Rullion joins FCSA as a Recruiter Partner

How do you know when it’s time to change jobs?

For many people out there, there’s something about January that makes work feel harder than it should. The energy dips, the weather doesn’t help, and suddenly the Sunday scaries feel louder than usual. With Blue Monday landing in the middle of the month, it’s easy to blame the calendar. But if that dread has been building for a while, it might not be the day at all. It might be the realisation that you’ve fallen out of love with your job. Is Blue Monday real? Blue Monday is often described as the most depressing day of the year, usually falling in mid-to-late January. It isn’t officially backed by science, but it’s become a cultural shorthand for something many people genuinely experience: low motivation and mood, and a sense that work is harder to face than usual. And that’s the important part. Regardless if the label is real or not, the feelings can be. If you’ve been feeling like that lately, it’s worth asking a slightly different question: is it Blue Monday, or have you fallen out of love with your job? Dealing with Sunday scaries (and why they’re worth paying attention to) Not every Monday needs to feel exciting. But when the thought of the week ahead leaves you with the Sunday scaries and consistently brings tension or unease, it’s worth paying attention to what that feeling is trying to tell you. It can look like: Your mood dipping halfway through Sunday A tight chest feeling when you think about your inbox Being snappy, restless, or distracted at home Struggling to sleep because your brain won’t switch off Feeling like you’re already behind before the week has started The Sunday scaries aren’t always a sign you need to quit your job, and experiencing any of these doesn’t mean something is “wrong” with you. It means something in your working life may need attention. Recognising that is often the first step towards positive change. How to know when you need a new job If January has made you feel a little more flat than usual, it can be difficult to tell what’s temporary and what’s deeper. But there are some clear signs that go beyond a rough start to the year. Signs that it might be time to take your feelings seriously. Wanting change doesn’t mean you’re ungrateful or impatient. Often, it means you’ve outgrown something that once fit. 1) You’re tired in a way sleep doesn’t fix If you’re constantly drained, even after rest, it can be a sign your job is taking more energy than it gives back. 2) Your confidence has taken a hit You second-guess yourself more. You feel behind and that you’re “not as good as you used to be.” That’s often less about your ability and more about the environment you’re in. 3) You’re bored, stuck, or quietly disengaged Not every job needs to feel exciting every day, but if you’re no longer learning and growing or being challenged, it can start to feel pointless. 4) You’re always waiting for things to improve You’re holding out for a restructure, a new manager, a calmer workload, a better quarter. But months pass and nothing really changes. 5) You’re doing the work, but you don’t care anymore This one is easy to miss because you can still be performing well. But when you’ve emotionally checked out, it’s hard to stay in a role long-term without it affecting your wellbeing. 6) You feel like you’re shrinking to fit the job Your spark has gone, you’re quieter than you used to be, and you feel less confident and energised. Less “you”. That’s a signal, not a personality change. 7) You dread specific parts of the week (and it’s predictable) If your anxiety spikes before certain meetings, certain people, or certain days, it’s worth asking why. 8) You can’t picture yourself there in a year This is one of the clearest indicators. If thinking about staying fills you with dread or resignation, it’s often a sign that you already know more than you’re giving yourself credit for. If you’re nodding along, you might already have your answer to “how do I know if I need a new job?” Often, it’s when staying feels heavier than leaving. Should you try to fix your current job or is it time to move on? This is where people tend to get stuck. Because leaving isn’t always the answer. But staying and hoping things improve without changing anything rarely works either. A good way to look at it is this: if the job is fixable, the problem is usually specific, and there’s a realistic path to making it better. It might be a temporary rough patch if: A workload issue that can be reset (not just “this is how it is here”) A role that can be reshaped with clearer priorities A manager who listens and actually follows through A company that invests in your development A culture that’s generally healthy, even if you’re in a difficult season In other words, you still have influence. If you can make a few changes and feel noticeably better within a month or two, that’s a sign it may be worth trying to fix first. If it’s time to move on, the issue is usually structural. Better habits, increased resilience, or a longer weekend won't solve the problem. How do you know when it’s time to change jobs? If the issues are consistent and outside your control or affecting your wellbeing, it’s usually a sign it’s time to move on. You’ve raised concerns before and nothing changes The culture drains