We have organized career planning and job search into  a number of steps.  Begin at the step that is appropriate for you.  If you are looking within the field you have worked, you may want to start with updating  your resume and cover letter.  If you are considering a career change, you might want to start at Step 1.  The appropriate websites are located at each step.  However, I would suggest you look at most of them at one time or another.  They may be helpful  to you in all sorts of ways. 
For  example, if you are reworking your cover letter, you might want to look at http://online.onetcenter.org/skills , a website that identifies skills requisite for specific occupations.  Such information offers you a way to speak about your abilities in a cogent manner. 

Step 1 – Career Planning and Skill Identification: The goal is to identify the job or occupation that suits you best. 

a.     http://careerlinkpittsburgh.com – Career Link is a one-stop shop that connects employers and job seekers in the most efficient manner.  At their sites in downtown Pittsburgh, Forest Hills, etc., highly trained staff offer visitors a wide range of materials and consultation services as well as an online-access to a comprehensive database of job search, training and employment information.  Look over the website, especially the ‘Employment to Do List’ for an overview of services . Make an appointment to see a counselor or just walk in.  The downtown office is at 425 6th Ave., 22nd Floor of the Regional Enterprise Tower, 412-552-7100.  Allegheny East Office in Forest Hills is at 2040 Ardmore Blvd., 412-436-2225 or 866-317-JOBS ( a block or two before the Citizen Bank tower on the right).  Swissvale patrons may ask to speak with the director, Larry Pulhalla (412-436-2253)

b.    http://online.onetcenter.org/skills  - Find careers related to your skills on this site developed by the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Information Network.  You can also use this site as a resource for your cover letters since job specified skills are highlighted.  And finally, you can use this site to think about retraining, using the skills you’ve already developed in another line of work.

c.     http://www.paworkstats.state.pa.us/gsipub/index.asp?docid=405 –  The Career Guide.  Whether you are a student, an educator, a first-time jobseeker, parent or a person considering a career change, you will find the Career Guide a valuable tool as you make those all-important career decisions. It contains wage and job outlook information for more than 250 occupations, interest assessments, tips for marketing yourself, sources of financial aid and contact information for Pennsylvania's public schools,

d.       http://www.paworkstats.state.pa.us/ Center for Workforce Information and Analysis has other help features aside from the Career Guide. Click on ‘Services for Individuals’ and look into their ‘career exploration tools’ and ‘educator and counselor services’ for valuable information in deciding the type of job you wish to pursue.  

e.   www.careerdevelopmentcenter.org - Located at 5743 Bartlett Street (412-422-8756) on the second floor of the Jewish Family & children Services, the careet development center is open to all but does an excellent job helping seniors find work and/or retrain.    

f.      www.youthlinkpittsburgh.com – a collaboration of South Pittsburgh service providers and the Career Link system.  It works to help young people (14 – 21) access education, employment, and career opportunities. 

g.       http://www.carnegielibrary.org/research/jobsedu/findingajob.html - The Career Development Center (CDC) is a division of Jewish Family & Children's Service (JF&CS), and offers career counseling, job search assistance, a career resource center, and workshops and seminars.  Internship sites and international employment are especially informative (towards the bottom of the listing)

Step 2 – Training and Retraining Opportunities: The objective is to set yourself up with the skills and training necessary for the job or jobs you wish to pursue.

a.        http://jobcorps.dol.gov/about.htm - For young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 who need to complete their education, upgrade their skills and learn how to apply for a job and work within a company.

b.      http://careerlinkpittsburgh.com – under resources, a drop-down menu, click on individual services for an overview of what career links has to offer you.

c.       http://www.bidwell-training.org/ - The Bidwell Training Center provides career training at no cost to qualified applicants. Career training includes high-tech, culinary, and medical fields.

d.      www.youthlinkpittsburgh.com – a collaboration of South Pittsburgh service providers and the Career Link system.  It works to help young people (14 – 21) access education, employment, and career opportunities.

