Surfing To A New Career
by Marilyn Kemp

Beyond a Job

Creating a successful career takes careful research and planning, and the Internet is a great place to start. Most search engines equate "career" with "job search". Google, Yahoo, Excite, Alta Vista, and Lycos each have a special content category called "Careers".

By following links from these sites, you will find information on job listings, resume preparation, and recruitment firms, but little about planning a career. Here are a few sites that address work issues with a broader perspective:

CareerBuilder.com

iVillage.com

Monster.com

Career Planning

If you are new to seeking employment, Dick Bolles, author of What Color Is Your Parachute? has a useful web site at JobHuntersBible.com.

Career planning gems are also tucked away in the web pages of governmental and educational institutions. The site CareerPathsOnline.com from BC and the Yukon has thought-provoking articles such as "Thinking in the Future Tense" and "A Career I can Live With".

The University of Manitoba has excellent Career Resource pages.

Bowling Green State University lists both on-line and on-campus resources.

Get Local

To find opportunities near your home, access the web site of a university or community college near you and browse their Student Services section. Some institutions offer in-person counseling and most maintain a library of local resources. These sites will contain good general information about Getting a Job and Career Planning.

Online Testing

Self-assessment testing can help you clarify your talents and interests. The Keirsey Temperament Sorter, similar to the Myers-Briggs test, is available at www.keirsey.com. At www.queendom.com, you will find Personality, Intelligence and Attitudinal tests developed by Cyberia Shrink, a pseudonym for the site’s author and editor, and the Test Junkie Page links to tests not developed at that site. From the Test Junkie Page, you can complete the "Employment Search Readiness Inventory" at EmploymentGuide.com, fill in the form "Are You the Entrepreneurial Type?" from Innonet in Switzerland, or work through a mock job interview from Kaplan Mind Games without charge. If are willing to pay $30-45 for the results, the Marksman Personality Test will provide you with on-line testing that matches your personality with jobs and occupations.

A Family Friendly Career

At familyfriendly.com, there is support for women experiencing conflicts between family and career and for all who want to make career choices with a focus on enhancing family life. If you have not been employed outside the home for a while, link to "Evaluate the Opportunities Available" from the "Women and Opportunity" section for hints on re-entering the workforce.

Towards Life Planning

Researching your life’s work is neither quick nor easy. Technology cannot replace the searching you must do inside yourself. But once you have found the career that suits your temperament and values, you will have also made great progress in planning a successful life.