Current career planning tools

Many online career planning resources provide users with a bank of questions and a ‘black box mechanism’ that presents ‘answers’. Career Weaver is designed to enable users to uncover and define for themselves hidden (or part hidden) aspects of their habits, preferences and patterns of work that relate to their successes and life satisfaction. By bringing together a diverse set of exercises, Career Weaver offers various structured approaches and language, differing from most tools in this field that uses a single lens approach.

Oxford technology: Career Weaver

The Careers Service at the University of Oxford has developed a distinctive approach to career planning with this web-based application. Career Weaver challenges and guides users to identify their underlying career drivers, facilitating both a richer understanding and clearer articulation of those drivers.

The range of exercises embedded within Career Weaver creates a stimulating and engaging electronic environment. The variety in the methods of play promotes exploration and embraces differing work styles and preferences so that everyone can uncover, define and capture their most important work-related drivers.

Using Career Weaver

Career Weaver may be used to improve focus and understanding of personal goals and developmental needs for people in employment. For students, graduates/alumni and job seekers, Career Weaver can enable a focussed job search, and improve the quality of applications and interview performance throughout the job-hunting process.

Career Weaver is currently provided by the Oxford University Careers Service as a stand-alone tool to support independent reflection and career planning by individuals. It is also fully integrated into the workshops and discussions that are central to the advisory service offered to students, alumni, and University staff. We at Oxford believe that the tool could be of interest to the career services of other HE institutions, as well as private individuals and staff in work settings.

With additional development, the content and style of Career Weaver could be adapted to suit a younger audience such as school children or young people in key stages three or four.