Step 3 – Job Search – Once you have identified the job(s) and have obtained the necessary skills and/or training, you need to begin looking for employment opportunities.  You may find them on lists serves, at employer websites, at job Large number of local jobs in all categories. search sites like HigherEdJobs.com for educational professionals or newsletters, journals or newspapers, in print or online, that publish job openings.

a.      www.indeed.com  – In one simple job search, access a million of employment opportunities from thousands of websites.  It includes all the job listings from major job boards, newspapers, associations and company career pages.

b.      www.pgh-job-index.com  – simplifies the process of hunting for a job or internship in the 11 county Pittsburgh region.

c.       www.workpittsburgh.com  – dedicated online job source for the Pittsburgh area.

d.    www.youthlinkpittsburgh.com – a collaboration of South Pittsburgh service providers and the Career Link system.  It works to help young people (14 – 21) access education, employment, and career opportunities.

e.       http://cwds.state.pa.us – sign up and use the resources offered by this site for career counseling, job search, workshops and more.

f.       http://careerlinkpittsburgh.com  - Click on Upcoming Events for workshops that help with job search

g.      http://www.alleghenycounty.us/jobs/ / - Employment opportunities with Allegheny County and links to job opportunities in the Health Department and Human Services. It also includes internship information.

h.      http://www.nauticom.net/www/aw/ - The Allegheny County Department of Human Services / Office of Community Services provides job links and assistance for dislocated workers and economically disadvantaged residents of Allegheny County.

i.        http://amby.com/worksite/database_PGH.html  - This site has a wide variety of employment resources for both the Pittsburgh region, Allegheny County, and the Tri-State Area.

j.       http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/personnel/html/employment_info.html  - A complete listing of all currently available positions allowing interested individuals to apply online.

k.      http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/  - you can post a job query under ‘resume’ as well as look for job listings.  Interesting site.

SEE ADDITIONAL JOB SEARCH RESOURCES AFTER STEP 7 – MANY GOOD SITES LISTED THERE BY CATEGORY

Step 4 – Resume – There are different templates. Take a look at each one before you decide which is best for you.

a.       http://www.careerlinkpittsburgh.com/job_seekers/resumes.html - you can download different resume templates and get tips on constructing your resume.

b.      http://careerlinkpittsburgh.com -  Click on Upcoming Events for workshops that help with resume writing. 

c.       www.carnegielibrary.org/locations/pccenter/eastliberty/ - there are workshops available on resume and cover letter writing as well as classes on computing and the world-wide-web.

Step 5 – Cover Letter – Begin with a workshop on cover letters.  Look at upcoming events @ www.careerlinkpittsburgh.com.  Click on ‘For Job Seekers’ at the top of the homepage for more information and help at writing cover letters.

a.        www.carnegielibrary.org/locations/pccenter/eastliberty/ - there are workshops available on resume and cover letter writing as well as classes on computing and the world-wide-web.

Step 6 – Follow up – When you create an account at at www.cwds.state.pa.us you can keep track of your job search, your different resumes , cover letters and interviews at your site.  You can also call www.careerlinkpittsburgh.com to speak to a counselor for further help.

a.       You should also check in with Jo Tavener at Swissvale Library -- after you have had your interview at career links and begun your job search -- to evaluate your plan and progress.  She can advise you further.

Step 7 – Interview – tips and advice

a.     http://careerlinkpittsburgh.com – Click on ‘For Job Seekers’ at top of homepage and note the link to interviewing that provides a quick course on how to prepare yourself for a job interview.  There are also workshops held at the various offices of Career Link Pittsburgh throughout the city.

ADDITIONAL JOB SEARCH WEBSITES

1.       www.cbsalary.com/ - a free salary calculator from CareerBuilder.com

2.      www.helpwanted.com – jobs all over the USA

3.      www.hotjobs.yahoo.com – Yahoo’s job center

4.      www.careermosaic.com – go to the following listing: www.recruitmentsources.com/careermosaic.html - good for recent college grads.

