Websites

Working Careers
Workthing's career planning partner offers advice, information, products, publications and expert counselling on how to make the most of your career.
www.workthingcareers.com

Careers Gateway's career links
A comprehensive A-Z of careers. Click on a letter to find the job title of your choice and get contact details of that profession's relevant bodies and institutions as well as access to further careers information and education and training resources.
www.careers-gateway.co.uk

Open University
The Open University's Learner's Guide to Career Planning brings you tips on how to develop your career, including a Career Toolkit that contains a range of career planning resources (including fact sheets, exercises, advice and other useful links).
www3.open.ac.uk

Brilliant Careers
Although it is aimed at 16-24 year-olds, Channel 4's slick career planning site has much to offer older career planners too. Highlights include the Passport (in First things first - register quickly for free), which lets you build your unique profile and find jobs and vocations that match; and Areas of Work (in Get a Career), which details a plethora of vocations, what they're like, what you'll need, and some further contacts. You can also watch video profiles of people speaking about their jobs in The horse's mouth.
www.channel4.com/brilliantcareers/index.html

Powermingle
The advice of fellow professionals can be instrumental in making sure your career stays on the right track. This networking site enables you to sign up for free and make contact with other professionals.
www.powermingle.com

Business books
The following books offer tips on pinpointing and planning your perfect career, and new perspectives to get you thinking about what matters most in your career.

What colour is your parachute?
Richard N Bolles's job-hunting classic is in its 32nd year, and the 2002 edition will give you more than enough tips on how to identify and plan for the career you really want. It's now been revised to incorporate job-hunting on the internet too.

The A-Z of careers and jobs
By Irene Krechowiecka, this book covers over 300 vocations and gives you information on what each one involves, the qualities, training and qualifications you will need and has some useful contacts and typical salary ranges to boot.

The money or your life
An easily digestible and sometimes humorous book from John Clark that will make you stop and think about what you want from the world of work and hopefully set you on the way to a more rewarding career - spiritually and not financially speaking of course.

The work we were born to do
If you're taking stock of your career, Nick Williams gives you "a chance to explore how to bring more creativity, integrity, fulfilment and fun into your work".

The elephant and the flea
British management guru Charles Handy ponders the past, present and future of work, and should serve you some food for thought on where you see your place in the future workplace.

Labour market research
According to Paul Armstrong of Penna Consulting, "One of the keys to career planning is to look at labour market trends to get a picture of the environment and where it's going." The following sites will give you a broader picture of employment in the UK.

Confederation of British Industry
To keep up to date with labour market trends, listen to "the voice of business" in the UK.
www.cbi.org.uk

The Department for Education and Skills
Brings you news and statistics on what is happening in the UK with regards to skills, education and training.
www.dfes.gov.uk

Expertise in Labour Mobility
If you're planning a career overseas, this site gives you the lowdown on international trends, as well as advice and tips, publications and the True Globe Hopper Test (http://www.labourmobility.com/successfull_expat.htm), which assesses your suitability for an international career.
www.labourmobility.com

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