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Making Short Work of the Job Search

By Marilyn Rosenthal, Assistant Professor and Reference Librarian, Nassau Community College Library, Garden City, New York, and a longtime LJ reviewer in career reference.

The current job market can be a jungle. Although the media report high corporate profits, low unemployment, and a bright hiring outlook for college graduates, each year more than 40 million Americans look for work. Whether one is searching for an entry-level position, changing jobs, switching careers, or reentering the workforce, competition remains fierce. With employment a continuing concern, patrons turn to libraries for guidance and information.

Libraries' efforts to help patrons involve services from career counseling to seminars on resume writing and interviewing techniques. However, these endeavors only supplement libraries' primary goal: furnishing timely information. Therefore, it is crucial that collections be reevaluated on an ongoing basis, with appropriate formats (e.g., print, audiovisual, CD-ROM, online) considered. To do this, librarians must first analyze what it is that job seekers require.

The job-search process incorporates several activities: self-assessment, research, networking, locating job listings, resume and cover-letter writing, and interviewing. Certainly, patrons can acquire information for research and networking purposes from standard business and association directories, annual reports, and periodical articles obtained from print indexes or CD-ROM databases. Additionally, job ads can be retrieved from such periodicals as the Wall Street Journal's National Business Employment Weekly or National Ad Search, as well as journals and newspapers like the New York Times. Articles on current topics related to career development can be found in other periodicals such as Career Opportunities News and Occupational Outlook Quarterly.

For librarians collecting materials, there is a vast, ever-increasing amount of literature varying in quality, cost, and focus. Resources are either aimed at the general job-hunter and thus all-encompassing (e.g., Richard Bolles's The 1997 What Color Is Your Parachute?, see p. 147), or, as is increasingly the case, targeted to specific fields, groups of individuals, and even geographic areas. They may be ready-reference (encyclopedias, handbooks, and almanacs, among others) or circulating materials. Some are also obtainable in CD-ROM format. Certain authors and publishers prevail (e.g., Robert Adams, John Wiley) but certainly do not dominate. A few of the standard volumes emerge from the U.S. government and then are reprinted by other publishers (e.g., The Big Book of Jobs, VGM Career Horizons, 1997). Many are updated on a yearly basis. At any rate, books added to the career collection should be based on the usual criteria for selection: authority, scope, timeliness, accuracy of information, purpose, audience, and cost, among other factors.

Vast resources on the web

Not to be overlooked is the wealth of information available within the last few years through the World Wide Web. The web' s vast resources include current job openings and classifieds; the newest company and trade data located through databases or references; sites that provide tips on resume and cover-letter writing and interviewing, as well as places to post resumes; and newsgroups and mailing lists. These offer job seekers the opportunity to do research, network, and demonstrate cutting-edge technical skills to an employer. Such general resources as the The Virtual Library and Yahoo! provide the user with a great starting point in the form of a list of links arranged by, subject. (For specifics on finding employment via the web, see "Riley's Guided Tour: Job Searching on the Net," LJ, September 15, 1996, p. 24-27.)

It is imperative to note that information found on the web does not replace what is found through traditional sources. However, because of the web's up-to-the-minute and interactive features, it presents material that may be especially valuable. Librarians must teach patrons to search through its monstrous maze, evaluate sources, and develop criteria for judging the information. The publishing world is witnessing a proliferation of guides to job searching on the Internet. While many of these are quite useful, they go out of date almost instantly. With this in mind, libraries might try The Internet Job Source newsletter, formerly known as The Job Source, and updated every three weeks (PO Box 45, Guilderland, NY 12084; 518-869-9279).

Covering all formats

The following annotated list has been designed as an overview. A library's core collection should consist of reference sources (including guides to internships) as well as general materials that address the various activities involved in the job-search process. In addition, it must include electronic guides and videos. (For more on videos, see "Working with Job Search Videos," Collection Development, LJ, April 1, 1993, p 71-74.) Some helpful current web sites have also been included. Most libraries with tight budgets will want to concentrate on more general resources.

Reference:

