Career Exploration, Planning, and
Development
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General
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| The Riley Guide | One of the most important career tools on the Web. |
| About.com Job Searching | Lots of advice and links. |
| Career Babe | A cute site from career advisor Fran Quittel. Includes a resume tutorial. The site pushes her books and services, but it also includes an eclectic collection of advice for free. |
| College Grad Job Hunter | Lots of advice for new graduates. |
| Career Spot Employment Advice & Job Search Tips | Articles on a variety of job search topics. |
| Impact Publications Career Center | From Impact Publications, lots of advice. Good stuff, but also plugs for their publications. They are one of the biggest publishers of books in this area. |
| Job Hunter's Bible | A guide from Richard Nelson Bolles, author of the famous "Parachute" series. |
| JobWeb | Lots of advice and links. |
| Monster Career Advice | Lots of stuff from the job board that ate the universe. |
| Quintessential Careers | This site is owned by Katherine and Randall Hansen, noted for their many books on careers and job hunting. They sell a variety of services, but the site contains substantial content for free. Lots of advice and links. |
| Vault Career Topics | Vault publishes career, business, and industry information. Here they provide a collection of free advice, including a weekly newsletter. |
| Wetfeet Press | Wetfeet also publishes career, business, and industry information. Here they provide free information and opinions on a variety of employment topics. |
| WSJ Career Journal | Lots of advice and links. |
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Getting More Advice
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| Career counseling | A list of firms offering career counseling and coaching, for a fee. |
| Quintessential Careers | Another list of career coaches. |
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Career Exploration
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| Career Development Manual | This site, from the Office of Career Services at the University of Waterloo, is a multifaceted guide to career choice and planning. |
| Career Voyages | Career Planning Advice from the U.S. Department of Labor. |
| College Grad Job Hunter | Advice for new college grads on career choice and job searching. |
| Mapping Your Future | Career planning advice for students (middle school through graduate or adult learning), parents, and counselors. |
| Mind Tools | Resources for developing workplace skills. Advanced materials are for sale, but lots of basic advice available for free. |
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Career Profiles
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| O'Net Online | Information from the Federal Government on occupations. |
| Career InfoNet | Career profiles from the Department of Labor. |
| Career Links by Major | From Kansas State University, links to career choice and development resources, categorized by major. |
| College Board Majors and Career Profiles | Explore careers by category. Information is based on the Occupational Outlook Handbook. |
| Major Resources Kit | From the University of Delaware Career Services Center. |
| Monster Profiles | A selection of job profiles. |
| Vault Occupational Profiles | From a publisher of career and industry information, career profiles, occupational surveys, and articles on a day in the life of various professionals. |
| Wetfeet Career Profiles | From a publisher of career and industry information, a nice set of job profiles. |
| National Job Shadow Coalition | An organization that sponsors opportunities to spend time on the job with a professional. |
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Assessment Tools
For guidance on using personality and skills assessment tools, check out this article by Margaret Riley Dikel. |
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| Kiersey Temperament Sorter | A personality assessment instrument, similar to popular Briggs/Myers test. |
| Career Key | Applies the Holland Personality Test to career choice. |
| Campbell Interest and Skills Survey | Another personality and skills assessment, from U.S. News and World Report. |
| Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential | Another personality and skills assessment. |
| CareerFitter.com | More career choice tests and information on researching careers. |
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Career Outlook |
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| Occupational Outlook Handbook | Information from the U.S. Government on the future of occupations. Includes descriptions, salary ranges, and projections about future demand. Search for a specific occupation, or browse alphabetically or by category. Links provided to professional organizations for additional information. For information about labor markets in specific states, check out these links from the Riley Guide. |
| Bureau of Labor Statistics | More information from the US Government on labor trends, employment, regional economics, and other useful information for choosing a career or deciding where to look for a job. |
| Career Guide to Industries | More information from the US Government on careers in specific industry sectors. |
| America's Career InfoNet | Information on employment outlook. |
| Licensed Occupations | Many occupations require specific credentials. Get information about licensing requirements. For more information about certification and licensing, check out these links from the Riley Guide. |
| Careers
in Science and Engineering: A Student Planning Guide to Grad School and Beyond |
From National Academies Press, information about science careers. |
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Job Search Strategies
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| Career Center at Colorado College |
A collection of handouts on various aspects of job
hunting.
