The Career Expert

The Career Expert

The Career Center

Library Career Center


Searching for a new job or career?  Our Career Center's free career counseling services can help.

The Career Center, based in Cuyahoga County Public Library's Maple Heights Branch and formerly known as InfoPLACE, is a nationally recognized Adult Career Planning Resource Center.  The Career Counselors are available to meet with job seekers at the Maple Heights Branch and a few of our other branches.    Call (216) 475-2225 for other locations.  In operation since 1976, its comprehensive service is on the cutting edge of meeting the needs of adults in career transition or job search in a turbulent time.  We provide guidance to adults in career decision-making, constructing effective résumés, job searching strategies, interview preparation, and education and training.  Check out our page on Facebook.

Please call (216) 475-2225 for an appointment with a counselor if you would like assistance with making a career change, career decision/testing, or preparation for an upcoming interview.  Call for locations.  If you would like a counselor to review your résumé and cover letter before you send it to prospective employers, you may email it or drop it off at our office.  We can help you with online job searching on a first come-first serve basis.

Job Clubs with Career Counselors

Our Career Counselors facilitate several job clubs in branches of the Cuyahoga County Public Library.  Join them for support and networking opportunities with job search tips.  They are open to all who are out of work or changing careers.

Résumé Assistance

Cuyahoga County Public Library also offers Optimal Resume, a résumé program which will aid you in producing a professional-looking résumé.  To begin, enter the access code cuyac into the blank line and click on continue.  Fill out your User Profile that will be the heading of your résumé and follow the directions about choosing section headings to create a great résumé.

Do you need information on how to put together your resume?  Try our new Career Center booklet titled Writing an Effective Resume.

Resources

Access the Job Hunting Resources:  A Selected List of Books, Websites & Agencies pamphlet to find recommended sources to help you in your job search.  

More about the Career Center

  • CAREER COUNSELOR:  James Hansen,
    M.S., Counseling; Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, (LPCC)
  • CAREER COUNSELOR:  N. Maureen Paulett
    M.Ed., Rehabilitation Counseling, Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, (CRC)
  • CAREER COUNSELOR:  Elizabeth Wilson,
    M.Ed., Rehabilitation Counseling, Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, (CRC)
    Certified Family Life Educator, (CFLE)
  • LIBRARIAN:  Bonnie Easton,
    Master in Library Science (M.L.S.)
  • PUBLIC SERVICES ASSISTANT:  Anthony Furino

Contact us


Latest WebLog

The Career Information Expert Blog

Best Places for Green Jobs

 Permanent link

Forbes Magazine online recently reported that jobs in renewable energy, environmentally-friendly building and manufacturing, and all aspects of energy efficiency will offer the greatest opportunities for job creation since the beginning of computers and the internet.  We are now generating 1.3 million new "green collar" jobs per year and that may increase to 40 million by 2030.

Your big question has to be, "Where do I find these jobs?"  The top 15 metropolitan areas with the most growth in green jobs are:

  1. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA
  2. Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA
  3. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY, NJ, CT, PA
  4. Boston-Worcester-Lawrence-Brockton, MA, NJ
  5. Washington-Baltimore, DC, MD, VA, WV
  6. Denver-Boulder-Greeley, CO
  7. Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA
  8. Portland-Salem, OR
  9. Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, Il, IN, WI
  10. Sacramento-Yolo County, CA
  11. San Diego, CA
  12. Austin-San Marcos, TX
  13. Phoenix, AZ
  14. Detroit-Ann Arbor, MI
  15. Houston-Galveston-Bazoria, TX

For more information on the trends in green jobs, check out Clean Edge Tech Job Trends 2009.

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Career Paths for You!

Military Jobs

Many young people are joining the military these days.  The hope is that with military training, they will be able to find good jobs when they leave the service.  A book titled 150 Best Jobs Through Military Training describes 75 military jobs that will later lead to top growth, good-paying jobs when they become civilians as well as 150 jobs that should fit their skills.

Some of the military jobs listed are:

Aircraft Mechanics

Construction Equipment Operators

Finance & Accounting Specialists

Graphic Designers & Illustrators

Heating & Cooling Mechanics

Law Enforcement & Security Specialists

Machinists

Medical Laboratory Technicians

Plumbers & Pipe Fitters

X-Ray Technicians

 



Workshops, Job Clubs & Job Fairs 

 

Career Center Workshops

2010 Winter Quarter Workshops now added.

The Career Center staff has some exciting workshops that we think will be really helpful to all of you job hunters and career changers out there.  Registration is required.  Please plan to join us! 

