Once you have established your career goal, it is imperative that you begin exploring your options by gathering valuable career information and conducting extensive job market research.

It is very important that you thoroughly investigate your career options.  Effectively investigating or researching a particular career involves gathering as much relevant data as possible. The best sources of viable information related to careers are printed material, people in the field, your own firsthand personal experience, and the internet.

By using the resources you have available to you to research and explore your career options, you can enter the job market well prepared. Moreover, you will develop a great sense of confidence and focus that will empower you as you venture forward in pursuit of your career.

To be successful in your serious career exploration activities, become proficient in the use of all of the most comprehensive research tools available to you...  the library...  the internet...  information interviews...  job shadowing.  Be a tireless investigator. Gather as much information and data as you can.
 

n Career Information
n What Can I Do With This Degree?
n Careers in Business
n Occupational Outlook Handbook
n Career Overview
n Business Week: Careers
n Google: Careers
n Self Growth: Career Development
n Internet Public Library
n Career Book List

"To assist in the career decision-making process, candidates should be alert to the most relevant labor market information available. The availability of resources has grown tremendously in the last twenty years."

-VERNON ZUNKER

"Too many people try to make a career decision without first having the information they need."

-HECKLINGER & BLACK

"Information is power. If you know the facts, you can prevent catastrophes or save time and money. If you have the right information, you can be in the right place doing the right thing at the right time. If you have good contacts, you can help others who are in positions to help you."

-ANNE BOE & BETTIE YOUNGS

"The more research you do, the more you will be convinced that you have many more options than you previously thought. Sitting at home mailing out letters won't get it.  Sitting in your current job wishing someone would rescue you by telling you about a great job just right for you may happen. And it may not.  Thousands of people have successfully discovered career direction and have found jobs through the process of research and information interviewing."

-MARTHA STOODLEY

"You need to find out as much as possible about a career before you prepare to enter it."

-HECKLINGER & BLACK

"Information is power. Without factual information about careers and the job market, you are without power, flying in a sandstorm."

-JOYCE LAIN KENNEDY

A wide range of books and other printed material are available addressing such topics as career choice, the job market, and information on specific careers. This kind of published information is generally accessible through school and public libraries, career resource centers, company reports, corporate literature, industrial directories, chambers of commerce, employee handbooks, professional organizations, and government agencies. Be sure the information you are gathering through printed sources is accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive.

Whether one is researching a company or gathering topical data, an increasing amount of information is available electronically through the use of an on-line computer. Many researchers find it very convenient to "surf" the Internet or the World Wide Web for needed information. Many companies maintain websites which offer a wealth of detailed information about their organizations. Similarly, schools, colleges, agencies, and non-profit organizations provide extensive information to researchers who visit their websites. Through various "search engines," a computer user can access specific information very quickly by entering key words, titles, or topics.

Identify key players or prominent figures in your particular field of interest.  You may meet these people through career fairs, conventions, conferences, professional meetings, or your teachers, counselors and advisors.  One of the best ways to find out about a career is to talk with people who are actually working in that career. This can be accomplished through any number of methods by which you can meet and interact with professionals in your field, including information interviewing, job shadowing, or mentorships.

Perhaps the best way to learn what a career is actually like is to personally experience it firsthand.  You can obtain this experience or exposure to a particular career through a variety of relatively risk-free arrangements...  Get a part-time job in your field of interest.  Do volunteer work in your field of interest.  Explore the possibility of a cooperative education program or an internship in your field of interest. Take a course related to your field of interest. Or consider "job shadowing," an arrangement whereby you ask to spend a day or two on the job with someone in your field of interest.

Whether you are gathering information through an information interview, through observation from job shadowing, from a book or other publication, or by means of a computer, there are certain questions you'll likely need to have answered....

Definition of the occupation?   Description of work activities?

Typical work day?   Duties, responsibilities, skills?

Typical job titles and specialties?  Work settings?  Working conditions?

Training and educational requirements?  Preparations?  Experience?  Personal qualifications?

Salary and benefits?  Earning potential?  Other rewards? Satisfactions?  Values?

Career mobility and advancement?  Security?

People factors?  Supervisors?  Co-Workers?  Customers?

Liabilities and limitations?  Projections?  Employment outlook?  Trends? 

