Career Onestop

Resource ID:Res - COS
Grade Range:7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Postsecondary
Author:U.S. Department of Labor

Sections

Introduction

Explore Careers

Explore Careers: Find which career fits you the best by searching for occupations by keyword or code, or location.
Self Assessment: Whether you are just starting out, or wondering if another career would suit you better, self-assessments can help you consider different options and confirm types of careers that might be right for you.
Learn About Careers: The more you know about the job market, the more you can build career resilience. This means doing better at finding jobs, keeping them once you’re hired, and getting reemployed if you lose a job. Use these tools and links to learn which occupations are in high demand in your area, pay good wages, and relate to your skills or training.
Plan Your Career: Build your career with knowledge and a thoughtful plan. Whether you want to plan your career future, or just need structure to stay on track with career and education goals, career planning resources will help. You may find that goal setting transforms how you spend time and effort, ensuring that you are moving in the right direction. Learn about salary expectations and occupation licenses to better prepare for next steps. Gain the confidence of knowing you are building a successful future.
Source: 
U.S. Department of Labor

Find Training

Find Training programs, colleges, and universities in your local area. Search for training by occupation, school, program, keyword, or location.
Types of Training: Find the training option that best fits your needs.
  • High school equivalency
  • Adult Basic Education
  • Short-term training
  • College
  • Certifications
  • Apprenticeships
  • Internships
  • Professional development
  • Do you need a license?
Pay for Training: Thinking about a class, program or degree—but not sure you can afford it?
It’s true that education can be expensive. But it can also be more affordable than you might think. 
  • How much will it cost?
  • Find money for training
  • Financial aid
  • Scholarships
  • Make a budget
Find Your Path: Use available information to make yourself a smart education or training plan.
You’ll find lots of useful resources to help you decide what kind of training is best for you in Types of training. And you’ll find the help you need to afford training in Pay for training.
  • What’s right for me?
  • What’s in demand?
  • Make a training plan
  • My skills are out of date
  • College for adults
  • Is education worth it?
Source: 
U.S. Department of Labor

Job Search

Search For a Job: Put together a successful job search with resources on resumes, interviewing, networking and finding job openings.
Search for a job right now by entering a job and location. Search by a job title, key word, and location.
Plan Your Job Search: Make your job search efforts pay off with research and planning.
  • Create a job search plan
  • Research employers
  • Research salaries
  • Online job search
  • What's in demand?
  • Inquiry letters
  • Inquiry letter sample
Networking is your most important job search strategy.
  • Why network?
  • Your elevator speech
  • Make a list of contacts
  • Informational interviews
  • Contact potential employers
  • Maintain your network
  • Take your network online
Resumes and Applications: Get in the door with a great resume or job application.
  • Resumes
  • Cover letters
  • Cover letter sample
  • Job applications
  • Online applications
  • Portfolios
  • Work samples
  • References
Interview and Negotiate: Want to learn the secrets of successful interviewing and negotiating? Research and practice.
  • Get interview ready
  • Types of interviews
  • Interview tips
  • Common interview questions
  • Thank-you notes
  • Negotiate your salary
  • Is this offer right?
Source: 
U.S. Department of Labor

Find Local Help

Local Workforce Services

Find workforce services in your neighborhood or across the country. Visit the "Locate Help at a Glance" section.for job search assistance opportunities.
American Job Centers (AJCs) provide free help to job seekers for a variety of career and employment-related needs. Nearly 2,500 AJCs, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, are located throughout the United States.
  • Services vary by location but can include:
  • Resource rooms with phones, free internet and resume writing tools
  • Employment plan development
  • Job training services
  • Job search assistance
  • Career counseling
  • Practice interviewing
  • Skills testing
  • Labor market and employer information
  • Employment workshops
  • Supportive services (which can include information about SNAP, financial assistance, Medicaid, training services, child care, emergency funds, and other benefits)
  • Hiring events and business service information
  • Accessibility and special accommodations for people with disabilities
  • Referrals to community resources and other agencies, and more
  • Access to CareerOneStop's Worker ReEmployment website for laid-off workers
  • Access to your state’s job bank or CareerOneStop’s national Job Finder
  • Unemployment insurance information

Types of American Job Centers

Comprehensive American Job Centers - Provide a full array of employment and training related services for workers, youth and businesses. These locations include the mandatory Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) partners on-site. Learn more about WIOA.
Affiliate American Job Centers - Provide limited employment and training related services for workers, youth, and businesses. These locations do not include all the mandatory Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) partners (i.e., Veterans, Vocational Rehabilitation) on-site.

