Resources
Glossary of career tools and concepts
Clear definitions of the tools, models and concepts used in career development, employability and change management, with links to free resources from their authors and reference institutions.
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- Big Five personality traits
- A model that describes personality along five dimensions: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and emotional stability. It helps you see which environments and tasks fit your style. The versions we use are educational and not validated for diagnosis.Author: Costa & McCrae; Goldberg
- Career anchors
- The set of values and motivations you would not give up when choosing work, such as autonomy, security or service. Clarifying them helps you evaluate offers and changes.Author: Edgar H. Schein
- Energy log (Good Time Journal)
- A short daily record of the activities that energize or drain you and those in which you feel engaged. After a few weeks it reveals patterns that help you choose roles and tasks.Author: Bill Burnett y Dave Evans
- Growth mindset
- The belief that abilities develop through effort, strategy and feedback. It supports continuous learning and tolerance of mistakes.Author: Carol S. Dweck
- Holland interests (RIASEC)
- A theory that classifies interests and work environments into six types: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising and conventional. It helps you explore related occupations; our versions are educational and not validated.Author: John L. Holland
- Ikigai
- A Japanese concept about what gives life meaning; in career guidance it is used as an exercise crossing what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs and what you can be paid for. It is a reflection tool, not a test.
- Johari window
- A model crossing what you know about yourself with what others perceive, in four areas: open, blind, hidden and unknown. It encourages asking for and giving feedback to expand self-awareness.Author: Joseph Luft y Harrington Ingham
- VIA character strengths
- A classification of 24 character strengths grouped into six virtues. Knowing your top strengths helps you use them more at work; it is a self-awareness tool, not a diagnosis.Author: Christopher Peterson y Martin Seligman
- Wheel of life
- A visual exercise where you rate your satisfaction across life areas. It reveals imbalances and helps you choose where to focus.
Employability
- CAR method
- A shorter variant of STAR: context (or challenge), action and result. It is useful for writing achievements in your résumé or professional profile.
- Elevator pitch
- A short 30-to-60-second introduction about who you are, what you offer and what you are looking for. It is useful for networking, interviews and events.
- Empathy map
- A tool that describes what a person thinks, feels, sees, hears, says and does. In career work it helps you understand recruiters or clients and tailor your value proposition.Author: Dave Gray
- Informational interview
- A short conversation with someone working in a role or sector you are curious about, aimed at learning rather than asking for a job. It gives you real market insight and expands your network.
- Networking
- The practice of building and maintaining professional relationships based on mutual exchange. Many opportunities come through contacts, so it pays to cultivate it consistently.
- Personal brand
- The consistent way you communicate your professional value across your résumé, online profiles and conversations. A clear brand makes it easier for others to remember and recommend you.
- STAR method
- A structure for answering interview questions with examples: situation, task, action and result. It helps you give concrete, verifiable answers.
- Transferable skills
- Skills you built in one context that apply in another, such as communication, analysis or project management. Identifying them is key to changing sector or role.
Transitions
- Bridges' Transition Model
- Distinguishes external change from the psychological transition, which unfolds in three phases: ending, neutral zone and new beginning. It helps you understand why adapting to a new role takes time.Author: William Bridges
- Career adaptability
- Resources for coping with work changes: concern for the future, control, curiosity and confidence. It is part of career construction theory.Author: Mark L. Savickas
- Generativity
- A stage of adult development described by Erikson, focused on contributing to future generations. In careers it shows up as mentoring, legacy and purposeful work, especially in later stages.Author: Erik H. Erikson
- Neutral zone (Bridges)
- The in-between stage of the Bridges model, after letting go of the old and before the new takes hold. It often feels uncertain, yet it is fertile ground for exploring and redefining your professional direction.Author: William Bridges
- Outplacement
- A service an employer provides to departing employees to support their return to work. It includes guidance, résumé support, interview preparation and job-search strategy.
- Schlossberg's 4 S's
- A framework for assessing how you cope with a transition through four factors: situation, self, support and strategies. It helps you identify resources and weak spots before a career change.Author: Nancy K. Schlossberg
Planning and goals
- Circles of influence
- A tool that separates what concerns you from what you can influence or control. Focusing your energy on your circle of influence supports a proactive approach to your career.Author: Stephen R. Covey
- Eisenhower matrix
- A tool that sorts tasks by urgency and importance. It helps you prioritize and protect time for what matters, such as your professional development.
- GROW model
- A structure for conversations with your coach: goal, reality, options and will (next steps). It organizes sessions and helps you move from reflection to action.Author: John Whitmore
- Odyssey plan
- An exercise in which you sketch three possible versions of your next five years. It widens options and eases the pressure to find a single right path.Author: Bill Burnett y Dave Evans
- Personal OKRs
- A method combining an inspiring objective with measurable key results. Applied to your career, it helps you track progress quarterly.Author: Andy Grove
- SMART goals
- A criterion for writing goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. It turns broad career intentions into actionable steps.Author: George T. Doran
- SWOT analysis
- An exercise that maps your professional strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It gives you a quick overview to prioritize development actions.
- WOOP
- A four-step strategy: wish, outcome, obstacle and plan (if-then). It pairs imagining the outcome with anticipating your inner obstacle, which makes goals easier to sustain.Author: Gabriele Oettingen
Leadership and change management
- 360-degree feedback
- A process for gathering input on your performance from managers, peers, direct reports and others. It offers a broad view of how you are perceived and what to develop.
- Appreciative inquiry
- An approach to change that starts from what already works well to build the desired future. It is used with teams and in individual career reflection.Author: David Cooperrider
- Change management
- A set of practices to prepare and support people and teams through organizational change. It addresses communication, involvement and the human side of transition.
- Kolb's learning cycle
- An experiential learning model in four phases: experience, reflection, conceptualization and experimentation. It helps you learn deliberately from work experiences.Author: David A. Kolb
Job market
- ATS (applicant tracking system)
- Software employers use to receive, filter and rank applications. A simple format and keywords from the job posting help your résumé be read correctly.
- Reskilling
- Learning a different set of skills to move into another role or occupation. It often accompanies career changes or restructurings.
- Skills gap
- The difference between the skills you have and those a target role requires. Identifying it lets you plan specific learning.
- Upskilling
- Developing new skills to grow or stay current in your existing role. It is a common response to automation and technological change.
External resources belong to their authors and institutions. Self-awareness tools are educational: they are not a psychological diagnosis.