The document outlines resources and strategies for job seekers at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, including access to career books, study guides, and résumé review services. It emphasizes the importance of networking, informational interviews, and utilizing both posted and hidden job markets in the job search process. Additionally, it provides tips on skill inventory, setting goals, and organizing job search efforts effectively.

1. Finding Job Opportunities Amy Swackhamer Business, Science, and Technology Department Enoch Pratt Free Library Central Library/State Library Resource Center 400 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-396-5317

2. What you can find through the EPFL Job and Career Information Center: large section of reference and circulating books about careers, covering many different fields extensive test study guide collection covering academic and professional certification exams database of online practice tests (Learn-a-Test), available to anyone with a Pratt library card presentations related to job seeking and careers online guides to career-related Web sites ré sum é review services by appointment access to word processors and the Internet (All EPFL branches feature this) ALL OF THESE ARE FREE TO MARYLAND RESIDENTS.

3. Introductions

4. Today we will discuss: Preparation Inventorying your skills and interests investigating potential careers Preparing information about yourself to share with other people Getting organized Searching Looking for posted job openings Communicating with others to find career opportunities on the “hidden job market” Networking Informational Interviews Cold-calling

5. Before embarking on your search clarify your ideas about your goals and strengths create or update your résumé , formatted for print and electronic output have an email address and phone number establish a system for organizing information about the progress of your search

6. Identify your skills Some skills are job-specific and some are transferable: Gathering information Reading electrical wiring diagrams Interpreting rules and regulations Medical coding Delegating responsibility Managing time Writing concisely Using Skyline 3D modeling software

7. Professional: 1. Bachelor's degree in computer science, management information systems or equivalent combination of education and experience. 2. Programming and systems analysis experience. 3. Ideal candidate will have experience working with relational database concepts; SQL and/or Pick-based database experience helpful. 4. Service-oriented office experience. 5. Experience working in a multi-platform environment including Windows 2000 Professional, Mac OSX, Windows XP Server and SQL Server environment. 6. Working knowledge of HTML coding, SPSS, Access, Microsoft Office, Word Perfect 5.1, and Web applications. 7. Knowledge of report writers, particularly Query, Uniquery, and Safari. 9. Knowledge of cost analysis and budgeting procedures. 10. Knowledge of systems growth analysis and capacity planning processes and techniques. 11. Knowledge of data security and disaster recovery systems and applications. 12. Knowledge of various reporting tools.

8. Personal: 1. Well developed interpersonal skills. 2. Ability to multi-task, set priorities and adapt quickly to differing situations and environments. 3. Demonstrated organizational and planning skills. 4. Must be self-motivated and an independent worker. 5. Possess a positive attitude, sense of humor, and willingness to work a flexible schedule. 6. Ability to work with constant interruptions. 7. Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing. 8. Willing to acquire new and advance existing skill sets. 9. Must have strong analytical and design skills. 10. Team oriented 11. Excellent customer service skills. 12. Experience in designing innovative, technical workflow solutions. 13. High level of initiative and dedication.

9. Strengths List the strengths you have and enjoy using Ask friends and coworkers what they see as your strengths Take career skills and interest tests

10. Goals What sort of work am I motivated to do? Do I enjoy working alone or with others? How many hours am I willing to work? How much money do I want to make? What do I want to be doing in 5 years? 10 years? How can I get there from here? What have I disliked about jobs I’ve had (and want to avoid in future jobs if possible)?

11. Finding Career Information Occupational Outlook Handbook (http://www.bls.gov/oco/) O*Net Online ( http://online.onetcenter.org/ ) Information in the Job and Career Information Center Contact people working in the field and ask them questions Professional organizations in your field

14. Get ready to advertise your strengths Come up with brief sound bites to share with potential employers or people who might be able to help you with your job search Gather stories that illustrate your strengths Make cards to hand out that include your most important strengths related to the job you want Create a targeted résumé

16. Résumé A résumé is one type of document that can result from your inventory of your skills and goals. You should have a résumé prior to beginning your job search so you will always have it on hand to give out. You can polish your résumé throughout your search and you may want to have several different versions for different types of positions or situations. For more details, you may want to attend our upcoming RÉSUMÉ 101 presentation.