Workforce System Partners.

Looking for a WDB, library, or other workforce partner? Use the resources below to locate and contact these organizations in your local area.
Find a Workforce Development Board
Workforce Development Boards direct federal, state, and local funding to workforce development programs. They also oversee the American Job Centers, where job seekers can get employment information, find out about career development training opportunities and connect to various programs in their area.
Find a Youth Council
Youth Councils work under local Workforce Development Boards to guide youth programs and policy in their area.
Find a public library
Libraries offer a variety of employment resources and services for job seekers and employers.
Find a community college
Community colleges generally are 2-year educational institutions that grant associate degrees, certificates, and diplomas.
Find a business
Use the Business Finder to find contact information about a specific employer or list of employers. It will be necessary to contact each employer to see if they have job openings available.
Source: 
U.S. Department of Labor

Career Toolkit

Toolkit: Find the tool you need to research career information, training, or jobs. The toolkit is broken down into several sections, with links to online resources.
  • Careers
  • Training
  • Skills
  • Jobs
  • Wages
  • Industry
  • State and Local
  • Mobile Applications
 
Source: 
U.S. Department of Labor

Job Seeker Resources

Entry Level Workers

Learn the steps to finding a job when you have little or no work experience.
Even the most successful careers begin with entry-level jobs. Whether you’ve recently graduated from school, have little or no training, or are returning to the workforce after an absence, it can be hard to launch your job search.
If you’re just beginning your career path, take these tried and true steps to find a job and move forward in your career.
  • Choose a job goal
  • Gain hands-on experience
  • Network your way to a job
  • Leverage social media
  • Tap a range of job banks
  • Develop resumes and cover letters
  • Request job references
  • Prepare to interview
  • Negotiate a job offer

Young Adult

GetMyFuture is a one-stop site for young adults to find career, training, and job search resources. Check out GetMyFuture.org to:
  • Take an Interest Assessment
  • Learn about careers
  • Explore education and training options
  • Find and keep a job

Workers with Disabilities

Find resources and information to support your successful employment. Whether your disability is visible or not, a recent change or a long-term condition, your participation in the workforce is in demand.
Use the information and resources below to move your job search and career forward:
  • Defining disability and the ADA
  • Gain skills
  • Job search
  • Interviews
  • Disclosing a disability
  • Job accommodations
  • Vocational Rehabilitation
 
 
 
 
Source: 
U.S. Department of Labor

Career Adviser Resources

Career Counselor Resources

Find key resources for career counselors, academic advisors and other workforce professionals.
CareerOneStop offers great information and tools for career advisors who help job seekers, career explorers, and students. CareerOneStop material may be used in individual sessions, curriculum for classroom or workshops, computer lab exercises, or for newsletters and other publications.
Classroom and workshop curriculum in different formats for career planning and job search.
  • Occupation Profile - instructional PPT
  • Explore your interests - printable curriculum
  • Write your first cover letter - instructional video
  • Job Search for Ex-Offenders - overview video

Resources most frequently used by career advisors

  • Interest Assessment to match interests to careers
  • Occupation Profile with details on over 900 occupations
  • Salary information by ZIP Code, state, or nationally
  • Labor market information by ZIP Code, state, or nationally
  • Self-assessments for interests, skills, and values
  • Job Finder now accessing job listings from three national job banks updated daily:
  • US.jobs, America’s Job Exchange, and CareerBuilder
  • WIOA Eligible Training Provider finder 

Special Groups Seeking Employment

Find in-depth career resources targeted to these special populations:
  • Young adults
  • Career changers
  • Veterans
  • Laid-off or dislocated workers
  • Individuals who have a criminal conviction
  • Entry-level workers
  • Older workers
  • Students
  • Persons who have disabilities
  • Businesses seeking information on hiring, training or retention

Additional resources

  • Visit Toolkit to research occupations and industries, find training, certifications, professional associations, financial aid and scholarships, and more
  • Find Local Help for government and community resources in every state
  • Review Outreach materials links for CareerOneStop slideshow presentations and materials to order
  • Check out the COS blog for features on topics of interest
  • Visit our Web API page to learn how to link to us or customize our web tools for your own website

Key federal/national resources

Source: 
U.S. Department of Labor

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