you, even when you’re performing well You don’t feel valued, trusted, or supported The expectations are unclear or constantly shifting Your growth has stalled and there’s no path forward You’re spending more time managing stress than doing meaningful work You don’t need your job to be perfect, but you do need it to be sustainable. Ask yourself: “Repairable” vs “Repeatable” – is this a one-off situation I can repair, or a repeating pattern I keep having to tolerate? What to do if you’re not ready to quit (but you know something needs to change)? Not everyone reading this is ready to hand in their notice, and that’s okay. Sometimes the first step isn’t leaving. It's getting clearer what your options are and what's going to be best for you in the long run. Here’s a simple way to approach this: 1) Pinpoint what’s actually causing the dread Is it the work itself? Is it the pace and pressure at work? A lack of career progression? Is leadership lacking or you need more support? Does the team dynamic need improvement? Are you feeling undervalued or underpaid? 2) Decide what “better” would look like Are you needing more flexibility? Are you seeking a clearer path? Better management? Or a different kind of role entirely? This matters because it helps to switch your mindset from feeling hopeless to moving towards something. Sometimes clarity comes from learning what else exists. Exploring how different industries work, or how skills transfer across sectors like rail, nuclear, or utilities, can help you understand what “better” might look like for you. 3) Try one change inside your current job That could be: A conversation about expectations A reset on workload and priorities Asking for development or progression planning Changing projects or responsibilities Setting firmer boundaries If you try to fix it and things genuinely improve, great. If you try to fix it and nothing changes, you've also learnt something valuable. You don’t have to stay stuck If Blue Monday has made you stop and think, that’s not a bad thing. Sometimes it’s the moment you realise you’ve been pushing through longer than you should. Whether you decide to improve things where you are or start exploring something new, the important part is knowing you have options, and you don’t have to figure it out on your own. If you’re starting to think about what else might be out there, it can help to understand how hiring works today. Especially if it’s been a while since you last looked. Knowing how CV screening works can remove a lot of unnecessary anxiety before you even take the first step.

How to pass CV screening in an AI-first hiring world

Artificial intelligence is a near-permanent part of the hiring process. For candidates, particularly those working in highly regulated, delivery-critical environments like energy and rail, that shift has raised understandable questions about how to pass CV screening when algorithms are involved. The reality is more reassuring than it sounds. AI isn’t replacing human judgement; it’s helping many hiring managers and recruiters manage mass volume and improve consistency so they’re able to focus their time where it adds the most value. The strongest CVs in 2026 won’t be the ones trying to “outsmart” technology. They’ll be the ones that present experience and capability clearly enough for both systems and people to understand. In this article you’ll find more information on (click below to head to sections relevant to you): What is an applicant tracking system and how does it work? Is ATS AI? Understanding what’s automated and what isn’t Why is ATS rejecting my CV? How to pass CV Screening by working with the system Do recruiters use AI detectors? Positioning your experience in an AI-led hiring market What is an applicant tracking system and how does it work? An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software used by employers and recruitment partners to manage applications. It helps organise CVs, track candidates through the hiring process, and ensure roles are filled in a consistent and auditable way. These systems are particularly common in nuclear and utilities sector environments where governance and delivery compliance matter. When organisations are hiring at scale or operating within tightly controlled frameworks, an ATS provides structure. At a basic level, an ATS: Collects and stores CVs Extracts information such as job titles, skills, and experience Matches applications against role requirements Helps recruiters prioritise relevant profiles Is ATS AI? Understanding what’s automated and what isn’t A common misconception is that ATS platforms are fully “AI-driven” decision-makers. In practice, most use a combination of automation and logic rather than advanced artificial intelligence. Typically, this includes: Rule-based screening (such as mandatory qualifications or clearances) Keyword and skills recognition Ranking based on role alignment Some newer platforms use AI-assisted matching, but final hiring decisions still rely on human assessment. Recruiters review shortlisted CVs to understand context and credibility, particularly where experience spans complex projects, regulated environments or long-term programmes of work. ​“AI won’t replace advisors, but it can help us eliminate mistakes earlier and get people cleared faster. It’s about making the process