What Do I Want?

Your career effectiveness will be influenced by the match between you as a person, you role and your work environment; also your ability to offer the skills, attributes and behaviours required in a post. Self awareness and personal insight are key to good career planning and choices.

The following resources can help you to take stock of where you are you are, what you want and what you can offer in your career.

Books

Know yourself – The Individual’s Guide to Career Development in Healthcare. Houghton, A. Radcliffe Publishing 2005

The Roads to Success – a practical approach to career planning for medical students, foundation trainees (and their supervisors) Elton, C and Reid J, Scribe Publications 2006

Prescription for Change: for Doctors Who Want a Life: Susan E Kersley, Radcliffe Publishing 2006

Build Your Own Rainbow: Workbook for Career and Life Management. Hopson, B and Scally, M. Kogan Page 2000

The Art of Building Windmills: Career Tactics for the 21^st Century. Dr Peter Hawkins (Graduate Employment Unit)

What Colour is your Parachute? Richard Nelson Bolles. Ten Speed Press 2000

Self-Assessment Tools

Deanery Tools

• Download and complete the activities in our Career Self-Assessment and Action Plan; this can be used as a basis for discussion with Educational Supervisors and others with whom you discuss your career.

NHS Medical Career Tools

• The UK Medical Careers website contains a range of self-assessment activities to help you consider your career values, interests, personal and work preferences plus many more resources to help you with decision-making for your future career.
• Sci59 - online self assessment inventory, gives 10 specialties most likely to enjoy and 10 which will be a challenge. Free to BMA members via their website. This can help to generate ideas but not to propose what you should actually pursue!

General Tools

• Prospects Planner - a graduate career planning inventory which suggests matches to a wider range of occupations. Go to "What Jobs would Suit Me?"
• Windmills - a free career development website with a "virtual career coaching" section - lots of thought-provoking self assessment activities, helping you assess work values, career/life priorities and transferable skills.
• Team Technology - hosts a short version of the popular Myers Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI profile) under "free personality tests", also other tools to develop skills areas such as teamwork, communication etc.