Popular Links
Online Employment Information
These sites can be useful in locating services that fit your specific needs or researching available options.
One of the earliest websites to provide Internet job search guidance, Job-Hunt.org offers numerous articles and other web resources related to executing a job search.
This website was created and is maintained by Richard Bolles, author of What Color is My Parachute. It was developed to supplement his print publications and includes job search resources for both job-seekers, HR professionals, and Career Development Facilitators (under the tab “Career Coaches.”)
This site describes itself as “The Web’s premier gateway for job search, career exploration, and school information, since 1994.” The Riley Guide links to hundreds of sources of information for job leads, career exploration, and potential employers.
Salary Information
These links contain websites that can help provide information for determining the potential future earnings of various careers. This can be a great resource to review prior to beginning salary negotiation with a potential employer and before you start that important first interview.
CareerOneStop.org: Salaries and Benefits Information
Users may appreciate the easy-to-find and easy-to-understand wage and salary information found here. From this page, click on the “Salaries” link to search salaries by keyword or use the drop-down industry lists to select a specific occupation.
Occupational Employment Statistics (OES)
This BLS program produces employment and wage estimates for more than 800 occupations. These are estimates of wages paid to people employed in certain occupations. Self-employed persons are not included in these estimates. Estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan areas; national occupational estimates for specific industries are also available.
This site offers users free access to more than just salary data. Salary.com gives users information on total compensation, not only what is in the paycheck but also the possible benefits and perks received on the job. It allows users to search for base, median, and top-level earnings in hundreds of jobs in many occupational areas; many of these projections are local as well as national.
Employment Trends
These links contain some great information about the labor market that everyone should review prior to a career change or when entering a career for the first time.
Labor Market Information State by State
This section of The Riley Guide includes links to state-sponsored sites containing labor market information on employment, wages, industries, and other factors affecting the world of work. It also has a link to the Milken Institute’s “Best Performing Cities” survey as well as other resources for tracking employment trends.
Occupational data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
This site presents a specific page containing tables, analyses, articles, and more, giving users an accessible and understandable view of occupational employment projections from 2008 to 2018. Users also have the ability to review current and projected earnings for the same period. The second section, titled “Data Tables,” displays quick links to popular data charts which depict fastest growing occupations, occupations showing largest employment growth, job decline, etc. The BLS has a wealth of data which can be confusing to users who attempt to view it on their own.
Education Information
These links include databases and listings for colleges, distance education programs, vocational and short term training programs. Funding information can also be found for many of these programs.
CareerOneStop: Find Local Training
This website allows a person to find various types of training that can help them prepare for success in the workforce. Sections include the opportunity to find training for high school equivalency, adult basic education, short term training, college, certification, apprenticeships, internships and professional development.
CareerOneStop: Training and Education Center
This is a free resource for information on degree programs, specialty training opportunities, financial aid, certification and accreditation, and licensing for the various states. It also includes career information and links it to education and training plans.
This research tool allows access to information on more than 9,000 colleges, universities, and postsecondary vocational and technical schools in the U.S. Users may search the database by location, type of institution, program and majors offered, availability of housing, and many more options. Users have the option of selecting several school profiles for side-by-side comparisons, and all search results can be sent to a valid e-mail address, printed, or exported as an Excel spreadsheet.
Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC)
DETC is a nonprofit educational association that sponsors a nationally recognized accrediting agency for distance education programs. The site includes distance education activities within an institution and it provides a single source of nationally recognized accreditation from the secondary school level through professional doctoral degree-granting institutions.
This free searchable guide includes information on how to finance and succeed in college. Visitors can review information on admissions (selecting schools, test preparation, application essays, and more), financial aid (loans, scholarships, and grants), education options (types of schools and varieties of programs), and college survival (money maintenance, study tips, and dealing with dorm life).
This well-known publisher of guides to colleges provides this free searchable resource for information on a variety of training and education programs, including undergraduate and graduate programs, online schools, and help for international students.
Originally founded in 1981 and turned into an online resource in 1999, SeminarInformation.com lists over 360,000 seminars and conferences hosted by more than 600 providers including associations, private organizations, and universities. Users of this free site can use the Quick Search to find upcoming programs by provider, state or topic using keywords from the title or description.
The publisher of U.S. News and World Report has consistently produced one of the most outstanding guides to education information on the web. Dedicated sections of this area of the website focus on high schools, colleges, community colleges, graduate schools, online programs, and global universities.
Self Assessment
This list of primarily free resources are for individual use of young adults, youth and older clients.
Casey Life Skills (CLS) is a free tool that assesses the behaviors and competencies youth (particularly those in foster care) need to achieve their long term goals. It aims to set youth on their way toward developing healthy, productive lives. CLS is designed to be used in a collaborative conversation between an educator, mentor, case worker, or other service provider and any youth between the ages of 14 and 21.
This skills assessment is based on data from O*NET and is a fairly simple tool that allows the user to rate him or herself on 35 different skills and then see what occupations match those skills identified as the being most important to the user. The entire tool takes 5–10 minutes to complete, and the results are presented immediately upon completion, offering the user information on each career, how his or her skills match this profile, and the level of education or training usually required to perform this particular job.
Queendom offers a variety of personality, intelligence, career, and health quizzes. Many are available for fun and conversation. Because of limited technical information on the assessments, when taking the quiz users are cautioned “I agree to use this test for personal purposes only.”
This is an interest survey designed by the International Assessment Network in Minneapolis, MN. A free sample MAPP Career Analysis is provided to help individuals identify their preferences for working with people or things, and other job characteristics; it also suggests some occupations that match these preferences.
These assessments are based on research performed at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and The Ohio State University by a team led by Professors Itamar Gati and Samuel H. Osipow. This site includes eight assessments designed to assist individuals in the process of making a career decision by helping them clarify what their specific difficulties are, by providing a framework for a systematic process for career decision making organized into a three-stage process.
