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From an online quiz to an expert-led webinar and one-to-one consultations, Henley Business School has all the resources you need for a proper career workout

The past 15 months have been a wake-up call to workers. More of us than ever are looking for either career progression, a total career change or a side-step into a different sector. Recent research suggests that 53% of UK workers are considering changes to their career in light of the pandemic. To effect these changes, reskilling or upskilling through study makes sense; but first you need to identify the strategy that’s right for you.

Time to double down?

You could invest in your existing career by doubling down – directing your energy into training and development that will reap benefits for years to come. Helen Gordon did just that, working her way up from nurse to NHS manager, to hospital Chief Exec and now Science Council CEO: “I’ve always been keen on the development of people, ever since my days on the wards,” explains Helen. While in a senior role in hospital management, she undertook a part-time MBA at Henley and has never looked back. “I never thought in a million years I’d be a CEO,” she says.

Five top tips for doubling down:

• Define your goal, then work out what steps you need to take to get there
• Organise your life so you have the time and headspace to make the change
• Team up with a mentor for insight, advice and inspiration
• Take every opportunity to learn and develop in your field of interest 
• Set small, achievable targets along the way to sustain a sense of progress. 

Reboot your career

Perhaps the events of the past year have served as your cue to go for a total change of career. Olympic rower Alex Partridge took the plunge to rebuild his skillset following retirement as a professional sportsman with a part-time MBA at Henley Business School. “I went to work at a local family-run lifestyle business and turned it into an enterprise business,” he recalls. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that without my knowledge of entrepreneurship from the MBA.” Alex now works at financial-wellbeing platform Wagestream. “It’s one of the fastest growing start-ups in the world so I’m getting to see best practices from the MBA in action.”

Five top tips for rebooting your career:

• Research your target industry from every angle and shadow industry contacts where possible
• Plan ahead financially so you can weather a salary drop
• Look into further education or recognised qualifications to help you fill skills gaps
• Avoid analysis paralysis: when changing career, thoughts and actions need to go hand in hand.

Make a career pivot

Are you ready to transfer your skills and experience into a different field? A crucial part of pivoting is identifying and plugging any gaps in your skills arsenal. At the end of postgraduate studies at another university, Negin Alam was left feeling she lacked the right practical skills to enter the workforce. That’s when she came across the Masters in Finance and Financial Technology at Henley Business School. “It’s definitely been worth it,” says Negin. “I developed commercial awareness through networking with people from the heart of the financial market. I also learned important problem-solving and team-working skills.” Negin now works for global fintech start-up Genesis in the capital. 

Five top tips for making a career pivot:

• Tap into your network for ideas, advice and leads
• Identify your transferable skills and how you can remarket them
• Research further education to plug any skills or knowledge gaps
• Pin down how your unique career path adds value to your employability
• Decide on the level of risk you’re willing to take and draw up a contingency plan. 

To register for the Henley Business School Career Workout Webinar on 29 July, check your career health or explore your next move, visit henley.ac.uk/workout

A course that’s right for you

One of the UK’s oldest business schools, Henley offers more than 30 Masters programmes, a choice of doctoral opportunities, and globally respected MBA courses. Here’s a taster of what’s on offer: 

• A range of Henley finance MSc degree programmes run at the ICMA Centre. Henley’s world-class, ranked Masters in Finance comes with industry-led masterclasses, hands-on training and technically advanced teaching. 
• A genuine career accelerator, the 12-month Masters in Management programme delivers strong academic and practical grounding covering strategy, marketing, finance and ethics.  
• Gain the international outlook, insights and knowledge you need to achieve personal and professional goals with an Executive MBA Global or part-time Flexible Executive MBA.