Career Information

Listed below are several places to begin collecting information on careers and job opportunities.

Disclaimer: Links to other Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.

The people close to you —your family and friends—can be extremely helpful in providing career information. They may be able to answer your questions directly or put you in touch with someone else who can. Networking can lead to meeting someone who can answer your questions about a specific career or company and provide inside information and other helpful hints. It is an effective way to learn the type of training they found necessary for a certain position, how they entered the field, their prospects for advancement, and what they like and dislike about the work.

Public libraries, career centers, and guidance offices . These institutions maintain a great deal of up-to-date material. To begin your library search, look at the computer listings under “vocations” or “careers,” and then under specific fields. Check the periodicals section, where trade and professional magazines and journals about specific occupations and industries are located. Become familiar with the concerns and activities of potential employers by skimming their annual reports and other public documents. Occupational information on video cassettes and computerized information systems or the Internet can be valuable. Don’t forget the librarians; they can be a great source and can save you valuable time by directing you to relevant information.

Check your school’s career centers for resources such as individual counseling and testing, guest speakers, field trips, books, career magazines, and career days.

Always assess career guidance materials carefully. The information should be current and objective. Beware of materials that seem to glamorize the occupation, overstate the earnings, or exaggerate the demand for workers.

Counselors. These professionals are trained to help you discover your strengths and weaknesses, evaluate your goals and values, and determine what you would like in a career. Counselors will not tell you what to do. However, they may administer interest inventories and aptitude tests, interpret the results, and help you explore various options. Counselors also may discuss local job markets and the entry requirements and costs of schools, colleges, or training programs. Counselors are found in:

• High school guidance offices
• College career planning and placement offices
• Placement offices in private vocational or technical schools and institutions
• Vocational rehabilitation agencies
• Counseling services offered by community organizations
• Private counseling agencies and private practices
• State employment service offices

Before employing the services of a private counselor or agency, you may want to seek recommendations and check their credentials. The International Association of Counseling Services (IACS) accredits counseling services throughout the country. Most of these accredited services are college and university services restricted to students of those schools. To receive a listing of accredited services for your region, send a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope to:

• IACS, 101 South Whiting St., Suite 211, Alexandria, VA 22304. Telephone: (703) 823-9840. Internet: http://www.iacsinc.org

The Directory of Counseling Services an IACS publication providing employment counseling and other assistance, may be available in your library or school career counseling center. A list of certified career counselors—most of whom are private, for-fee counselors—by city or State is available from:

• The National Board of Certified Counselors, 3 Terrace Way, Suite D, Greensboro, NC 27403-3660. Phone: (336) 547-0607. Internet: http://www.nbcc.org

Internet networks and resources. The growth of online listings has made countless resources instantly available at any time. Most companies, professional societies, academic institutions, and government agencies maintain Internet sites that highlight the organization’s latest information and activities.

Listings may include information such as government documents, schedules of events, and job openings. Corporate and government Web sites often provide job application information, including links for submitting resumes. Listings for academic institutions often provide links to career counseling and placement services through career resource centers, as well as information on financing your education. Colleges and universities also offer online guides to campus facilities and admission requirements and procedures.

The career information available through the Internet provides much of the same information available through libraries, career centers, and guidance offices. However, no single network or resource will contain all desired information, so be prepared to search in a variety of places. As in a library search, look through various lists by field or discipline, or by using keywords.

Career sites can be an excellent place to obtain information about job opportunities. They provide a forum for employers to list job openings and for individuals to post their resumes. Some Internet sites also may provide an opportunity to research a particular industry or company.

A major portion of the U.S. Department of Labor's Labor Market Information System is the CareerOneStop site, which operates as a Federal-State partnership. This site includes America's Job Bank (AJB), America's Career InfoNet, and America's Service Locator. CareerOneStop, along with the National Tollfree Helpline (877-US2-JOBS) and the local One-Stop Career Centers in each State, combine to provide a wide range of workforce assistance and resources. Internet: http://www.careeronestop.org.

America’s Job Bank (AJB), administered by the U.S. Department of Labor, lists more than 1 million job openings on any given day. These job openings are compiled by State employment service offices throughout the Nation. AJB is accessible at: http://www.ajb.org.

America’s Career InfoNet is an especially useful site. It provides data on employment growth and wages by occupation; the knowledge, skills, and abilities required by an occupation; and links to employers. Internet: http://www.acinet.org/acinet.