Special problems?   Where employed?
 

n Career Voyager
n Occupational Outlook Handbook
n US Dept of Labor
n Job Hunter's Bible
n Changing Course
n Career TV
n Hot Jobs Tests
n Self Directed Search
n Wet Feet
n What Can I Do With This Degree
n About Career Planning
n InfoNet: Career Resource Library
n Career Hub
n Black Collegian

Magazines and periodicals provide relevant information. Listed below are titles of a few magazines and periodicals related to the career development field.

Job Choices Magazine, published by the National Association of Colleges & Employers

National Business Employment Weekly, published by the Wall Street Journal

Managing Your Career, published by the Wall Street Journal

Black Collegian Magazine, published by Black Colligate Services

What Color Is Your Parachute?: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters & Career-Changers by Richard Bolles

The Three Boxes of Life: An Introduction to Life/Work Planning by Richard Bolles

How to Find the Work You Love by Laurence Boldt

Zen and the Art of Making a Living by Laurence Boldt

Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow by Marsha Sinetar

Getting the Job You Really Want by J. Michael Farr

The Very Quick Job Search by J. Michael Farr

The Fool Proof Job Search by Donald Asher

Resumes Don’t Get Jobs: The Realities & Myths of Job Hunting by Bob Weinstein

Jobs with a Future by Martin Yate

Knock ‘Em Dead: The Ultimate Job Seeker’s Handbook by Martin Yate

Guerrilla Tactics in the Job Market by Tom Jackson

Welcome to the Real World by Stacy Kravetz
Jobsmarts for Twenty-Somethings by Bradley Richardson

The Hunt: Complete Book to Effective Job Finding by Tom Washington

Interview Power: Selling Yourself Face to Face by Tom Washington

The New Perfect Resume by Tom Jackson & Ellen Jackson

High Impact Resumes & Letters by Ronald Krannich & Caryl Krannich Manassas

Liberal Arts Power: What It Is and How to Sell It on Your Resume by Burton Jay Nadler

Interview for Success: Practical Guide to Increasing Interviews, Offers, & Salaries by Krannich & Krannich

Change Your Job, Change Your Life: High Impact Strategies for Finding Great Jobs by Ronald Krannich

The Complete Job Interview Handbook by John Marcus

Sweaty Palms: The Neglected Art of Being Interviewed by Anthony Medley

How You Really Get Hired: The Inside Story from a College Recruiter by John LeFevre

Information Interviewing: How to Tap Your Hidden Job Market by Martha Stoodley

Public and school libraries are a valuable source of up-to-date information. Virtually every community has a library in close proximity. A well maintained library provides access to numerous collections of books, periodicals, and files that are helpful to the career researcher.

"Be a library regular. Become comfortable in libraries and career centers. The information you need is there, mountains of it. Even if the data you're hunting aren't immediately available, you probably can uncover the organizations or individuals to contact for publications or answers."

-JOYCE LAIN KENNEDY / Career Book

"Your career center can be a valuable—and sometimes fun—place to visit. So what can a trip to a career center do for you? How can a career counselor or adviser help you? There’s more than you might think. Are you uncertain about what major to pursue or have you already chosen a major but aren’t sure where it can take you? Career counselors are trained to administer a variety of standardized tests that can help you pinpoint careers that suit your interests, values, and personality type. Career counselors and advisers can meet with you one-on-one to discuss your plans and help you find a focus. They can also introduce you to a wealth of resources at the career services office. Are you hoping to meet lots of employers at once? Most career services offices sponsor at least one career fair a year. Staff members can also point you to other career fairs and employment conferences nearby. Most career centers keep plenty of information about employers handy for students to peruse. This can include company brochures, annual reports, news articles, and listings in guides. Many also maintain collections of reference books periodicals, newspapers, and employment newsletters that contain information on occupational exploration, emerging occupations, salaries, undergraduate and graduate schools, resume writing, interviewing, and more. Career centers often sponsor sessions in which students can meet representatives of one or more companies and learn what they have to offer. Sometimes these representatives are alumni, and can relate how their experiences at a college or university translate into their current career. Recruiters from a variety of companies, agencies, and even the federal government often spend a day or several days on campus interviewing students."

-CAREER PLANIT / From a Resource Mining Article