17. Where do you normally start looking for job openings? ( The Job and Career Information Center’s Subject Guides to Job Postings )

18. Newspapers The Baltimore Sun actually uses Careerbuilder, a large national jobs database, for their online job postings http:// www.baltimoresun.com /classified/jobs/

20. Job Search Engines Indeed http://www.indeed.com/ Indeed also has an interesting salary search: http://www.indeed.com/salary SimplyHired http:// www.simplyhired.com / Lets you to post your résumé to Careerbuilder.com, Monster.com, and several other online job banks at the same time http:// www.simplyhired.com/resumepost

24. Field-specific job sites Examples of field-specific job posting sites: http:// www.mediabistro.com / For people working in the media http://www.dice.com/ For technology professionals http://www.idealist.org/career/career.html For jobs in the nonprofit sector

25. Government The Local and State Government Page of the Job Center’s Website: http:// www.pratt.lib.md.us/slrc/job/stlogov.html Links to a lot of government Human Resource Sites, like Baltimore City HR http:// www.baltimorecity.gov/government/personnel/index.html

28. Specific Companies or Organizations Coldstone Creamery http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/jobs/best_jobs.html McCormick http://mccormick.kenexa.com/mccormickv4/newhr/default.asp National Public Radio http:// www.npr.org/about/jobs/index.html Johns Hopkins https://hrnt.jhu.edu/jhujobs/job_search.cfm

29. Organization saves time Bookmark Web pages On your computer Internet browser Bookmark manager eg. del.icio.us ( http:// del.icio.us / ) Keep copies of jobs postings that interest you Cut and paste them into a document Email them to yourself and put them in a folder Print them

30. Why do I need an email account? send résumés and cover letters to email addresses receive responses from potential employers required for most online job applications Save copies of your résumé and cover letters online by emailing them to yourself Sign up for email alerts through job search engines and employment Web pages It’s fast and free to register for email. For more info, see our email subject guide.

31. Remember, the most competition exists for posted job openings and many jobs are never advertised. Applying for posted jobs should be combined with other strategies like networking and cold-calling potential employers. Let’s move on to the hidden job market…

32. Networking Everyone you know is in your network. Friends, family, colleagues, people you know through hobby groups, churches, or other organizations… let these people know about your job search and ask them if they might be able to help you Give people your brief informational cards about your professional experience and goals to help them remember and share your information

33. The JIST card

34. Use your contacts to make new contacts Do you know anyone who might know of any openings for a machinist ? Do you know anyone who works at XYZ Company ? Do you know anyone who works in this field and might be willing to give me advice?

35. Informational Interviewing Ask questions like: How do you keep up with developments in the field? What email discussion lists are you on? What conferences do you attend? What advice would you give to someone looking for work in this field?

36. Networking Exercise What do I do? What are my best selling points? What is my goal in talking to others? What type of people do I want to meet?

37. Cold Calling Find organizations you think might be a good match for you. Look at their web sites and seek out other sources of information about them. Contact the organizations and ask about possibilities for employment with them.

38. Job Fairs Listed on the Job Center “How to Get a Job” guide: http://www.prattlibrary.org/findanswers/how_to.aspx?id=3008

39. Temp Agencies May help you find employment more quickly Frequently don’t offer benefits May have rules about whether companies can hire you after you worked through them You can register with multiple agencies

40. Document your search Copies of postings for which you apply Contact information for people who can help with your search Dates you talk with contacts and important details of your conversation Dates you send thank-you letters Reference numbers for online applications Where you post your r é sum é online and the passwords you use Your time - make yourself a schedule and stick to it

41. Recap Preparation Identify your skills and interests Investigate careers Put your strengths and goals in words Get organized Searching Posted openings – job boards, job search engines, company sites, etc. Hidden openings - networking, informational interviewing, cold calling Other places – job fairs, temp agencies

42. Questions?