3 Basic Ways to Learn about Work Options 

Finding a job could be a long, tough journey for you who has little or no work experience at all. It might be hard but should not be a pain in the neck if you start the job search by learning several different fields of employment before you look for specific job opportunities. 

There are three ways to learn about work options: read print materials, search the internet, and talk to people who have first-hand knowledge. 

Read about employment fields 

A lot of information about employment fields can be found in the reference, periodicals and non-fiction sections of your local library. Business magazines, newspapers articles, occupational profiles and industry directions contain a wealth of information for job seekers. You can also start to look for basic information in the print, such as follows: 

• Primary products or services 

• How products or services are marketed and the level of competition in the industry 

• Research and development activities 

• The challenges employers are facing 

• Companies that are growing 

See also: Networking and Informational Interview Ethics for Job Seekers 

Another way to maximise the searching via printed materials is by asking references from librarians and explaining what you are looking for. Librarians can be very helpful if you clearly describe the types of information you need. 

Search the internet 

As technology keeps evolving, abundant information on careers and employment is available on the internet. If you don’t have good access to the internet, use public computers in public libraries, cyber cafes, and service centres that rent internet access. Here are 5 top blogs to get job information quickly. 

• Talentvis - you can connect with a recruiter directly and ask for a job suggestion.

• Careerealism - they have complete resources for job seekers. 

• Mashable - Mashable jobs are well-known websites in today’s industry with a bunch of trends for job seekers to surf. 

• Brazen life - the website has information from entry-level to start-up advice. 

Talk to people who know 

People employed in a specific employment field or industry can give you the information you might not be able to find in print or on the internet. For example, they can tell you the following aspects: 

• What job titles are usually used in their industry for the type of work you want 

• Where people who do that type of work are employed 

• How most people find work in the industry

They can inform what you learn from reading and answer any questions your library and internet research left unanswered. Therefore, if you know people who work in some of the fields that interest you, ask them if they would be willing to spend some time with you discussing their industry. Talk to more than one person, thus you are more likely to get a balanced picture that way. 

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