practice, etc to make a case for your candidacy.

Qualifications The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development offers hundreds of courses – some only a day long – that are recognized by most employers and demonstrate your commitment to and talent for a career in personnel.

Salary information Personnel assistants at junior levels typically earn £15,000–£19,000, but senior HR directors can easily earn six figures. If you work for an outside agency you can expect some of your earnings to be commission-based.

Further research The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development www.cipd.co.uk

Retail Sector overview A lot was made in the media a few years ago about retailers such as B&Q and Sainsbury’s recruiting older staff as customers preferred to be served by them. However, despite the benefits of experience being recognized, older staff are still not rewarded, salary-wise, in the retail

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sector, with earnings remaining below average. Employees in this sector are expected to be flexible about working late and it will be impossible to avoid working weekends, something that needs to be considered if you have family commitments. Although there are professional retail qualifications, your aptitude qualifies you best for a career. HR departments it that retail is not for everyone and tends to suit outgoing people who enjoy dealing with the public. Career changers often see a few years in retail as good research before opening their own shop.

Career paths Careers in retail aren’t just on the shop floor, although mostly they start there. Bright, competent people are often rewarded with promotion either to shop floor management or into buying or customer relations departments.

Entry points There are sufficient positions constantly available so that a suitable approach is through the HR department of a large chain or direct with a manager of a local branch.

Qualifications NVQs and Modern Apprenticeships can be obtained in the work place if you work for a company that s training. In addition there are more than 40 retail degrees and a range of postgraduate courses on offer at universities in the UK, although a smart appearance, generally cleanliness and a smile will open most retail doors.


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Salary information Most shop floor workers rarely break the £20,000 barrier but their managers and department heads can expect to earn £28,000–£35,000 outside of London and £30,000–£40,000 in top-class stores in the capital.

Further research British Institute of Retailing wwww.bir.co.uk In Retail, online portal for the industry www.inretail.co.uk

Social sciences Sector overview If you’re looking for meaning from your working life, social work provides it by the shed load. Whether you’re working as a probation officer or a care assistant for the elderly, work in this sector is considered to be as rewarding as it is difficult. That said, the drop-out rate is high and it’s not for everyone. You can enter the social sector as either a social care worker (untrained, low paid) or a qualified social worker where salaries are on the increase. About 50 per cent of social work involves working with children, but you can choose to work with adults, people with disabilities, young offenders or in palliative care for the terminally ill. Ninety per cent of jobs are with local authorities, with the rest in the charitable sector.

Career paths There are opportunities for social workers to get into management, with the possibility to expand into specialist consultancy, training, planning and strategic roles.

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Entry points Positions are d in the national and regional press. In addition, you could approach your local council’s HR department or investigate opportunities through volunteer work.

Qualifications No formal qualifications are needed for social care workers. Social workers need to obtain a DipSW before seeking employment with a local authority. This is a two-year course for which two A-levels are the standard entry requirement; however, work experience can negate this for career changers. Bursaries for study are available from local councils.

Salary information Starting salaries for qualified social workers are in the region of £17,000, rising to £28,000 as you acquire experience and specialist skills.

Further research British Association of Social Workers www.basw.co.uk Social Work Recruitment Campaign Site www.socialworkcareers.co.uk

Therapy Sector overview There are therapists for every condition known to man, but the areas to which most career changers are attracted are at the new age end of the spectrum, that is, careers which do not require lengthy and expensive retraining in areas without industry-wide standards. That’s not to


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say they are charlatans, although that is often the perception. The truth is that some disciplines are too new and experimental to have a governing body. Most career changers looking for therapy work find it as a result of their own encounter with the therapy – be it crystals, herbal or relationship counselling – or at the fringes of their previous profession offering advice and confidential counselling to former colleagues. Some therapy areas, such as life coaching and mentoring, are experiencing an unprecedented boom.

Career paths Therapists tend to be self-employed and careers are propelled forward by client acquisition. The classier or bigger the client, the bigger the fee and the greater the reputation.

Entry points Likely entry points are probably already obvious to those considering this line of work – either they will have clients in mind or they will have experience of a therapy organization that interests them.

Qualifications Depends on the discipline, but generally there are few must-have qualifications in this sector. Most professional therapy qualifications can be obtained through part-time study.

Salary information Professional therapists – mentors, career coaches, etc – are known to charge between £25 and £100 an hour (if you can find clients who can put your fee on expenses you can charge more).

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Further research Before embarking on a career in therapy, you must thoroughly research your market – number of clients, number of competitors, etc – and extensive reading is required. www.uktherapists.com can give you an idea of who offers what service in your area.

