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How many different careers are there in the world? It is of course an impossible question to answer. Not just because of the problem of definition- are cardiology and radiology two separate careers or are do they both come under the heading of doctor? The real reason that it is impossible to answer is that new careers are being created every day, as technology and knowledge expand. (more…)

Election season, like Christmas, is a time for wish lists. A time to think about the  promises we would really like politicians to make. As a campaigner for the career profession, that is to say as someone who believes that effective career advice can only be delivered by qualified, dedicated professionals, I have a wish list too. (more…)

Future generations will see it as a lost opportunity, unfortunately policy makers today don’t even know what the opportunity was. I am talking about the minimal help given in the budget to job seekers. Not because it was minimal- we all want the budget to concentrate on our personal pet issues, and we are invariably disappointed. But because there is so little awareness, across the political spectrum, of what is really wrong in the labour market and how to rectify it. (more…)

The Bank of England is warning today that although the economy is starting to recover, there could be further job losses and unemployment could continue to climb. This comes as little surprise. The end of a recession, which can be sluggish and unpredictable, is often a time when corporate bankruptcies increase and jobs are lost. But it does remind all of us who are in work all how vigilant we need to be about our job security; and those looking for jobs just how difficult things are likely to remain. (more…)

Redundancy is an opportunity to take a step back, review your career and put in place any changes that you feel necessary or important. But for most people there is an urgency to finding a new job. Spending time in a period of reflection is a luxury that cannot be considered. (more…)

Financial pundits seem to be confident that, despite last week’s scare, the problems in the Dubai economy will not seriously undermine global money markets. The same however may not hold true for jobs. (more…)

Career professionals often use the phrase ‘thinking outside the box’ when encouraging clients to explore different career options. I have always thought of this as little more than a useful metaphor. Until this week, when colleagues asked me for advice on two clients who were hoping for a career change but were having particular trouble in working out what their realistic options were. (more…)

Planning a career change is a very methodical and structured process, based on a thorough, objective understanding of one’s personal qualities, skills and need which are then matched against a range of potential career paths. (more…)

I recently heard the chief executive of a large company speaking about his experiences when recruiting new graduates. He said that the difference between this group and previous cohorts is that these days they all want to know what the company is going to do for their own personal development. They are not so much selling themselves as making sure that they are going somewhere which is good for them. He thought this was good, and so do I. (more…)

Later this week the UK may formally come out of recession. Gross Domestic Product is expected to stop contracting, meaning that the economy is starting to grow again, which is the technical end of a recession. (more…)