Finding a new job later in life can seem daunting – but it can also be an exciting opportunity. Although in the past it was normal to stay in one career your whole life, now things have changed, and it's common to frequently move around and switch between careers.
For anyone, this can be challenging, but you shouldn’t let this put you off taking the mid-life career change leap. It’s the perfect time to find a career you’re passionate about, and use the skills you’ve already developed in a new area.
Check out our top tips for starting a new career later in life.
It's important that you know more about the industry you hope to enter before you make the move, so consider volunteering, an apprenticeship or moonlighting.
The valuable experience you gain will be helpful if you are writing applications and interviewing for jobs completely unlike anything you’ve done before.
While it's likely you’ll have lots of experience from over the years, focus on your most current examples.
This will help the interviewer find connections between your skills and their organisation, as well as give them a better understanding of what you can bring to the team.
When you're looking for a new job, find out about their pension scheme too. Most employers have to offer you one, and when you pay in, your boss pays in too. It can be a great way of continuing to grow your pension income before retirement.
Your State Pension is based on your own National Insurance record, so the amount everyone gets can be different. The full rate of the new State Pension is now £164.35 a week (as of 9th April 2018), but yours may be either more or less than this. Find out how much you could get here, and remember that a new job later in life can be a great opportunity to build on the foundations of the State Pension so you can have the retirement you want.
More and more recruiters are looking at applicants' social media accounts during the recruitment process. Keep your profiles professional and updated – don’t be afraid to share examples of your work.
A strong social media presence will show that you have technical experience, a network and marketing skills.
If you've got limited experience, or need to refresh your skills, consider taking a course. Not only will you meet people in, or entering the industry, but you will also gain new skills and develop existing ones.
This will be even more helpful if you are re-entering a fast paced sector, or starting in an industry you don’t know much about.
Chances are you might be more confident or experienced, require less training and have a stronger network than other candidates.
Lots of employers say that one of the reasons they value their older workers is because they make excellent mentors to their junior colleagues.
