When you need careers advice, who do you turn to? Do you ask a family member or friend? Confide in a colleague? Someone who is doing the job already? A human resources or recruitment professional? All may be able to give you some help, but along with that help you have to make judgement calls as to whether that advice is impartial, accurate, timely, a matter of ‘this worked for me, it will for you too’, because they have vacancies in that career path or make money from you getting a job. Very often they are only giving advice based on the limitations of their own personal experiences and frequently they are not qualified to help you make career decisions.
We have been professionally trained in giving impartial careers advice, guidance and development, based on career theories, practices, current labour market information and intelligence and our own research into the publishing industry. Wherever our impartiality may be compromised, we will inform you of this, allowing you to make your own decisions. Through our qualifications we have been independently assessed and verified several times and found to be delivering advice and guidance to the highest national standards. We commit to a minimum of 20 hours of continuous professional development a year, to maintain these standards.
For many years we have been members of both the Association of Career Professionals UK and the Institute of Career Guidance. They have recently joined forces (along with ACEG and NAEGA) to become the Career Development Institute, bringing together a unified approach for those who are practicing in Career Guidance and Development. We are proud to be part of this new association and to have our name listed on the ‘National Register of Career Development Professionals’ and will aim to uphold the highest possible standards for Career Guidance and Development.
So if you are looking to make changes to your career, ensure that the person you choose to advise you is:-
1. A member of the Career Development Institute and working to the CDI code of ethics
2. Qualified to Level 6 or equivalent in Career Guidance and Development
3. Impartial; if there are any outside influences that may affect impartiality they will always be declared
4. Listed on the register of qualified Career Professionals
5. Insured to give Careers Advice, Guidance and Development
All of those who provide careers guidance under the bookcareers.com name meet all five criteria. Make sure any person who is giving you careers advice does the same. You wouldn’t trust an unqualified accountant to mess with your finances, why on earth would you trust someone who is not qualified in careers guidance to mess with your career?