With the economy in chaos and unemployment rising, we begin a timely series of articles for job searchers, based on the “Job Searching Online” class offered regularly at Phoenixville Public Library. The purpose of these columns is to highlight free websites and online databases jobseekers will find useful in the different stages of a job search. Today we focus on websites that will help jobseekers investigate particular occupations or their own career paths.
Dr. John Holland theorized that people and work environments can be loosely classified into six different groups or personality types. These Holland Codes (realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional) form the basis of the Career Interests Game (http://career.missouri.edu/students/explore/thecareerinterestsgame.php).
This seriously fun website, from the University of Missouri Career Center, is designed to help you match your interests and skills with particular career choices. Clicking on one of the six Holland Codes brings up a page describing that personality type, interests and hobbies that relate to that type, and a list of career possibilities. The career titles are linked to their corresponding page in the Occupational Outlook Handbook (described below), offering detailed information about that career.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook (http://www.bls.gov/oco) is the online version of the well-known publication of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This simple-to-use website features searchable profiles of hundreds of jobs, describing what workers do on the job; working conditions; typical training, education and recommendations for advancement; typical earnings; current and projected employment levels; and overall job outlook.
Job seekers wishing to investigate a particular industry before deciding on a specific career path should check out the online companion to the above site, the Career Guide to Industries (http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg), also from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The nature of the industry, working conditions, current employment levels and outlook, occupations in the industry, and training and advancement are described here, in addition to contact information for and links to sources of additional information about the industry.
The U.S. Department of Labor sponsors America’s Career InfoNet (http://www.acinet.org/acinet), a good source of statistical information on the job market and some unique career exploration tools. Hundreds of occupations are profiled, and detailed state-specific wage, employment trends, and job skills reports can be generated. Wage and employment trend comparisons can be made among states, MSAs, and even local areas. Highlights of the Career Tools section of the website include career videos; an employer locator; an employability checkup, which assesses your prospects for finding the same career at the same salary level and in the same location; finders for providers of occupational licensing, certification, education, and training; a skills profiler, which matches your skills to jobs needing those skills; and a career resource library of articles and websites.
The O*NET (Occupational Information Network) system, developed for the Labor Department, serves as a primary source of comprehensive information on key worker attributes and job characteristics. O*NET Online (http://online.onetcenter.org) lets you browse or search thousands of occupations to learn about their tasks; tools and technology used; knowledge, skills, and abilities required; work activities; work environment; job zone, a classification of required experience and education; work styles and values; wages and employment trends; and related occupations. A Skills Search will match occupations to selected skills, and a Tools & Technology Search finds in-demand occupations.
Next time we look at sites providing listings of local and regional job openings.