smarter, not colder.” - Phil Bell, Candidate Services Team Leader Why is ATS rejecting my CV? If you’ve ever applied for a role and heard nothing back, you’re not alone. It’s rarely a reflection of your capability or the system “rejecting” you unfairly. More often, it’s because the information isn’t as clear or aligned as it could be. Common AI CV screening challenges include: Experience that isn’t clearly mapped to the role requirements Missing or unclear terminology linked to the working environment Job titles that don’t reflect the actual scope or seniority of the role Overly designed layouts that don’t parse cleanly Descriptions that list responsibilities without showing outcomes What recruiters are really looking for AI CV screening is designed to highlight relevance, not to judge quality in isolation. What systems and recruiters are collectively trying to identify is: Evidence of relevant working environments Transferable technical and operational capability Accountability within complex or regulated frameworks Collaboration across disciplines, stakeholders or suppliers Tangible outcomes, such as delivery, improvement, mitigation, continuity AI may help identify potential matches, but credibility is built through clarity and substance. A useful way to think about it is this: AI looks for alignment. Humans look for assurance. How to pass CV screening by working with the system Passing CV screening doesn’t mean removing personality or over-optimising language. Working with the system means understanding that clarity helps everyone involved. When your CV is easy to interpret, it allows technology to do its job and gives recruiters a clearer picture of how your experience translates into real-world impact. Use role-relevant language naturally Applicant tracking systems work by identifying alignment between your CV and the role requirements. That means the language you use matters. But only when it’s genuine. Review the job description carefully and reflect the terminology used where it genuinely applies to your experience. This helps systems recognise alignment while still sounding like you. This might include: Technical skills or methodologies Types of environments you’ve worked in Regulatory or compliance frameworks Project or operational contexts The goal isn’t repetition for its own sake, but clarity. If you’ve worked in highly controlled or safety-led settings, say so. That context is often as important as the role title itself. Keep structure clear and consistent Clear structure benefits automated screening and human review alike so they can quickly understand your career story. This is especially important where recruiters are reviewing CVs across multiple roles or large programmes of work. A well-structured CV makes it easier to see progression, responsibility, and relevance at a glance. Best practice includes: Standard section headings (Profile, Experience, Qualifications) Recognisable job titles Reverse-chronological experience Clean formatting without heavy graphics or columns Focus on impact, not just responsibility Listing responsibilities tells recruiters what you were hired to do. Showing impact explains how well you did it. This kind of detail is often what differentiates candidates in critical infrastructure within energy jobs or nuclear roles, where impact is closely tied to continuity, reliability and risk management. Where possible highlight: What you delivered or improved The scale or complexity involved The risks, constraints or standards you worked within Be honest and specific AI doesn’t reward exaggeration, and neither do recruiters. Overstating experience or using vague language may not stop your CV from passing an initial screen, but it will surface later. Usually at interview stage. Clear, specific detail builds confidence and trust. It also helps recruiters advocate for you when discussing your profile with hiring managers who are looking for proven capability. Do recruiters use AI detectors? There’s growing concern about whether recruiters actively check for AI-written CVs. In reality, most aren’t focused on detecting how a CV was written. Using tools to help structure or refine content isn’t an uncommon practice. What matters is the quality and accuracy of what’s presented. Red flags tend to be: Generic statements with no supporting detail Overly polished language that lacks substance Claims that don’t align with the candidate’s actual experience AI can help you write more clearly but ownership of the content always sits with you. Not sure how your CV is being interpreted? Working with a specialist recruitment partner can help you sense-check how your experience is coming across to both the systems and people making hiring decisions. Explore current roles or register your CV to get tailored guidance. Positioning your experience in an AI-led hiring market In delivery-critical sectors, such as utilities jobs and rail roles, CV screening still prioritises clarity, credibility, and relevance. Recruiters are looking for evidence that you understand the environments you’ve worked in, the standards you’ve operated under, and the impact of your contribution. AI may support the early stages of screening, but it’s your experience and track record that ultimately matter. A well-structured CV simply ensures that experience is visible from the outset.

