Public Library Connecting People & Ideas

Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library

Career & Employment Resource Center

** Please note: The Cesar Chavez Central Library has a collection of career and employment books and videos. It is located on the second floor on the Oak St side of the building. **

Quick jumps for San Joaquin County job-seekers :

Cal Jobs	California Occupational Guides	California State Employment Page		City of Stockton -- Job Openings
Federal Jobs Digest	GetaGovJob.com	Hotjobs.com	Indeed.com	JobStar Central
San Joaquin County Jobs	San Joaquin County Worknet	LearningExpress Library offers test prep and other study aids. Includes practice tests for police officer, firefighter, ASVAB, and civil service exams.
2010 Federal Census Jobs		Study Guide Zone http://www.studyguidezone.com/ This site offers free practice tests for a wide variety of academic and vocational tests.

Other useful career and employment information is listed below:
(courtesy of an InFoPeople workshop "Looking For Work on the Web")
Š2001 InFoPeople Project. All rights reserved. The InFoPeople Project is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.

Major Online Job Databases	Exploring Careers	Salary Information	Resumes	Online Newspaper Classifieds
Local Job Banks	Professional & Trade Associations	Individual Job Search Techniques	Networking Online

Major Online Job Databases

Monster.com - http://www.monster.com/: The largest online job database on the Web--almost 4 million visitors each month (about 130,000 daily). Owned by TMP Worldwide, an international advertising agency. Like most major online job databases, job seeker services are free & employers are charged to post jobs. Monster claims (7/2000) to have 3.9 million resumes and 397,000 job postings.
HotJobs - http://www.hotjobs.com: Another of the most popular online job databases on the Web. Claims 6,000 member employers and 2 million registered job seekers. Excludes recruiters & theird parties. Employers pay to post ads; job seekers register for free. Hotjobs also sells Resumix and other "hiring management" software to employers.
Indeed.com: Indeed is a search engine for jobs - with a radically different approach to job search. In one simple search, Indeed gives job seekers free access to millions of employment opportunities from thousands of websites. Indeed.com includes all the job listings from major job boards, newspapers, associations and company career pages - and new sites are added every day.

Background on Job Databases & Resume Banks

JobStar's Electronic Resume Banks - http://jobstar.org/internet/res-main.htm: Guest author Clara Horvath evaluates online resume banks (and job postings sites) from the applicant and employer's perspective.
Weddle's Web Guide - http://www.weddles.com/jobseekesprofilelist.htm: Background information on the largest online job databases: How many resumes posted on the site? How many job listings? Posting periods? Who pays? Special features? Uses a special key for features that makes it awkward to read.
JobStar's Descriptions of Major Resume Banks - http://jobstar.org/internet/bankfree.htm: Evaluates the top 4 online job banks from a California angle.
Job Banks & Recruiting Sites, The Riley Guide - http://www.rileyguide.com/: Descriptions, evaluations and links to the most trafficked general job listing/resume posting sites from Margaret Riley, one of the first online job search experts and a librarian.
Preparing For a Job Search, The Riley Guide - http://www.rileyguide.com/prepare.html: Excellent outline of online search strategies and background information for new searchers or job seekers.

Exploring Careers

Career Encyclopedias

2006-07 Occupational Outlook Handbook - http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm

From the Bureau of Labor Statistics: detailed information on 250 occupations, or about 86% of all jobs in the economy. Each entry covers: Nature of the Work, Working Conditions, Employment, Training, Job Outlook, Earnings, Related Occupations, Sources of Additional Information. BLS is starting to add web addresses & links to associations and other sources of information.
View entries by Occupation (Management, Sales, Production) or search by keyword.

California Occupational Guides - http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/?PAGEID=139

Each report covers: the Job, Working Conditions, Employment Outlook (California & National), and Wages & Hours.

JobStar Career Links

JobStar Career Guides - http://jobstar.org/tools/career/: General career planning information from a California angle when possible.
JobStar Guides to Specific Careers - http://jobstar.org/tools/career/spec-car.htm: Selected links to 80 Online Career Information Sites
These sites are packed with information about planning your career. What kind of training or education is required? What can you earn? What kind of environment will you work in? What's hot? What's not?
Some sites include personal stories from folks working in the field: how did they move (or stumble) into their current work situation? What advice would they give newcomers?
JobStar Online Career Tests - http://jobstar.org/tools/career/career.htm#DoI: Descriptive links to 7 free online career tests.
JobStar Careers: What's Hot Section - http://jobstar.org/tools/career/career.htm#Hot: Links to sites covering fastest growing occupations, top ten career paths, best places to live in America and more. From the California angle where possible.

