Career Development & Job Searching

Still deciding whether to tackle filing your tax return versus using the services of a paid preparer before the April 15 deadline? Wondering how the new 2009 tax law changes—college tax benefits for parents and students, energy credits for homeowners who are going green, and even tax breaks for home buyers and car buyers—are going to benefit you? Help in solving these mysteries is available right in your neighborhood—@ your library.

Front Page Slideshow Image: 

So life threw you a curve and you are looking for a job. Ever thought of starting your own business? You are not alone. About 6% of the adult population is engaged in trying to start new firms, says the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. And new businesses can take hold in a recession: a 2003 U.S. House Small Business Committee report found that experienced managers over the age of 40 were quite successful in starting businesses in the recession of the early 1990’s.

Front Page Slideshow Image: 

Small Businesses Take Flight

According to the U.S. Small Business Association's Office of Women's Business Ownership, about one third of privately owned businesses are women-owned.  What does it take to get an enterprise off the ground?  Although their businesses are very different, these three entrepreneurs all got started at the same place: the library.

Michelle Lewis of Brooklyn made invaluable contacts at the library

Front Page Slideshow Image: 

I arrived home one day and spotted my daughter’s teen magazine lying on the floor. I cringed at the messages with which those magazines tend to inculcate young girls, but while paging through it, I came across an article listing dating tips that were uncannily similar to my mental list of interviewing techniques.

For many professions, an online portfolio has replaced the resume as the best way to showcase your work. And thanks to the miracle of user-friendly technology, there’s no need to pay someone with technical expertise to create one. These days, many services entice users to create their sites free of charge.

“Everybody is developing an online portfolio,” says Debbie Faires, the assistant director for Distance Learning at the School of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University.

If career strategist Cynthia Shapiro predicts correctly, this holiday season will be the peak hiring period of the entire year.

The holiday job-search angle is “a little-known secret,” she says. “Most people stop job searching around the holidays.” And since hiring was at a near-halt over the summer, all the better to jump start your job hunt while everyone else is downing eggnog.

Whether you’re looking for direction in choosing a career or interested in trying something new, checking out the following industries may be a great place to start.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a recent grad, in the middle of your career, or at the top of the ladder — a job hunt in these times is still a daunting task. Find out how these people used free resources to step up their game and conquer the job market.

The Recent Grad

Take the plunge! Are you having difficulty finding jobs in your industry or just want a change of pace? It is possible to pursue a career outside your recent job experience and succeed in landing a position in a new industry. Positive thinking is key, as is a willingness to believe in yourself. In addition, it’s imperative to identify your unique value proposition.

Here are five steps that will help you in your transition:

You’re willing and able to make your next move. But in this economy, deciding the best spot to relocate and job hunt is a daunting task. In May, Forbes ranked Madison, Wisconsin, as the number one city for job growth in 2009, followed by Washington D.C. and Boston. Here’s some insight into why these three cities may be good candidates for relocation.