  • The Adams Jobs Almanac. Bob Adams. For over 10,000 employers, this handy, inexpensive reference locates jobs by industry (a difficult arrangement to find). Also in CD-ROM (see below).
  • America's Top 300 Jobs: A Complete Career Handbook Based on the Occupational Outlook Handbook (see below), this important resource provides descriptions of more than 300 jobs, with projections for the 500 largest occupational fields.
  • The Career Guide: Dun's Employment Opportunities Directory. Dun & Bradstreet. Published annually, this directory lists more than 5000 major U.S. companies that expect to hire during the coming year. Expensive but useful because of an invaluable index that identifies jobs by discipline.
  • The Complete Guide for Occupational Exploration An Easy-To-Use Guide to Exploring over 12,000 Job Titles Based on Interests, Experience, Skills, and Other Factors. list Works. Used for initial occupational investigation, this volume identifies career clusters and jobs of interest. It allows the helpful matching of interests and skills with job characteristics.
  • Dictionary of Occupational Titles. The basis for other publications such as The Occupational Outlook Handbook, this guide, put together by the government, classifies almost every occupation and assigns a title and code to each. A standard.
  • The Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance. While the first volume evaluates 26 industries with data on their histories, structures, career paths, and outlook, the others contain details of specific jobs. An excellent resource for initial occupational exploration.
  • Job Hunter's Sourcebook: Where To Find Employment Leads and Other Job Search Resources. For 155 careers, this valuable source identifies specialized periodicals with help-wanted ads, placement and job referral services, and more. Supplies the job-hunter with a place to start.
  • Job Seeker's Guide to Private and Public Companies. Divided geographically by region into four volumes, this outstanding publication profiles 15,000 U.S. firms. The geographic arrangement allows libraries that are unable to afford the expense of the whole set to purchase individual regional volumes.
  • Krantz, Les. National Business Employment Weekly Jobs Rated Almanac. This unusual resource ranks 250 jobs according to their working environment, security, stress, income, employment outlook, physical demands, travel opportunities, benefits, and perks. Another plus is the guidance for career changers.
  • Krantz, Les. The World Almanac Job Guide This excellent, comprehensive sourcebook provides information on 1000 large U.S. employers, career counselors, employment agencies, temp agencies, and recruiters. Among the wide variety of information offered in one volume is guidance on the use of the Internet in the job-search process.
  • Lauber, Daniel. Professional Job Finder. Planning Communications Lauber steers the job-hunter to 3000 sources advertised in specialized periodicals; through search firms and job-matching services; on hotlines; and on the World Wide Web. A good place to start for the professions.
  • The National JobBank Alphabetically arranged by state, this extensive directory encompasses more than 20,000 employer profiles, with a slew of pertinent information. Also available in separate volumes for each state.
  • Occupational Outlook Handbook. Descriptions of 250 occupations are provided here, with the latest information on salaries, projected outlook, related occupations, skills required, education or training, and working conditions. A necessary tool for the beginning job-hunter. Issued annually.
  • Petras Kathryn and Ross Petras. The Essential Job Hunting Guide. Issued annually, this inexpensive guide profiles industries and jobs within the industries along with trends, best employment opportunities, and top companies. This presents a wealth of timely data in an easy-to-use format.
  • Plunkett, Jack W. The Almanac of Employers The Only Guide to the Hottest, Fastest-Growing Major Corporations. A valuable tool containing annual profiles and rankings of the nation's 500 most successful large corporations with 5000 or more employees. Data list salaries and benefits, financial stability, and advancement opportunities.
  • Wright, John. The American Almanac of Jobs and Salaries This excellent, inexpensive work, revised regularly, furnishes salaries and other pertinent informations for hundreds of occupations and professions.

General Job Search:

  • Bolles, Richard Nelson. What Color Is Your Parachute?: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Job-Changers. Revised annually and divided into two volumes within the same binding, this classic self-assessment manual emphasizes a step-by-step approach to estimate where the job-hunter's interests lie and which career to pursue. The first volume features essential data; the second is a workbook and resource guide.
  • Career Information Center. Each volume of this work focuses most usefully on a different career and includes job profiles with salary data, essays on career issues, sample letters, and job resumes.
  • Farr, J. Michael. How To Get a Job Now!: Six Easy Steps to Getting a Better Job. Farr offers concise, easy-to-use self-assessment advice and tips on identifying and researching jobs, resume writing, and interviewing. For job-hunters in a hurry.
  • Krannich, Ronald L. Change Your Job, Your Life: High Impact Strategies for Finding Great Jobs in the 21st Century. Krannich, respected author of career books, outlines key career issues, from understanding the job market, identifying the best jobs, and conducting research to writing resumes and more.
  • Yate, Martin. Career Smarts: Jobs with a Future. Yate offers nuts-and-bolts information on industries and more than 175 occupations in terms of job responsibilities, working conditions, expected growth, required skills, and education.
  • Yate, Martin. Knock 'Em Dead In this longtime source, Yate provides an excellent how-to with tips on answering tough interview questions, handling negotiations, coping with drug and psychological testing, and facing layoff or downsizing.

Cover Letters:

  • The Adams Cover Letter Almanac. With 600 excellent individualized samples, this comprehensive resource provides detailed how-to information including strategies for career changers.
  • Beatty, Richard H. High-Impact Cover Letters. This useful tool discusses the basics, furnishing 175 sample cover letters to employers and search firms; examples of response letters to advertising; and thank you, networking, and resume letters.
  • Beatty, Richard H. The Perfect Cover Beatty has written a good introduction to cover-letter writing, discussing such things as their purpose and use. He offers tips on good and bad composition and guidelines for follow-up.

Resumes:

Interviewing:

Internships:

Internet Resources:

CD-ROMs:

  • Adams Electronic Job Search Almanac. Based on the book of the same name (see above), this product permits access to the listings of over 10,000 employers with similar information.
  • Occupational Outlook Handbook on CD-ROM Compiled by the government, but produced by an independent publisher (as is the print version, above), this CD-ROM provides the same information located in the handbook. Searches generate 7500 occupational reports on any of 250 jobs and cross references to over 7500 more specific ones.

Copyright 2006, The ECU Career Center
The Job Seekers Toolkit v3 was compiled by Alexander Marciniak