Post-Military
This list is focused primarily on free-resources for military professional that are preparing to transition out of military service and into the civilian career sector.
Assistance for Army vets entering civilian life.
Designed to help employers hire veterans affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Networking, mentoring and professional development opportunities for veterans.
An online job bank and application site.
Career One Stop: Key to Career Success
The Career One Stop page dedicated to assisting transitioning service members and veterans.
Owned by Bradley-Morris Inc., CivilianJobs.com was created to offer an online recruiting solution to employers for candidates that are currently transitioning out of the military. There are numerous job listings and live career fairs across the country. Under Career Advice, there are listings of transition offices, veterans associations and resume writing services.
A source for transition tips and job fairs.
Military culture course for persons unfamiliar with the military structure.
A source for federal employment information for veterans, transitioning service members and families.
Resources and tools for transitioning military members including a civilian pay calculator, commonly asked transition questions and tips on resume writing and job searches.
Information on transitioning active duty Military, Reservists, and Guardsmen to a quality career in the construction industry.
A non-profit that offers transition assistance and placement to veterans.
A full-service job-search tool for veterans, plus latest job news.
Job Opportunities for Disabled American Veterans (JOFDAV)
Job Opportunities for Disabled American Veterans or JOFDAV is a national job board that is specific for disabled veterans. JOFDAV averages of 45000 Unique Visitors/3500 new registration and near a half a million job view per month. JOFADAV boasts over 35,000 active jobs from companies throughout the U.S.
Local Veterans Employment Representatives and Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Locator
Also called “The Networker”, the primary purpose of the DVOP/LVER Locator is to provide the user with the ability to quickly locate other veterans’ service professionals in a particular geographic area
A networking and job search site for veterans.
Transition assistance and job search information for military members and their spouses.
This is a gateway to the many sites and services provided by Bradley-Morris, Inc., “the largest military-focused job placement firm in the U.S.” Veterans and personnel preparing to separate from the service can review their many resources and select those that work best for the individual, from career and job search advice to resume assistance to job placement.
Military to Civilian Occupational Translator
A tool for finding civilian equivalents for military job titles, duties and skills.
An O*NET-based tool that helps veterans identify occupations by name, industry or military job.
This is a online job site dedicated to helping veterans of the military find the best jobs from today’s top companies. Search jobs, post your resume, research potential employers, manage your job search and get a great career.
Helps translate military occupation codes into civilian occupation titles.
Re-entering the Civilian Job Market – National Job Search Resources for Veterans, Job-Hunt.org
This site offers the reader several articles and resources for military members in transition. It is authored by Job-Hunt.org editor and publisher Susan Joyce, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps.
ReaLifelines: Veterans Employment and Career Transition Advisor
This Department of Labor website offers help with finding a new job, returning to a pre-service employer, working for the federal government, job accommodations, benefits, and assistance for military family members.
A veteran-owned firm that helps veterans and spouses locate jobs.
Resources for Veterans and Military Personnel and Their Families
This page of The Riley Guide is dedicated to sites, services, and resources that support current and former military personnel and their families. Along with job search advice and resources it also lists information for employers who want to attract these qualified candidates,information on pay rates and employment verification, and employment and financial rights for reservists called to active duty.
Transition Assistance Online helps transitioning military members find veteran-friendly employers and job openings
Information and resources for veterans and organizations wishing to hire veterans.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
The official site of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Contains information on programs and benefits for veterans.
A site with information targeted at the interests of female veterans.
A search engine that searches several job boards.
A California non-profit that connects veterans seeking work with employers.
Designed to help employers identify transitioning veterans and those who are already in the civilian work force.
Career Assessment Instruments
The ASVAB Career Exploration Program
The ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) is one of the most widely used, multiple-aptitude tests in the world, developed and maintained by the Department of Defense. The ASVAB Career Exploration Program is a career planning and exploration program that combines a multiple-aptitude test with an interest self-assessment and a wide range of career exploration tools. And it’s FREE to participating schools!
Professional Development Opportunities
Career Development Facilitator (CDF)
Obtain information on this certification for individuals who provide career assistance.
This site offers a list of approximately 1,500 schools that have a reputation for being military friendly. Use the College Search tool to filter schools based on individual preferences, and let the Military Friendly logo guide you to a school that values your military experience.
Publications
Bibliography Of Military Career Transition Research 2000 – Present
The NCDA Veteran’s Task Force Research Committee created this bibliography. We believe it is the most comprehensive list of recent references on vets’ career-related issues. Topics covered include female vets, disabilities, employment, students, and more. [Updated June 2016]
Read articles covering best practices, how-to details, career tips, and book reviews in NCDA’s web magazine.
Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors
Comprehensive explanation of VA benefits for vets, dependents and survivors.
Housing and Mortgages for Veterans
This guide explains the process and advantages of VA loans.
The National Center produces the PTSD Research Quarterly (RQ) newsletter. Each RQ contains a review article written by guest experts on a specific topic related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
This is a 265 page Special issue of the journal of Career Planning & Adult Development focusing on career development for veterans. Organized by guest editors Robert Miles, Mary Buzzetta and Krysta Kurzyniski, this special issue on veterans contains 23 chapters, including contributions by Richard Bolles, John Krumboltz and Dick Gaither.
Vistas is a collection of conference proceedings from past ACA, NCDA, and ACES Conferences. To view the publications, you must be an ACA member.
Related Associations
Association for Counselors and Educators in Government
ACEG members provide counseling and education programs and services for members of the Veteran military community as well as other government agencies at the federal, state, and local level.
The Retired Military Officers Association
An organization dedicated to serving retired military officers. The site includes a job search feature.