How to Find the Right Job for You
by Barbara Scheibel, Librarian (updated
by Ginny Withers & Peg Elliott, Librarians)
This pathfinder is designed to help you locate materials useful in exploring different careers, job hunting, resume writing, interviewing and civil service test preparation.
Please Choose from the Following:
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
Directories
Books & Videos
Magazines
Databases
Websites
Local Resources
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
These reference books provide information on specific careers and general information on selected businesses:
O*Net Dictionary of Occupational Titles
Encyclopedia of Associations
Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance
Directories
Use directories to find information on employers, such as addresses and phone numbers, and often compile information in useful ways, such as by specific career types, or size of companies.
Business Journal Book of Lists
Lists the top Central NY employers by categories
Dun and Bradstreet Regional Directory, Northern NY State Area
Information on businesses in the Central NY region, and includes a ranking of the top area businesses
Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce Business Directory
Lists area businesses by product or service
Harris New York Manufacturers Directory
Arranged geographically, and lists NY State businesses by product and service.
National Job Bank
Includes major US employers by state and brief descriptions, training programs, job categories and fringe benefits. Industry cross index included.
Books & Videos
The OCPL Library Catalog has many resources for the job-hunter.
Use these subject headings to search for materials:
Career Changes
Civil Service
Cover Letters
Employment Interviewing
Job Hunting
Occupations
Resumes
Vocational Guidance
Exploring Careers/ Job Hunting
200 Best Jobs for College Graduates
by J. Michael Farr
The Career Chronicles: An Insider's
Guide to What Jobs Are Really Like: The Good, the Bad,
and the Ugly from over 750 Professionals
by
Michael Gregory
Top 300 Careers: Your Complete Guidebook to Major Jobs in Every Field
by J. Michael Farr
What Color is Your Parachute
by Richard Nelson Bolles
Resumes and Cover Letters
Cover Letters That Knock ‘Em Dead
by Martin John Yate
Gallery of Best Cover Letters
by David Noble
15-Minute Cover Letter: Write an Effective Cover Letter Right Now
by J. Michael Farr
Amazing Resumes: What Employers Want to See and How to Say It
by Jim Bright
Expert
Resumes for People Returning to Work (2nd ed.)
by
Wendy S. Enelow and Louise M. Kursmark
The
Quick Ŕesuḿe & Cover
Letter Book: Write and Use an Effective Ŕesuḿe in
Only One Day
by
Michael Farr
The
Resume Handbook: How to Write Outstanding Resumes & Cover
Letters for Every Situation
by
Arthur
D. Rosenberg
No-Nonsense
Cover Letters: The Essential Guide to Creating Attention-Grabbing
Cover Letters That Get Interviews & Job Offers
by
Wendy S. Enelow, Arnold
G. Boldt
How
to Write & Design a Professional
Resuḿe to
Get the Job: Insider Secrets You Need to Know: With Companion
CD-ROM
by Dale Mayer
Interviewing
Acing the Interview: Playing Your Best Hand When it Counts
by Sandy Scardino
Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?:
The Crash Course, Finding, Landing, and Keeping Your
First Real Job
by Ellen Gordon Reeves
Job Interviews for Dummies
by Joyce Lain Kennedy
The
Career Coward's Guide to Interviewing: Sensible Strategies for Overcoming
Job Search Fears
by
Katy Piotrowski
Next-Day
Job Interview: Prepare Tonight and Get the Job Tomorrow
by
Michael Farr and Dick Gaither
Online Job-Hunting
Guide to Internet Job Searching
by Margaret F. Dikel
Job-Hunting Online: A Guide to Job Listings, Message Boards, Research Sites, the UnderWeb, Counseling, Networking, Self-Assessment Tools, Niche Sites
by
Mark Emery Bolles & Richard Nelson Bolles
Internet Your Way to a New Job: How to Really Find a Job Online
by Alison Doyle
Civil Service Study Guides
The library has a large collection of in-library use civil service study guides to help study for civil service job tests.
The library also has circulating civil service test preparation booklets designed to help prepare for NY State and local government civil service examinations. These booklets contain sample questions in a variety of areas that have been the subject of previous examinations.
DVDs
10 Things Not To Do In An Interview
Career Evaluation
Finding A Job
Interviewing for a Job
Landing The Job: Resumes and Cover Letters
Landing The Job: The Interview
The Very Quick Job Search
You’re Hired! Skills You Need to Get The Job You Want
Magazines
The library subscribes to many career and employment journals, including:
Career Opportunity News
Log on to the Ferguson’s Career Guidance database to read issues of this journal. Topics include trends in hiring, careers, salary information, job searching tips and more.
CNY Employment Guide
Weekly newspaper containing local job listings and job search tips. Paper copies available at many libraries.