Career Counselor Beth Wilson will be conducting six Resume Clinics this fall.  Three will be at our tech center in the Maple Heights Branch and three at our Parma Ridge Branch tech center.  Join her to learn how to use the Microsoft Word 2007 resume templates and walk away with a ready-to-use resume.  Register online or with the branch because space is limited.

Career Specialist Bonnie Easton will be introducing a new workshop on Online Job Applications for those of you who are having trouble with those pesky forms.  No two applications are alike.  We'll show you how to upload your resume as well as how to copy and paste your resume into an application.  Join us at the Maple Heights Branch on November 18 at 1:45 p.m.  Register because space is limited.  More of the online job application classes will be coming in the Winter 2010 quarter.

 

Basic Computer Skills for Job Hunters

  • Brooklyn Branch
    7:00 - 8:45 p.m./Wednesday/January 13
  • Independence Branch
    6:30 - 8:30 p.m./Wednesday/March 3

Behavior-Based Interviewing Techniques

  • Parma Snow Branch
    6:30 - 8:30 p.m/Wednesday/November 11
  • Independence Branch
    6:30 - 8:30 p.m./Thursday/December 3
  • Mayfield Branch
    6:30 - 8:30p.m./Thursday/December 10
  • North Olmsted
    6:30 - 8:30 p.m./Tuesday/January 26

 

Career Planning

  • Brecksville Branch
    1:30 - 3:30 p.m./Wednesday/February 24

  • Parma Snow Branch
    6:30 - 8:30 p.m./Tuesday/March 2

  • Strongsville Branch
    1:30 - 3:30 p.m./Tursday/March 4

 

Internet Job Search

  • Parma Ridge Branch
    3:00 - 4:30 p.m./Saturday/November 14
  • Middleburg Heights Branch
    7:00 - 8:30 p.m./Monday/November 16
  • Parma Ridge Branch
    7:00 - 8:30 p.m./Thursday/March 18

 

Networking

  • North Olmsted Branch
    6:30 - 8:30 p.m./Tuesday/January 19
  • Brecksville Branch
    1:30 - 3:30 p.m./March 3
  • Parma Snow Branch
    6:30 - 8:30 p.m./Monday/March 22

 

The New Job Search

  • Fairview Park Branch
    6:45 - 8:45 p.m./Monday/December 7
  • Brecksville Branch
    1:30 - 3:30 p.m./Wednesday/February 17
  • Garfield Heights Branch
    7:00 - 8:30 p.m./Thursday/February 17

 

Online Job Applications

  • Maple Heights Branch
    1:45 - 3:15 P.M./Wednesday/November 18
  • Parma Ridge Branch
    1:30 - 3:30 p.m./Thursday/January 14
  • Maple Heights Branch
    1:45 - 3:15 p.m./Wednesday/January 20
  • Parma Ridge Branch
    1:30 - 3:30 p.m./Thursday/February 11
  • Strongsville Branch
    1:30 - 3:30 p.m./Thursday/Marcdh 18
  • Maple Heights Branch
    1:45 - 3:15 p.m./Tuesday/March 23

 

Over 50 & Out of Work

  • South Euclid Branch
    6:30 - 8:30 p.m./Monday/November 9
  • Parma Ridge Branch
    6:30 - 8:30 p.m./Tuesday/December 8
  • North Royalton Branch
    6:30 - 8:30 p.m./Monday/January 4
  • Middleburg Heights Branch
    6:30 - 8:30 p.m./Monday/February 15
  • Fairview Park Branch
    6:30 - 8:30 p.m./Monday/March 16

 

Resumes & Cover Letters

  • Mayfield Branch
    6:30 - 8:30 p.m./Thursday/November 19
  • North Olmsted Branch
    6:30 - 8:30 p.m./Tuesday/January 12
  • Strongsville Branch
    1:30 - 3:30 p.m./Thursday/March 11

 

