If you work with a recruiter for long enough, you'll hear this fact over and over: building a fulfilling career is a marathon, not a sprint. Therefore, because it is National Careers Week, there is no better time for you to pause, breathe, and take stock of where you want to go next. Whether you're starting fresh or pivoting to something new, the path ahead doesn't have to feel overwhelming. If you break it down, stay curious, and use these tips, you'll gain clarity and the confidence you need to secure your future career.

So, here we have it, the best candidate’s guide to a new career path.

Work With a Recruiter Early in Your Career Journey

Before we dive into the practical steps, it's worth noting that choosing to work with a recruiter can significantly accelerate the process you are about to undertake. Recruiters are the experts. They understand industries, job markets, and hidden opportunities you won't always find on your own. Pair these tips with the decision to work with a recruiter, and you'll move forward with support, insight, and a real advocate by your side.

1. Speak to people

Work with a recruiter - A female in a blue top is taking to men either side of her, they are standing at a table with cocktails — Talk to everyone!

You may discover some great ideas and opportunities.

Sometimes, the simplest advice is the most powerful. Speak to people. Why? Because careers aren't just discovered online. Speak to people at family dinners, on nights out with friends, in conversations with teachers, during chats at the gym, or in the coffee shop. Basically, everywhere you go, stories and insights are waiting for you to discover.

Now, when you work with a recruiter, you double the number of people in your corner. Recruiters can introduce you to networks, industries, and real-life examples of roles you may never have considered. By talking to as many people as you can, you'll begin to understand what jobs are really like. Ask questions and let the people around you inspire your career decisions.

2. Focus on Your Strengths

As humans, we are predisposed to focus on our weaknesses. However, your strengths are the compass that points toward the right career path. Think about what you enjoy, what comes naturally, and what sparks your energy.

This is where choosing to work with a recruiter makes a noticeable difference. Recruiters are trained to identify your transferable skills, even the ones you may overlook. They will help you see different options that align with your strengths, not just your qualifications. Naturally, when you lead with what you are good at, rather than just what you know and can do already, you create a career pathway that you are happy to spend time enjoying.

3. Explore Your Surroundings

A busy high street with cars, shops and pedestrians - work with a recruiter — Explore Your Surroundings

There are opportunities everywhere!

So, exploration doesn't always require a plane ticket. Have you ever thought about taking a walk around your local town or city and really observing the businesses that make it run? What do they do? What roles exist behind those doors? What sparks your interest?

The great news is, you can broaden that curiosity even further when you work with a recruiter. They will show you industries across the country or even across the world! You might just need that plane ticket after all! They can match what you have discovered through your own exploration, and naturally, the more you look, the more possibilities you will see.

4. Keep an Open Mind

Career journeys rarely move in straight lines. As you explore your strengths and interests, please stay open to things you haven't tried yet. Don't latch onto a single role before fully researching it. New opportunities can present themselves anywhere, and keeping an open mind allows you to recognise them.

When you work with a recruiter, they'll encourage you to consider new angles, fresh sectors, and roles you may not have realised you are suited for. Embrace these suggestions. Take time to investigate them. Openness is your greatest ally, and recruiters will help you widen your search even further.

5.Try Things Out

Work with a recruiter - 2 females and a male wearing volunteer t-shirts — Try volunteering to explore career options

The best way to know if you'll enjoy a job is to try it. Ask people about volunteer opportunities, shadowing experiences, internships, or short-term work experience. Naturally, you may hear 'no', but you'll be surprised by how many people are willing to help. Everyone has to start somewhere.

If you work with a recruiter, you can expand these opportunities. They can introduce you to trial placements, temporary roles, or even entry-level experiences that let you test a career path before committing to it. Actions bring clarity and recruiters have an expansive contact list that can help with this.

You Don't Have to Do the Same Job Forever

There is no harm in trying something new or different. Times have changed, and today careers are flexible. It is really quite rare nowadays to find people who have remained in the same job their entire lives. Now, people change roles, industries, and even entire professions multiple times throughout their lives. That means you don't need to treat any job choice as permanent. If you outgrow a role, if your priorities shift, or if life changes, you can pivot.

When you work with a recruiter, you gain a long-term partner who can help you navigate every career transition you choose. They can guide you through retraining, new job searches, and fresh start-ups, no matter where you are on your journey.

Your Career Isn't Fixed, And You Don't Have to Navigate Alone

This National Careers Week, take the pressure off yourself. Explore, ask, try, reflect. Above all, remember that you don't have to walk the path on your own. Choosing to work with a recruiter gives you an advocate, a guide, and a supporter who can help you turn uncertainty into direction and direction into action.

Your next chapter is out there, let's find it together. Get in touch today and pen a world of opportunities.

How to Work with a Recruiter: The Best Candidate’s Guide