TITLE: Career Search & Job Search is the leading career center in US.

Career Category: Jobs, Career, Resume, Job Search, Career Search, Job Listing, Monster Job, Job Bank

Site Description: Career Search and Job Search offers tips and free resume sample, resume writing, example, cover letter, write resume, resume template format, help, and resume builder. Post resume for free.

Career Topics: Career Builder, Engineering Career, Search, Planning, Links, Test, Information, Change, Education, Job Opportunity, Assessment, Counseling, Career Center, Monster Job, Job Bank, Government Job, California Job, Job Listing Online

But Before You Go Online . . .

You need to answer some questions before you can start your online search.

Make a list of your responses in these three principal areas:

1. What do you want to do? What can you do? (Skills and Occupations) What skills

do you have, what interests, what abilities? For instance: I can type 70 w.p.m.;

I like working with my hands; I'm licensed to drive a forklift. Along with your list

of specific skills, put down general occupations that interest you. Don't worry

about specific job titles like Chief Medical Officer or Vice President of

International Sales. Think "doctor" or "sales" instead.

2. Whom do you want to work for? (Industries and Employer Preferences) What

industry interests you, what type of employer? For instance: I've always

wanted to work for a Fortune 500 Inc. 500 high-tech start-up/family-friendly or

environmentally conscious organization ... If you have some specific companies

you want to target, great! Put them on the list, too.

3. Where do you want to live and work? (Location, location, location) Is there

a particular city, state, region, or country you are targeting? For instance:

Southern California, Maryland, someplace with good golf courses and very little

snow. If you are thinking about a particular city, find out what other cities and

municipalities surround it, the name of the county it's in, and if the region has

a geographic nickname like "Silicon Valley" or "Silicon Alley," and add all this

to your list. An atlas can help you here, as can the online telephone books and

map services . Your local librarians can point

you toward even more useful materials.

Why is this exercise necessary? Your responses will help you begin building the

list of keywords you'll use in your job search. After all, most of the online job

banks allow you to search their listings using keywords, but if you don't know

the words you want to search, how can you effectively use any of the job

banks? You can't, so take the time to work through your list before you start.

Having trouble thinking of keywords? Here are some tips:

• Ask a friend.

Friends can frequently see things in you that you can't see yourself. They

might also have some good ideas and interesting options for you to consider.

• Ask a librarian.

Librarians are usually very good at this kind of exercise, but try to ask for

some help when the reference desk isn't busy so the librarian can concentrate

on your request. He or she can probably point you to books and other

resources that can also help with this.

• Scan some online job banks.

Search some of the big job lead banks such as CareerMosaic

(http://www.careermosaic.com) or HotJobs (http://www.hotjobs.com), for jobs that

interest you. Read the job descriptions, note the skills and kinds of experience

the employers are seeking, and then use these words in your search.

• Read some good books.

Check your local bookstore or library for a copy of What Color Is Your

Parachute? by Richard Bolles (Ten Speed Press) or Career Change: Everything

You Need to Know to Meet New Challenges and Take Control of Your Career by

David P. Helfand (VGM Career Horizons). They both contain exercises

designed to help you identify your skills and interests. Your local career

center, public library, or employment service center will have even more

good resources you can use.

• Talk to a career counselor.

If you have a lot of trouble figuring out what you want to do, you might

want to get some help from a career counselor. He or she can help you learn

more about yourself and your interests and guide you through the process of

deciding where to go.

TITLE: Career Search & Job Search is the leading career center in US.

Career Category: Jobs, Career, Resume, Job Search, Career Search, Job Listing, Monster Job, Job Bank

Site Description: Career Search and Job Search offers tips and free resume sample, resume writing, example, cover letter, write resume, resume template format, help, and resume builder. Post resume for free.

Career Topics: Career Builder, Engineering Career, Search, Planning, Links, Test, Information, Change, Education, Job Opportunity, Assessment, Counseling, Career Center, Monster Job, Job Bank, Government Job, California Job, Job Listing Online