Career advice

Changing career, the first job, going back to work, getting promoted, leaving well and the week one questions.

Working nights: how to sleep, eat and stay healthy on night shifts

Practical habits for night workers: protecting daytime sleep, eating on nights, driving home safely, staying connected, and the free health assessment your employer must offer.

6 min read

What to bring on your first day at a new job (and the paperwork to check)

The documents your new employer will ask for, what to do if you have no P45, the paperwork you should receive, and the questions that save you trouble on your first payday.

5 min read

Should you accept a counter offer from your current employer?

You have resigned and your boss offers more money to stay. How to weigh it up, the questions to ask, why many counter offers do not last, and how to say no or yes without burning bridges.

5 min read

Probation periods in the UK: what they mean, and what changes in January 2027

What a probation period really is, what happens if it is extended or you fail it, your notice and rights during it, and why the six month unfair dismissal rule from 1 January 2027 matters.

6 min read

Leaving a job well: your notice, final pay, holiday and P45 checklist

How to hand in your notice, what your last payslip should include, holiday pay owed, deductions your employer can and cannot take, when you get your P45, and how to protect your reference.

6 min read

How to explain a gap in your employment at interview (what to actually say)

The CV line is the easy part. Here is how to answer the gap question out loud: a three part answer, examples for redundancy, illness, caring, travel and prison, and what not to say.

5 min read

From the floor to team leader: how to get your first step up

How operatives, pickers, care workers and shop staff move up to team leader: what the job really involves, what managers look for, how to ask, and the qualification that helps.

6 min read

Going back to work after illness or years of caring: a step by step plan

Returning after a long illness or years as a carer: easing back in, the support you can ask for (Access to Work, adjustments, flexible working, carer's leave) and how to answer the gap question.

7 min read

Getting a job after prison or with a criminal record: spent convictions explained

When a conviction becomes spent, what a basic, standard or enhanced DBS check shows, when you have to tell an employer, and how to talk about your record at interview.

8 min read

Your first job at 16 or 17: your rights, your pay and what to expect

Leaving school for work at 16 or 17? The hours you can work, your breaks, minimum pay, night work rules, the training rule in England and what your first week will feel like.

6 min read

Changing career at 40 or 50: a realistic plan for the UK

Changing career in your forties or fifties is common and workable. How to pick a target, pay for retraining, handle age bias and the money gap, and land the first role.

7 min read

Promoted to supervisor: how to manage people who used to be your mates

The hardest part of a first promotion is the people you worked beside. How to set the tone in week one, handle the first difficult conversation, stay fair, and keep the friendships that matter.

5 min read