How
many times have you thought about changing your career, only to drop the ball,
because you didn’t know where or how to get the information you needed. Well,
get ready to pick up that ball and start it rolling!
I’ve compiled some great
ways to find the information you need to know –everything ranging from
salary info to training requirements – so that you can make a more educated
decision about your next career move:
Step one: Find a good industry focused guide
When
you have a general idea of the field you’d like to be in (i.e., music, sports,
etc.,) but you need to learn more about specific opportunities within your field
of interest, try taking a look at one of the career guides published by Impact
Publications, their titles range from “100 Jobs in Technology” to
“Careers for the Stage-Struck and other Dramatic Types.” If you don’t
see what you need from Impact, simply input your field of interest into the book
subject field of one of the online superstores (such as Amazon) and you’re bound to come up with a relevant book or two.
Likewise, if you’re more interested in investigating self-employment options,
there are some excellent books out there such as The Best Home Businesses
for the 21st Century, by Paul and Sarah Edwards that provide
a good overview of a host of interesting business options.
Step
Two: Narrow Your Focus
Once
you’ve come up with a couple of intriguing sounding job titles, you’ll want to
learn about the different facets of working within those jobs. Input your
favorite job titles into the keyword search offered by the Occupational Outlook
Handbook at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ where you can get extensive information on
over 250 careers. If you like what you read and think you might be willing to
invest in some training in your new field of interest, proceed over to
www.petersons.com to locate information on a variety of both local and
on-line training options.
Step
Three: Get More Specific Info
Expand your search by doing a keyword search in one of the mega search engines
such as www.yahoo.com or www.google.com. You’ll find links to associations,
seminars, conferences, chats, and other pertinent sites. Speaking of
associations, it could be worth a trip to the reference section of your local
library to consult the Gale Encyclopedia of Associations, which
has detailed information on over 81,000 membership organizations worldwide.
Associations can provide general career information packets and also be a great
source of information on training programs.
Step
Four: Show Me the Money
By
now, you may already have a good general sense of what your target jobs pay.
But, if you need more information, check out our salary
finder where you can get up
to date salary information on a wide range of jobs. Or check out the website of
individual professional associations, many of which poll their members
periodically for industry specific salary surveys.
Step
Five: Informational Interviewing
Last,
but by no means last, is good old-fashioned research by conversation. Speaking
with people who are actively working in your field of interest is by far the
single best way to get the real inside scoop on job options. If you don’t know
anybody working in your dream job, consider talking with the Dean of the
educational program you’d like to attend and ask for his/her insights. Go to a
dinner meeting of an association in a field that interests you. Join an online
special interest chat group or newsgroup. There are lots of ways to network
your way into great conversations – just make sure you’ve done your homework
first so you can ask intelligent questions, knock their socks off and dazzle
them with your brilliance!
©
Nancy Collamer
