Librarian for Career Planning & Job Hunting

Please ask at the 1st floor Reference Desk for assistance.

NYU Links

• Center for Career Development

Related Subject Guides

• U.S. Company and Industry Information

Internet Links

• U.S. Department of Labor
• Bureau of Labor Statistics
  

Finding Career-Related Books in BobCat

BobCat can be searched for books and other materials related to careers with a Subject Heading (LCSH) search (s=). To find books relating to a specific occupation, field, or industry, type in its name followed by the term "vocational guidance." For example:

• s= advertising--vocational guidance
• s= engineering--vocational guidance
• s= nursing--vocational guidance

The following terms may be used to find career related materials:

• s= applications for positions
• s= career changes
• s= employment
• s= interviewing
• s= job hunting
• s= resumes

If you are having trouble finding the right word(s) for the occupation or industry you want to investigate, look in the Library of Congress Subject Headings, a 5-volume set which lists the subject headings used in BobCat. There are copies of LCSH in all reference centers (floors 1, 6, & 9).

Defining the Position

These sources provide basic information on the qualifications, functions, responsibilities, and outlook for different professions.

• Career Guide to America's Top Industries. Indianapolis: JIST Works, 2004.
  Bobst Ref6 HF5382.5.U5 C28 2004
  Provides information on job opportunities in over 40 diverse industries giving information on the nature of the industry, employment figures, working conditions, occupations within the industry, training and advancement, earnings and benefits, and employment outlook.
• Occupational Outlook Handbook. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  Bobst Ref6 Desk HF5381.U6 Latest edition only. Earlier editions in stacks.
  Bobst HF5381.U6 (1951-)
  http://www.bls.gov/oco/
  Describes 250 occupations providing a brief description of the nature of the work, working conditions, employment availability, training and education required, job outlook and earnings. Each entry also provides names and addresses of professional associations and organizations.
• Darnay, Arsen J. American Salaries and Wages Survey. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc.
  Bobst Ref6 HD4973.A67 Latest edition only.
  Bobst HD4973.A67 (1988/1990, 1999-)
  Provides statistical data on salary ranges for occupations, by occupation and geographic location.
• Farr, J. Michael. Best Jobs for the 21st Century. Indianapolis, IN: JIST Works, 2004.
  Bobst Ref6 HF5381.15 .F37 2004
  Presents the best jobs by education level, interests, and personality type for women, men, part-timers, and the self-employed. Addresses workers of all age ranges, including those who are 16-24 or 55 and over. Also provides information needed to explore career options with helpful lists of jobs with the best pay, fastest growth, and most openings. Information is taken from the Department of Labor's Occupational Information Network. See also Ronald Krannich, Best Jobs for the 1990s and into the 21st Century, located at Bobst Ref6 HF5382.K68 1995.

Locating Industry-Specific Sources

By doing a "Series Title" search in BobCat for the "VGM professional career series," it's possible to locate a number of books about careers in specific fields, ranging from marketing and advertising to communications, art, journalism, and nursing. Bobst also carries a series of career books that are organized by college major; these can be located in BobCat by entering "Great Jobs for" into a title search. The following list provides a few additional industry-specific resources:

• Careers in Art and Graphic Design, 2001.
  Bobst Ref1 NC1001.6.R44 2001
• Clark, Elaine A. There's Money Where Your Mouth Is: An Insider's Guide to a Career in Voice-Overs, 2000.
  Bobst Ref1 PN1992.8.A6 C53 2000
• Danilov, Victor J. Museum Careers & Training: A Professional Guide, 1994.
  Bobst Ref1 AM7.D34 1994
• Résumés for Performing Arts Careers, 2004.
  Bobst Ref1 PN1580.R47 2004

Preparing for the Job Search

Titles listed in this section are for those entering the job market for the first time, those considering a career change, or those who are simply looking for a more challenging position.

• Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance. Chicago: J.G. Ferguson Publishing Co., 2000.
  Bobst HF5381.E52 2000 vols. 1-4
  This useful guide provides outline descriptions of industries (v.1) as well as descriptions of jobs within these industries (vols. 2-4). Job descritions include entries on the nature of the work, requirement, methods of entering the field, possibilities of advancement, earning potential, and conditions of work.
• Krannich, Ronald and Caryl Rae Krannich. The Job Hunting Guide: Transitioning from College to Career. Manassas Park, VA: Impact, 2003.
  Bobst Ref1 HF5382.7.K73 2003
  Drawing on accounts from students, college administrators, and employers, the authors offer advice on how today's college students can best transition from college to career.
• Bolles, Richard Nelson. What Color is Your Parachute?: A Practical Manual for Job Hunters and Career Changers. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2005.
  Bobst Ref6 HF5383.B56 Earlier editions in stacks.
  Considered to be the "classic" manual for career changers or job-hunters, this source has chapters on self-evaluation of skills and goals, questionnaires to determine interests, and helpsheets for résumé writing and interviewing techniques. Indexes and tables provide resources, agencies, checklists. N.B.: These tables change with each edition to remain current with changing job markets.
• James G. Clawson [et al.]. Self-Assessment and Career Development. 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1992.
  Bobst HF5381.S473 1992
  Workbook format allows the job seeker to explore career goals, match goals and skills to job types, and prepare for interviewing and early career planning.
• Studner, Peter K. Super Job Search: The Complete Manual for Job Seekers and Career Changers. Los Angeles, CA: Jamenair Ltd., 2003.
  Bobst Ref6 HF5382.7.S78 2003
  Workbook format allows job seekers to assess goals and skills. Provides helpful advice as well as examples of letters and phone conversations.

Summer Employment

• Summer Jobs in the USA. Lawrenceville, NJ: Thomson/Peterson's.
  Bobst Ref1 HF5382.5.U5 S76 Latest edition only.
  Includes details on more than 55,000 summer jobs for students with nearly 800 employers in the U.S., Canada, and overseas, with general information about the employer, a profile of summer employees, and contact information. Employers are listed alphabetically by state and country.

Finding the Employer

This section has titles of directories, indexes, and other sources that provide information on companies. Some titles are primarily address resources; others give more extensive data. A useful companion guide is the U.S. Company and Industry Information page.

• The Career Guide: Dun's Employment Opportunities Directory. Parsippany, NJ: Dun's Marketing Service, 2000.
  Bobst Ref6 Index HF5382.5 U5 D86
  Presents information on potential employers in three formats: alphabetically, geographically, and by industry classification. A brief description of the company is provided, including the name of the appropriate person to contact. A unique index provides information on companies offering internships or work-study positions.
• Harvard Business School Guide to Careers in Finance. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing, 2002.
  Bobst Ref6 Desk HG4534.H26
  Covers specific sectors of the business world and is designed primarily for the MBA student. In addition to providing a summary of the requirements and expectations of each sector, this guide provides a profile of the individual companies covered. A useful resource for finding companies that offer internship programs. Titles are published annually or biennially.
• Hoover's Handbook of American Business. Austin, TX: Reference Press.
  Bobst Ref6 HF5035.H66 Latest edition only.
  Profiles 705 American companies. Includes useful lists of top-ranked companies. Primarily designed for the business sector.
• The Metropolitan New York Job Bank. Boston: B. Adams, 2002.
  Bobst Ref6 HF5382.75.U62 N615
  The Job Bank series provides job hunt information for over 20 cities. Information includes company addresses, contact people when available, brief descriptions of products or services provided, employment agencies, executive search firms, and chapters on résumé and cover letter writing.
• Dikel, Margaret and Frances Rhoem. The Guide to Internet Job Searching. Chicago: VGM Career Books, 2004.
  Bobst Ref6 HF5382.7.D55 2004
  Offers advice on how to find and use online bulletin boards, job listings, recruiter information, discussion groups, and résumé-posting services. Includes local, state-by-state, government, and international resource listings; online career resources; career path information; and reviews of some of the more popular job listing and recruiting websites. Intended for experienced surfers and Internet neophytes alike.
• Wertsman, Vladimir F. Career Opportunities for Bilinguals and Multilinguals: A Directory of Resources in Education, Employment, and Business. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 2002.
  Bobst Ref6 HF5382.5.U5 W44 2002
  Lists of resources are divided into chapters and subdivided by geographic area. Chapter on employment also subdivides by type of employment. Includes indexes and a selective bibliography.
• Woodruff, Cheryl. 150 Best Companies for Liberal Arts Graduates. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1992.
  Bobst Ref6 HF5382.75.U6 W66 1992
  Good source for liberal arts graduates seeking entry-level positions. Provides profiles of companies with strong commitment to hiring graduates of liberal arts programs. Includes brief interviews with employees of companies profiled and contains a chapter on government agency employment.

