Is now the right time for a career move?

Chirag Shah is our Project Services Team Leader in the UK. He is also a Strategic Advisor and a passionate Project Services Recruitment expert. Chirag has 15 year’s recruitment experience at one consultancy. He is privileged to have built an extensive network and is a trusted advisor by his clients. He is passionate in helping professionals in the next steps of their careers; from Graduate to Director level; fully committed to being there through the whole process and always available to communicate and listen.

Chirag shares his story and advice on career moves during the pandemic at present.

The average UK employee changes employer every five years (according to research by LV=). This means that for many thousands of employees, 2020 might have been a year of employer change. But the pandemic has brought major uncertainty to the work place, with many of us furloughed and sadly unemployment has risen.

This environment continues into 2021 with normality on the horizon but perhaps not before early summer is with us. So is now the right time to seek a fresh challenge and change your employer?

Factors to consider:

Personal motivators for changing employer:

1. Were you planning a move prior to the onset of the pandemic?
2. Do you feel valued as an employee?
3. Has your employer responded well to managing your welfare through the pandemic?
4. Will there be a new normal that you feel comfortable returning to?
5. Have your financial circumstances changed such that you need to look for a new opportunity?
6. Can you afford to move during these times? Never leave a role without first accepting another. This isn’t a rule of thumb but right now it’s very advisable. It’s also essential before accepting a position to assess the the new employer’s financial health.

Assessing your employer and the industry:

1. How is the industry you work in performing, is it stable or has the shift in financial volatility and customer behaviour impacted it adversely?
2. Is there obvious demand for your skills and experience within the industry you work in?
3. Does your employer consider your job role essential or is it vulnerable. For example, perhaps you are worried by the number of redundancies that have occurred?

Where we can help

There are several market areas booming in the UK, including Rail & Infrastructure, Defence and Renewable Energy. There is a shortage of skilled, qualified talent for many roles in these sectors, now is the time to take advantage. If you work in these sectors, considering a move and are in P6 Planning, Projects Controls, Risk, Cost or Estimating, please get in touch with our niche recruiter, Chirag Shah at chirag.shah@trsstaffing.com or +44(0)7957 914 271. You can have an informal confidential discussion, with someone who knows the market in-depth.