Careers, Job Hunting and Employment Resources

CAREERS & EMPLOYMENT

Unemployment Benefits

Unemployment Insurance Frequently Asked Questions
Useful answers to common questions to help you get started.

Massachusetts Division of Unemployment Assistance
Use the KEY RESOURCES column (bottom left) for more specific information. From the Mass. Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

You may file an unemployment insurance claim by phone or by visiting the walk-in center nearest you.

The Quincy Career Center has the following unemployment insurance walk in hours:

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Starting Your Job Search

Quincy Career Center
Call 617-745-4000 to make an appointment with a counselor for an employment needs assessment. All services are provided free of charge to job seekers.

Newspaper Classifieds
Get a sense of what jobs are available in this area by looking at the local paper's classifieds or jobs section. Remember, newspapers are just one place to look, and they certainly do not list every job that is out there! Make sure to use several job searching tools when looking for jobs in your area. The library subscribes to the following daily local papers:

The Patriot Ledger

The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe's career section is in the Sunday edition. Sign up to get a free weekly e-mail that includes the entire career section and other updated career information.

The Boston Herald

Job Search Strategies
Organizing Your Job Search
One of the keys to successful job hunting is to keep track of all the information you gather. This website gives examples of checklists and other tools you can use to keep yourself organized. From the Minnesota Dept. of Employment and Economic Development.

Job Search Strategies that Work
This site has lots of job searching tips, as well as examples and templates of resumes and cover letters. From the North Carolina Career Resource Network.

The 7 Bad Habits of Ineffective Job Seekers
This is a long but thorough look at a lot of the do's and don'ts when job searching online. From Weddles.com.

The Dirty Dozen Online Job Search Mistakes
Avoid these 12 common mistakes people make while on the hunt. From Job-hunt.org.

Library Resources
Browse a list of library materials on job searching. The career section on the top floor of the Main Library also has many resources for use in the library.

Online Resources
Starting Your Online Job Search
From job-hunt.org.

JobHuntersBible
A nicely organized site filled with useful tips the official site for the book What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles.

The Riley Guide
Another nice and easy-to-use website that shows you how to look for jobs online.

Job Search Strategies
These resources and guides provide job searching guidance. Topics include resume and cover letter advice, tips on effective networking, and salary negotiation techniques. From CareerOneStop.com.

Finding Job Openings Online

Local

Boston.com Jobs
The Boston Globe's employment website. There are opportunities to post resumes, research employers, search for jobs, compare salaries and a calendar of events (job fairs, etc.). There are sections for employers and staffing agencies, plus copies of the original classified ads from the Boston Globe.

Boston Jobs
Post resumes and search for jobs in Boston, Cambridge and other Eastern Massachusetts cities and town for free.

Jobfind
The Boston Herald's employment website. The "search by company" section allows you to determine what companies in any Massachusetts city or town have jobs available, and to find specific information about these jobs.

Massachusetts JobQuest
Users can quickly register and call up lists of local job openings in particular fields. From the Mass. Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

Massachusetts One-Stop Career Centers
A statewide network of employment service centers for job seekers and employers. In many centers, services are available in languages in addition to English, including Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian and Vietnamese. Find out how to contact or visit your nearest Career Center and read about the services it offers. Be sure to check out the many regional and national job search sites listed on their website.

Craigslist
Craigslist offers a simple yet effective way of looking for jobs in your area. However, there are some precautions to consider when using Craigslist. To get all the facts, read this overview from job-hunt.org.

National

Monster

CareerBuilder
Offers a large number of services on a very navigable site. Menus allow one to move from finding a job to tips on getting hired, information on entering the workforce, transitions that need to be made, how to integrate work life with family life, and employer information.

Wall Street Journal Careers
Provides current information on industry trends, job hunting advice, salary and hiring info, human resources info (such as benefits, disability, pensions, stocks, etc.), relocation costs, and recruiting firms. Provides current WSJ articles on specific careers.

Federal Jobs
The official job site of the US Federal Government, a one-stop source for Federal jobs and employment information.

Job-hunt
An award-winning website where job hunters can finds thousands of relevant links, organized for easy use. The site provides information for first-time job seekers, professionals and everyone in between. Job-hunt.org has a page dedicated to online job searching, with links to information on navigating employer websites and online job aggregators.

Simply Hired
An job search engine that cross-searches many different websites and newspapers, and is known for their easy-to-use interface.

Indeed
Searches across many of the big job sites such as Career Builder and Monster, but also includes newspaper ads as well as jobs listed on company’s websites.

Posting Resumes & Applying Online

Tips for Applying Online
From JobWeb.

Advice & Privacy Protection for Online Job Hunting and Resume Posting
Excellent resources in general, as well as this list of tips for what to look out for when searching and applying online. From Virginia Tech's Career Center.