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| CareerActivist |
Advice from a noted Canadian career counselor.
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| College Grad Job Hunter |
Job search tips for new graduates.
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| Creative Job Search |
Lots of good advice from Minnesota Department of Economic
Security.
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| Impact Publications Career Center | Tips on conducting a job search on the Internet from Impact Publications. |
| Job/Work Search |
Job Search Strategies from the University of Waterloo
Career Development Manual. Check out steps 2, 3 and 4.
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| Job
Hunters Bible (What Color is Your Parachute ) |
A guide from Richard Nelson Bolles, author of the
famous "Parachute" series.
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| JobWeb |
Lots of advice. Look under the Students tab.
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| Joyce Lain Kennedy's Careers Now |
An advice column from a noted career consultant and
writer.
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| Knock 'Em Dead |
An eclectic mix of advice from Martin Yate, author
of the Knock 'Em Dead series. Some sales pitch for his books.
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| Vault |
From a prominent publisher of career information.
Check out the links under "Job Search Advice."
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| Winning The Job | |
| WSJ.com Career Journal |
The Wall Street Journal's career site offers
a wide variety of tips on career planning and development.
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| The Career Clinic |
This radio program features advice and discussion
by many stars in the career development field. Listen to the broadcast
via RealAudio.
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Resumes, CVs, and Job Search
Letters
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| About.com | Lots of useful information. Be sure to check out their samples of resumes, CVs and cover letters. Also tips on getting and writing good reference letters. |
| Academic Cover Letters | From the Online Writing Lab at Purdue, tips on writing a cover letter for a job in higher ed. |
| AfterCollege | Check out the following: Is your Resume "Byte-Able"? 15 Tips for Writing Winning Resumes Hypertext Resumes - Marketing Yourself Online |
| College Grad Job Hunter | Resume tips for new graduates. Cover letter tips, as well. |
| Cover Letters: How to Sell Yourself | From the Online Writing Lab at Purdue, tips on writing a cover letter for most types of jobs. |
| Creative Job Search | Resume tips from Minnesota Department of Economic Security. Also check out the section on Cover Letters and Thank You Notes. |
| Curriculum Vitae and Related Letters | From Colorado College Career Center. |
| Curriculum Vita Writing | From the University of Waterloo. |
| Damn Good Resumes | Advice from resume specialist Yana Parker. |
| Quintessential Careers | Lots of valuable advice for free. Fee-based resume services and professional advice also available. |
| Susan Ireland's Resume Guide | Tips and samples from an expert. |
| JobStar | Great resume tips, especially on electronic resumes and resume banks. |
| JobWeb | Resume tips. |
| Monster Resume Center | Resume and cover letter tips and samples. |
| Portfolio Library | Advice and samples for a career portfolio, from Martin Kimmeldorf, the portfolio guru. |
| ResumeTutor | From the University of Minnesota Office of Human Resources, a tutorial on resume writing. |
| The Riley Guide | Lots of advice on preparing a resume. |
| Vault
Resumes Vault Cover Letters |
A nice collection of free sample resumes and cover letters. |
| Wetfeet Resume Articles | Articles with advice on resumes and cover letters. |
| Writing a Letter of Recommendation | From a faculty member at MIT, this page is intended for faculty members and advanced graduate students; however, the information has application for any job hunter and her/his support network. |
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Researching Jobs and Employers
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| Before you go out on an interview, you will want to be knowledgeable about the job, the organization, the industry, and the geographic area in which the job for which you are interviewing is found. Your school's library, your local public library, and your school's career center (they help alums, too) are invaluable resources for this kind of research. | |
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Researching Jobs
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| If this is your first job, or you are a career changer, be sure that you know what is involved in the job for which you are interviewing. Check out the career profile sites listed above, and check the library for books on careers in your field. You can always get basic information from the Occupational Outlook Handbook. | |
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Researching Companies or Organizations