Other Key Career Exploration Sites

What Color is Your Parachute? - http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/: The online version of the famous career and job search guide by Richard Bolles. Sections cover: Job Openings, Resumes, Career Counseling, Contacts and Research.
Also see: Just the Links for a quick guide to Richard Bolles' favorite sites.
What Can I Do with a Major In? - http://www.uncwil.edu/stuaff/career/Majors/: Good site for high school or college students exploring career directions. Lists representative job titles and settings for various undergraduate majors. From Universtity of North Carolina, Wilmington
Career Exploration Links - Occupational - http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/Students/CareerLibrary/links/occup.cfm: From the UC Berkeley Career and Educational Guidance Library. Links coded for Occupational Information, Educational Programs and Multicultural Populations. California emphasis where possible.
The Review Career Quiz - http://www.review.com/career/careerquizhome.cfm?menuID=0&careers=2: Offered by the Princeton Review--A 24 item questionnaire assessing interests and work style. Once your style is determined, a range of job titles and career information are offered. Excellent and fun! [NOTE: free registration required to access.] 9/26/00--the site has been redesigned recently and I find it functions well in Explorer and poorly in Netscape.
The Review: Top Ten Careers for People Who... - http://www.review.com/career/article.cfm?id=career\car_job_top_ten&careers=1&menuID=0: Organizes careers based on major issues/interests: "Top ten jobs for people who can't stand ties or pantyhose;" "Top ten jobs for people who need to pay off student loans right away." Each entry covers: "A Day in the Life," "Paying Your Dues," "Associated Careers," "Quality of Life" and a "Career Profile." This is one of the few career information sites that is NOT re-written/re-formatted material from the Occupational Outlook Handbook. High school & college students, in particular, will love this [NOTE: This site is complex, as you can tell from the URL and works better in Explorer than Netscape.].

Salary Information

Major Salary Sites

JobStar Profession Specific Salary Surveys - http://jobstar.org/tools/salary/sal-prof.htm: The largest collection of links to online salary surveys on the Web--over 300 currently listed. Surveys specific to JobStar areas of California (Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles & San Diego) are labeled. Otherwise, surveys are national or regional in scope.
Salary.com - http://salary.com: A new site focusing on salary information: search by job category, keyword or location. While the interface is a bit difficult, the individual reports are packed with information about organizations, studies and links of interest.
America's Career InfoNet - http://www.acinet.org/acinet/occ_sea1.htm: Rich information but the interface is a bit tricky. Don't try anything fancy with the Keyword Search--keep it simple! After you select an occupation and a state, explore the detailed information available through the left-side menu: Detailed Wages (includes metro area wage reports), Detailed Trends & Industry Trends. [Remember to use Ctrl key and your mouse to select multiple headings in scroll down menus.]
The site is also useful for linking to Local Labor Market Information in all 50 states.
(Links to local data sites are provided in the state-level records.)

Other Key Salary Information Sites

Cost of Living Calculators - http://jobstar.org/tools/salary/surv-gen.htm#COST: These interactive calculators compare Cost of Living from one city to another (based on CPI & other data.) While these calculators are very popular with job seekers, keep in mind that these compare cost of living NOT salary levels!
2006-07 Occupational Outlook Handbook - http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm: From the Bureau of Labor Statistics: detailed information on 250 occupations, or about 86% of all jobs in the economy. Each entry covers: Nature of the Work, Working Conditions, Employment, Training, Job Outlook, Earnings, Related Occupations, Sources of Additional Information. BLS is starting to add web addresses & links to associations and other sources of information.
View entries by Occupation (Management, Sales, Production) or search by keyword.
California Occupational Guides - http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/?PAGEID=139: Each report covers: the Job, Working Conditions, Employment Outlook (California & National), and Wages & Hours.
careerjournal.com (Wall Street Journal) - http://careerjournal.com/?content=cwc-salaries.htm: Salaries & Profiles from the online career arm of the Wall Street Journal. (Includes surveys published in National Business Employment Weekly -- before it ceased publication.) The focus is on managerial, executive and professional positions.
JobStar General Salary Surveys - http://jobstar.org/tools/salary/surv-gen.htm: A collection of links to online surveys covering issues such as: Cost of Living, New Graduates, Benefits, California Surveys, Negotiation Strategies.
Sources of Wage Information - http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/article.asp?ARTICLEID=263&PAGEID=67&SUBID=113: Few job seekers will want to sort through all this state level wage & earnings data. But some employers, planners, government agencies will find it useful.
News Releases from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Region IX & X - http://www.bls.gov/ro9/home.htm#news: Includes Consumer Price Index (most recent), Occupational Compensation Reports, Average Annual Pay by State & Metropolitan Areas. Some workers' annual wage increases are pegged to the CPI.
Salary Surveys @ ACLibrary.org - http://aclibrary.org/jobsearch/salary.asp: Public library based guide to using the library and the Internet in the local (Bay Area) job search. Includes an Index of Salary Surveys, an analytic online index of Alameda County Library's collection of print surveys - in monographs & periodicals. Search by keyword; browse by subject.