5.      www.snagajob.com – focuses primarily on part-time and hourly positions.

PROFESSIONAL WEBSITES

1.      www.papen.us – PAPEN stands for Pennsylvania Professional Employment Network. Pittsburgh-based networking organization that helps members advance their careers.

2.      www.pa-educator.net – a statewide, one stop clearinghouse for educators.

3.      www.financialjobs.com – Accounting and financial jobs for professionals at all levels of their careers.

4.      www.pittsburgh.-employment.com – enables job search of specific disciplines in each major profession.

5.      www.careermag.com – Magazine careers

6.      www.careershop.com – Assorted professions

7.      www.healthsearchusa.com – Doctors

8.      www.engineeringjobs.com – Engineers

9.      www.higheredjobs.com – hosts specifically college and university positions.

10.  www.healthsearchusa.com – nationwide physician recruitment employment and other medical opportunities.

11.  http://pittsburgh.techies.com - free registration enables users to see, track and apply for high-tech jobs and get information on companies.

12.  http://pittsburgh.computerwork.com – information technology jobs in the Pittsburgh area.

SENIOR JOB SITES

1.   www.careerdevelopmentcenter.org    - Though open to all, CDC does an excellent job servicing seniors - a one-stop career center.

2.  www.seniors4hire.org - #1 place on the internet for job seekers 50 and over to find job openings from businesses that value a diverse workforce and actively recruit and hire older workers, retirees and/or seniors.

3.     www.aarp.com – provides job lists as well as funded programs for retraining.  Look for the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) 

4.      www.retiredbrains.com – connects older workers with employers.  It also provides senior-focused information and links to charitable organizations and non-profits looking for volunteers.

CITY, STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT JOB SITES

1.       www.workpittsburgh.com – City jobs

2.      www.pittsburghhelpwanted.com – City jobs

3.      www.scsc.state.pa.us – PA Civil Service

4.      www.statejobs.com/pa - PA Job Source

5.      www.usajobs.opm.gov – Federal Civil Service

6.      www.fedjobs.com -  Federal jobs.

7.      www.usajobs.gov – Official government jobsite

OTHER RESOURCES

1.      www.dli.state.pa.us - PA Department of Labor and Industry, especially to apply for unemployment insurance.

2.      http://www.paworkstats.state.pa.us/ - links to application for unemployment compensation.  Click on ‘Services for individuals’ and ‘Job Seeker Resources.’  There are links for PA Career Link, Bureau of State Employment & State Civil Service Commission.  It also provides workforce information and analysis.

3.     http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/default.aspx  - free training on office programs.

4.     http://www.merriam-webster.com// - dictionary and thesaurus

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“Reading First Literacy Events”

at Swissvale Library

Wednesdays, 7-8 p.m.

K-3, accompanied by parents/older siblings

April 2^nd

Aliens!

From First Graders from Mars to Space Dog Jack to Qpootle-5, books about friendly aliens stretch our imaginations, and help us see ourselves more clearly. We’ll explore the books, and create aliens of our own to take home.

Computer Segment: - Learn about the universe and read stories about robots.

 www.lil-fingers.com/robot/index.html - Simple stories to be read aloud online.

www.prongo.com/space/  - questions about the solar system & answers

www.spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/mars_rocket2.shtml - Mars adventure & Solar-  

 System Switch-a-roo!! & Draw a dot-to-dot space craft.

www.pbskids.org/arthur/games/alien/alien.html -  build a picture of an alien

April 9^th

Stone Soup

Everyone likes Stone Soup—at least, everyone writes about it. Come for an introduction to the many printed versions, sample one, and create a recipe of your own.

