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To celebrate National School Counseling Week we provide some of the best free resources related to career counseling on the Internet, courtesy of the American School Counselor Association.

NOTE: This article by Kate Deddens and Susan James Ed.D. first appeared in the October 1998 issue of The ASCA Counselor, a publication of the American School Counselor Association. A national organization that focuses on providing professional development, enhancing school counseling programs, and researching effective school counseling practices, ASCA is responsible for National School Counseling Week, which is being celebrated the week of February 7-11, 2005.

Career development is exploding on the Internet. Here are some interesting facts:

• There is an estimated 180 million Internet subscribers.
• Over 3,000 URLs are added to the Internet daily.
• A search for career related websites with the Excite search engine, using the key word "career," resulted in 657,333 sites.
• A more specific search for "career counseling" resulted in 9,000 sites.
• Over 2,000 "school counseling" sites were found during a similar search.

School counselors are discovering a wealth of career information on the Internet. Many of the career materials are free and easy to access.

We view this list as an extremely positive career resource for educators. However, we also feel it is necessary to provide a word of caution. Adults need to take steps to ensure guidance and/or other protective measures are taken to safeguard students using Internet resources.

The following list offers a collection of Internet sites applicable to several stages of the career development process.

GENERAL CAREER GUIDANCE ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB

Self-Assessment and Interests/Values Inventories

There are many self-assessment tools, in the form of personality tests, IQ tests, and interest and aptitude quizzes available on the Internet. The results obtained by such online tests should prove valuable to students, but it should be emphasized strongly to them that these tests are not, and should not be regarded as, absolute authorities on their personalities, skills, or interests, and thus on their future employment prospects. Rather, such tests should be viewed as helpful insights.

Whenever possible, more information about the tests and their importance should be obtained.

• The Keirsey Temperament Sorter is an online test that takes less than ten minutes to complete. The test will be scored online. The result will be a personality profile based upon Jungian personality types.

• The Holland Interest Inventory is an online interest inventory, which is scored and then succinctly interpreted.

• The Career Planning Process offers a model that takes one through all the following levels of the career planning process via web sites: Self-Assessment; Academic and/or Career Options; Relevant and/or Practical Experience; Job Search and/or Graduate School Preparation; Career Change. It is a good synthesis of information, insight-oriented questioning, guidelines, and solid career advice.

Career and Occupational Information

• The Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2004-05 Edition provides detailed descriptions of hundrds of occupations, including salary expectations and growth outlook. This is an excellent resource, with lots of information and web links.

• Research Guide: Company Information provides step-by-step advice and researching guidelines. It also lists other resources, directories, and indices of employers.

• Hoover's Online is an encyclopedia of company profiles and company web sites.

• Job Smart Salary Survey provides students with a place to take their own "Salary IQs." It describes salary surveys and salary negotiation strategies.

THE WORLD WIDE WEB JOB SEEKING PROCESS

Preparation and Organization

Resumes

• The Riley Guide is a directory of employment and career information sources and services on the Internet. It is primarily intended to provide instruction for job seekers on how to use the Internet to their best advantage.

• Resume Writing is a compilation of advice, resume descriptions, and resume writing tips. It also provides an interactive resume template.

  Employment-Related Letters (e.g., the cover letter)

• Career Services: Letter Writing provides excellent, detailed guidelines for all types of employment-related letter writing: cover letters, inquiries, and follow-ups. It also includes samples and recommended protocol.

• Eleven Tips for Winning Cover Letters site lists tips and samples for writing cover letters.

• Cover Letter Resources on the Web provides World Wide Web links to other sources of information: what makes a good cover letter, a sample cover letter, cover letter resources, plus handy advice.

JOB LISTINGS AND CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS ONLINE

Searchable Databases

• America's Job Bank contains job advertisements searchable by keywords or occupational codes. America's Job Bank also provides links to public state employment service sites, employers' web sites, and private placement agencies.

• Yahoo! Classifieds-Employment consists of searchable classifieds by keyword, for different states and locations nationwide.

• Contract Employment Weekly, Jobs Online is an excellent site for students wishing to submit work for a portfolio of writing samples. Freelance, or contract work, can be obtained at this site, providing an opportunity for students to publish or complete some type of work they are interested in on a limited basis and at no risk. In addition, those students seeking self-employment (for example as editors, writers, graphic artists, and so on), might find this site not only helpful in beginning to build a portfolio, but in learning where and how to obtain contract work. Job assignment searches can be completed as a guest at no cost, but are limited to a certain percentage of listings.

• SnagAJob.com offers a tool for locating summer jobs for teens and students.

WORLD WIDE WEB GLOBAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT SITES

These are huge sites with multiple offerings: career advice, resume and networking tips, searchable databases, etc. They try to run the gamut of career services.

• UST Career Development Center is a fantastic, comprehensive site offering a circular model (illustrating how various career issues overlap, as well as how they continue to be important through the life cycle), including self-assessment, job search strategy and implementations, career management, and occupational research. This is a very nice site!

• Monster.com is a site where international job searches can be performed by location, discipline, and keywords. This site also contains a job search agent. Other advice and information, such as employer profiles, are available here as well.

• Employment Guide is an all-inclusive site covering jobs, employers, resumes, job matching, a bookstore, and a 'career doctor.' This great site provides a nice career inventory checklist.

• Job Web covers job choices, news and information, resources, and job discussion groups.

• Careers at Yahoo is another excellent and inclusive site, offering career planning, company information chat groups, information concerning employment law, salaries, job classifieds, telecommuting information and a special section on women's resources.

• Career Mosaic is a jobs database accessing Usenet "jobs offered," employer information, resume help, online job fairs, and a career resource center.

• The Education and Career Center at Petersons' site provides in-depth educational links and guidance as well as resources for careers and jobs.

As you review our sites, please bear in mind that Internet site addresses are prone to rapid change. Just prior to publication, the addresses of the sites listed here were verified. Nevertheless, by the time of publication, some of the sites may have been moved or otherwise altered. If this occurs, there are two simple possibilities for locating the new addresses for a site: (1) try searching for the site name with a search engine, or (2) delete portions of the existing address, starting at the very end of the address, one slash at a time. This procedure will often lead you to an index, or to another clue to where the site has been moved.

We believe our guide will be useful to anyone working in career-related areas within the educational environment, especially since we feel the guide will grow on its own with each person who makes use of it. After utilizing the Internet (which is expanding by leaps and bounds each day) for career information, you and your students will discover even more resources. You in turn will be contributing websites to the guide, creating your own custom, made-to-order, career information resources.

Kate Deddens is a graduate student at Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, and Dr. Susan James is a counselor educator at the same university.

Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World® Editor-in-Chief
Copyright © 2005 Education World

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