A Resource Guide for Find Your Fit
General Career Books
• Lou Adler, The Essential Guide for Hiring & Getting Hired (Workbench Media, 2013).
• Richard N. Bolles, What Color Is Your Parachute? 2016 (New York: Ten Speed Press, 2016).
• Debra A. MacDougall and Elisabeth H. Sanders-Park, 6 Reasons You’ll Get the Job (New York: Prentice Hall Press, 2010).
• Barbara Sher and Annie Gottlieb, Wishcraft: How to Get What You Really Want (New York: Ballantine Books, 2004).
General Career Websites
There are many useful resources online for job seekers and career changers. Here are some of our all-time favorites:
• O*NET OnLine is an occupational website managed by the U.S. Department of Labor. In addition to listing the job requirements, interests, and skills for a huge range of job titles, O*NET provides data about the projected demand in coming years. Salary information is also available both nationally and broken down to the state level. (www.onetonline.org)
• The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a resource from the U.S. Department of Labor that includes a large quantity of information on a variety of different industries and career fields, including work environment, education, pay, and job outlook information (www.bls.gov/ooh).
• Live Career is the new home for the Quintessential Career website archives. It holds a vast array of how-to information on topics such as informational interviewing, job shadowing, and job search abroad (www.livecareer.com).
• Dick Bolles’s What Color Is Your Parachute website, Job Hunter’s Bible, has a wealth of information for job seekers and career changers (www.jobhuntersbible.com).
• JT O’Donnell’s website, CareeRealism, has a wide range of information and articles on career topics (www.careerealism.com).
Industry and Professional Association Directories
Industry and professional associations are key resources for networking and industry research. Here are two directories to help you find appropriate associations:
• Industry Week (www.industryweek.com/associations)
• Directory of Associations (www.directoryofassociations.com)
International Resources
If you are interested in working abroad, here is a list of some of the most helpful resources:
• GoAbroad.com has information about studing, volunteering, teaching, and interning abroad (www.goabroad.com)
• Goinglobal has information about international careers (www.goinglobal.com)
• Quintessential careers has job and career resources for global job seekers (www.livecareer.com/quintessential/global-jobseekers)
• Transitions Abroad has resources for people who want to work, live, volunteer, or study abroad (www.transitionsabroad.com)
• Expat.com and Expat Exchange are two websites containing information for expats written by expats (www.expat.com and www.expatexchange.com)
• Numbeo is a free online database reporting on worldwide cost of living indicators (www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living)
• Robert Walters Global Salary Survey 2016 (17th edition)
• The World Factbook is compiled by the CIA and includes information to help you assess the safety of various locations
Interviewing
Additional reading or resources related to interviewing:
• Paul Bailo, The Essential Digital Interview Handbook: Lights, Camera, Interview: Tips for Skype, Google Hangout, GoToMeeting, and More (Pompton Plains, NJ: Career Press, 2014).
• Robin Ryan, 60 Seconds and You’re Hired (New York: Penguin, 2016).
• Glassdoor provides common questions that are asked at interviews by specific companies (www.glassdoor.com/Interview/index.htm).
Job Listings
While you shouldn’t spend all your time looking for jobs online, here are some of the better job search engines to check:
• Indeed and SimplyHired are two large aggregators of online postings from various job boards, including some large corporate websites. Be aware that many jobs posted to individual company sites may not be found here. (www.indeed.com and www.simplyhired.com).
• LinkUp is a job search engine that provides listings from many corporations that may not be found elsewhere (www.linkup.com).
• USAJOBS is the official employment website of the federal government (www.usajobs.gov).
• US.jobs is sponsored by the National Labor Exchange and allows employers to post jobs at reasonable rates. It also includes jobs from state sponsored employment sites (http://us.jobs).
• FlexJobs is niche job bank for part-time, virtual, freelance, and flexible jobs (www.flexjobs.com).
• Freelance.com, Guru, and Upwork are three places to look for freelance and contract work (www.freelance.com, www.guru.com, and www.upwork.com).
• ZipRecruiter will send Tweets and emails about jobs in various categories to those who sign up (www.ziprecruiter.com).