Resumes

JobStar's Resume Section - http://jobstar.org/tools/resume/: Sample resumes (courtesy of Yana Parker, Damn Good Resume Guides), a guide to choosing the right resume format, and cover letters.
JobStar's Selected Resume Resources on the Web - http://jobstar.org/tools/resume/res-web.htm: Selected links to sites for particular needs: new workers, new graduates, federal job seekers, technical job seekers.
eResumes - http://www.eresumes.com/: Fremont author Rebecca Smith's site is the clearest, most concise coverage of the issues involved in electronic resumes. EResumes 101 covers most of the major formatting and technical topics.
Monster.com Sample Resumes - http://content.monster.com/resume/samples/resumes/: Rich site for sample resumes. Includes resume makeovers, tips on electronic resumes, traditional resume samples, action phrases, common blunders and more.

Online versions of favorite library sources

Damn Good Resume Guides - http://www.damngood.com: There is some great content on Yana Parker's site--especially concerning typical problems such as gaps in work history, selecting a job objective. The site also functions as an index to Yana's The Resume Catalog: 200 Damn Good Examples.
200 Letters for Job Hunters - http://www.careerlab.com/letters/: The online version of the standard library guide to employment letters by William S. Frank. Nicely divided into sections corresponding to stages or events in a typical job search.

Online Newspaper Classifieds

California Newspaper Classifieds

Sacramento Area - http://jobstar.org/sacto/adjobs/newspap.htm: JobStar's directory of Sacramento area online newspaper classifieds. Each listing includes any special features--such as ability to search archives.
San Francisco Bay Area - http://jobstar.org/adjobs/newspap.htm: JobStar's directory of San Francisco Bay Area online newspaper classifieds. Each listing includes any special features--such as ability to search archives.
Los Angeles Area - http://jobstar.org/socal/adjobs/newspap.htm: JobStar's directory of Southern California online newspaper classifieds. Each listing includes any special features--such as ability to search archives.
San Diego Area - http://jobstar.org/sd/adjobs/newspap.htm: JobStar's directory of San Diego area online newspaper classifieds. Each listing includes any special features--such as ability to search archives.

Newspaper Classifieds Elsewhere in the US

Editor & Publisher provides a searchable interface to media sites: online newspapers, magazines, radio, TV. As of April, 2000, listings for 4,000+ newspapers: ~3,000 in the U.S.; ~250 in California.
Newslink - http://newslink.org: Directory of online newspapers: 3,400 in the U.S.; 2,000 non-U.S. View by city or type (daily, non-daily, alternative, specialty.) New feature--"Most Linked to"--helps you identify the major newspapers by state.
CareerPath - http://www.careerpath.com/: Created by Knight Ridder & the Tribune to provide a single search interface to classified ads at over 80 newspapers. Recently acquired by CareerBuilder and repositioned as a jobs database--making it very difficult to pull out JUST the newspaper listings.

Local Job Banks

California Sources

JobStar Sacramento Area Job Banks - http://jobstar.org/sacto/adjobs/jobbank.htm: Sacramento Area job banks: local posting sites for multiple job listings; association chapter sites. All are free to applicant; most are free to employer.
JobStar San Francisco Bay Area Job Banks - http://jobstar.org/adjobs/nocal.htm: San Francisco Bay Area job banks: local posting sites for multiple job listings; association chapter sites. All are free to applicant; most are free to employer.
JobStar Southern California Job Banks - http://jobstar.org/socal/adjobs/jobbank.htm: Southern California job banks: local posting sites for multiple job listings; association chapter sites. All are free to applicant; most are free to employer.
JobStar San Diego Area - http://jobstar.org/sd/adjobs/jobbank.htm: San Diego Area job banks: local posting sites for multiple job listings; association chapter sites. All are free to applicant; most are free to employer.

