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Blog 13 January 2023

A new job and career in 2023

By Asi Panditharatna MBE
Forward's Executive Director for Employment Services Asi Panditharatna gives some practical advice for achieving your employment goals in 2023.

Happy new year, everyone!

The new year marks a fresh start for all of us — a time for change. For many people, this can include anything from starting a new job or apprenticeship to beginning a new training course or becoming self-employed.

If this is something you want to do, but don’t know where to start, Forward can help. Based on our experience as a leading careers advice, employability and skills provider, here are six things you can do immediately:

  1. Prepare a plan: Set goals and objectives and write them down. Your plan should be realistic and not underestimate the amount of time and effort it will take to achieve your goals.  Always regularly review and update your plan based on your progress and feedback from others.  This is called effective updating, so you can make your plan better each time you review it.
  2. Research your future career: If you are not sure about what you want to do in 2023, then definitely speak to a careers advisor or access the free resources on the National Careers Service.  This gives you the opportunity to assess your skills and provides excellent information and resources on around 800 different career profiles. Find out more here.
  3. Develop your skills: There are lots of Government funded programmes you can access for free, particularly if you are unemployed.  This includes courses run through the Adult Education Budget provision, including those run by The Forward Trust in Kent and London, with a focus on ‘Green Skills’.  Alternatively, perhaps try our free enterprise/self-employment services. More information can be found via the following links:
  4. Be prepared to network: If you want to get ahead in your career, then it’s good to make connections. Use LinkedIn, look the part at face-to-face meetings, and get over your nerves by ‘faking it’. This means preparing well, knowing who you might be meeting, preparing a brief introduction you can use i.e. talking points, and practising at home in advance to make sure you feel comfortable.
  5. Focus your search: Once you have shortlisted your career, training or self-employment options, try to focus your search a bit more. For example, if you are interested in Green Sector jobs, there will be specific job boards or training courses you can do. This will also help you to find out more about the sector and the requirements for working or training in it. A focused approach can produce better results.
  6. Interview with impact: Make sure you are doing the essential things: look the part, present yourself well, and do the research into the employer you are interviewing with. To do a great interview, you will need also to interview with impact, so do not forget to:
    • Be curious: Ask thoughtful questions and listen well. This will help you discover common ground with your interviewer and leave a lasting impression. It is probably not a good idea to ask questions that sound like you are interviewing them, but rather ones that show your interest in the organisation and its future.
    • Map your career journey: Interviews are an opportunity to show off your interpersonal and communication skills. Interviewers may start with something along the line of, “Tell me about your career to date”. Take a creative approach and, instead of your entire career history, focus instead on a few simple bullet points with specific high points or moments relevant to this role, including how each step led you to the next, and ultimately brought you to the job you are interviewing for.
    • Practise: The more you practise answering interview questions aloud, the more confident you will be when it is real. Start with these questions and practise in front of a mirror (or with your tutor, advisor or coach). You can record it on your phone and play it back to yourself.

Good luck and we wish you every success in 2023!

The Forward Trust Employment Services Directorate delivers information, advice and guidance (IAG) services, vocational training, employability, enterprise and apprenticeships. We also support and develop social enterprises.

To find out more and to work with us, visit Employment support – Forward Trust