Industry Sectors

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

There are no set entry requirements.

Previous experience in sales, marketing or customer services, or the right skills and attitude, could help you get into this type of work. 

Some new recruitment consultants are graduates. You can enter recruitment with any degree, although some employers may prefer one more closely related to the industry they find staff for, like human resources, marketing or public relations.

You could get into this role through an apprenticeship.

The Institute of Recruitment Professionals has more information about becoming a recruitment consultant.

2. Skills required

You’ll need:

• excellent communication and customer service skills 
• good sales and negotiation skills 
• the ability to work under pressure and meet targets 
• good organisational and administrative skills

3. What you'll do

Your day-to-day duties might include:

• ‘cold calling’ companies to generate new business 
• interviewing and testing job seekers, to create a pool of people ready to fill vacancies 
• matching candidates to suitable jobs 
• screening and shortlisting candidates before employers interview them 
• meeting targets for the number of vacancies taken or the number of people placed into jobs 
• keeping records of clients, employers and vacancies 
• negotiating your agency’s fees 
• ‘headhunting' – finding and approaching candidates for executive or specialist jobs

4. Salary

Starter: £16,000 to £20,000 (trainee)

Experienced: £38,000 

Highly Experienced: £60,000 (manager) 

Most recruitment consultants earn a basic salary plus commission.

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll usually work standard office hours. In some jobs you may need to work outside office hours, contacting clients or interviewing candidates.

The work is mainly office-based, but you’ll also spend some of your time visiting your client companies.

6. Career path and progression

With experience you could move into business development or management, or set up your own agency.

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

There are no set entry requirements.

Sales or administration experience would be helpful. 

You could get into this job through a business and administration, sales or customer service apprenticeship.

2. Skills required

You’ll need:

• excellent customer service skills 
• IT skills 
• close attention to detail

3. What you'll do

Your day-to-day duties could include:

• answering customer enquiries over the phone, by email and face to face 
• processing orders, credit checks and payments 
• sending out invoices and other paperwork 
• updating customer records 
• checking stock and re-ordering supplies 
• organising deliveries 
• providing after-sales support 
• typing up documents like letters and reports

4. Salary

Starter: £15,000 to £19,000

Experienced: £20,000 to £24,000

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll work up to 40 hours a week, Monday to Saturday. 

You’ll work in a sales office.

6. Career path and progression

With experience, you could become a sales admin team leader, personal assistant or office manager.

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

 You'll usually need a a degree, MSc or postgraduate diploma recognised by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

 You can also take an approved degree-level qualification through:

• NEBOSH
• British Safety Council
• City& Guilds
• National Compliance and Risk Qualifications (NCRQ)

If you don't have a degree, you'll usually need some relevant work experience and a qualification in health and safety recognised by IOSH.

You could study for a health and safety qualification while you’re working. You could also take a course before looking for a trainee position.

IOSH has more information about courses and careers in health and safety.

The Occupational Safety and Health Consultants Register has a list of professional bodies and examining boards.

2. Skills required

You'll need:

• excellent communication and negotiation skills
• organisational skills
• problem solving ability
• excellent IT skills

3. What you'll do

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• developing safety policies and procedures
• advising and training staff on health and safety practices
• making regular inspections
• doing risk assessments
• investigating and recording accidents in the workplace
• working with relevant inspectors and trade unions
• You could work in many different industries including:
• construction and engineering
• mining, quarrying, oil and gas exploration
• manufacturing and services
• chemical processing
• You could also work in public services like hospitals, education and local government.

4. Salary

Starter: £22,000 to £30,000

Experienced: £35,000 to £50,000 (manager)

Highly Experienced: £70,000 or more (senior manager)

Health and safety advisers work in all industries.

Careers in oil, gas, power, construction and IT will usually offer higher salaries. 

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You'll usually work 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. In some industries, your hours may be irregular and you could work shifts or be expected to be on-call for emergencies.

6. Career path and progression

With experience, you could move into a management role. 

You could also become a consultant and specialise in a particular area, like environmental safety. With further study you could move into research or lecturing.

Role Description

Skills required

You’ll need:

• excellent research skills
• the ability to relate to a wide range of people and issues
• strong presentation skills
• the confidence to give recommendations on consumer trends
• IT skills

What you'll do

Your day-to-day duties may include:

• researching and writing reports
• testing recipes
• recruiting and training panels or focus groups
• conducting interviews with consumers
• researching the tastes, needs and preferences of consumers
• giving advice to manufacturers and retailers on improving items and services
• developing tests to make sure products meet quality standards and legal requirements
• representing consumers' rights 
• advising hotels, restaurants, schools, residential care homes or hospitals on catering
• advising on products ranging from household goods to public places
• producing information on cookery, family health and new products
• talking with the media
• advising on healthy living in schools, colleges and universities
• working for bodies like the Food Standards Agency or Trading Standards

Role Description

1.Entry Requirements

There are no set entry requirements. A good standard of general education is important but employers will also want you to have an outgoing and confident personality.

