Career Collection

Library User's Guide: Career Collection

Table of Contents
Description and Location UNISTAR Search Suggestions & Subject Headings Identifying Books on Career-Related Topics Occupational Descriptions--Selected Titles Employers Internships	Resume Writing and Job Search Techniques Salaries Career & Employment Related Internet Sites Evaluating Career-Related Information Additional Information in Rod Library

CAREER COLLECTION DESCRIPTION AND LOCATION

The Rod Library Career Collection contains current information about occupations, employment trends, and job searching. Information about occupations requiring at least a baccalaureate degree is emphasized. Materials on career decision making, internships, and salaries are also located here. The Career Collection is located on the main level on the north side.

UNISTAR SEARCH SUGGESTIONS & SUBJECT HEADINGS

There are several ways you may search UNISTAR, the Library’s online catalog, to find books about specific occupations. Most of the Library’s recent books on specific careers are located in the Career Collection. To identify books on a career you’re interested in, access UNISTAR and click on the Advanced Search option. Enter the name of the career of interest in the Any Field window, then scroll down to the Location window, click on the drop-down arrow and highlight UNI Career.

Also try searching UNISTAR using the phrase vocational guidance with your career of interest as a Keyword search, for example, business and vocational guidance. You may also find information by using a specific job title, for example, marketing and vocational guidance.

Once you identify some books of interest, look at the UNISTAR record for the book. Often terms are given in the Subject portion of the record that may lead you to additional resources. For example, social work and vocational guidance leads to books about the social work occupation. And by looking at the Subject terms for the book and clicking on social service—vocational guidance you would find additional books about this field.

IDENTIFYING BOOKS ON CAREER-RELATED TOPICS

The Career Collection contains other types of career-related information, such as employment trend information, resume writing books, internship directories, and salary updates.

Useful Subject Headings for Career Collection Information:

Career Changes
Career Development
College Graduates--Employment
Employment in Foreign Countries
Job Descriptions
Job Hunting

Occupations
Professions
Resumes (employment)
Vocational Interests
Vocational Qualifications
Wages--College Graduates--United States

OCCUPATIONAL DESCRIPTIONS - SELECTED TITLES

Occupational Outlook Handbook. U.S. Department of Labor.
UNI Career Reference HF 5381 A1O36
(also in Career Circulating and Reference Collection)
Library has 1970- earlier editions in UNI Documents
Online at http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm
A good starting place for current occupational information. For each occupation the nature of the work, working conditions, training and/or educational preparation, job outlook, and earnings are provided. While limited to roughly 250 occupations, these represent 7 out of every 8 jobs in the United States economy. Consult the alphabetical index to find your occupations of interest.

O*NET Dictionary of Occupational Titles
Career Reference HB 2595 O16 (most recent); also available in Career Circulating and Reference Collection
Online at http://online.onetcenter.org/find
Describes the typical work required in each of 20,000 professional, white-collar, trade, and other occupations. Each occupational description consists of the job title, education/training required, number of people employed, annual earnings, expected job growth, and number of job openings annually. The occupational descriptions in O*NET are arranged by the U.S. government’s Standard Occupational Classification numeric scheme. The arrangement permits you to see related job titles and descriptions as a group, rather than scattered throughout an alphabetic arrangement. Consult the alphabetical occupational index at the end of the volume to find the page numbers for the occupations of interest.

O*NET OnLine
http://online.onetcenter.org/find
For each occupation the tasks; necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities; work activities, context, and styles; related occupations; and wages and employment trends are given. You may search O*NET by occupational name as a keyword, by the Standard Occupational Code number, by job family (e.g., business and financial operations), and in other ways. By clicking on the Details report view you will obtain more information than given in the print O*NET Dictionary of Occupational Titles (see above). Another advantage of the online version is that you may obtain employment forecasts and salary information for the states, as well as for the nation.

The Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance
UNI Career Reference HF 5381 E52; earlier in UNI Stacks
Profiles of over 90 career fields or industries (for example, biology, human resources, or social services) are given in volume 1 to help you understand the basic structure of the field and typical career paths in it. Volumes 2-5 consist of information on specific occupations, including their training requirements.

Occupational Briefs. Chronicle Guidance Publications
UNI Career Reference HF 5382.5 U5O33
Informative career reports (briefs and reprints) on over 650 occupations. Each brief defines the occupation; describes the work performed, typical requirements, working conditions, employment outlook, and related occupations; and identifies sources for additional research. Organized by Brief number. Use the Alphabetical List of Occupations in volume 1 to identify the brief numbers for the occupations of interest.