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| Some good links below, but you'll probably need to visit the library to do a good job. If the employer has Web site, visit it. Use the library's business reference sources to find out about the organization's products, services, organization, and finances. Search for news and business/professional press articles about the organization. Find out about the people at the top of the organization, and if possible, the people you will meet at the interview. | |
| FreeEDGAR | A commercial site offering free access to the EDGAR database. Use to find 10K reports (annual tax filings) for U.S. public corporations. This site requires registration. |
| Annual Report Service | Links to online annual reports. Some are in PDF format. May be requested in hard copy. |
| Hoovers Online | Offers limited free access to Hoover's company profiles. More information available for a fee. |
| Wetfeet Company Profiles | Very brief company profiles. Their Insider Guides book series provides in-depth information on selected companies, at a modest cost. |
| Guidestar | Free access to financial information about registered nonprofit organizations in the U.S. Registration is required. This information is hard to get elsewhere. |
| IdeaList | Information about nonprofit organizations. |
| Volunteer Action Center | From Florida International University. If you are interested in a career with a non-profit organization, you may be interested in these profiles. |
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Researching Industries
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| Find out everything you can about the state of the industry in which you are seeking employment. The business section at the library is a major resource. Look also for articles in the business/professional press. | |
| Webfeet Industry Overviews | Nice capsule overviews of selected major industries available for free. The Insider Guides provide in-depth information on selected industries, at a modest cost. Check your library's holdings before purchasing. |
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More resources
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| The Riley Guide | Links to lots of sites. |
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Interviews
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| About.com | Advice and examples of questions and answers. And don't forget those thank-you letters. Get samples and advice here. |
| Answering Interview Questions | A free tutorial on interviewing and negotiation. |
| College Grad Job Hunter | Good articles for college seniors and new grads. |
| Creative Job Search | Interview tips from Minnesota Department of Economic Security. |
| Career Tools: Interviewing | Tips from Harvard University Office of Career Services. |
| job-interview.net | Sample questions, practice interviews, and other advice. |
| JobWeb | Check out the links under "Interviews & Resumes." |
| Monster Interview Center | Advice, sample questions, and follow-up tips. |
| Quintessential Careers | Lots of advice on interviewing. |
| Susan Ireland's Resume Guide | Tips on interviewing, as well. |
| Vault Interviewing | Advice and sample questions. Also sample thank you letters. |
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Taking a Job
Information on negotiating, transitions, and relocation |
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| About.com Compensation Center | Negotiation tips and salary information. Also, help writing acceptance, rejection, and resignation letters. |
| College Grad Job Hunter | Follow the links for "salaries" and "job offers," as well as "new job." |
| Employment First | From the University of Nebraska, practical advice on managing personal and professional transitions to the workplace. |
| Career Manual: Work Offers and Acceptance | From the University of Waterloo. |
| Monster Salary Center | Advice about money and negotiations. |
| Susan Ireland's Resume Guide | Negotiation advice, too. |
| Salary Negotiations | Advice from Jack Chapman, author of a classic book on salary negotiation |
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Salary Guides
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| Compensation and Benefits Reports | From Abbott, Langer, and Associates. Information on current salary and benefit levels. |
| Salary Expert | Lots of great information for free. More extensive reports are fee-based. |
| Salary Surveys | From JobStar. |
| www.salary.com | Find average salaries by job category and location. Customized reports available for a fee. |
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Relocation
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| Homefair.com | Lots of relocation advice, nationwide apartment search and online realty listings. |
| School Search | From the National Center for Education Statistics. |
| RealEstateJournal | All kinds of information about buying, selling and owning a home, including relocation advice. |
| Relocation Central | Apartment listings for selected metropolitan areas. |