International Energy Agency's Energy Employment Report: What It Means for the UK’s Next Decade

The global labour market is expanding rapidly. Employment in energy reached seventy six million people last year, growing at more than twice the rate of the wider economy. Clean technologies are now responsible for the majority of new jobs created. Solar, nuclear, grids, and storage are expanding employment at an unprecedented scale. The IEA captures this shift clearly, noting that “the electricity sector has become the world’s largest energy employer, driven by spectacular growth in clean energy investment.” Where many see constraint, the report points instead to a remarkable alignment of forces. Countries with the confidence to build training capacity, open new pathways and support people transitioning from adjacent industries are poised to capture long term economic, industrial and social value. For the United Kingdom in particular, this is not a story about scarcity. It is a story about potential. The UK has one of the most diverse industrial labour markets in the world, a deep engineering heritage, an increasingly ambitious clean energy programme and a workforce that is more mobile than ever before. With the right focus on development and reskilling, the UK can build the teams required for nuclear new build, offshore wind expansion, grid modernisation and clean transport at the pace needed. Rullion sees this opportunity clearly. Every day across nuclear, renewables, utilities and critical infrastructure, we see talented people ready to move, ready to train and ready to grow. The question is not whether the UK has the talent. It is how quickly we can build the pathways that unlock it. The Age of Electricity and the Rise of a New Workforce The headline figures of the report paint a picture of remarkable transformation. Global energy employment reached seventy six million people in 2024 and grew at more than twice the rate of the wider economy. The electricity sector has overtaken fuel supply as the largest energy employer for the first time in history. The IEA captures this shift clearly, stating that “the electricity sector has become the world’s largest energy employer, led by rapid growth in solar, grids and storage.” Solar power alone now employs five million people worldwide, while low emissions power has driven the vast majority of new roles created in the past year. The IEA calls this era the Age of Electricity. It reflects a structural shift that will define global energy systems for the next half century. As grids expand, renewables scale, and electrification replaces combustion in transport, heating and industry, human capability becomes the central currency of the transition. The technologies exist. The investments exist. The constraint is people. Yet the report also makes clear that this expansion is unevenly distributed. China dominates the manufacturing base for solar, batteries, heat pumps and other clean technologies. Emerging economies such as India and Indonesia are generating jobs at four to six percent annually. Advanced economies, including the UK, lag significantly behind. With older populations, more rigid labour markets and limited vocational throughput, they have seen energy employment grow at less than one percent. The IEA warns that “advanced economies face the slowest energy workforce growth and the most acute demographic pressures.” This imbalance exposes a strategic vulnerability. A nation that cannot produce the talent required to build and operate its own energy infrastructure becomes reliant on external supply chains and volatile global markets. It also becomes slower, more expensive and less competitive. The UK’s ambitions in nuclear new build, offshore wind, heat pumps, green transport and grid reinforcement depend on a workforce that does not yet exist at the necessary scale. A Workforce Expanding, Yet Straining at the Edges Nowhere are the tensions clearer than in the skilled trades. Electricians, welders, pipefitters, mechanical fitters and commissioning technicians represent the backbone of the energy system. These roles form more than half of the global energy workforce and are also where shortages are most acute. The report notes that “more than six in ten energy firms report persistent hiring difficulties, with applied technical roles the hardest to fill.” The construction boom across solar, wind, nuclear, grids and storage has created competition so intense that wages have risen sharply in many regions. Grid roles are especially constrained. Transmission and distribution now employ more than eight million people, yet growth is far below what electrification requires. The retirement profile is deeply concerning. The report emphasises that “between today and 2035, two out of every three new power sector hires will be needed just to replace retiring workers.” In advanced economies, the demographic imbalance is even more severe. These pressures manifest throughout the energy ecosystem. Manufacturing suffers from shortages in transformer specialists, switchgear technicians and high voltage cable jointers. Nuclear projects compete for the same welders and electricians required for offshore wind and defence. EV rollouts hinge on both digital skills and traditional trades. Even heat pumps, often discussed as a simple household retrofit technology, depend on retraining thousands of heating and HVAC engineers. When labour markets are this tight, delays become systemic. Project timelines lengthen. Costs rise. Productivity suffers. And the credibility of national energy strategies is placed at risk. Nuclear: A Sector Defined by Expertise and Threatened by Succession Among all energy subsectors, nuclear is the most exposed to demographic decline. Globally, the nuclear workforce is expanding, yet it remains one of the oldest and most specialised segments of the energy labour market. The report highlights the scale of the challenge, noting that “nuclear has the most severe ageing imbalance, with 1.7 workers nearing retirement for every young entrant.” For the UK, where nuclear new build is both a national priority and a cornerstone of future energy security, the implications are serious. Hinkley Point C has already demonstrated the scale of the workforce required for a gigawatt scale plant. Sizewell C will demand a similar or larger effort. Small modular reactors will require engineers with advanced competencies across digital control systems, materials science, reactor physics and high integrity construction. Defence nuclear and the emerging fusion sector compete for many of the