Study Career Fields and Employers

All of your work on your resume and cover letter, networking phone calls and e-mails, and attending career fairs won't mean much if you neglect a key aspect of career development, research.  Wait, you say you already know what career fields you want to pursue?  That is good, but researching isn't only about potential careers and employers.  Research is also a key part of understanding your skills, interests, and strengths, which can be used to make informed, satisfying career choices.  Ready to sort this all out?  Let's get started.

Why Do I Need To Understand My Background And Interests Better?
 "Ghost of the Future," he exclaimed, "I fear you more than any spectre I have seen."-Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

It's easy to fear the future as a college student.  The economy isn't in the best of shape, you might be worried about repaying student loans, and while you're having a great time in the classroom here at H-SC, you aren't too sure what it all means for life after graduation. But how can you get started?  Because your future seems as undefined as that Ghost of the Future in Dickens' work, there's a lot to take in.  Examining your interests, motivations, strengths, and weaknesses can help you avoid poor choices in your future. 

First, look deep inside. 
Here are some beginning questions to ask yourself:
1. What am I interested in?  How do I like to spend my time, both inside and outside of class? 
2. What kinds of books, movies, and music do I find myself watching?
3. What have been some important moments in my past work experiences, campus involvement, or volunteering work?  Why were these moments important to me?
4. Who do I admire and for what reasons?  Are there ways that I can replicate those qualities in my life?

Once you've begun to answer these questions, record the information however you like-build a chart, keep a notebook, blog, whatever you like. 

Next, take that insight and move forward.
1. Come and visit the Career Development Library on the second floor of Bagby Hall.  We have a wide range of books and magazines that you can explore for more information on potential career fields and life choices.  You can also head to the Bortz Library and work with their reference tools
2. Take FOCUS, our online assessment tool.  FOCUS is a series of shorter assessments that helps draw the connection between your interests and strengths and potential career options.  You can take it online, but the results won't mean much unless you discuss it with Ms. Neidert in Career Development.  You will need to contact Career Development for the access code.
3. Talk to people!  No really, get feedback and ideas from those around out that know you best.  Talk to your advisor, your professors, friends, family, former co-workers and others to get their input, integrate it with what you already know about yourself, and round out your knowledge. 

Online Research Tools
The Office of Career Development has gathered a number of useful links to assist in researching companies, organizations, salaries, and industries.  We do not verify the accuracy of these links regularly, and their inclusion here should not imply our endorsement of the organization.

        Job and Internship Resources
        Specialized Internship Programs
        Career Fairs
        Career Exploration and Preparation Resources
        Summer Housing Resources

Industry Specific Sites
        Corporate/Business
        Sports Related Jobs
        International Jobs
        Public Service
        Education
        Government
        Non-Profit
        Medicine and Health
        Environmental Careers and Information

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Job and Internship Resources:

 

Tiger Connections:
Tiger Connections is Hampden-Sydney's in house, online system for job and internship postings.  We regularly post new opportunities there, and you can also browse interesting employers.

Internships.com:
Internships.com is the world's largest internship database!  Create an account, and have access to great internships across the country.

Career 15:
Career 15 is a community devoted to connecting students of Virginia's liberal arts colleges with Virginia's top employers.  You can check out job postings, learn more about companies, and engage with Career 15 via Twitter, Facebook, and more!

 Vault. com Career Insider:

This site contains information on specific companies as well as resources for career information such as defining occupations and forum sections where a student may receive answers from professionals a particular field. You will also find industry specific information along with the "Top 50" list for that particular field.  Internship and full-time job postings available.

Career Core:
CareerCore is a career navigation and management platform developed by experienced executives who have been featured in Fortune, BusinessWeek, CNBC and the Wall Street Journal.   Unlike websites that offer general career information or job listings, CareerCore empowers individuals with the ideal mix of expert preparation, personalized guidance and door-opening relationships that will accelerate your career regardless of the stage you are at.  

WetFeet:
WetFeet is another great career exploration and preparation resource.

Indeed:
Indeed.com is a job search aggregator.  If you enter criteria such as "financial services jobs in Virginia", it will search multiple newspapers and websites, and return your results.  You can also set up searches that get delivered to your e-mail inbox.

OneWire:
A community dedicated to matching top candidates with top finance jobs.