Computer Segment: Cooking games

www.oyunlar1.com/cookinggames.asp - tropical fruit, cooking fajitas, pancake day

www.cooking-games-online.1000dressupgames.com

    sandwich cooking game (page 4)

    cooking bunnies in the kitchen (page 1)

April 16^th

You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You

Reading is often a solitary activity, but it can be shared, too. We’ll share the title book, read jokes to one another, and make story balls to take home.

Computer Segment: Storybook Time

http://magickeys.com/books  - Children’s storybooks for beginning and more advanced young readers –for beginners, you can click on the animals  in The Farm Animals and hear their sounds  or click on each word to hear it read aloud. 

For more advanced readers, try The Littlest Knight – an illustrated story – or Mr. Mc Feeglebee’s Pond, a talking book where you can click on each word or hear a full narration

www.FunBrain.com/words.html - Click on KIDS at top, then on READING and then on one of the web books top right.  Or, for kids in kindergarten, try Tess’s Tree

April 23^rd
Make New Friends

Meet Hairy McClary, Slinky Malinki, and Schnitzel von Krumm, animal inhabitants from Lynley Dodd’s charming English village. Read about their exploits, and then play their game.

Computer Segment: More Stories about animal characters and their world

www.rif.org/readingplanet  - Click on BOOK ZONE and once again on STORIES & SONGS, WATCH & LISTEN to find a list of stories.  You can read and sing along with these animated stories.  Try MacMighty and Micentro Mozart.

www.bookadventure.com - Click on KIDS ZONE, then on BOOK FINDER to find something good to read.  Also click on Anytime Reading for a list of books for k-8.

www.rif.org/readingplanet - Click on BOOK ZONE and find books you’d like to read with BOOK SEARCH or HERITAGE SHELF.

www.peterrabbit.co.uk – The World of Beatrix Potter and her beloved characters, especially Peter Rabbit.  Click on FUN, then at left on STORYTIME to read illustrated stories of Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny and more.  Or, click on PETER RABBIT ACTIVITIES and play a few games.  Or, click on MEET THE CHARACTERS and get to know Peter Rabbit and his friends.

www.FunBrain.com/words.html - Click on Scamble Saurus.  Look at the animals and pick your level of difficulty.  Try to puzzle out the wrods with the help of your parent.

http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/fraggame.htm - Go to games and activities page and figure out how to leap frog.  Then find hidden pictures in Wolly Mammoth.

April 30^th

Books with Games

Some books inspire games (such as The Cat in the Hat), and some games inspire books (such as Uncle Wiggly). Either way, come to read, and come to play.

Computer Segment: Books that inspire games

www.peterrabbit.co.uk - Click on FUN, then at left on PETER RABBIT ACTIVITIES and play a few online games inspired by the Peter Rabbit stories.  Try the puzzles too, like "Ginger and Pickles Wordsearch" and all the riddles.

http://www.seussville.com/lb/home.html - games inspired by the Cat in the Hat.

Try Sam-Am-I-Says or Fox-In-Sock Matching Game

http://pbskids.org/ - Find games with characters you know and love.  Try Clifford and click on "puppy dreams" and/or "puppy puzzles."  Or try Fetch's "dog pound."

www.prongo.com/dinoquiz/index.html  - Think of all the dinosaur books you've read.  Let's play a dinosaur game!

May 7^th

What Did You Say? What Did You Mean?

Some stories turn on verbal confusion. Amelia Bedelia will forever be befuddled, and the sheriff in Homer Price will forever switch consonants—and we love them for it. Come and sort through their mistakes.

Computer Segment: Language games from spelling to grammar with fun in between.

www.FunBrain.com/words.html  – Click on WORD CONFUSION or SCRAMBLE SAURIS and pick your level of difficulty.

http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/braint.htm - How about some brain teasers - puzzles that make you think!

May 14^th

Read Anything Good Lately?

Reading doesn’t always mean books. Come and explore the many types of reading materials you will be faced with daily.