Vocational
Assessment Clinic
FINDING
OUT ABOUT JOBS: OCCUPATIONAL INFORMATION RESOURCES ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB
Department
of Psychology
612-625-1519
vac@tc.umn.edu
VAC Home
The world of work offers
a seemingly limitless array of different occupational fields and job titles.
For individuals making career decisions, the number of possibilities can be
overwhelming. In order to identify a job that fits our interests, values, abilities,
and personality, we need to learn both about ourselves and about the world of
work. When evaluating various occupations, we might ask:
- What
kind of education and training is required?
- What
is the salary range, and would I have an opportunity to move up in the organization?
- What
is a typical work day like?
- What
is the work environment like? Would I work with others or independently?
In a structured or unstructured setting?
- What
is the outlook for openings in this field?
Local bookstores and libraries
generally contain a variety of resources that provide information about various
occupations. The US Department of Labor publishes two regularly updated resources
that provide information about a wide range of occupations: The Occupational
Outlook Handbook and Dictionary of Occupational Titles. In addition,
there are a number of sites on the World Wide Web that provide up-to-date
information about various job titles and occupational fields. Several of these
sites are listed here.
America’s
Career InfoNet
Sponsored by the U.S.
Employment and Training Administration, this site offers profiles on hundreds
of occupations. Information about average wages and job availability are included.
Careers, Not Just Jobs,
The
Wall Street Journal Interactive
Updated daily, this
is a free career service from the Wall Street Journal and the National
Business Employment Weekly. The site includes articles relevant to the career
search process and job listings for featured employers.
8/18/05