Have you ever found a job that sounds perfect, started reading the description and slowly talked yourself out of applying?

“I haven't done that before.”

“I don't have exactly the right experience.”

“I've been out of work for a while.”

“I've spent too long in a completely different industry.”

“There are probably people applying who are much more qualified than me.”

And, just like that, you've decided you're not right for the job before the employer has even had the opportunity to decide for themselves.

For National Inclusion Week, we're celebrating a simple idea: everyone deserves opportunities.

Careers don't all follow the same route. Some are straight lines. Others have unexpected turns, stops, restarts and complete changes of direction.

What matters is recognising the skills, experience and potential you've picked up along the way – and learning how to talk about them without selling yourself short.

You don't need to tick every box

Job descriptions can be intimidating.

You read the first few requirements and think, yes, I can do that. Then you reach one you've never done before and suddenly forget everything you can do.

And research suggests that this hesitation can have a real impact on who actually puts themselves forward for opportunities.

LinkedIn's 2019 Global Gender Insights Report found that women apply to 20% fewer jobs than men, despite browsing a similar number of opportunities. Yet, when women do apply, they are 16% more likely to be hired.¹

It's an interesting reminder of what can happen when we rule ourselves out too early. You might not feel like you meet every requirement, but that doesn't necessarily mean an employer will see it the same way.

Your experience doesn't need to mirror a job description word for word.

In fact, 76% of UK employers reported difficulty recruiting skilled talent in 2025.²

So rather than focusing only on what you haven't done, look at what you can bring.

Perhaps you've never worked in a warehouse, but you've spent years in hospitality working at pace, following processes and working as part of a team.

Maybe you've never had 'Customer Service Advisor' as your job title, but you've dealt with customers every day in retail.

Or perhaps you're looking at your first management opportunity. You've never officially been called a manager, but you've trained new starters, stepped up when your supervisor was away and become the person colleagues turn to for help.

Those experiences count.

Instead of:

“I've never done this exact role before.”

Think:

“What have I done that shows I could do it?”

Confidence isn't about being the loudest person in the room

Picture two people walking into an interview.

One talks about everything they've achieved. The other has equally valuable experience but starts every answer with:

“I only…”

“I just…”

“I'm not sure if this counts, but…”

Which version sounds more confident?

For many people, talking about themselves doesn't come naturally. And if you've experienced rejection, been away from work or you're trying something completely new, it can feel even harder.

But confidence doesn't mean walking into an interview believing you know everything. It means recognising what you do know.

Research from Indeed found that 89% of UK professionals surveyed felt confident in their ability to adapt to workplace change.³

Before an interview, spend ten minutes writing down three things you're genuinely proud of from your working life.

Maybe you solved a problem, learnt something new, helped a colleague, dealt with a difficult situation calmly or hit a target you didn't think you'd reach.

They don't need to be huge, award-winning moments. They're simply evidence of what you can do.

Your transferable skills don't belong to one job

Imagine you've worked in hospitality for ten years and now want to move into an office-based role.

At first glance, the two worlds might look completely different. But look again.

You've communicated with hundreds of different people. You've handled complaints. You've worked under pressure. You've prioritised several things at once. You've solved unexpected problems. You've worked in a team.

These are transferable skills – skills you've developed in one role or industry that can be valuable in another.

You aren't leaving all that experience behind when you change careers. You're taking it with you.

Transferable skills such as communication, teamwork, adaptability and problem-solving aren't confined to one job title or industry.

So, when you're looking at your CV, don't just ask:

“What jobs have I done?”

Ask:

“What transferable skills have those jobs given me?”

There's a big difference.

Changing career doesn't mean starting again

There's an old-fashioned idea of a career: you choose what you want to do, get a job in that field, work your way up and stay on that path until retirement.

Real life doesn't always work like that.

People change. Industries change. Priorities change.

Sometimes an opportunity appears that you'd never considered before. Sometimes you realise that what you wanted five or ten years ago isn't what you want anymore.

And you're certainly not alone.

Around 2.9 million people in the UK changed jobs in 2025, with approximately 1.2 million switching career paths and leaving their previous industry entirely.⁴

Changing direction doesn't erase everything you've learnt so far.

A retail worker moving into recruitment doesn't suddenly lose their communication skills.

A parent returning to work hasn't forgotten how to organise, prioritise or solve problems.

Someone who's been made redundant doesn't lose the knowledge and experience they built over the previous ten years.

Your next chapter doesn't have to look like your last one for the previous one to have value.

Different journeys deserve opportunities too

National Inclusion Week is also a reminder that not everybody experiences the world of work in the same way.

Some people encounter barriers that others don't.

For example, the employment rate for working-age disabled people in the UK was 52.8% in April to June 2025, compared with 82.5% for non-disabled people – a gap of 29.7 percentage points.⁵

Behind statistics like these are millions of individual people, each with their own skills, experiences and ambitions.

Inclusion isn't about expecting everyone to follow the same route. It's about recognising that different experiences can bring different strengths and ensuring people have the opportunity to demonstrate what they can do.

Before you decide you're not good enough…

Next time you find a job you like and that little voice starts listing all the reasons you shouldn't apply, give yourself a moment.

Read the advert again.

This time, instead of highlighting everything you haven't done, look for everything you have.

What transferable skills could you bring? What examples could you give? What have you learnt? What could you learn? And what might you bring that somebody with a completely different career journey couldn't?

You don't need to pretend you're perfect. You don't need to exaggerate your experience.

And you definitely don't need to become somebody else to stand out.

Sometimes, it's simply about recognising the value in the experience you already have – and being confident enough to talk about it.

Because your career doesn't need to look like everybody else's.

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At Acorn by Synergie, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to show what they can do. As a Disability Confident employer, we're committed to creating an inclusive recruitment experience and helping to ensure that disabled people and those with long-term health conditions have opportunities to fulfil their potential.

So, if you see an opportunity with Acorn by Synergie that interests you, don't let one unticked box automatically make the decision for you.

Look at the experience you have, the transferable skills you can bring and the potential you have to learn.

Your career journey might look different – and that's exactly the point.

Everyone deserves opportunities.