Local Job Banks Outside California

State by State listings of local area job hunting resources from the excellent Riley Guide.
Job Resources by Region - http://www.jobweb.org/employment/resources/default.htm: Looking for a job in Texas? New Hampshire? This guide from the Career Center at Duke University picks out the best places to begin.
State-by-State Government Job Resources - http://www.govtjobs.com/jobsourc.html#state: From govtjobs.com -- a guide to county, city and state home pages as well as newspapers arranged by state.

Professional and Trade Associations

ASAE Gateway to Associations Online - http://info.asaenet.org/: American Society of Association Executives maintains a directory of 6,500+ links to national, state or local associations. Keyword search association name, browse by category, city, state or country.
Internet Public Library - http://www.ipl.org/: Search for associations. Internet Public Library selects 2,000+ association sites -- arranged by subject. Browse alphabetically or search by keyword.
Job Databases by Professional Societies and other Institutions - http://www.careerresource.net/society/: "List of job databases of various professional societies, research institutions, government agencies and other non-profit organizations." Unfortunately there is only an alphabetic arrangement & the site is not frequently updated.

Individual Job Search Techniques

Finding Local Employers

JobStar - Hidden Job Market - http://jobstar.org/hidden/: A step-by-step guide to conducting a Hidden Job Market Search (also called the "self-directed job search") on the Web
JobStar Sacramento - Finding Individual Employers on the W.W.W. - http://jobstar.org/sacto/adjobs/copage.htm: Websites listing LOCAL employers with job ads. Searching for companies by name.
Guides to Company Websites (directories)
JobStar S.F. - Finding Individual Employers on the W.W.W. - http://jobstar.org/adjobs/copage.htm: Websites listing LOCAL employers with job ads. Searching for companies by name
Guides to Company Websites (directories)
JobStar L.A. - Finding Individual Employers on the W.W.W. - http://jobstar.org/socal/adjobs/copage.htm: Websites listing LOCAL employers with job ads. Searching for companies by name.
Guides to Company Websites (directories)
JobStar San Diego - Finding Individual Employers on the W.W.W. - http://jobstar.org/sd/adjobs/copage.htm: Websites listing LOCAL employers with job ads. Searching for companies by name.
Guides to Company Websites (directories)
Flipdog - Job Search - http://www.flipdog.com/: Uses a search spider to collect jobs listed on individual employer websites. NOTE: I recommend job seekers apply directly to the company rather than through Flipdog. Select "View Original Page" to connect directly to the employer site.
JobStar's Researching Companies - http://jobstar.org/hidden/coinfo.htm: Guides to investigating industries, employers and "best" companies with an emphasis on California & local web resources.
BAJobs.com - http://www.bajobs.com: For employers seeking applicants and job seekers searching for jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley.
JobSearch @ACLibrary.org - http://aclibrary.org/jobs/index.asp: Public library based guide to using the library and the Internet in the local (Bay Area) job search. Includes the Directory Index, a catalog of Alameda County Library's excellent directory collection. Search by keyword or title; browse by subject.

Networking Online

Topica Email List Directory - http://www.topica.com/dir/: Meta site for online mailing lists: covers 200,000 existing email lists. (Includes Liszt, Tile.net and PAML.) Search by keyword or browse by topic in a Yahoo-like interface.
NOTE: This site mixes commercially oriented email lists ("sign up to discuss what we can sell you") with the community based discussions. Evaluate the source before you sign up!
JobStar's Get Networked! - http://jobstar.org/hidden/network.htm: Introduction to and resources for networking, online and off.
LISZT, Directory of E-Mail Discussion Groups - http://www.liszt.com/: 90,000+ mailing lists you can search by any keyword in the name or description of the group. You may also browse lists by topic: "Business," "Computers," "Music," "Science."
TILE.NET/LISTS - http://tile.net/lists/: Search for mailing lists by keyword or browse by Name, Description, or Domain.
Scholarly E-Conferences - http://www.kovacs.com/directory/: Each of these guides to Mailing Lists is devoted to a particular discipline such as "Computer Security," "Humanities," "Medicine," "Philosophy and Ethics." Browse by subject or search by keyword.

Last rev: 8 January 2010