Glassdoor.com
gives you an inside look at company reviews, interview questions, & salary information for thousands of companies.

Richmondjobnet.com
RichmondJobNet is an on-line career resource center for individuals interested in starting or advancing their career in the Greater Richmond region.  They also have a very active presence in social media.

Competitive Summer Internship Programs
Ms. Neidert maintains a bookmark file of competitive, challenging, and intriguing internship opportunities in a number of fields at this address.

SimplyHired
A very large job search aggregation engine that aims to simplify the process of finding the job you really want.

JobChoices Magazine
JobChoices offers a variety of helpful advice related to career development.  You can write a better resume, prepare for an interview, and research employers, all in one magazine!

Specialized Internship Programs
There's also several "consolidated" internship programs in major cities that are worth checking out. These programs frequently charge a significant fee for your participation, but you take part in an academic class, and some of that fee may cover housing/living expenses. Please do your homework first and understand what your fee covers.

Washington, D.C.
The Washington Center
The Fund For American Studies
American University's Summer Internship Program

New York City
New York Media Experience (Fall and Spring Only)
Fordham's "Summer In The City"
New York City's Summer Internship Program

Career Fairs

Challenge Job Fair
CHALLENGE is an award winning liberal arts and sciences career fair hosted each November designed to bring approximately 500 seniors together with various companies and agencies. It is an effective way for employers to meet and recruit students from 8 prestigious Virginia colleges/universities.

UVa Diversity Career Day
One of the biggest career fairs in the state, held every fall.  In Fall 2008, there were 150 employers there!

Longwood's Job and Internship Fairs
Longwood has job fairs twice a year, which are great to help jumpstart your job and internship search. 

Career Exploration and Preparation Resources
NACE JobWeb
JobWeb is a very useful source for help in developing a resume and preparing for interviews, career fairs, and more!

NACE Job Choices Magazine
Now available-Job Choices in digital format! Get resume and interview tips, links to employer websites, and more! Easy to browse on the mobile device of your choice.

CareerJournal
Produced by the Wall Street Journal, this site is targeted towards the executive level job searcher but has great information and advice for when the office is closed.

Quintessential Careers
A vast wealth of information-all free!

One Day, One Job and One Day, One Internship
Both of these sites are great resources for top entry level company research.  Written by and for college students, they are blogs that feature a new job or internship offering daily.

The Career Project
What if there was a resource that could actually tell someone "this is what I do all day." Thus, The Career Project was born. This site was designed with the pure intention of letting people of all ages, not just students, voyeur into any job they could think of.

Road Trip Nation
Ever dreamed of hitting the road and having fun?  Well, how about hitting the road to learn about unique career experiences?  Road Trip Nation has driven the miles and done the legwork for you.  They have a variety of interviews with unique people about their careers and life experiences.  

Glassdoor.com Interview Database
Headed to a tough interview with a major company?  Check out this guide to real interview questions that major companies like Target and Bank of America use for a variety of positions.  

O*NET Online
The O*NET program is the nation's primary source of occupational information. Central to the project is the O*NET database, containing information on hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors. The database is continually updated by surveying a broad range of workers from each occupation. Information from this freely available database forms the heart of O*NET OnLine, the interactive application for exploring and searching occupations. The database also provides the basis for our Career Exploration Tools, a set of valuable assessment instruments for workers and students looking to find or change careers.

NACE Salary Calculators
Researching and negotiating the right salary for yourself is one of the most challenging issues in job seeking.  The NACE Salary Calculator allows you to create detailed salary reports for thousands of occupations, tailored to your geographic area and specific education level.  It is extremely comprehensive.

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Industry Specific Sites
Check out the library's study guide on additional resources.