Training Sector overview This is a booming sector of the economy – more and more companies are recognizing the importance of training and the number of corporate training companies is increasing by the month. It’s an area that can prove very fruitful for career changers as trainers have to have some work experience to be credible. Most corporate trainers are contract employees brought in only when agencies have secured work, so there can be weeks without work followed by three weeks without an hour’s rest. Many corporate training courses take place at weekends; therefore you can expect to work unsociable hours. Clients are always looking for trainers to give them the edge, so you will need to keep your skills up to date.

Career paths Most trainers are freelance and combine training while continuing to work in some capacity in the field in which they train. Some write books, training programmes and articles to supplement their income/raise their profile.

Entry points Generally training firms recruit people informally from their own courses, although vacancies are often d.


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Qualifications To train effectively you need excellent communication skills and the ability to stand at the front of the room and keep your clients’ attention for hours at a time. Presentation skills are vital and many trainers tend to come from a sales background. Formal qualifications are rare.

Salary information To some extent, trainers’ incomes depend on the financial health of their clients (training is the first bit of the budget to be slashed in tight economic conditions), but annual incomes outside London range between £25,000 and £40,000 and are generally 10–15 per cent higher in the capital.

Further research Study professional and trade magazines for articles on training and the latest thinking as well as adverts from training companies that you can then investigate.

Travel and leisure Sector overview The travel industry attracts a lot of career changers who have decided they want a little more adventure in their work. Consolidation in the sector has left four major operators – Thomson, Thomas Cook, First Choice and My Travel – which has led to job losses. To compensate, the independent travel sector and niche operators are expanding steadily. Perhaps the biggest boom area in travel is the business travel market. Candidates with business experience can do well in this sector and career changers are widely welcomed in both customer-facing and back-room roles. You might not get to travel as much as you’d hoped, but this is definitely a sector where you can accumulate air miles.

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Career paths You are likely to find yourself working for either a tour operator (the people who put together packages), a travel agent (the people who sell the packages), what’s known as a principal (an airline, hotel, car hire company, etc) or in some distribution or reservation role. Alternatively, many career changers in travel have ambitions to start their own niche company.

Entry points This is an industry with high staff turnover (because so many staff are young and much of the work is seasonal) so opportunities are always d. If there is a company you are particularly interested in, you are advised to its HR department directly. Many of the bigger companies, such as BA, have established and highly regarded management trainee programmes for graduates.

Qualifications Experience – of life as well as of business – is often more important, especially in customer-facing roles. However, if you want a management role you will look more plausible with one of the many qualifications in this sector. There are NVQs, IATA fares and ticketing courses and hospitality degrees, as well as specialist certificates like the Certificate in Business Travel from the Guild of British Travel Agents. You can expect to have your application viewed on merit, and candidates with business experience are often allowed to forego formal training. Fluency in another language is, obviously, a big plus. ABTA can advise on NVQs, courses for travel agency work and tour operations. Phone 01483 727321 for more information.


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Salary information Graduate trainees can expect salaries in the region of £17,500, although there are perks such as cheap or free travel. If you work abroad you can expect a lower salary as accommodation, a car and sometimes food are included. Senior managers can see their salaries reach the six-figure mark.

Further research British Tourist Authority careers site www.bta-careers.org Institute of Travel and Tourism www.itt.co.uk Travel Weekly magazine www.travelweekly.co.uk

Writing, art and the performing arts Sector overview If you’re looking for stability and a guaranteed income, look somewhere else. While outwardly attractive and glamorous, careers in these professions are enormously competitive and feature long periods without earning for many people. For every JK Rowling, Damien Hirst and Kate Winslet there are thousands and thousands of hopefuls barely scraping a living. That said, there is a whole swathe of midranking workers in this sector who earn a modest living doing something they love. Age is rarely a barrier to success – indeed experience somewhere else often brings credibility – but shyness is.

Career paths Linear progression is not common. You work on a deal-by-deal basis and there is no guarantee that your next deal will be bigger than your last. The illusion that they are one big deal away from nirvana keeps a lot of people going.

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Entry points Most professionals in this sector benefit from having an agent who can create entry points for them. If that’s not an option, you need to start small – creative writing groups, drama clubs, etc – and build s and credibility. Actors may get lucky at open auditions.

Qualifications Talent is more important than anything you can learn. Being reasonable and reliable can also help in an industry of prima donnas.

Salary information Anything from singing for your supper to earning £15 million for your next movie.

Further research Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook, published annually, lists agents, publishers, production companies, etc.

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