Career Development & Job Searching

Becoming a published author can be a mystery – especially when you are clueless about where to start. Writing a book can take anywhere from months to years to complete. However, having the right tools and networks in place can help you work through the challenges that may arise. Although writing a mystery novel is no easy task, this article you will help you find many resources that can be of value. As they say, a trail isn’t much help if you don’t have footprints to follow.

Your First Clue

Front Page Slideshow Image: 

Every day, people enter into agreements: selling or leasing property, becoming an employee or independent contractor, settling disputes, and much more. But too often, individuals enter these agreements without considering the essential provisions necessary to create an enforceable contract. Don’t be one of them.

Front Page Slideshow Image: 

This is an exciting time for those looking to enter the federal workforce.

Front Page Slideshow Image: 

Ever watch the Food Network or other cooking channels and say to yourself, “I want to do that?” Perhaps you have an interest in cooking, but you’re lost as to where to begin. No matter what the state of our economy, people will always want good food. Whether that food comes from your local fast food restaurant, a diner, or your mother’s kitchen, your passion and skills could earn you money and your reputation a four-star designation.

Front Page Slideshow Image: 

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.