Career Information and Job Hunting: A Research Guide

Job seekers looking for new career opportunities will find the resources listed below a great starting point for their job hunt. Resources include career exploration for those just entering the workforce to midlife career changes for experienced workers. Researchers will also find answers to some of the more difficult questions such as matching your college major and preferred skills to an occupation. Once a field or job title is identified career exploration leads to identifying potential employers or sources for job advertisements in the chosen field. Librarians are also available to help guide the way to uncover even more sources of information including the education that may lead to a degreed or certified position or specialized directories of company information. The terms and phrases listed in the subject headings below can be used to search for more materials in the library’s catalog and research databases. If you need further assistance, please ask a librarian.

Guide to Internet Job Searching 2004–2005 by Margaret Riley Dikel. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004. ISBN: 007141374X.
Offers expert advice on how to find and use Internet resources to run a successful online job hunt. Includes use of bulletin boards, job listings, recruiter information, discussion groups, and resume posting services.

What Color Is Your Parachute?, 2004: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers by Richard Nelson Bolles. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2003. Annual. ISBN: 1580086152.
Completely revised edition. Provides a step-by-step plan for finding meaningful work.

America’s Career InfoNet
www.acinet.org
Find wages and employment trends, occupational requirements, state by state labor market conditions, millions of employer contacts nationwide, and the most extensive career resource library online.

Career Guide to Industries
http://stats.bls.gov/oco/cg/
Provides information on available careers by industry, including the nature of the industry, working conditions, employment, occupations in the industry, training and advancement, earnings and benefits, employment outlook, and lists of organizations that can provide additional information.

Major Resource Kits, MBNA Career Services Center, University of Delaware
www.udel.edu/CSC/mrk.html
These kits help answer the question, “What do I do with a major in…” Matches college majors with relevant job titles.

Occupational Outlook Handbook. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, biennial.
www.bls.gov/oco/
Handbook describes what workers do on the job as well as working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings, and expected job prospects in a wide range of occupations.

O*Net OnLine
http://online.onetcenter.org
Find occupations by title, classification, and by skill.

Associations on the Net, The Internet Public Library
www.ipl.org/div/aon/
Search for associations in your area of interest. Trade associations in a particular subject area usually offer career information.

Careers in Real Estate, Realtor.org
www.realtor.org/realtororg.nsf/pages/careers
Provides brief information on various careers in real estate including information on where to find more.

MedCareers
www.medcareers.com
Web site about medical, nursing, and healthcare industry.

Nursing Careers, NurseWeek.com
www.nurseweek.com/career/
Provides brief overview of specific jobs in the nursing field.

Today’s Military
www.todaysmilitary.com
Provides background information on all types of military careers.

Many job hunters interested in particular jobs or jobs in certain industries can look to many resources in order to identify employers that hire workers in their area of interest. Once identified, job seekers can continue to monitor the employer's Web site or job line for upcoming employment opportunities. Specialized directories, business directories, and even the local yellow pages can help identify potential employers. State Employment Officers often have lists of the state's largest employers.

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America’s Job Bank
www.ajb.dni.us
Lists jobs from 1,800 State Employment Service offices nationwide.

CareerBuilder
www.careerbuilder.com
Post resumes, search job listings, and more.

Monster Board
www.monster.com
Offers a wide range of career-related resources including job, career, and networking information.

The Riley Guide
www.rileyguide.com
A very thorough and current guide to job hunting and career information. Includes a comprehensive list of job banks and recruiting sites.