America’s Service Locator is a partnership between the U.S. Department of Labor, State governments, and local agencies to provide a comprehensive database of service providers accessible via telephone or the Internet by the public. Use of the database is free of charge and directs customers to a range of services available in their area, including unemployment benefits, job training, youth programs, seminars, education opportunities, and disabled or older worker programs, among others. Internet: http://www.servicelocator.org.

Career Voyages is the result of a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Education. It is designed to provide information on high-growth, high-demand occupations along with the skills and education needed to attain those jobs. Career Voyages is accessible at: http://www.careervoyages.gov.

Professional societies, trade associations, labor unions, business firms, and educational institutions. These organizations provide a variety of free or inexpensive career material. Many of these are listed in the sources of additional information section at the end of individual Handbook statements. For information on occupations not covered in the Handbook, consult directories in your library’s reference section for the names of potential sources. You may start with The Guide to American Directories or The Directory of Directories. Another useful resource is The Encyclopedia of Associations, an annual publication listing trade associations, professional societies, labor unions, and fraternal and patriotic organizations.

The National Technical Information Service Audiovisual Center, a central source for audiovisual material produced by the U.S. Government, sells material on jobs and careers. For a catalog, contact:

• NTIS Audiovisual Center, Springfield, VA 22161. Phone: (800) 553-6847. Internet: http://www.ntis.gov/nac

Federal Government. Information on employment with the Federal Government is available from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) through a telephone-based system. Consult your telephone directory under U.S. Government for a local number or call (703) 724-1850; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339. The first number is not tollfree, and charges may result. Information also is available from the OPM Internet site: http://www.usajobs.opm.gov.

Information and resources for potential applicants and current employees pertaining to Federal employment of people with disabilities is available at: http://www.opm.gov/disability.

Organizations for specific groups. The organizations listed below provide information on career planning, training, or job opportunities prepared for specific groups. Consult directories in your library’s reference center or a career guidance office for information on additional organizations associated with specific groups.

Disabled workers:

Counseling, training, and placement services for those with disabilities are available from the State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency: Internet: http://bcol02.ed.gov/Programs/EROD/org_list.cfm?category_ID=SVR.

Information on employment opportunities for people with all types of disabilities is available from:

• National Organization on Disability, 910 Sixteenth St. NW., Suite 600, Washington, DC 20006. Telephone: (202) 293-5960. TTY: (202) 293-5968. Internet: http://www.nod.org/economic.
• Half the Planet Foundation, 1875 Eye St. NW., 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20006. Internet: http://www.halftheplanet.org
• Job Accommodation Network (JAN). Internet: http://www.jan.wvu.edu.

A comprehensive Federal Web site of disability-related resources is accessible at: http://www.disabilityinfo.gov.

Blind workers:

Information on the free national reference and referral service for the blind can be obtained by contacting:

• National Federation of the Blind, Job Opportunities for the Blind (JOB), 1800 Johnson St., Baltimore, MD 21230. Phone: (410) 659-9314. Internet: http://www.nfb.org

Older workers:

• National Council on the Aging, 300 D St. SW., Suite 8010, Washington, DC 20024. Telephone: (202) 479-1200. Internet: http://www.ncoa.org.
• National Caucus and Center on Black Aged, Inc., Inc., Senior Employment Programs, 1220 L St. NW., Suite 800, Washington, DC 20005. Phone: (202) 637-8400. Fax: (202) 347-0895. Internet: http://www.ncba-aged.org.

Veterans:

Contact the nearest regional office of the U.S. Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service or:

• Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL), which explains how Army soldiers can meet civilian certification and license requirements related to their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). Internet: https://www.cool.army.mil/index.htm.

Women:

• Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau Clearinghouse, 200 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20210. Phone: (800) 827-5335. Internet: http://www.dol.gov/wb
• Wider Opportunities for Women, 1001 Connecticut Ave. NW., Suite 930, Washington, DC 20036. Phone: (202) 464-1596. Internet: http://www.wowonline.org

Federal laws, executive orders, and selected Federal grant programs bar discrimination in employment based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, and handicap. Information on how to file a charge of discrimination is available from U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission offices around the country. Their addresses and telephone numbers are listed in telephone directories under U.S. Government, EEOC. Telephone: (800) 669-4000 (TTY 1-800-669-6820).Internet: http://www.eeoc.gov