Would moving to the country help my career?

The Expert
KATE SOUTHAM
Careerone.com.au
WHAT’S the plan? Moving to the country is not a stand-alone career move. However, if the move to the country is part of a strategy, then fantastic. For example, let’s say you work in a cafe in the city and have a love of wine. Moving to a wine district, getting a retail job in a cellar door then using that experience to land a marketing role with the winemaker and even studying for a marketing qualification or something related to wine would be a great career move. Ditto if you were a nurse or police officer moving to a country hospital or station to assume a more senior role.

Rookie
ANNE-MARIE DOLAN
HR Leader, Australian Human Resources Institute
GETTING experience in different environments can assist with progressing your career. In some industries, it can be an advantage to take up opportunities in regional areas because there is likely to be greater competition for positions in metropolitan areas.
Working in a regional centre may also allow greater involvement in a local community and present opportunities to take up leadership roles on committees, councils and other community groups. While not for everyone, there are benefits to be gained from looking outside of capital cities for career progression.

Mid-career
KELLIE RIGG
General manager, HR Solutions, Randstad
A JOB in the country can offer numerous rewards professionally and personally. For most people, it represents more than just a career shift; it’s an entire lifestyle change. While a career change in the country might be a chance to gain a better work/life balance and make a stronger contribution to the community, it can also provide an excellent opportunity for you to work with greater autonomy and broaden your skill set. Most demand for workers is in education, healthcare and agriculture. Before you take the plunge, speak with others who have made a similar move.

Experienced
TIM ROCHE
Practice leader, Right Management Career Transition
THE employment sectors most prevalent across regional areas include healthcare and social assistance, retail, construction, agriculture, hospitality, education and training and public administration. It’s therefore important that you have a good level of demonstrated expertise in at least one of these categories. You need to clearly define a particular region to ensure that your job search is targeted and looks at advertised and unadvertised opportunities and the time it will take to uncover an opportunity, especially when it involves a relocation nine to 12 months is a good rule of thumb.