Career Services, University of Pennsylvania

Career Discovery and Planning
Alumni: Career Exploration and Job Search Resources
< Career Discovery

Career Exploration and Job Search Resources

Internet Employment Resources: Click Here
For Alumni over 50: visit http://www.aarp.org/, or check out the online AARP Magazine.

Some Notable Books on Career Change
(The following resources are all available in Penns Career Resources Library, McNeil Suite 20.)

Asher, Donald. Ashers Bible of Executive Resumes and How To Write Them. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. 1997.

Provides general insight into resume writing, but the bulk of this resource contains sample resumes from executives in fields including finance, sales and marketing, technology, medicine, law, government and politics, nonprofits, education, and military. How to handle unusual cases and nontraditional career paths, cover letters, and salary histories are also discussed. Great resume examples from which to gather inspiration and ideas!

Bolles, Richard Nelson. What Color Is Your Parachute 2003: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers. Ten Speed Press. October 2002.

For nearly 30 years, "What Color Is Your Parachute?" has been a classic job-hunting text. This resource is designed to work in conjunction with the book's Web site. Bolles's formula for finding the right job rests on two questions: What do you want to do? Where do you want to do it? This book is appropriate for those thinking seriously about a career change.

Challenger, James E. The Challenger Guide: Job-Hunting Success for Mid-Career Professionals. Chicago: Contemporary Books. 1999.

Written by an Executive Job-Search Consultant, this book helps career-changers define what they want from their next job, promote themselves effectively, and target the most appropriate positions and companies.

Dikel, Margaret Riley and Frances E. Roehm. The Guide To Internet Job Searching. Chicago: VGM Career Horizons. 2000.

Authored by the consultant behind The Reilly Guide (http://www.rileyguide.com/), an invaluable internet site for employment and career information, this resource is exceptional in its thoroughness. In an organized, readable manner, it lists and describes the contents of web sites dedicated to specific fields of interests, geographic areas, and levels of positions from internships to executive appointments. A helpful index is also provided.

Figler, Howard. The Complete Job-Search Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Get the Job You Really Want. 3rd edition. Owl Books. November 1999.

Figler's program lets you decide what your ideal job may be and discover exactly where that job is. The program describes thirty lifetime job-hunting skills, as well as twenty potential pitfalls for job seekers to be aware of. This third edition enables you to: Determine what your true work and life values are, pinpoint the job skills you already possess, find jobs when there seem to be none, learn how to be at your best in job interviews, utilize a professional career counselor's advice to troubleshoot potential problems. Figler writes for all stages of career development.

Goodenough, David. Career Transitions: The Best Resources To Help You Advance. Seattle, WA: Resource Pathways, Inc. 1999.

This book describes and evaluates 195 resources ranging from internet web sites, to books geared toward managing career transitions.

Heiberger, Mary Morris and Julia Miller Vick. The Academic Job Search Handbook. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. 2001.

This resource takes job-seekers step-by-step through the process of finding academic jobs in a range of institutions and a range of fields. Information includes participating in conferences, using the Internet, handling telephone interviews, and cultivating contacts. This book also offers sample curricula vitae, cover letters, abstracts, and more.

Jacobsen, Mary H. Hand Me Down Dreams: How Families Influence Our Career Paths and How We Can Reclaim Them. New York: Harmony Books. 1999.

Jacobsen explores the way well-intentioned family expectations about work are passed on from one generation to the next, sometimes openly, but often in indirect, subtle ways, and how these expectations influence not only your career choice but also color your role, relationships, and values on the job. She provides strategies for making the career changes necessary to fulfill your own dreams and attain success on your own terms.

Knox, Deborah L. and Sandra S. Butzel. Life Work Transitions.com: Putting Your Spirit Online. Boston: Butterworth Heinemann. 2000.

This book includes a comprehensive guide for defining your career and a basic guide for beginners to access the internet for information on the world of work. Through the combined activities of self-reflection and the use of the internet, readers will develop the confidence to gather important information to make decisions and effectively manage them.

Miller, Lee E. Get More Money on Your Next Job: 25 Proven Strategies for Getting More Money, Better Benefits, & Greater Job Security. New York: McGraw-Hill. 1998.

Written by an employment law expert and negotiator, this resource addresses each step of the job negotiation process from before the first interview to the final offer.

Nelles, Rick. Proof of Performance: How to Build a Career Portfolio to Land a Great New Job. Manassas Park, VA: Impact Publications. 2001.

Nelles works from the assumption that job candidates need to communicate to potential employers how they have performed in the past. He claims that a resume alone fails to do this and offers concrete suggestions for preparing a portfolio that communicates a track record of effective performance.

OMalley, Michael. Are You Paid What Youre Worth? The Complete Guide to Negotiating the Salary, Benefits, Bonus, and Raise You Deserve. New York: Broadway Books. 1998.

Written by a compensation consultant, this resource offers practical tips and strategies, and real-life examples. It exposes the inner-workings of compensation systems and helps individuals define their own competitive market worth.

Savino, Carl S. and Ronald L. Krannich. Military Resumes and Cover Letters. Impact Publications. 2001.

A guide for former military personnel transitioning to civilian job searching. Shows how to create an impressive military cover letter and resume that showcase the skills and abilities military service has provided. Also identifies common mistakes and outlines a seven-step job search process.

Sher, Barbara. its only too late If You Dont Start Now: How to Create Your Second Life At Any Age. New York: Random House. 1998.

Combining step-by-step exercises with motivational techniques, Sher provides tools for weaving the dreams you abandoned on the way to adulthood into a rewarding “second life” at any age.

Walker, Jean Erickson. The Age Advantage: Making the Most of Your Midlife Career Transition.New York: Berkley Books. 2000.

Walker helps mid-life career changers make their age work to their advantage by exploring issues like interviewing, resume writing, and innovative retirement choices.

Weddle, Peter D. Weddles Job-Seekers Guide to Employment Web Sites 2001. New York: American Management Association. 2001.

Like the Dickel and Roehm book listed above, Weddles resource guides users through the over 40,000 employment-related web sites currently in existence on the internet. What Waddles book does that Dickel and Roehms does not is evaluate each site rather extensively and helpfully.

Wendleton, Kate. Interviewing and Salary Negotiation for Job Hunters, Career Changers, Consultants and Freelancers. New York: The Five OClock Club, Inc. 1999.

This resource walks the career changer through the decision-making, search, interviewing, and negotiation process in a step-by-step, interactive manner with worksheets and questions that prompt the reader to directly apply Wendletons insight to his or her individual situation.

Forty Plus (http://www.40plus.org/)

This is an organization dedicated to helping currently available managers, executives and other professionals over 40 years of age find jobs. Self operated and funded by Members, Alumni and contributions from other non profits, Forty Plus can help you move your career to where you it want to be. Membership includes access to office space, equipment, professional counseling and networking opportunities that can help you now to find the position you want.

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