Equal Opportunity
A career magazine for minority graduates. Copies of the print magazine are available at the Central Library.
Federal Jobs Digest
Listings of Federal jobs in the US and overseas.
Fortune Magazine
Provides an annual edition entitled "The 100 Best Companies to Work For".
Inc. Magazine
Publishes a special issue called “The Inc. 500 America’s Fastest-growing Private Companies".
Online Databases
Databases are useful to job seekers in many ways: practice job placement tests, learn computer skills, find out about careers. You can develop a list of companies for sending out your resume, to research company histories in advance of your interview, and much more. Access to the databases from home is also available with your OCPL library card and PIN.
Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center
Detailed, up-to-date descriptions of more than 2,800 popular jobs in 93 industries. Includes salary range, employment and advancement prospects, education/training, experience and skills.
Learning Express Library
Online practice for job-related exams, including some civil service, real estate broker, firefighter, law enforcement and postal worker exams. In addition, Learning Express encompasses job search skills, such as resume and interview preparation, and computer tutorials for all MS Office applications.
Reference USA
Business & directory information. Includes custom searching by SMSA and other geographic areas, and type of business by yellow page heading or business SIC code.
Business and Company Resource Center
Company profiles and histories, rankings, industry news and full-text articles from business magazines and newspapers. 1980-present
Hoovers Online (in-library use only)
Comprehensive coverage of public, private, and non-U.S. companies. Includes profiles, news, key people, and in-depth financials.
Newspaper Databases
Newspapers contain valuable articles on businesses and employment.
NewsBank
Full text of the Syracuse Post-Standard from 1986-present and newspapers from other states.
Gale New York State Newspapers
Full-text articles from 10 major New York State newspapers.
Gale Custom Newspapers
A full-text collection of more than 150 newspapers, both national and international.
Websites
Use the Library's Job Information webpage to find many useful links to a wide range of job search and career websites, both local and national, and are broken down into the following categories:
Civil Service Jobs
Local Resources for Job Seekers
General Job Listing Sites
Resume Writing
Careers
Part-time Careers
Test Guides & Resource Booklets for Local Examinations
New York State now has a number of civil service study guides available online. Test Guides are published by the New York State Department of Civil Service and are generally targeted to entry-level occupations. These test guides do not contain material to study for any specific tests, they are developed to provide candidates with a general description of the subjects on the examination and sample questions. Guides are in PDF format.
Additionally, the following 2 websites are good general starting points for the online job searcher:
Job Hunters Bible
This site is brought to you by Richard Bolles, author of the well-known book What Color Is Your Parachute? With over 30 years experience in the job hunting field, Mr. Bolles has some interesting advice for the online job searcher, and by starting at his site you will know just where to focus your search.
The Riley Guide
From Margaret Dikel, author of the Riley Guide, this site has links, advice and all you should need to steer you in the right direction with your online job search. Margaret Riley is a librarian with expert knowledge on all topics related to job-hunting.
Local Job Assistance Agencies & Community Resources
CNYWorks/NYS Job Service One Stop
443 North Franklin St., Lower Level
Syracuse, NY 13202
315-473-8250
CNYWorks, located in downtown Syracuse
, offers a broad range of cost-free services for the job-seeker, including: career planning, job search assistance, individualized skill assessment, resume development, computer and internet access, GED preparation, interviewing skills, job training opportunities, and more.
JobsPlus
677 S. Salina St., Syracuse, NY 13202
315-442-3242
JobsPlus is a partnership between OCC and the Onondaga County Department of Social Services. This program is designed to help make the transition from welfare to the workplace. Services include: free job search and readiness workshops, individual case management, Community Work Experience Program, child care reimbursement, transportation assistance, interview clothing closet, computer classes and more. You must be referred by the Social Services Department.
Peace Inc. Connect 2 Work
315-470-3300
Peace is a non-profit, community-based organization created to help people in the community realize their potential for becoming self-sufficient. There are multiple sites throughout Onondaga County. The Connect 2 Work offers 15 programs designed to provide unemployed or underemployed individuals with job readiness, skills training and position placement as well as any other resources needed to overcome obstacles to employment.
Women’s Opportunity Center—Displaced Homemakers Program
770 James St., Syracuse, NY 13203
315-446-0550
A free service offered to displaced homemakers that provides job readiness workshops, computer skills training, resume and cover letter assistance, and interviewing techniques.
Syracuse Educational Opportunity Center
100 New St., Syracuse, NY 13202
315-472-0130
Syracuse EOC provides CNY job seekers, with proof of limited income, with a Job Search Clinic, assistance with resumes, cover letters, interviewing techniques, access to job banks, career counseling, job search tips, career classes, and job opening information.
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Last updated: February 27, 2010