Time for a change?

Circumstances have never been better for those considering a change of direction in their careers, according to Kai McCabe, Managing Director or Scotlandís fastest growing recruitment consultancy, Search.

Not only is unemployment low, leading to skills shortages in many sectors, but the economy currently remains buoyant and many employers identify shortage of skilled labour as one of the biggest restrictions they face in meeting their international potential.

ìOur clients recognise that they are having to work harder to find and retain the talent they needî Kai says.

ìThe labour market tends to be cyclical and, just as people moved out of all the construction trades; from architecture to plastering, fifteen years ago, - only to be met by a boom in the industry, - so other sectors are currently living with the fallout from past difficulties.

ìThe perception in Scotland is that manufacturing and electronics for example, are sectors in decline but the reality is that, largely because of that perception, there are good jobs available and not enough skilled people to take them on. There are many companies with well-written order books and great potential, being tarred with the same brush as those who suffered in the last downturn.

ìBut thereís also variety about, and itís good news that the Scottish economy is not disproportionately dependent on one sector or industry alone.

Kai argues that several threads have come together at present to make switching careers a little easier. Primary among these reasons are skills shortages, but a positive training environment is also important, as is tighter employment legislation.

To compete for any scarce commodity, buyers have to find ways to make their offering more appealing, and this works in favour of the job-seeker or anyone looking for a career change. Scots know they have employment options and can shop around, so companies are having to work that much harder to be seen as employers of choice.

Kai says, ìA good number of companies are willing to offer training to people with the right attitudes and will to learn. Call centres are a case in point, where a new industry had to attract employees from different fields and responded by developing extensive training opportunities to help employees make the switch. But the traditional industries are also having to compete with a greater number of alternative employers and the end result is a loosening of the borders between careers.

ìSearch has always recognised the need to match candidates with work which suits their attributes and ambitions we too offer training to people who can demonstrate the willingness to switch careers; grooming them to meet the needs of our clients so that both sides benefit. ì

But she warns that this positive environment for switching careers is highly dependent on external factors. Politics, economics and international trade all impact on the Scottish labour market climate, so if you have been considering a switch, Searchís advice is to start laying foundations now.

Kai says, ìPeople switch jobs and careers for all sorts of different reasons and the demise of the idea of ìa job for lifeî has made it almost commonplace.

ìDownshifting, or taking a job with less stress, fewer hours, or less responsibility is no longer any big deal and itís an option many people are drawn to once their lives are established. People also move for wider lifestyle reasons, or simply to suit changing responsibilities outside of work, as they move through the cycle of having dependent kids and/or ageing parents.

ìEven legal changes such as the ability to move pensions between employers or maintain a personal pension throughout, make switching jobs a lot easier than in generations past.î

To make sure you donít jump right out of the frying pan into the fire however, anyone considering a change of career needs to make sure they have fully thought through the implications.

Itís all very well to want less responsibility, for example, but are you fully prepared to have less disposable income and perhaps less visible status as a result? Or if you are considering trading up, are you prepared to have to learn new skills, and perhaps work with people younger than yourself who have already put the time in?

Kai says itís also important that partners and family members are right behind your decision as itís not just the job-changer who will be affected by any change in earnings power or the need to study to pick up new skills.

Overall though, conditions are currently as good as they have been for a long while for anyone who is seeking greater fulfilment at work. To explore your options, start talking to people about what alternative careers and lifestyles would really be like.

Take off any rosy spectacles and examine what would be required of you with a consultant at a reputable recruitment consultancy, or through your local Jobcentre Plus.

There are very few jobs which pay top dollar for little effort, or which only require someone to do things they enjoy and no more. But at the end of the day, itís really only about finding a life which works better for you.