Research Career Options - Get Prepared

Use these categories to research options and gather information:

• Companies and Industries
• Salary Information
• Skills Employers Seek
• Informational Interviews
• Teacher Certification Requirements: 50 States

Companies and Industries

Career Guide to Industries (CGI), 2008-09 Edition, US Department of Labor.
A broad view of dozens of industries including information on occupations within each industry, training needed, expected earnings, and links to more information on the job market by state.

Wetfeet.com (Insider Guides)
Information on company and industry profiles, and much more.

Hoover's Online
Over 8000 company and industry profiles with links to current business news, and more.

Guide to Researching Companies, Industries, and Countries
Convenient guide for researching companies, industries, and countries.

Researching Companies Online
A tutorial step-by-step process for finding free company and industry information on the Web.

How to do Research Before a Job Interview
One minute video with tips for researching companies  

Better Business Bureau
Essential business and consumer guidance about companies and organizations. Search by company name, location, or type of business.

Industry Research Desk
Tools for researching industries and companies, with step-by-step procedures on how to learn about specific industries. Also has links to industry home pages and more.

Salary Information

Wages by Area and Occupation, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Current wage data in the United States. Searches available for national, regional, state, and metropolitan areas. Also has additional related resources specifically for jobseekers, students, consumers, business leaders, investors and more.

Salary Surveys
Find specific salary survey information for many different professions. Search by job title, level (entry, mid-career, etc.) and city. Includes data from over 70 surveys plus help with salary negotiation.

Salary Information, JobWeb
Salary information including salary surveys, salary negotiation, salary & benefits, salary history requests and more.

Skills Employers Seek

Aside from job-specific skills, employers value good general skills that apply to virtually any employment setting. A good general skill-set is critical to employability. Use these links to identify these skills and learn how to develop them.

What Do Employers Really Want? Top Skills and Values Employers Seek from Job Seekers

Skills Employers Seek from Loughborough University

Skills Employers Seek from Psych Web by Russ Dewey

Suggested Courses to Develop Skills that Prospective Employers Want

Informational Interviews

Informational Interviewing Tutorial
A helpful resource that explains the value of conducting informational interviews. Very user friendly.

Teacher Certification Requirements

Teacher Certification Requirements for all 50 States from University of Kentucky
Access to detailed information about teacher certification requirements for all 50 states. Search by state.