          Corporate/Business
          ****Starred Companies feature management training programs, which are
          popular amongst liberal arts graduates

The Black Collegian Online
Hoovers OnLine Corporation Finder
iMinorities
Thomas Register of American Manufacturers
Finbox
Wolseley North America**
Wells Fargo
John Hancock
Hometown Realty
Edward Jones
Virginia Asset Management
SunTrust**
NVR Incorporated
BB&T**
Aerotek
A.G. Edwards
American Express Financial
Marsh Inc.
Emery Worldwide
New England Financial
Genworth Financial
Hughes Supply
Lowe's Companies, Inc.
Mass Mutual
Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
Prudential
RR Donnelley
Progressive Insurance
Entry Level PR.com
Shenandoah Life Insurance Company
Youintern.com
Fastenal**
GEICO**
Walgreens**
Hajoca**
Sherwin-Williams**
Target**
Enterprise Rent-A-Car**
Sheraton**
Mariott**
Dollar Tree **
Home Depot **
Lowes **
Orkin **
Verizon Wireless **
Walmart **
AT&T Internships
Allstate

Sports-Related Jobs
Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association
Jobs in Sports
Bluefishjobs
Premier Health and Fitness Resources
Teamworkonline.com

International Opportunities
CIEE: Council on International Education Exchange
JET, Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program
Transitions Abroad
Americas Journalism Training: Study abroad and intern in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Global Vision International
RISE Research Internships in Germany
Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce
Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
BUNAC
Bushwise Field Guides
CDS International
CIS Abroad
Frontier
Directory of Foreign Affiliated Firms in Virginia
USAID
Website Directory of US Embassies, Consulates, and Diplomatic Missions

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Public Service

Education
CAPE (Council for American Private Education)
Carney, Sandoe & Associates Teacher Recruitment: Agency in northeast U.S.A.
Education Resources Group: Primarily northeastern and midwest U.S.A.
Southern Teachers Agency:-recruits at H-SC, focus is southeast U.S.A.
Teacher Certification Degrees
TESOL Teaching English as a second language
Teach in Virginia
Chesterfield County Employment Opportunities 
National Association of Independent Schools
Breakthrough Collaborative
Discovery School
Teach for America
Teach for India

Government
Explore Criminal Justice Careers
Department of Army Civilian Personnel
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Government Web Locator
The RECRUIT
Virginia State Government Career Opportunities
Students.gov
Student Jobs.gov
U.S. State Department
U.S. Secret Service
Central Intelligence Agency
CIA World Factbook
Defense Intelligence Agency
USA Jobs
Navy
Army
Air Force
Coast Guard
Marines
Homeland Security
National Ground Intelligence (NGIC)
Virginia Army National Guard (Then click on Education link)
U.S. Government A-Z Agency Index
Making The Difference.org-Federal Internship Resource
Civilian Logistics Career Management Program
Careers In National Defense
Kennedy Space Center Internship Program
Foreign Affairs Magazine Job Board
National Air and Space Museum Internships
National Park Service Historic Preservation Internship Training Program
National Gallery of Art Internships
Department of Commerce Summer Research Internships
Rep. Mel Watt Federal Internship Guide

Non-Profit
Idealist.org
     Idealist.org Guide to Non-Profit Careers for First Time Job Seekers
National Mental Health Association: National Office Employment Opportunities
Peace Corps
Camp Thunderbird
CityYear
AmeriCorps
Habitat For Humanity-Professional Volunteering
Commongood Careers
onPhilanthropy
Additional Resources from NYU
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Internships
Public History Internships
NPR Internships
Organization of American States
Institute for Humane Studies
Campstaff.com

Medicine & Health
Alternative Behavioral Services
Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare
The American Dental Education Association
Dental Admissions Test (DAT)
American Psychological Association Education Directorate
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
PCAT Information-Pharmacy School Admissions Test
Mayo Online Career Center
Medical and Health Care Jobs Page
MedSearch
MiracleWorkers.com
National Institutes of Health Job Listing Archives
National Mental Health Association: National Office Employment Opportunities
Physical Therapist
VA Health Education Center
Official MCAT Website
Free MCAT Practice Test
ExploreHealthCareers.org
Care.com
Psychology Careers

Environmental Careers and Information
Advice on finding a "green job" from Aspen Snowmass
The Student Conservation Association
Treehugger.com
Sustainablebusiness.com
Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit
Net Impact
Ecojobs.com
Greenbiz.com
Greendrinks.org
Washington D.C. Environmental/Agriculture Internship Links
Association of Environmental and Resource Economists Job Listings
Sustainable and Responsible Investing Information from Calvert
North American Association for Environmental Education Job Listings
Environmentalcareer.com
SustainLane.com Job Postings
Green Career Central
LEED Certification Help

If you really want to spend a lot of time searching for environmental jobs and internships, check out the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies' Career Links:
http://environment.yale.edu/current/Environmental-Job-Internship-Sites/