Careers in the Nonprofit Sector and Overseas

• Careers in Nonprofits and Government Agencies. San Francisco: WetFeet, 2004.
  Bobst Ref1 HD2769.2.U6 C37 2004
  Provides profiles of top nonprofit and government organizations, details what current nonprofit and government professionals like and dislike about their work, and explains how to get a foot in the door.
• Careers with Nonprofit Organizations: Working for Charitable and Philanthropic Organizations. Chicago: Institute for Career Research, 2001.
  Bobst Ref1 HF5381.A1 R47 2001
  Brief volume with a history of nonprofit work and descriptions of the kinds of work one does in the nonprofit sector, including lengthy quotes from nonprofit staff discussing their careers in their own words.
• Hoover's Handbook of World Business. Austin, TX: Reference Press.
  Bobst Ref6 Index HF5030.H662 Latest edition only.
  Profiles 227 corporations of global importance. Includes informative review essays and lists of company rankings.
• Laubner, Daniel. International Job Finder: Where the Jobs Are Worldwide. River Forest, IL: Planning/Communications, 2002.
  Bobst Ref6 HF5549.5.E45 L38 2002
  Provides details on over 1,200 websites, print, and CD-ROM sources of international job openings by country and occupation.
• Pybus, Victoria. The International Directory of Voluntary Work. Oxford: Vacation Work, 2003.
  Bobst Ref1 HF49.V64 I58 2003
  Provides details of over 700 organizations that need all types of people for all types of short, medium, and long-term voluntary work around the world.

Executive Recruiters

The use of executive search firms is most effective for those individuals already in a profession or those who have advanced academic or professional training.

• The Directory of Executive Recruiters. Fitzwilliam, NH: Kennedy Publications.
  Bobst Ref6 HF5549.5.R44 D58 Latest edition only.
  Provides a brief description of national executive recruiters including key contact people. Indexed by function, industry, location, and strategic personnel.
• Executive Recruiters of North America. Greenwich, CT: Hunt-Scanlon Publishing, 1993.
  Bobst Ref6 HD38.Z5.U6 H68
  Provides information on nearly 2,000 executive recruiters in 29 major business sectors. Indexed by industry, function, recruiter, and location. Covers the writing of résumés as well as cover letters, and includes examples of both complete with commentaries.

The Interview

Titles listed in this section provide an overview of the interview situation and detail basic information such as what to wear, what's likely to be asked, how to respond, what is and what isn't legal to ask, etc. Please note that the titles listed in the Preparing for the Job Search section above also include chapters on interviewing.

• King, Julie Adair. The Smart Woman's Guide to Interviewing and Salary Negotiation. Hawthorne, NJ: Career Press, 1993.
  Bobst Ref6 HF5382.6.K56 1993
  Provides basic information on interviewing techniques with special attention given to those barriers women face: illegal questions, sexual harassment, hostile interviewers, and low-ball salary offers.
• Eder, Robert W., ed. The Employment Interview Handbook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1999.
  Bobst HF5549.5.I6 E48 1999
  Provides a review of research in employment interviewing, including the validity and fairness of interview outcomes, factors affecting the interviewer's decision-making process, and applicant perspectives on the process of interviewing.