Military
Resources specific to ex-military job seekers and career changers:
• O*NET OnLine’s Military Crosswalk Search provides a link between military and civilian skills (www.onetonline.org/crosswalk/MOC).
• The Veteran’s Employment Center provides resources for veterans and their families (www.vets.gov/employment).
• LiveCareer has career, job, and entrepreneurial tools for veterans (www.livecareer.com/quintessential/former-military).
Networking
Additional reading and resources on networking:
• Dorie Clark, Stand Out Networking: A Simple and Authentic Way to Meet People on Your Own Terms (New York: Portfolio, 2015).
• Katherine Moody, How to Have a Great Networking Conversation on the Phone (2010).
• Devora Zack, Networking for People Who Hate Networking: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed, and the Underconnected (San Francisco, Berrett-Koehler, 2010).
Personality Type
If you are interested in reading more about how personality links with career issues, here are some books that explain it well:
• Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger, Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type, 2nd ed. (New York: Little, Brown, 2014).
• Shoya Zichy with Ann Bidou, Career Match: Connecting Who You Are With What You Love to Do (New York: AMACOM, 2007).
• Donna Dunning, What’s Your Type of Career? Find Your Perfect Career by Using Your Personality Type, 2nd ed. (Boston: Nicholas Brealey, 2010).
Personality Type Websites:
• The Personality Page provides detailed information about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and a short survey that approximates your personality type (www.personalitypage.com).
• Visit the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator website to take an official assessment of your Myers-Briggs Type (www.mbtionline.com).
• The Self-Directed Search website uses Holland Codes to identify your theme code and links them to potential career fields (www.self-directed-search.com).
• You can get more information about the DiSC behavioral profile on its official website (www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc/overview).
Pre-Employment Assessments
These are good resources for information on pre-employment assessments and your rights:
• The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has information about hiring procedures (www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/factemployment_procedures.html).
• Visit the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website to verify your eligibility to work in the United States (www.uscis.gov/mye-verify/self-check).
• The Work Number is an employment verification site used by many employers. You can check the accuracy of your information on the site (www.theworknumber.com/employees).
Productivity Tools
Some productivity tools that can help you in your job search:
• JibberJobber is a website that provides a complete system for managing your job search, resumes, and networking information (www.jibberjobber.com).
• Evernote is a free online tool you can use to store notes, articles, and links in a searchable format (www.evernote.com).
• Hootsuite is a social media dashboard you can use to efficiently manage your Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook posts (www.hootsuite.com).
Professional Development
Sites that provide courses you can take online at no or low cost:
For information on how to find good volunteer opportunities, visit:
• Local volunteer sites
Resources for converting work experience into college credit:
• The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (www.cael.org)
• College-Level Examination Program (https://clep.collegeboard.org).
Resumes
For more information on resume writing and identifying keywords for your resume:
• Wendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark, Modernize Your Resume (Modernize Your Career) (Coleman Falls, VA: Emerald Career Publishing, 2016).
• Susan Whitcomb, Resume Magic: Trade Secrets of a Professional Resume Writer, 4th ed. (Indianapolis: Jist Works, 2010).
Keyword Analyzers:
• Jobscan compares your resume to a job description to determine if you have the right keywords in your resume for that position (www.jobscan.co).
• Use Tagul and Wordle to help you identify keywords in your resume by creating a word cloud from its text (http://tagul.com and www.wordle.net).
Salary Negotiation
Additional resources on salary negotiation and good sources for salary information:
• Jack Chapman, Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1000 a Minute (2011).
• Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov/audience/jobseekers.htm).
Self-Employment
If you are considering self-employment, here are a few resources:
• The U.S. Small Business Administration is an independent agency of the federal government. It helps Americans start, build, and grow businesses through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations (www.sba.gov).
• SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow, and achieve their goals through education and mentorship. SCORE helps volunteer businesspeople mentor aspiring business owners (www.score.org).
• Michael Masterson, The Reluctant Entrepreneur: Turning Dreams Into Profits (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2012).
