New Year, New You! We hear that phrase at the beginning of every year as people write down New Year’s resolutions. Exercise more, lose weight, spend less time on social media, read more books, eat kale, the list goes on and on.
During this period of self-reflection and resolution-setting, don’t forget to consider your job!
Is 2019 the year that “New Year, New You” includes a new job, a fantastic promotion, or even a transition to a brand new career? The Library is here to help you make sure your job resolution doesn’t get forgotten in a few weeks’ time!
Among the stacks of books about writing resumes and perfecting interview skills are a whole lot of other valuable job and career resources that you might not know about.
Specialized Job and Career Librarian
Poudre River Public Libraries has a specialized job and career development librarian whose primary focus is to support job seekers. You can request an appointment to meet one-on-one with Anne Macdonald to discuss your needs and to learn about library tools and community agencies to help achieve your goals.
She can assist with various aspects of a job search or career change, from research to planning to skills assessments and more.
Skills and Interests Assessments
Assessments are a great way to discover occupations that suit your particular interests and skills. The Library’s Career Cruising digital tool includes four different types of assessments, each providing you with a different piece of the occupation puzzle.
- Matchmaker – 39 questions about your likes and dislikes that will produce a list of 40 career suggestions.
- My Skills – rate your level of skill in 45 key areas and see how those skills match up with the Matchmaker career suggestions.
- Learning Styles Inventory – 20 questions to help you understand how you learn and retain information.
- Ability Profiler – understand the relationship between your abilities and career interests by measuring work skills like verbal ability, spatial ability, and more.
The CareerOneStop tool also includes skills and interests assessments and offers an assessment to determine your work values – what you believe is important or desirable in your work and life.
Career Exploration Tools
There are a variety of eResources available to help you learn about and explore different careers, from accountant to zoologist and everything in between.
Career Cruising allows you to search various occupations based on school subjects you were/are interested in, based on a particular industry, or by career cluster. It also includes a section dedicated to military careers and service.
Another great online resource through the Library is CareerOneStop which provides a variety of career profiles and videos along with occupation comparisons so you can see how one career stacks up against another in salary, skill requirements, education levels, and more.
Training and Education Workshops
As you examine possible career paths and job requirements, you might notice gaps in your skill set or areas where you would benefit from additional training. The Library District offers a variety of free classes and workshops each month to help build your skills and expand your resume. Classes are available for common computer and technology programs as well as resume writing, interviewing, networking, and more.
There are also online tools available to continue your education and practice new skills.
- Learning Express offers career classes and occupation exam prep, college admission test prep, popular software skills classes, and much more.
- JobNow provides practical tool to help you find and get a job, from job listings to resume assistance to live career coaches to assist you.
Networking Opportunities
Don’t forget about the value of networking to finding a new job or changing your career. One great local resource is the Northern Colorado Networking Group (NoCoNet). Membership is free and open to the public.
There are also many local professional networking meetups listed online to suit your interests or career specialty. And, of course, the Larimer County Economic & Workforce Development team can assist with networking and job searches.
So will it be a New Year, New Job during 2019?
Reach out to the Library and let us know how we can help!
And, stay in-the-know about job opportunities, career transitions workshops, and much more by signing up for the Library’s monthly Job and Career Development eNewsletter. (You can also choose to receive other eNews based on your interests!)