I’m 29 years old, and have been out of work for some time because of personal circumstances.

I am currently working as a waitress part-time, but am looking for a full-time career change. The problem is that I do not have any idea what career to undertake.

I know that I want it to involve customer interaction, and very little paper work. I have a qualification in Leisure and Tourism, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that I am looking for a career in that sector.

I hope that you can help me out.
Nikki H

The Career Guru says:

The most important thing to consider when you’re looking to make a career change is what you enjoy doing.

A career change is a fresh start, an opportunity to think about all the aspects that are involved with working (the commute, the social-life, etc) and work out what will suit your personal needs.

Knowing you want customer interaction to play a part in your role is a great starting point. It shows you’re passionate about that area of your work and there are plenty of roles where this is a key attribute.

Without knowing your full employment history or education it’s difficult to point you exactly in the right direction of possible opportunities, however, here are some roles that you may be suited to:

Social Worker – If you’re interested in giving something back to society, this could be the role for you. Interacting with people generally on a 1-2-1 basis will give you the chance to help them with problems and make a real change in their lives.

Customer Service Advisor – If you would prefer to interact with customers over the phone rather than face to face, there are thousands of customer service roles available. Try and find a product you feel passionate about so your enthusiasm can shine through to whoever you’re helping.

Conference Organiser – There’s no better way to get the full on customer interaction experience than getting involved with large events. You’ll need a calm head and obviously exceptional organisational skills, but when everything goes to plan it gives you a great buzz.

Don’t forget that customers don’t necessarily have to be external parties. HR departments see the employees within a company as their ‘customers’ so consider roles such as Office Manager, Training Co-ordinator or Payroll Assistant.

If you still can’t work out the role that suits you, look for short-term temping contracts which give you the chance to try out various careers without being tied down to a definite career.

Our article What's the right job for you? contains some additional advice to help you narrow down the options.