Hoping to expand your network? Looking for connections in a new career? CareerOneStop’s Professional Association Finder offers a search of national professional and industry associations that can help you grow in your career and find professional contacts related to your industry or occupation.
Why join a professional association?
Join a professional or industry association to:
Develop a network of peers in your occupation or industry by attending networking events and reaching out to other members who work in organizations or specific fields that interest you.
Take classes, attend conferences, and check out certifications sponsored by the association to help improve your qualifications in the field.
Volunteer for committees or events to meet more people in the association and gain skills.
Keep current on changes in your field, and learn about a new career area through conferences, publications, and research sponsored by the association.
Gain confidence as you learn more about the priorities, vocabulary, concepts, and trends in your profession.
Search job boards with listings available only for members.
Add your membership or leadership role in a professional or industry association to your resume. Your affiliation demonstrates your commitment to growth and development in your occupation; it may even help you stand out as an applicant.
Next steps?
To learn more:
1 Check out the Professional Association Finder to search for associations in your career or industry area. If you see a checkmark under the column “Career Center,” that association has a Careers section on their website. A checkmark under the “Certification” column indicates the association sponsors or has a related certification.
2 Review the website of any association that appears to be a strong match for your current career or the career you hope to transition into.
3 Reach out to your selected professional associations to ask for information about joining, available training, and how you could explore any job openings available.
4 Keep in mind that the cost of joining may be offset by membership benefits. In addition, your employer may pay for your membership if the association offers professional development related to your job or role. Many professional associations offer discounted student memberships and may offer scholarships to join for members with financial need.
Veterans Day is Saturday, November 11, and right now is a great time for employers to learn more about recruiting and hiring veterans. Former servicemembers bring proven skills, experiences, and leadership qualities to the workplace, and the U.S. Department of Labor and the public workforce system is committed to matching employers with qualified veterans.
How can I recruit and hire qualified veterans?
Veterans Employment Representatives, located at American Job Centers across the country, can help you meet your hiring needs. Get started with the two simple steps below.
Begin by posting your job opening on your state job bank. Find your state job bank here and follow the instructions to post jobs.
Next, find your local American Job Center (you’ll and ask to connect with Veterans Employment Representative. Describe your hiring needs to them. They may ask for details of your job listing(s), and they’ll be able to help you identify qualified veterans.
Where can I learn more?
Translate military skills. Visit CareerOneStop’s Civilian-to-Military Occupation Translator to identify military occupations that may share skills and work experience with the jobs you’re hiring for. This easy-to-use online tool can help you learn about the specific skill sets that can successfully transfer to your workplace.
Need to earn some money or gain some work experience? A seasonal job can be easier to land than a permanent one, and offer the opportunity to grow your career or fill in an employment gap. Learn about seasonal jobs and how to find one.
What is seasonal work?
Seasonal jobs are temporary. They may be part-time or full-time, but last only for a certain length of time, like the summer, or the winter holiday season. Summer seasonal jobs often relate to agriculture, hospitality, and outdoor recreation, while most winter seasonal jobs tend to relate to retail sales.
What makes a seasonal job different from other jobs?
There’s no long-term commitment on your part or the employer’s part, so you can earn money without being tied to a job past the season.
A seasonal job can serve to “test-drive” a new career or industry area.
If you’ve been out of the workforce for a time, seasonal work can provide a transition before you look for full-time permanent work.
Seasonal jobs generally do not offer any benefits. They may pay less than permanent positions, although hard-to-fill seasonal jobs may pay more to attract workers.
Night shifts, weekends, holidays are often part of a seasonal job schedule. This can be an asset if you are supplementing a traditional “day job.”
If business demand is lower than expected, seasonal workers may be laid off.
What types of holiday seasonal jobs are available?
Learn about these seasonal jobs by selecting the link and reading a career profile.
Retail sales for department stores, clothing stores, toy stores, and others.
Whether you’re looking at a seasonal job as an entry point to a permanent job or are looking for a career job in a different industry, you can gain useful skills and experience in a seasonal job. On your resume, include your seasonal job and emphasize your adaptability and ability to learn quickly, as well as any technical and soft skills you use on the job.
If you have a long-term career goal, look for seasonal work that might add related experience or skills, such as applying for work preparing taxes during tax season if you want to become an accountant.
A seasonal job may also give you a chance to build positive relationships with supervisors, who could serve as job references in the future. Or your seasonal job might develop into a longer-term role, with advancement opportunity.
How can I find a seasonal job now?
Use the Job Finder to search for job titles that interest you. Or search for “seasonal job” in your location, then select “Indeed” as the Source on your results page to see a list of seasonal jobs to filter by your preferences.
