Job and Career Information Center Newsletter
Greetings,
It is a hard decision to look at alternate career paths when looking for a job. However, with a tough job market, it is very crucial to explore different career options to make sure that you are looking at all jobs you are qualified to do. Some tips for evaluating your skills include:
- Look at your previous jobs and think about what you have liked and disliked about your past jobs
- Make a list of your transferable skills -- these are skills that you can use in a wide variety of jobs, such as organizing, communication, and working on a team. More examples can be found on About.com
- Take an online quiz! A couple of good websites include JobHuntersBible.com's extensive list and O*Net's Skills Search
After determining what your skills are, you may want to research different occupations. The Enoch Pratt Free Library has a great database for this kind of research -- Career Guidance Online. You can use it at any Pratt Library or in your home with your Pratt Library card. Career Guidance Online will provide information on a wide variety of careers, as well as job-hunting and workplace skills, tips for job searching, and information on colleges. It's definitely a great place to start your career exploration! A couple of other good websites include Occuational Outlook Handbook online and Career OneStop's Career Exploration.
And of course, you'll want to visit the Job & Career Information Center for books on a wide range of career options!
Best,
Rebecca Immich Sullivan
Check our
calendar
for the full listing of upcoming classes!
Guide to Finding a Federal Job
Sunday, December 13, 2009. 2 - 4 pm
Central Library
, Wheeler Auditorium
With an estimated 600,000 civil servants leaving by 2016, the federal government is facing what the U.S. Office of Personnel Management has called a "retirement tsunami." Eleven percent of all federal jobs are located in the Baltimore-Washington area. The Base Realignment is increasing the federal presence here, too, so there will be plenty of federal openings for well-qualified people. The first, and most important, step in the federal job search is understanding how to read a federal Vacancy Announcement and how to apply for a federal job.
Karol Taylor, co-author of Guide to America's Federal Jobs and federal retiree, shares important information on getting started with your federal job search.
Online Job Application Tutorial
Tuesday, December 15, 2009. 10 - 11 am
Central Library
, Business, Science & Technology Department
Practice filling out an online job application with assistance from a librarian. If you don't have an email address, we'll help you sign up for one and show you how to check your email. Class is limited to 4 participants.
Registration is required for all classes; call 410-396-5317 to register.
Are you trying to figure out what career is right for you? The book New Guide for Occupational Exploration: Linking Interests, Learning, and Careers by Michael J. Farr and Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D. guides readers through an easy-to-use process based on the 16 U.S. Department of Education clusters to match job seekers to potential careers designed to match their interests and education.
Farr and Shatkin helps break the process of career exploration down into manageable steps for career exploration: identify interests, select work groups to explore, examine possible job descriptions, and create a plan of action. This book includes more than 900 job descriptions, including the skills and education necessary, potential earnings, and more for career planning. Based on solid research that supports career exploration based on interests, Farr and Shatkin provide an important resource for helping people discover career and learning options.
Make your résumé work for you! Call the Job and Career Information Center (410-396-5317) for a free résumé review appointment. Bring a copy of your résumé and get tips and suggestions to create a résumé that will help land a job.
Are you using Twitter in your job search? The Job & Career Information Center has a
JobCenter_Pratt Twitter page
which provides tips for job seekers, information on Library programs, and other job related information for the Baltimore area. You can keep up with new job searching tips by becoming one of our followers!
Did you know you can get free one-on-one help with résumé writing? The Pratt Library offers a new service simply titled:
Get an Online Tutor
. Free online help from a certified tutor for your job search from the library or from home with your Pratt library card.
Tutor.com’s Career Center offers a live person who can help with résumé writing reviews, job search assistance, and interview preparation. Their tutors answer questions like how to tailor a résumé for a specific audience, what is the difference between a résumé and a CV, and general writing guidelines.
Another resource included in Tutor.com is the SkillsCenter Resource Library, which has a wide range of worksheets, tutorials, and study guides on cover letters, résumé writing, and sample résumés. Tutor.com’s online tutors are available from 2 p.m. to midnight. Spanish-speaking tutors: available Sunday - Thursday, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Ayuda en Español: Domingo a Jueves de 2 p.m. hasta 10 p.m. Tutor.com’s Live Career Help and the SkillsCenter Resource Library are great resources to make each résumé even stronger
