Changing career direction

It’s only natural to become bored or disillusioned if you’ve been in a particular role or industry for a long time. What you need to ask yourself is: is it the sector you dislike or are there simply things you’re not happy with in your current role or company?

If you feel you’re getting to a point where you’re considering a change of career, sit down and make a list of all the things you like and dislike about your current role. Work out which of these are specific to the company you currently work for and which could be improved by a change of sector. You will probably find that the former list will be longer – in this instance it’s worth looking for new jobs within the same discipline and sector. If you find the latter list is longer, it might be time to explore new opportunities in a broader sense.

Many skills and disciplines are transferable between sectors but ask yourself why you want to make the switch before you do so. If you’re looking to change job discipline i.e. from Sales to Marketing, be prepared that in order to make the move you might have to take a step down either in terms of responsibility or salary.

If you do make the decision to switch sectors, try not to fixate on any one in particular. You stand a better chance of finding a new role if you keep your search quite broad in the first stages. Talk to a recruitment agency to discuss options for a career move, as they will give you honest and impartial advice on what types of roles would suit your experience.