National Entrepreneurship Month is November, a time when the spirit of innovation and enterprise takes center stage in our communities across the nation. The U.S. Department of Labor has released an updated Entrepreneurship Competency Model, providing a comprehensive framework from experienced entrepreneurial experts designed to help job seekers, employers, and educators understand the skills needed to succeed in the workplace and plan their training and development activities accordingly.
The Entrepreneurship Competency Modelis critical because it identifies the soft skills and foundational competencies, as well as the technical knowledge, skill, and abilities needed by prospective and practicing entrepreneurs.
The newly updated Entrepreneurship Competency Modelis a significant step forward for the entrepreneurship industry and a testament to the power of collaboration and partnership in workforce development. We encourage all stakeholders to embrace this new model and leverage it to create a more skilled and competitive workforce.
Which skills will give you a competitive edge in the job market? Are there specific skills you should emphasize on your resume or in job interviews? What skills should you focus on developing to build your career? To answer these questions, it’s important to understand the importance of soft skills.
Business leaders nationwide share a strong emphasis on several core skills, known as “soft” skills. While job candidates need to possess essential qualifications and technical skills for a job, having these additional skills can help move them to the top of the hiring list.
These competencies indicate a candidate is likely to be qualities such as being capable of handling a wide variety of situations, able to work through challenges and conflicts, being trustworthy and honest in communications, as well as reliable and easy to work with.
Five of the top soft skills are:
Communication – verbal and written
Critical thinking
Teamwork
Professionalism
Enthusiasm, aka positive attitude
Let’s explore these skills in the workplace.
Communication skills
Communication frequently tops the list of employers’ most wanted skills. This means active listening, tracking what’s being said, clarifying when information is not clear, and providing appropriate feedback. It’s important to give your full attention to listening, without preparing what you’re going to say back.
Communication also involves speaking clearly and expressing yourself accurately. In the workplace, trust is built on communication, so making eye contact with those you are speaking to, using an appropriate tone of voice and level of volume, and speaking at a rate that you will be understood are all aspects of effective verbal communication. Keep in mind that most supervisors expect that you will bring up something if you have a question or concern.
Written communication needs vary quite a bit, depending on the type of job. Clarity, simplicity, and accuracy are all valuable aspects of written communication in any work context.
Problem solving and critical thinking
Critical thinking involves taking in information, asking questions for missing information, analyzing a situation or problem, and identifying what may be needed or any appropriate steps to take. Effective critical thinking includes keeping an open mind, and leading with curiosity rather than judgment, or assuming you already know enough or have the answers. It’s also important to keep open to others’ perspectives, taking a flexible mindset.
If you have ideas of how to improve work processes or how your job is accomplished, such as ways to save time or effort, most employers would be open to hearing this. However, when you’re new, you may not have the full picture of why a job is done a certain way. It’s a good idea to observe, learn, and to understand how your job relates to the overall goals of the organization.
Teamwork
What makes a strong team? Traits that build teamwork include positive, courteous interactions with each other, mutual respect, and collaboration. Teamwork involves tolerance for mistakes and learning from those experiences as a team.
Strong team members need to be able to hear constructive criticism; self-awareness helps people on a team to be able to hear it without defensiveness or anger. It can be helpful to recognize that if someone has a better way of handling a task or relating to customers, or has feedback about your performance, that It’s only to your benefit to improve.
Great team members also bring empathy and support for each other, while still maintaining healthy workplace boundaries, i.e., not necessarily trying to be close friends with everyone on the team. Flexibility about leading when needed and following when appropriate, also supports a strong team.
Enthusiasm, aka positive attitude
A positive attitude is essential to success. This shows up in the workplace by showing openness to whatever tasks you are asked to do, looking for opportunities that allow you to serve, such as organizational committees and special projects, doing the tasks you are asked to do with energy and without complaining, taking initiative when you see something that needs to be done.
This might include recognizing when tasks need to be done and doing them before being asked. Or thinking about how you can contribute to the success of the organization, for example if you have an idea for the company, suggesting it to your supervisor.
Professionalism
There are many ways to define “professionalism”. But appropriate behavior in the workplace and a strong work ethic go hand in hand for professionals. Some tips to professional workplace behavior include:
Be accountable for your work; if you have an assignment, complete the assignment or communicate any obstacles to a supervisor
Arrive on time at work, for meetings, and assignments
Dress appropriately for the work setting
Take responsibility for maintaining your work space
Be honest and respectful with customers, co-workers, and supervisors
Use work computers only for work-related tasks
Use your personal cell phone only on breaks, and keep the ringer off
Aim to be as effective and productive in your job as you can
Want to learn more about skills? Take the Skills Matcher to reflect on your skills and identify careers that match your strongest areas.
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month—a great time to think about a career in cybersecurity. Demand is high for professionals who can help businesses, government, and other organizations keep their computer infrastructure, networks, and software secure, as well as protect the privacy and confidentiality of data and personal information from cyberattacks and other threats.
