Ellie Horvath
New research from Pushfar, one of the UK’s leading mentoring platforms, shows that the competition for a career change is at a crunch across cities within the UK.
The 10 largest cities within the UK, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Sheffield, Bradford, Manchester, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Bristol and Cardiff have a combined population of over 5.7 million**, but only have a combined number of 77,000 job vacancies***.
With the new year fast approaching, many people are already starting to plan their new year’s resolutions and thinking of ways to better themselves. While some people vow to go to the gym five times per week to adopt a healthier lifestyle, or give up their favourite sweet treats, many people turn their attention to a change in their career.
The 7th of January is now recognised as the most popular day of the year for people to look for a new job, with a 17% increase in job applications in January than in a typical month*.
In addition, Pushfar saw a massive 26.2% increase in traffic between December 2021 to January 2022, with people eager to sign up to learn new skills that will help them secure the job of their dreams.
With the job market being the toughest it’s ever been, the public need to look for ways to make them stand out against their fellow applicants.
The solution? Mentoring.
So, why is mentoring and widening your skill set the perfect way to aid in your career change? Here, Pushfar explains four ways that finding an online mentor can help you bag that dream job.
- They can provide constructive feedback on your CV
When applying for any job, ensuring that your CV is up-to-date and of the highest standard is essential as it can often be the deciding factor to a company considering you for an interview. When writing your CV however, it can sometimes be difficult to decipher what information is most relevant and what to include.
After hours spent perfecting your CV, a fresh pair of eyes can often help to point out anything which may have been missed, or anything that could be improved. With the support of a mentor, you can receive constructive feedback from specialists in that area who know exactly what key skills employers are looking for and offer advice on how you can stand out from the crowd.
- They can support you with interview practice
Ahead of an interview, candidates often spend hours researching the company to show how knowledgeable they are and why they’d love to join the team, but just one unexpected question can leave candidates feeling flustered.
By investing in a mentor, you can learn exactly what employers will be looking for in both skills and personal qualities, as well as the sorts of questions they may ask. Knowing both your own skills and flaws – and keeping in mind the characteristics expected by any organisation – are vital to defeating the competition.
- They can help you to identify new opportunities
Starting a career in an industry you have no previous experience in can be hard. Having no connections can be a hurdle in your progress and may result in giving up or feeling like a failure before you have even started.
With a mentor on your side, you can receive guidance and a direction from knowledgeable people within the industry to help you identify opportunities and connect you with like-minded people who are making an impact in your desired field.
As well as helping you identify these opportunities, mentors can demonstrate how to find networking opportunities and how to use them to your advantage throughout your whole career progression.
- They can share their own expertise of success and failures
As the famous saying goes ‘you live and learn,’ and while it’s good to try things firsthand and learn from your own mistakes, wouldn’t it be great if you had someone who had already been there, done that, and could steer you in the right direction in your career progression? Well, you do!
Pushfar’s network of mentoring professionals is on-hand to support and guide you, using experiences of their own time within the industry to encourage success and help you avoid unnecessary setbacks. Having been beginners once themselves, these professionals can advise on the dos and don’ts in relation to interview tips, applying for the role, progression within your job role and upselling yourself.
Ed Johnson CEO and Co-Founder of PushFar commented: “The new research shows that competition is fierce within the job market! Mentoring can be a great help in not only upskilling yourself, but also to find some guidance within your career. PushFar has a huge network of expert members who are waiting to help. The whole reason we started it was to help others push forwards in times like these.”
Julie Buckingham, a mentor at PushFar said: “It’s clear that January is the main month where people look for a new career path and decide to leave not only their current place of work, but also sometimes industry. Mentoring is great way to help prepare you for any new career and expand your knowledge, with the support of likeminded people. I love mentoring as it allows me to pass on knowledge and support others with achieving their dreams. It can often be daunting starting something new but with the support from myself and other mentors on the Pushfar team, it can be a great aid in advancing your career.”
If you want to take the next step in your progression and find your own mentoring match, you can join PushFar for free at: www.pushfar.com
