Whether considering a move from senior leadership or pivoting earlier in your career, this guide offers practical, actionable advice for Australians ready to approach 2026 with clarity.
Why Professionals Are Changing Careers
Career change reflects evolving values, life transitions or a desire for work that feels more purposeful. Common drivers include:
Life and lifestyle factors
Becoming an empty nester, shifting work priorities, health considerations or changing financial needs often prompt people to reassess their career direction.
Labour market shifts
Australian employers face persistent skill shortages, creating opportunities for professionals ready to upskill in areas such as critical thinking, digital capability and leadership.
Workplace flexibility
Hybrid work, flexible hours and remote roles remain key features. Many organisations continue to offer structured hybrid arrangements, allowing professionals to prioritise roles that support lifestyle and wellbeing.
How to Approach Your Career Change
Be clear on your motivations and transferable strengths
Start with self-reflection. Consider your transferable skills, what motivates you, and your non-negotiables, such as flexibility, location or growth.
Creating a skills inventory and mapping it to roles of interest is practical. Government tools such as the Career Quiz and Job Switch resources through Your Career can also clarify realistic pathways.
Modernise your professional profile
A clear, targeted resume that highlights measurable impact and outcomes remains essential. Download our Resume Template to help kick start your job search.
A well-considered LinkedIn profile should showcase achievements, capabilities, and active engagement with your industry. Consistent activity can positively influence potential employers’ perceptions.
Navigate applications with strategy
Many organisations use applicant tracking systems. Tailor your resume using keywords from the job description to increase the chances of progressing to a hiring manager.
Where possible, personalise cover letters to reference the organisation’s priorities and demonstrate genuine interest.
Build and activate your professional network
Reconnect with former colleagues, engage mentors and build new connections within your target industry.
Participating in discussions, attending events, and contributing on LinkedIn strengthens visibility and positions you as an engaged professional.
Overcoming Career Change Challenges
Upskilling and reskilling
Strengthen your market position through formal qualifications, short courses or self-directed learning. Evidence of continuous learning signals adaptability and commitment to employers.
Mindset and resilience
Career change requires patience and resilience. Viewing each stage as a learning opportunity helps maintain clarity and momentum, even when progress feels slow.
“The most successful career transitions are built on clarity, not urgency. When professionals take the time to understand their transferable strengths, invest in relevant capability building and approach the market with intention, opportunities follow. Career change is rarely about starting again. It is about repositioning what you already offer in a way the market understands.”
– Laura Callinan, Senior Principal Consultant, Supply Chain and Procurement
Planning Your Next Step
A career change can help realign your work with what matters most. With preparation, support and guidance, it is possible to create a transition that feels purposeful and sustainable.
If you are considering your next move and want practical advice grounded in current market insight, connect with Laura Callinan at Miller Leith. Laura works closely with professionals navigating career transitions and can help you assess your experience, clarify your options and plan your next step with confidence.