Career changes and transitions
A transition changes what you need to prove. These guides cover the evidence, timing and conversations that matter when you move sector, step up, come back after time away or start again after redundancy.
Guidance by career stageGuides on career changes and transitions
How to choose a new career when you are not sure what fits
A step-by-step way to narrow down a new career: decide what to keep, shortlist realistic options, test them cheaply and check entry routes before committing.
Read: How to choose a new career when you are not sure what fitsHow to run an informational interview
How to request a short conversation with someone in a field you are exploring, the questions that give useful answers, and how to follow up politely.
Read: How to run an informational interviewHow to retrain for a new career while you are still working
How to check which training employers recognise, compare course formats, plan study hours around work and start building evidence before you finish.
Read: How to retrain for a new career while you are still workingLeaving teaching: where teachers move and how to translate the experience
Roles teachers often move into, how to translate lesson planning, behaviour management and assessment into other employers' language, and when to resign.
Read: Leaving teaching: where teachers move and how to translate the experienceLeaving the armed forces: finding civilian work and translating your service
How to use official transition support, translate military roles and terms into civilian language, and plan a job search around your discharge date.
Read: Leaving the armed forces: finding civilian work and translating your serviceMoving from hospitality or retail into an office job
Office roles that value front-line experience, how to describe shifts, tills and customers in office terms, and the few skills worth adding before you apply.
Read: Moving from hospitality or retail into an office jobQuestions to ask in a redundancy consultation (England, Scotland and Wales)
Redundancy consultation in England, Scotland and Wales: what to ask about selection, alternatives, notice and time off, and how Northern Ireland differs.
Read: Questions to ask in a redundancy consultation (England, Scotland and Wales)Your first 90 days in a new job: a practical plan
A month-by-month plan for a new role: learning how work really gets done, agreeing expectations, an early contribution and keeping a record of your evidence.
Read: Your first 90 days in a new job: a practical planHow to explain a short job on your resume and at interview
Whether to list a job you left quickly, how to describe it honestly, and a short interview answer that deals with the real worry: will you stay this time?
Read: How to explain a short job on your resume and at interviewHow to ask for flexible working (England, Scotland and Wales)
What a statutory flexible working request must include in Great Britain, how employers must handle it, and how Northern Ireland's rules differ.
Read: How to ask for flexible working (England, Scotland and Wales)Moving from freelance or self-employed work back into employment
How to present self-employed work on a resume, answer the doubts employers have about freelancers, and explain why you want an employed role now.
Read: Moving from freelance or self-employed work back into employmentPlanning a career break so returning is easier
What to settle before a career break: references, evidence of your work, how you will describe the break, and light ways to keep skills and contacts current.
Read: Planning a career break so returning is easierJob hunting in a city you do not live in yet
How to show employers you are serious about relocating, handle travel for interviews, ask about relocation support and compare offers in a new area.
Read: Job hunting in a city you do not live in yetLooking for work after moving to the UK
How UK right-to-work checks work, how to get overseas qualifications compared, UK application conventions and how to build local experience and references.
Read: Looking for work after moving to the UKLooking for work after moving to the United States
How US employment eligibility verification works, getting foreign credentials evaluated, state licensing, US resume conventions and building local references.
Read: Looking for work after moving to the United StatesMoving into tech: coding and non-coding routes
Tech roles that use skills you may already have, which ones need coding, the evidence employers look for and how to build a small portfolio as you learn.
Read: Moving into tech: coding and non-coding routesMoving into teaching in England from another career
The main routes to qualified teacher status in England, how to test the decision with school experience, funding to check and how to present your career so far.
Read: Moving into teaching in England from another careerMoving into healthcare in the UK from another career
Which UK healthcare roles need professional registration, which you can enter without it, how to test the move and how to show the values employers look for.
Read: Moving into healthcare in the UK from another careerWhen a long job search wears you down
Signs a long job search is wearing you down, how to cut volume without losing momentum, and where to find support if it starts affecting your health.
Read: When a long job search wears you downJob searching after being dismissed
How to answer application questions about dismissal honestly, what to expect from references, and a short interview answer that shows what you learned.
Read: Job searching after being dismissedReturning to work after illness: options, adjustments and support
Practical options for returning to an employer or job hunting after illness, how workplace adjustments work in the UK and US, and choices about disclosure.
Read: Returning to work after illness: options, adjustments and supportBuilding and presenting a portfolio career
How to choose a workable mix of roles, manage income and time across them, and present several concurrent roles clearly on a resume and in interviews.
Read: Building and presenting a portfolio career
Other topics
- Resumes and cover letters
- ATS and application systems
- Applications, follow-ups and tracking
- Interviews and salary conversations
- Checking employers and job offers
- Working with a career coach
- Role-specific resume and interview guides
- Templates, checklists and worksheets
- For careers services and recruiters
- Using Luceria