same people, creating a labour congestion risk that the country cannot afford to ignore. The IEA points to France as an example of what can happen when maintenance capability and specialist expertise diminish, observing that “skill shortages have contributed to increased outages and reduced output in several advanced nuclear fleets.” This is a warning that the UK should take note of. Nuclear is a sector built on experience, precision and long cycles of talent development. Once expertise erodes, it cannot be regenerated quickly. If the UK is to deliver its nuclear ambitions, it must prioritise workforce planning with the same seriousness it applies to finance, regulation and site readiness. Electrification and the Emergence of New Talent Pathways Despite the severity of the challenges, the report contains a reason for optimism. Electrification does not only consume labour. It also generates new mobility across the wider economy. Manufacturing offers one of the clearest examples. Almost seventeen and a half million people in global vehicle manufacturing now work on electric vehicle technology. That shift has opened opportunities for workers with expertise in precision assembly, power electronics, automation and quality assurance. These skills transfer naturally into battery lines, grid equipment, robotics and advanced nuclear manufacturing. Heating engineers are moving into heat pump installation at growing rates. Aerospace and defence engineers are entering grid digitalisation, energy storage and fusion. Technicians and fitters from oil and gas are retraining into offshore wind, subsea cabling, hydrogen and large scale electrical integration. The IEA captures this shift succinctly, observing that “reskilling and cross sector mobility are now essential features of the energy labour market, driving new supply where traditional pipelines cannot keep pace.” This is one of the most encouraging findings of the report, because it demonstrates that the UK does not have a shortage of underlying talent. Instead, it has a shortage of structured, supported and scalable pathways that help people transition into energy roles. Pathways, not people, are the true constraint. The UK’s Workforce Challenge and Opportunity While the report groups the UK within the broader advanced economies category, its situation is distinctive. It is a mature energy system undergoing significant transformation. Nuclear new build, offshore wind expansion, grid modernisation, electric transport, solar growth and home retrofit programmes all overlap. They draw from overlapping labour pools, yet operate to different timetables and across different suppliers, contractors and regions. The UK’s workforce demographics compound the problem. The report notes that in advanced economies, “the number of workers approaching retirement is more than double the number of workers under 25.” That ratio is reflected across much of the British energy system. Vocational education output remains too low. And the occupations most vital to national delivery are the very ones most undersupplied: electricians, welders, commissioning engineers, cable jointers, plant operators and advanced technicians. Yet the UK also possesses one of the most diverse industrial bases of any advanced economy. Defence, aerospace, rail, automotive, manufacturing, construction and telecoms all hold talent that can transition into energy with the right support. These sectors form an untapped reservoir of capability, waiting to be unlocked. Building the Pathways: A Call to Action The IEA report offers a quantitative foundation for what UK employers already know. Labour is becoming the defining constraint of the energy transition. But this constraint is not inevitable. A nation can invest in vocational capacity, or it can accept undersupply. It can create mechanisms that promote reskilling, or it can allow other sectors to outcompete energy for talent. It can coordinate workforce planning across nuclear, renewables, utilities and transport, or it can allow programmes to clash and cannibalise one another. These choices will shape the next decade of UK industrial competitiveness. For employers, the conversation must shift from talent scarcity to talent creation. Experience and competence can be developed, but only when companies invest in structured training, early careers, cross sector transition and a change in hiring habits. For policymakers, investment in colleges, apprenticeships and regional clusters is no longer optional. For the UK, the costs of inaction will be measured not only in megawatts delayed or cost overruns absorbed, but also in lost strategic advantage. Rullion’s Perspective: Talent Is Not the Problem. Pathways Are. At Rullion, we see the reality of this challenge every day. Across energy and critical infrastructure, employers consistently report difficulty finding people. Yet when we look at the broader labour market, the potential talent is everywhere. It sits in sectors with transferable skills, in early careers populations who have never been exposed to energy as an option, in mid career workers seeking change and in communities eager for long term, well paid employment. This belief guides our models such as Train to Deploy. Instead of competing endlessly for the same small pool of candidates, we create the capability required for the sector, equipping people with the technical and practical skills needed to enter high demand roles. Our Early Careers teams bring young people into industries they might never have considered. Our cross sector programmes help workers transition from oil and gas, defence, aerospace, automotive and manufacturing into clean energy. We call this approach the Abundance Mindset. It is the belief that talent is plentiful when organisations are prepared to develop it, support it and welcome it. The IEA report reinforces this philosophy. The world is not short of electricians, fitters, technicians or engineers. It is short of ways to turn people into those professions. The Decade Ahead The World Energy Employment Report makes one conclusion unmistakable. The race for clean energy is rapidly becoming a race for talent. Capital will not be the limiting factor. Technology will not be the limiting factor. Workforce will be. For the UK, this is both a challenge and a remarkable opportunity. If we can change how we hire into roles, reform vocational education, scale reskilling, coordinate workforce planning and create genuine industrial clusters, it can not only deliver its energy transition but lead it. And if it builds the pathways, the people will come.