Previous experience in customer service, sales or marketing will be helpful though not essential.

You could get into this career through an apprenticeship.

The Institute of Sales Management (ISM) is the industry body offering qualifications to help you progress in your career.

2. Skills required

You’ll need:

• excellent communication skills to build trust with customers quickly 
• sales and negotiation skills 
• IT skills 
• a well organised approach 
• determination and a focus

3. What you'll do

You’ll be:  

• contacting customers and businesses 
• promoting products, services and special deals 
• following up sales leads and taking orders 
• updating customer records on computer systems 
• advising customers about delivery times 
• setting up appointments for senior sales staff 
• providing after-sales service

4. Salary

Starter: £15,000 to £18,000

Experienced: £20,000 to £25,000

Highly Experienced: £25,000 to £35,000 (managers)

Some companies offer a basic salary with extra bonuses and commission linked to sales targets.

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll usually work up to 40 hours a week on shifts between 8am and 10pm, Monday to Saturday.

You’ll be based in an office or call centre and spend most of your time using a computer. Some companies offer homeworking.

6. Career path and progression

With experience, you could become a team leader, senior salesperson or sales manager. 

Role Description

Magazine Journalist:

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• going to meetings to plan the content of the magazine 
• suggesting ideas for articles 
• interviewing and researching to collect information for articles 
• writing articles to suit the magazine’s style 
• keeping up-to-date with developments and trends in the magazine's subject area 
• working as a critic, reviewing things like films, food or concerts

Newspaper Journalist

You could be reporting on council meetings and school fêtes for a local paper, or on general elections and world events for the national press.

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• investigating a story as soon as it breaks
• following up potential leads and developing new contacts
• interviewing people face-to-face and over the phone
• attending press conferences
• recording meetings and interviews using recording equipment or shorthand
• coming up with ideas for stories and features
• writing up articles in a style that will appeal to the reader
• sub-editing other reporters' articles for publication
• writing up articles for online publication

Broadcast Journalist

You could be reporting on council meetings and school fêtes for a local paper, or on general elections and world events for the national press.

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• investigating a story as soon as it breaks
• following up potential leads and developing new contacts
• interviewing people face-to-face and over the phone
• attending press conferences
• recording meetings and interviews using recording equipment or shorthand
• coming up with ideas for stories and features
• writing up articles in a style that will appeal to the reader
• sub-editing other reporters' articles for publication
• writing up articles for online publication

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

There are no set requirements, but it may help if you have some GCSEs or equivalent including English and maths.

Experience of dealing with the public and giving presentations could be useful, and additional languages may also help.

You may need a Blue Badge in Tourist Guiding to work in places like Westminster Abbey and York Minster.

2. Skills required

You'll need:

• excellent communication skills
• the ability to present information in an interesting way
• a good memory for facts, figures and events
• organisational skills for planning tours

3. What you'll do

You'll work in one place or accompany groups on driving or walking tours.

You'll escort groups around sites, giving information about history, purpose, architecture or other points of interest.

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

There are no set requirements, but you’ll need a good level of general education. You'll also need a working knowledge of computer software and hardware.

A college course in computing or IT support, and experience in customer service, will help. 

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

If you work with young people or vulnerable adults, you’ll need clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

2. Skills required

You'll need:

• excellent customer service skills
• the ability to explain technical issues to non-technical users
• analysis and problem-solving skills
• the ability to prioritise and manage tasks

3. What you'll do

You may work in-house with an organisation’s staff, students or customers. You may also work in a call centre advising the public by phone, email or online chat.

In some roles, you’ll be responsible for telephony and audio-visual equipment as well as IT systems.

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• communicating with computer users to find and fix problems 
• tracking work in progress and recording issues and solutions 
• updating online knowledge banks
• servicing and fixing equipment, including printers, projectors and networks
• setting up new equipment and upgrading existing systems
• training people on new systems, face-to-face and online

4. Salary

Starter: £16,000 to £22,000

Experienced: £22,000 to £24,000

Highly Experienced: £25,000 to £35,000

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You'll usually work 35 to 40 hours a week. You may have to work shifts, including evenings and weekends.

You'll work in an office and spend a lot of your time at a computer.

You may have to travel to different sites to help users. A driving licence may be required.

6. Career path and progression

With experience, you could move into a supervisory or management role.

With training, you could move into network engineering, database administration, business or systems analysis, IT security, IT project management, training or technical sales.