Manage Your Career

Change is constant, especially when it comes to your career. You may be a new job seeker, career changer or you may be facing getting laid off from your current job. The information and activities provided on this site will help explain the process and provides you with online resources that can lead you through this next step in your career.

The Job Seekers Guide is intended to serve as an enhancement for resources or services provided by your local employment programs. The layout and structure of the Job Seekers Guide provides you with a comprehensive listing of local and national online resources relevant to each step in managing your career.

Managing your career is a process, and it can be different for each person. For the purpose of this guide to work for everybody this handbook has been separated into five sections that reflect each step in managing your career. Below are brief descriptions of each step that can help you determine which step to begin with.

Step 1: Assess Yourself
This step helps you discover and organize all of your skills, interests, and values that are necessary to explore the world of work and present yourself to a potential employer. It is a good idea to do this step every year, even if you have a job, since you may have gained new skills, or your interests and values may have changed.

Step 2: Explore Careers
In this step you will learn how to take all the information you learned about yourself in Step 1 and explore occupations that fit the person you are today, without reading through all 900 occupational descriptions. You will learn how to research the educational requirements, tasks, outlook and growth, average salaries, and skills necessary for occupations that interest you.

Step 3: Create a Plan & Set Goals
Now that you have narrowed down the direction you want to go in, setting goals and making a plan will improve your chances of getting there.

Step 4: Expand Skills
In this step you will list the skills you need to learn and where to get them before you start the job search.

Step 5: Find a Job
Are you ready? You are going to need an updated resume, a winning cover letter, and in some situations, a portfolio of samples of work. You will also need to know how to use your contacts to tap into that hidden job market. This step will provide you with information and activities to really make you stand out.

The format of this guide will allow you to complete the exercises online as you go, but please remember to print each completed worksheet for your records. Don’t forget that we are always here to help you in your process.
To find a Jewish Vocational Service office near you visit us online at www.jvsla.org.

You are now ready to move on to Step 1: Assess Yourself