Career Resources Every Girl Should Use

By Heather Steel on February 3rd, 2009

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past year, you have likely been inundated by reports of the growing unepmployment rate. It seems every day another large well-known corporate is announcing a massive layoff, and most Americans know at least one friend or acquaintance who is actively job-hunting. How is one even supposed to try to get a job in times like these? Since the job market is so competitive, it is essential to take advantage of all the help you can get. Here are some key career resources to consider before starting your job hunt:

- Career Coaches: A career coach or career counselor is an individual who makes a living off of advising clients on their careers. Career coaches help their clients with a range of tasks, from discovering careers in which they have potential to succeed to setting goals at intervals along their career path to fine-tuning their professional etiquette for interviews and business meetings. Some choose to employ a career coach for only a short period, while other clients find it useful to consult a career coach over the period of many years. Some career coaches can charge premium fees for their services, but recently more affordable “online career coaches” have popped up for those on a tighter budget.

- Career Tests: For those uncertain about their preferred career, career tests can be extremely helpful. These aptitude tests assess what a person enjoys, succeeds at, and struggles with and compares these traits against the traits necessary for certain careers. A career test or quiz is a great way to start researching potential careers, and there are even free career tests available online!

- Career Websites: There is an abundance of information about different careers available online, both on job search websites and on industry-specific sites. These sites can help you better understand how to get started on a specific career path and what to expect in any given role. Career websites also provide information about requirements, benefits, and salaries for different careers.

Finally, while current unemployment rates may make getting a job seem impossible, keep in mind that not all industries are affected. Jobs in health care, education, the legal industry, and computer-based jobs are still abundant. What matters most is finding a job that you will enjoy and in which you will be able to succeed.