Conducting Career Research
Online > Researching Career Fields, Occupations and Jobs
Researching Career Fields, Occupations and Jobs
Researching career options can involve a variety of sources to get accurate and up-to-date information. When researching career options keep in mind that job titles can vary, so it is important to be creative and use several variations in titles when researching. One source might call the position Human Resources Hiring Manager and another may call the position Personnel Recruiting Manager.
When conducting research you need to consider several factors: 1) what type of information are you seeking, 2) what resources are available and 3) what should I know about this occupation/field?
What type of information are you seeking?
- Industry: banking, healthcare, education, manufacturing
- Career Fields: finance, nursing, teacher, plant supervisor
- Occupations: loan officer, pediatric nurse, elementary teacher
- Job titles at specific organizations: Youth Director @ YMCA
What Resources are available to get the above information?
- Career Center Web site: Career Development Model: Occupational Research Written
- Books in the Career Resource Center, 350 MHC, on a variety of career fields.
- Informational Interviews with professionals in the area of interest.
- How do you conduct an informational interview?
- Who would you contact for the interview?
- Learn more about informational interviewing
- Other resources to use:
- Libraries
- Chamber of Commerce
- Company websites
Some job titles and career fields are so new that information is not available on that topic. Also, if you are interested in a very specific career field that specializes in a niche area, information in print may not be available. In both of these cases you will need to find someone employed in that area and conduct your research via informational interviews.
Occupational Research Worksheet
Career Field: ____________________________________
What are the major responsibilities in this job?
What type of organizations typically hire for this field?
What are the working conditions (e.g., hours, travel, environment?)?
What education/degree is required for this job?
What is/are the job title/s for entry-level position/s in this field?
What are some typical career paths (i.e., places where an entry level job in this field seem to lead)?
What is the projected employment outlook for this field?
What is the entry-level salary range for this position?
What are some related career fields that I may want to research next?
Based on my research, is this field a good fit for who I am and where I want to go?
