How To Use Career Descriptions To Find Your Next Job

A lot of people can envision what they would love to be doing for a living, but they don’t know how to translate that vision into a job they can apply for. If this sounds like you, you’re in luck. All you have to do is start reading career descriptions and you’ll soon zero in on your life’s dreams. Career descriptions are summaries of job responsibilities and requirements. Here’s how to start your career search by simply firing up your web browser:

The U.S. Government publishes The Occupational Outlook Handbook that you can access online. Updated annually, it lists all of the following data for each position covered:

• The training and education needed

• Earnings

• Expected job prospects

• What workers do on the job

• Working conditions

You can use the Search box that is on every page to enter occupational keywords, or access the listing of all occupations in alphabetical order by using the A-Z Index.

The U.S. Department of Labor contracts with a firm called O*NET which publishes a  Directory Of Occupational Titles  along with a Skills Search database that lets you match job titles with your specific skills. Once you have compiled a list of job titles, you can head back to the The Occupational Outlook Handbook to conduct career research to learn more about what the job requires and offers.

CollegeBoards.com, the organization charged with the responsibility of managing college entrance exams, has an in-depth career research tool that you can use to drill down to find your dream career.

CareerExplorer.com, has a Career Explorer search engine that not only lets you find your perfect career by reading descriptions, it also provides salary information as well as links to colleges and technical schools offering career-specific education and training.

If you’re not really sure which career is right for you, take a step back and assess your personality traits and skills first. You can get help doing that by reading  Do What You Are : Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type. This 416 page book helps you match who you are to the careers that will work best for you.

Think of career descriptions as a tool to help you turn your career dreams into reality.

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