This is a listing of resources for those looking for job leads, job listings, job networking, and other job-hunting information.

In Person & Telephone Resources

Many public and private agencies, services, organizations, and schools in the Los Angeles area assist with job hunting, including: 

211 LA County Referral Service
24-hour information and referrals
Dial 211 or (800) 339-6993

HealthyCity.org Community Services
Directory of services in Los Angeles County.
http://www.healthycity.org/c/resource

Los Angeles/Ventura Counties Social Service Rainbow Resource Directory
Listings of organizations and services providing assistance in many areas of interest, including financial help, counseling and housing.
(361.979403 G5585) LAPL Call Number

Los Angeles Unified School District: Adult Schools & Occupational Centers
Listings in:
Directory of the public schools of Los Angeles County, California
(379.7941 L881Lo-3) LAPL Call Number
and at:
http://notebook.lausd.net/pls/ptl/ptl_apps.schoolguide.render

• Occupational Center locations available at: http://notebook.lausd.net/pls/ptl/ptl_apps.schoolguide.render

Los Angeles County Regional Occupational Program
http://lacorop.org/aboutus.htm
9300 Imperial Highway
Downey, CA 90242-2890
(562) 922-6850;  Fax: (562) 401-5379
Guidance and instruction to enter or re-enter the job market, change careers, advance in a career.  Includes job internships and job placement. 

Los Angeles Community College District
http://www.laccd.edu/

California Community Colleges
Information about community colleges outside of the Los Angeles Community College District (i.e., Glendale, Pasadena, Cerritos, Long Beach, Santa Monica, etc.)
http://www.cccco.edu/
Another listing dividing the state into regions and within each region offering links to the web sites for each campus:
http://cccaoe.org/Colleges/CByRegion.html

 

Internet Resources

Careers

California Occupational Guides
http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/?PAGEID=139
Covers 300 careers and gives general information including job descriptions, working conditions, employment outlook, wages and hours, entrance requirements and training, advancement, and related fields. 

JobStar: Career Guides
http://jobstar.org/tools/career/index.cfm
General career planning, guides for specific careers, and contact information for career centers statewide.

O*Net Online
http://online.onetcenter.org/
Comprehensive information on key attributes and characteristics of workers and occupations. 

Occupational Outlook Handbook
http://www.bls.gov/oco
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a profile for careers covering the nature of the work, working conditions, employment, training, job outlook, earnings, and related occupations.

Riley Guide: Explore Career Options
http://www.rileyguide.com/careers.html
Annotated links to many general career sites. 

U.S. News & World Report Online: Best Careers
http://www.usnews.com/sections/business/best-careers
Profiles careers that offer strong outlooks and high job satisfaction.  Other sections identify “Ahead-of-the Curve Careers,” “Overrated Careers,” “Best-Kept Secret Careers.”

 

Education & Job Training

Association of American Military Colleges and Schools
http://www.amcsus.org/
Information on military schools in the U.S.

Braintrack University Index
http://www.braintrack.com 
Most complete education index featuring over 8200 links to higher educational institutions worldwide.  Includes colleges and schools by careers at
http://www.braintrack.com/colleges-by-career 

California College Guide
http://www.cacollegeguide.com
Information about public colleges and universities, WASC-accredited non-public institutions, and state-approved or exempt private postsecondary and vocational institutions. 

California Schoolfinder
http://www.schoolfinder.ca.gov/
Plug in an address, city or zip code, choose type of school (including Special Education) and distance from home, to find a list of nearby schools.  Provides a variety of data on schools, including academic performance, graduation rates, student-teacher ratio, course offerings and more.  Searching under Adult Schools will cover occupational and adult school programs.

California Vocational Schools
http://www.california-vocational-schools.com
Vocational schools offering bachelors degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, and certificates.

Go TRAIN
http://www.gotrain.com
Guide to career schools and vocational training.

Peterson's
http://www.petersons.com/
Searchable guide to college programs and career schools, covering undergraduate and graduate schools, as well as vocational/technical schools.

RWM Vocational Schools Database
http://www.rwm.org/rwm
Search by state and training field to find information for licensed vocational schools. 

Technical Schools Guide
http://www.technical-schools-guide.com
Search for technical schools by state or degree program. 

US News College Rankings
http://www.usnews.com/sections/rankings
Undergraduate and graduate/professional schools rankings and a comparison of financial aid packages. 

Vocational Schools Guide
http://www.vocational-schools-guide.com
Vocational schools searchable by state or degree program and online schools.

 

Salaries & Wages

Homefair: Salary Calculator: Relocation, Cost of Living, Real Estate
http://www.homefair.com/real-estate/salary-calculator.asp
Compare the cost of living in U.S. cities. 

JobStar: Salary Information
http://jobstar.org/tools/salary/index.cfm
Information about salaries and how to negotiate salaries.

Money Magazine: How far will my salary go in another city?
http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html
Compare current and potential salaries in over 500 US cities to see where your money goes farthest.

Riley Guide: Salary Guides and Guidance
http://www.rileyguide.com/salguides.html
Salary surveys and articles on salary negotiation.

Salary.com
http://www.salary.com/salary/layoutscripts/sall_display.asp
Salary ranges by job title and location. Includes sections covering:  What are you worth? What do top executives earn? Will moving affect your income?

SalaryExpert
http://www.salaryexpert.com
Search the salary report calculator and the cost of living calculator for reports by job title and area to find low, average, and high salaries for an area.

U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Federal Salaries and Wages
http://www.opm.gov/oca/04tables/index.htm
Current salaries for federal employees; the General Schedule (GS); locality pay; Executive Schedule (ES); Federal Wage System (FWS).

U.S. Department of Labor: Minimum Wage
http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/wages/minimumwage.htm
Information on federal and state minimum wage.

 

Book Resources:

Careers

Bolles, Richard
What Color Is Your Parachute? 2009: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers
Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. 2008.
(658.339 B6915) LAPL Call Number

Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Biennial, 2008/09.
(371.4261 O157) LAPL Call Number
[also listed as an online source in the section above]

Tieger, Paul and Barbara Barron
Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type.
New York: Little, Brown and Company
4th ed., 2007
(371.42 T561) LAPL Call Number

 

Internships

Peterson's Internships
Princeton, N.J.:  Peterson’s. Annual, 2005
(658.386 I615) LAPL Call Number

Vault Guide to Top Internships.
New York, NY: Vault.  2006/2009
(658.38603 V3765) LAPL Call Number

 

Additional Resources

For more books, check catalog under the key words or search these call numbers.  For assistance, contact the Los Angeles Public Library at (213) 228-7000:

Key words and phrases	Library Call Numbers
Apprenticeship programs	331.86
Career changes	658.339
Career education	371.42
Internship programs	658.386
Job hunting	658.339
Occupations	331.7 and 371.42
Universities and colleges	378.7, 378.0973 and 378.09794
Vocational education	371.42
Vocational guidance	371.42
Wages	331.2

In addition to the Los Angeles Public Library, other public libraries may be found at: http://www.mcls.org/library

 

This guide includes information compiled by the Los Angeles Public Library, the Metropolitan Cooperative Library System Reference Center and the Brooklyn Public Library.