Careers & Employment Pathfinder
Suggested Resources from Pierce College Library

Where do you start? This pathfinder will lead you to selected reference books, circulating books, databases, and web sites as starting points.

Need help? Talk to a librarian at the reference desk or call 253-840-8302.

Company Research

• International Directory of Company Histories (REF HD 2721 .I63) Histories and current facts about thousands of the world’s most influential companies. Each company entry is 3-5 pages and includes information on topics like founders; expansions & losses; labor/management actions; principal subsidiaries; divisions & operating units; principal competitors; and significant milestones.

• Washington Business Directory (REF HF 5065 .W2 W23) Directory of Washington state businesses listed by city, yellow page category, major employers, and SIC code.

• Hoovers (www.hoovers.com/free) Company information including business reports and profiles. Note: some information on Hoovers is limited to paying subscribers only.

• AnnualReports.com (http://www.annualreports.com/) Provides free access to recent annual reports for many publicly-traded companies. Annual reports contain reports, financial statements, and other information relevant to shareholders. Search by company name, ticker symbol, or industry.

•  Google Finance (finance.google.com)  Can find information on up-to-the-minute stock quotes, financial and company history, current news and blog posts, and information on industry competitors. 

Choosing a Career

• Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance (REF HF 5381 .E52 2008) Information on over 900 careers, including a general description of the job or career field, requirements, salary statistics, work environment, future outlook for the field, and sources for more information. Volume one contains career guidance information.

• Occupational Outlook Handbook (HF 5381 .U5 O25) Information on hundreds of different types of jobs, including the training and education needed, earnings, expected job prospects, what workers do on the job, and working conditions. Also available online at http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm 
  
  
• WOIS/The Career Information System (http://www.wois.org) – Go to the library website, select Find Articles & Databases, then select WOIS under the "College and Career Guides" section. It contains Washington state information on current salaries, educational programs, schools and training requirements for various occupations. Includes skills self-assessment and career interest exercises.
  
  
• Workforce Explorer: http://www.workforceexplorer.com/cgi/career   Career and labor market information specific to Washington State
  

• 200 Best Jobs for College Graduates (REF HF 5381 .F4563 2006)

• 300 Best Jobs without a College Degree (REF HF 5381 .F37 2003)

•  What Color is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers (HF 5382.7 .B64)
  
  

• Career Opportunities in (call numbers vary; in the reference section) Search for the title “Career Opportunities in” in the library catalog to see specific titles like Career opportunities in forensic science, Career opportunities in health care, Career opportunities in the nonprofit sector.

•  VGM Careers for You series (call numbers vary) Search for the title “careers for” in the library catalog to see specific titles like Careers for bookworms & other literary types, Careers for extroverts & other gregarious types, and Careers for good samaritans & other humanitarian types.

• Careers in Focus series (call numbers vary) Search for the title “careers in focus” in the library catalog to see specific titles like Travel & Hospitality, Agriculture, Animal Care, and Child Care.
  
  
• Vocational Guidance (call number vary) Search for the subject "vocational guidance" in the library catalog to see titles on career guidance.  Narrow your search by searching on keywords specific to your field of interest, such as
   "vocational guidance" and "health care"
  
  
  

Job Hunting

• Job Hunter’s Sourcebook (REF HF 5382.7 .J62) Guide to finding employments leads and other job search resources. Includes sources of job-hunting information by professions and occupations.

• Puget Sound Business Journal Book of Lists (REF HG 4057 .W2 B84) Annual compilation of lists originally published in the previous year’s issues of the Puget Sound Business Journal. Features lists of local businesses in various industry categories (i.e. Real Estate, Health Care, Technology). Other categories include “Washington’s Best Workplaces” and “Fastest Growing Companies.”

• The Seattle JobBank (HF 5382.5 .U6 W3) Contains employer listings of companies in all industries, including company profiles, contact information, common positions, educational backgrounds sought, and benefits.

• The Job Search Solution: The Ultimate System for Finding a Great Job Now! (HF 5382.7 .B472 2006)

• Career Comeback: 8 Steps to Getting Back on Your Feet when you’re Fired, Laid Off, or Your Business Venture has Failed (HF 5382.7 .R548)

•  The Over-40 Job Guide (HF 5382.7 .P483 1993)
  

• Landing on the Right Side of Your Ass: Survival Guide for the Recently Unemployed (HF5382.7 .L368 2004)

•  Work Source Washington (http://go2worksource.com/) The State of Washington's official site for online employment services. Find a job, get job search help, locate workforce services in your area, access career information and more.

•  USAJOBS (http://www.usajobs.com/) Search for U.S. government jobs using the official job site of the United States Federal Government.

•  The News Tribune Career Builder Jobs Homepage (http://www.thenewstribune.com/careerbuilder/) Classified job ads from the News Tribune.

•  NWjobs (http://marketplace.nwsource.com/jobs/) Classified job ads from both the Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

 

Cover Letters, Resumes, & Interview Tips

• Gallery of Best Resumes (HF 5383 .N62 2007)

• Gallery of Best Cover Letters (HF 5383 .N618 1999)

• 101 Smart Questions to Ask on Your Interview (HF 5549.5 .I6 F757 2003)
  
  
• Real Resumes series (call numbers vary) These books contain cover letters and resumes side by side are great for those who struggle to tie the two together. Search for the title “Real Resumes” in the library catalog to see specific titles like Real Resumes for Medical Jobs, Real Resumes for Sports Industry Jobs, and Real Resumes for Administrative Support, Office & Secretarial Jobs.

In addition to the books above, the library has numerous books on resume and cover letter writing and interview techniques. If you want to browse the shelves, try looking in the call number area HF 5381-5386 in either the reference collection (short shelves) or the circulating books (tall shelves).

• About.com Job Searching (http://jobsearch.about.com/) Click on the links on the left side of the page under Essentials. Includes resume and letter samples that fit a variety of employment situations, as well as information about job interviews.

•  UW Tacoma Career Development Center (http://www.tacoma.washington.edu/student_affairs/career/) Helpful information on topics such as Cover Letters, Interviewing, Job Search, and Resumes.