Skills and Strengths
For additional resources on identifying your skills and strengths:
• The O*NET Skills Search portal is a free tool that can help you understand what skills are best suited to which careers (www.onetonline.org/skills).
• StrengthsFinder 2.0 is the new version of the book, Now, Discover Your Strengths. It is a comprehensive guide to hundreds of different strengths that an individual can possess (http://strengths.gallup.com).
• MindTools is a comprehensive career skills website that includes many resources about different skills, as well as a free career skills newsletter. Its comprehensive 15-question assessment evaluates your skill set in five different areas (www.mindtools.com).
• The MAPP career assessment is a 15-minute test that matches you with careers that fit your skills and strengths profile. In addition, the MAPP website also features a variety of resources to help get you started on your career planning journey (www.assessment.com).
• VIA Survey of Character Strengths is a 15-minute self-assessment that is based on Martin Seligman’s research on happiness (www.viacharacter.org/www/Character-Strengths-Survey).
• The World of Work Map is an ACT resource that links interests with various career fields (www.act.org/content/act/en/education-and-career-planning.html).
Social Media and Branding
Additional resources and reading on social media and personal branding:
• Joshua Waldman. Job Searching With Social Media For Dummies. (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2013).
• Use Klout to measure the strength of your personal brand (http://klout.com).
• About.me allows you to create a personal website for free (http://about.me).
Target Companies
Some good resources for identifying target companies:
• The ReferenceUSA database is a listing of companies by SIC code. It is available through most public libraries with a library card (http://resource.referenceusa.com)
• ZoomInfo is a gold mine for job seekers, networkers, and those looking for information on companies in their region. You can sign up for the Community Edition for free, although you have to share your Outlook contacts to gain access to this site (www.zoominfo.com).
Workplace Culture
Good resources for helping you research the corporate culture of a potential employer:
• Visit Glassdoor to read reviews about company culture from current and former employees (www.glassdoor.com).
• Best Places to Work:
– Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For
– Glassdoor’s list of Best Places to Work
– LinkedIn’s North America’s 100 Most InDemand Employers
• On SlideShare you can search by company name or use the culture code with the company name to find a presentation on the company (www.slideshare.net).
• The Muse is an online career website that offers a behind-the-scenes look at companies, including employee videos (www.themuse.com).
• CareerBliss is an online career community that offers data on job satisfaction, pay, and employee happiness, as well as a national job board. You can read company comments, reviews, and culture ratings (www.careerbliss.com).
• Vault is a career website that ranks companies, provides extensive information, and offers ratings and reviews (www.vault.com).
• DiversityInc lists the top 50 companies for diversity in a variety of categories (www.diversityinc.com).
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration maintans a federal database of safety violations by company (www.osha.gov).
Publications by Our Contributors
• Vivian H. Blade, FuelForward: Discover Proven Practices to Fuel Your Career Forward (Parkerhouse Publishing, 2015).
• Vivian H. Blade, FuelForward Mentoring Guide: Getting the Most From Your Mentor (2015).
• Michelle Carroll and Alan De Back, “Marketing Your Career Brand,” TD at Work (Alexandria, VA: ATD Press, 2014).
• Alan De Back, Get Hired in a Tough Market (New York: McGraw Hill. 2009).
• Marilyn Feldstein, “Defining and Leveraging Your Professional Value,” Infoline (Alexandria, VA: ASTD Press, 2013).
• David Hosmer, “The Manager’s Guide to Employee Development,” TD at Work (Alexandria, VA: ATD Press, 2015).
• Susan Kaiden, “Keeping Your Career on Track,” TD at Work (Alexandria, VA: ATD Press, 2015).
• Laura Labovich and Miriam Salpeter, 100 Conversations for Career Success: Learn to Network, Cold-Call and Tweet Your Way to Your Dream Job (New York: LearningExpress, 2013).
• Sheila Margolis, Job Seeker Manual: A Step-by-Step Guide for Using Culture Fit to Find the Right Workplace for You (Atlanta: Workplace Culture Institute, 2016).
• Nicole Miller and Don Skipper, Have Career … Will Travel: A Guide for Military Spouses Dealing With Relocations, Employment Interruptions and Job Search.