E-Mail

It would be impossible nowadays to apply for a job without providing an e-mail address. Set up a free e-mail account with one of these services:

Gmail

Yahoo! Mail

Hotmail

Resumes & Cover Letters

Resumes

Creating Your Resume
Includes descriptions and samples of different resume formats and information about how to get started. From the Mass. Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

Resumes & Vitae
Excellent tips as well as general information for resumes, frequently asked questions, samples and templates. From Career Services @ Virginia Tech.

How to Write a Resume
A nice overview of how to tackle each component of your resume. From the Enoch Pratt Free Library.

JobStar Resume Guide
Provides a number of different resume samples.

How to Write a Masterpiece of a Resume
provides many different aspects of resume writing in detail. This site has a great section on "power words" -- effective action words used to describe the details of what you've accomplished at previous jobs. From the Rockport Institute.

Library Resources
Browse a list of library materials on resume preparation.

Cover Letters

50 Sample Cover Letters
Many examples of effective cover letters and other letter writing tips. From Susan Ireland Resumes.

Sample Cover Letters
Has the general rules for cover letters as well as letter examples for specific industries. From Vault.

Cover Letters & Thank You Notes
A nice overview of what to to make sure to include in each section of your cover letter. From the Minnesota Dept. of Employment and Economic Development.

Library Resources
Browse a list of library materials on cover letter writing.

Networking Tips

The Secrets of Effective Networking
An excellent narrative that shows you how to start the process of networking. From CareerLab.

The Art of Career & Job Search Networking
A website filled with websites, this page provides links to a wide variety of networking information. From Quintessential Careers.

Network, Interview & Negotiate
This site has links to information on e-networking, career fairs, networking advice and more. From The Riley Guide.

Library Resources
Browse a list of library materials on business and career networking.

Networking Websites

LinkedIn
A network of 50 million professionals from around the world. After creating your profile highlighting your professional skills, you can find others with similar backgrounds and reconnect with past colleagues. Learn how to use LinkedIn to get the most out of your LinkedIn account.

Bright Fuse
Post your professional skills and interact with other professionals. From Career Builder.

Researching Potential Employers

General BusinessFile
Contains full-text articles from more than 900 business, economic, management, trade, and industry publications; profiles of more than 100,000 public and private companies; and investment reports and forecasts for more than 11,000 U.S. and international companies and for 53 industries. Log in with your library card number for free access to this database.

Guide to Researching Corporations
This guide is designed to kick-start your corporate research efforts and includes a number of the basic resources you’ll find useful in getting started. From Co-op America.

Smaller Business Association of New England

Nonprofit Organizations
Search a directory of over 1.8 million IRS-recognized tax-exempt organizations nationwide. From GuideStar.

WetFeet
The WetFeet Network provides information on companies, careers, and industries as well as newsletters, salary benchmarking tools, and discussion boards on everything from negotiating a raise to writing better cover letters.

Interviewing

The Job Interview
Introductory information and step-by-step advice, from dressing appropriately to thank you notes. From about.com.

Traditional Employment Interview Questions
Having an answer to these questions prepared beforehand will put you at ease during the actual interview. From Quintessential Careers.

The Red Flag Question
Tips for handling questions about lack of experience, poor grades, criminal records and job hopping. From CvTips.

Library Resources
Browse a list of library materials on interviewing and interview preparation.

Job Offers

Evaluating a Job Offer
Provides you with everything you should consider before accepting a job offer. Many helpful questions to ask yourself, from evaluating the company to evaluating your benefits package. The "salaries and benefits section" of this page is an excellent resource for finding out average salaries in more than 800 fields. From the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Evaluating & Negotiating Job Offers
Links to sites that cover information on evaluating a job offer and negotiating a salary. From The Riley Guide.

Other Places to Get Help

One Life at a Time
A private, non-profit organization located in Quincy that provides free career services to individuals who are new or returning to the market place.

Put Volunteer Work on Your Resume
One way to capture the interest of an employer is to show that you are an involved citizen -- someone who works to make the community a better place to live. In other words, make sure your volunteer work appears on your resume. From CharityGuide.

Mass. Office of Labor and Workforce Development
Provides a variety of online services for job seekers, including MassCIS (Career Information Center), which provides a directory of training schools and programs in Massachusetts.

Job Seekers with Disabilities
This section of Disability.gov offers job seekers, employers, and employees practical information about finding a job, recruiting and hiring people with disabilities, and job accommodations.

Career Finder
Take this survey to see what jobs and careers suit your personality. From the National Institute of Health Office of Science Education.

Vault
Incorporates extensive searching capabilities; provides assistance in job placement, career advancement, and allows for resume posting. Also, it provides users with the ability to research potential employers.