Resume Clinics

  • Parma Ridge Branch
    1:15 - 3:15 p.m./Tuesday/November 10
  • Parma Ridge Branch
    1:15 - 3:15 p.m./Tuesday/December 15
  • Maple Heights Branch
    1:30 - 3:30 p.m./Wednesday/December 30

Resumes-to-Go with Optimal Resume

  • Fairview Park Branch
    2:30 - 4:30 p.m./Saturday/November 7

 

Social Networking & Your Job Search

  • Fairview Park Branch
    7:00 - 8:30 p.m./Monday/December 14
  • Independence Branch
    7:00 - 8:45 p.m./Wednesday/February 3
  • Strongsville Branch
    1:30 - 3:30 p.m./Thursday/March 25

 

Your Resume & Job Search Strategy

  • Brecksville Branch
    1:30 - 3:30 p.m./Wednesday/March 10

 

View all Career Events

 


 JOB CLUBS & NETWORKING GROUPS

Our Career Counselors facilitate several Job Clubs at different library branches:

Beachwood Branch
2nd & 4th Monday mornings 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.
Career Counselor N. Maureen Paulett

North Olmsted Branch
2nd & 4th Wednesday afternoons 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Career Counselor Jim Hansen

Maple Heights Branch
Every Thursday morning 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.
Career Counselor Jim Hansen

Fairview Park Branch
Every Thursday afternoon 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Career Counselor Jim Hansen

Join a group for helpful tips on résumés, job search strategies and interviewing while sharing your experiences with others in a supportive atmosphere.


Join the members from all job clubs on LinkedIn for the latest job search tips and news.

 

NEO-EXEC 
Helpful websites and Northeast Ohio Job Clubs for executives and professionals.

Job Club Listing for Northeast Ohio


CAREER FAIRS

 

 


Survival Guide

The Survival Guide is a referral source for those facing unemployment and underemployment problems. It is a compilation of agencies in Greater Cleveland offering career counseling, job search instruction, placement and training, legal and financial assistance, and special services to people with disabilities and veterans. 

Some of the major agencies offering assistance to dislocated and underemployed workers in the Cleveland area are:

 

 Bureau of Apprenticeship & Training
 Cleveland Scholarship Program
 Cuyahoga Community College
 Employment Connection 
 First Call for Help
 Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland
 Cuyahoga County Public Library Career Center
 Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation
 Ohio Department of Jobs & Family Services
 Unemployment Compensation
 Senior Employment Center

If you need further information about the guide, contact Cuyahoga County Public Library's Career Center at 216-475-2225.

    Online SURVIVAL GUIDE here 


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Company Research

Check out the Fortune Magazine list of Best Companies to Work For in 2009!

An important step in the job search process is finding information about the organizations for which you want to work.  The Cuyahoga County Public Library provides database resources with reliable, up-to-date directories of companies giving the address, telephone number, financial data (if the company is public), type of business, chief officers of the company, and, perhaps, magazine articles about the company.  Your major purposes in checking out the companies to which you are applying are:

  • To determine what the corporate culture of the organization is.  Will you like working here?  Do they have a sound financial future?
  • To give yourself a competitive edge in the interview process.  If you do a little homework about the company and the industry, you will impress prospective employers.  You will want to know the size of the company and whether it is public or private, products and services offered, the target market, a general company history, its main competitors, and financial information (if the company is public).

To find these databases, check out the Premium Career Electronic Resources under Online Resources on the Career Information Page.  The suggested electronic resources for company research are:

  • Business and Company Resource Center
  • Business Source Premier
  • Dun & Bradstreet Million Dollar Database Premier
  • Mergent Online
  • ReferenceUSA Employers
  • Standard & Poor's Net Advantage

Check out the Company Research link under Online Resources above on this page for websites with company information.

Other sources for finding best companies to work for are:

 


Personal Inventories

Print off one of the inventories and answer the questions to help you assess your strengths.  If you have questions on interpretation, call the Career Center (216.475.2225) to make an appointment with a career counselor.

Adult Balanced Life Enhancement Inventory 
Provides a framework for achieving meaning and balance in your adult life.

Adult Reinvestment for Retirement/Occupational Well-Being 
Helps you to answer the question of how to spend your time in your retirement.

Core Adult Career Transition Inventory 
Aids you in deciding what the next step in your career should be.  Should you look for a job in the same field or are your ready for a career change?

 


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