Research. Careers booklet series
UNI Career Reference HF 5381 A1I5
Nearly 400 research reports, each providing information about a specific occupation. Each report discusses the work within the career, its history, job settings, education, earnings, opportunities, and sources of additional information. These reports, in contrast to other sources described in this Guide, highlight the attractive and unattractive features of the occupation, discuss the personal qualities needed, and describe a typical work day. To find reports on occupations you are interested in, consult the Careers list posted on the bulletin board at the Career Collection entrance. This series covers occupational specializations which may not be covered by other sources, for example, careers in employment agencies, health club management, music education, or nanotechnology.

EMPLOYERS

The Career Guide: Dun's Employment Opportunities Directory
UNI Career Reference HF 5382.5 U5D86
Designed for new college graduates seeking employment. Limited to U.S. companies engaged in a full range of economic activity. Main section is alphabetical by employer name. Indexes include: Businesses Geographically, Business by Industry Classification, Employer Branch Offices Geographically, and Disciplines Hired Geographically.

Job Choices for Business & Liberal Arts Students
UNI Career Reference and Career HF 5382.5 U5J63
Job Choices for Science, Engineering, & Technology Students
UNI Career Reference and Career HF 5382.5 U5J595
Job Choices: Diversity Edition
UNI Career Reference HF 5382.5 U5P554

These three booklets provide information about corporate and governmental employers regularly recruiting college graduates. The employers submit their own profile and determine which volumes they will be listed in. Most students benefit from consulting each volume. Also included are job hunting tips.

INTERNSHIPS

Internships. Peterson’s.
UNI Career Reference HD 5715.2 I6 2005
Listings are categorized according by industry (the type of company or organization sponsoring the internship). Consult both the Table of Contents and the Field of Interest Index to find internship programs since most of the sponsors offer positions in a variety of career areas beyond their specific field.

See also Selected Internship Resources in Rod Library at http://www.lib.uni.edu/instruction/internshipdirectories.shtml.

RESUME WRITING AND JOB SEARCH TECHNIQUES

The Career Collection contains most of the Library’s recent books on resume and cover letter writing and on job interview preparation. To identify resume writing books, access UNISTAR and click on the Advanced Search option. Enter resumes employment in the Any Field window, then scroll down to the Location window, click on the drop-down arrow and highlight UNI Career. For cover letter writing or employment interviewing books, follow this same procedure with the phrase cover letter* or employment interview*.

So that all students have access to resume, cover letter, and job interview preparation books, several have been placed in the Career Reference section of the Career Collection. Examples:

Resume Magic: Trade Secrets of a Professional Resume Writer (3rd edition)
UNI Career Reference HF 5383 W46 2007
Gallery of Best Cover Letters (2nd edition)
UNI Career Reference HF 5383 N618 2004
Best Keywords for Resumes, Cover Letters, and Interviews
UNI Career Reference HF 5383 E4781 2003
The Job Hunter’s Word Finder
UNI Career Reference HF 5382.7 B598 1996
Interview for Success (8th edition)
UNI Career Reference and Career HF 5549.5 I6K72 2003

SALARIES

$alary $urvey. National Association of Colleges and Employers UNI Career Reference HD 4975 C5726 (most recent 2 years); earlier in UNI Stacks
Reports are compiled from data gathered by over 350 career planning and placement offices on campuses across the U.S. and consist of starting salary offers and number of offers made to new graduates by employing organizations. Organized by major and by job function area regardless of degree held or employer type. Base salary only; does not include fringe benefits, overtime, or bonuses.

Salary Survey. Midwestern Region (MCPA). National Association of Colleges and Employers
UNI Career Reference HD 4975 C5727; earlier in UNI Stacks
Reports compiled from salary offers made to students graduating from Midwestern colleges and universities. Organized by major and by job function area.

CAREER & EMPLOYMENT RELATED INTERNET SITES

There are many Web sites providing occupational decision making and job hunting tips. For access to a selected list of Web sites providing occupational and job bank information, consult Career Related Information and Job Banks at www.library.uni.edu/ris/career.shtml.

Professional and trade associations compile authoritative career information and post it on their Web sites. Search for this information using leads obtained from print sources described in this Library User’s Guide or by using an Internet search engine.

EVALUATING CAREER-RELATED INFORMATION

Critically evaluate the career-related information you are consulting. Look for the publication date. Since occupational outlooks, training requirements, and salaries change, generally use the most recent information available. Additionally, determine the source of the information and the credentials of the authors as well as who is publishing the information or sponsoring the site in determining the accuracy and/or potential biases.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IN ROD LIBRARY

Additional materials to help you research occupations, potential employers, and industries, or to identify graduate and professional training programs are available in Rod Library. The Reference Collection and the Art and Music Collections are examples of other locations where you may find resources. Career-related material located in the UNI Stacks is typically more dated than that in the Career Collection.

(B. Weeg 1/07)
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