Unlock the secret doors to a new career

Posted on 29 April 2019 • Career planning

Gaining entry to a new career area can seem daunting, especially when the experience, knowledge and skills require you to go beyond an academic qualification. OU Careers Consultants Claire Blanchard and Leigh Fowkes explain how being inventive and changing your approach might open doors.

“If you’re finding breaking into that new career difficult, think differently and be creative,” said Claire.

“People who explore their career with an open mind are usually better at opening doors,” added Leigh.

Leigh and Claire’s advice is:

Look in places you didn’t expect

Changing where you look for roles that interest you could be the key. Students often fall into the trap of narrowing their search too much. For example, the NHS employs HR, marketing and IT staff as well as medical professionals. Interested in teaching? Environmental education roles needs qualified teachers. Another example is the food industry, which employs managers, salespeople, production engineers, nutrition scientists and marketing specialists.

Get a broader view of various sectors by browsing OpportunityHub and ‘Follow an employer’, explore our sector-specific careers forums, and generate ideas based on your skillset using this interactive careers diagnostic quiz.

Know what’s needed and skill up

It’s useful to find out what employers in your target sector are looking for. Once you have listed the skills needed, work out what your gaps are. You might already have some of the skills that future employers are looking for. Fill those skills gaps, for example, volunteering, a paid internship, or additional online courses.

For example, the transition from physical to digital in many sectors requires knowledge of digital skills specific to your industry of interest. Publishing sector experts recently told us that whilst printed publishing is shrinking, it’s an exciting time for digital. But you need fluency in the right software before you apply.

Read more about what employers said in our recent Arts and Humanities forum. Whatever your subject and career interests, a good place to start researching is Careers with your OU subject.

Speak to the people with inside knowledge

The value of finding out how people got where they are today is huge. You’ll discover there are many doors people have found to their current career. Start networking now with our LinkedIn webinar and join The Open University Careers Network.

The OU’s Careers and Employability Services team regularly organises events that connect you to employers, including:

• Careers forums
• Employer web sessions
• Visits to employer workplaces, e.g. BBC Wales, the Environment Agency, Teach First and Local Government Association
• Our careers fairs OU Online TalentConnect

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or keep checking OpportunityHub to keep up with the latest employer events.

Careers and Employability Services