And whether you’re a career explorer who’s thinking about a career in cybersecurity, or a professional who’s already trained and/or employed in the field, earning a cybersecurity certification can help you advance your career.
Certifications are credentials that help you demonstrate to employers that you have specific skills or knowledge. Earning a certification doesn’t always require formal education or classes, but it usually includes taking some training and passing an exam. Often, certifications are sponsored by a professional organization or a company that specializes in a particular field or technology—such as cybersecurity.
Visit CareerOneStop’s Certification Finder to get started exploring cybersecurity certifications. You’ll see a list of nearly 100 certifications related to this field. From your list of results, use the filters to help narrow the list and identify the certification that’s the best fit for you. Click on any certification’s name to learn about requirements and other details.
For instance, you can select to view only in-demand cybersecurity certifications. These certifications have been determined to be in demand by employers according to CareerOneStop’s analysis of how frequently the certification is mentioned in online job postings.
You can also select to view only “product” certifications. This means that the certifications are related to proprietary software or hardware products—in the case of cybersecurity these certifications might be offered by companies such as CompTIA, IBM, or Cisco.
If you already have training or professional experience in cybersecurity and are looking for a way to boost your career, you can filter by “advanced” certifications. Advanced certifications all require that you have either 2+ years of related work experience, an Associate’s or higher degree, or a related “core” certification. If you’re just entering the cybersecurity field, you can select only “core” certifications.
Are you a working adult who wants to advance in your career? If part of what’s holding you back is a lack of current credentials, good news! There is a multitude of short-term training and credentials available that can help propel your career forward.
Short-term credentials include certifications, professional licenses, college-based certificates, and online learning badges. Most of these may be earned in a short time – from a week or two, up to a year. Many are low-cost as well.
These credentials may be earned through short-term training programs based at community colleges, private for-profit colleges, coding boot camps, truck driving schools, non-profit medical career training programs, and more. But one of the major questions for workers navigating these options is: how to differentiate between these types of credentials and determine which will give me a solid return on my investment?
This challenge is one that state agencies and training programs are also grappling with: how do they help students and employers sort out this fast-growing variety of credential options? In most states, there are no clear, reliable quality standards for career credentials applied consistently across systems. So for now, arming yourself with a set of questions and some persistence will help you make your best determination.
A good place to start is to explore:
Will a program or credential prepare you for an in-demand career – one in which you can readily find a job in your location?
Will a program or credential likely lead to a higher salary or advancement in your field?
How quickly can you earn the credential? Can you afford the time off work that it takes to train or earn the credential?
Keep in mind that you may be able to obtain credentials through an employer. Many employers are experiencing a “human body shortage”; in other words, they need workers and are often willing to invest in training their current workforce and even new hires. Many employers are dropping non-essential requirements from their hiring process and are willing to train new hires to meet their workforce needs.
But if you’re ready to start exploring options, there are a number of questions to ask that can help you assess the value of a program or school. For a college or other learning center, ask to speak with a counselor, registrar, or admissions representative. For a credential, look for an applicant representative/customer service contact.
Here are some questions to investigate:
What are the in-demand credentials that will help me get hired in my field?
How will this credential or training program help me advance in my career?
What are the high demand occupations in our area?
What are credential options that require just 2- 3 weeks to earn?
What kinds of jobs and wages are graduates – or “completers” – getting once they finish a program?
How will this training or short-term credential stack and build toward a longer-term credential, like an associate’s or bachelor’s degree?
Which careers further down the path could I be working toward by earning this credential?
What supports do you offer to adult students to help ensure they can complete training, such as childcare, transportation, rent assistance, food assistance, mental health services, or other?
What would happen if I need to leave for FT work partway through the program, or if for some reason, I need to pause my participation for a time?
What local employers serve on your advisory board or provide input to this program? How do you ensure that your program reflects the current skill needs of employers?
Are there any commitments by employers to hire graduates of this credential program?
If you’re just getting started thinking about what kind of career would be best for you, looking at career clusters is a great place to begin. Career clusters are groups of related types of work. They give you an easy way to explore different kinds of jobs within one broad category. Start with one of the clusters—like health care or construction—to learn what it involves, current trends, and the different careers it offers.
Identifying with a cluster can help you build your career and choose credentials—such as a college degree, specialized training, or certifications—that will qualify you for a variety of different, but related, jobs.
Get started by checking out these career cluster and industry profiles:
Workers in the agriculture, food, and natural resources cluster produce products and processes—from raising food and textile crops to breeding livestock and hunting wild game; from mining ore below the earth’s surface, to hazardous waste removal and wildlife conservation. Historic trends are giving way to new developments in this cluster.
Architecture and construction are closely related—they both share the purpose of designing and building all kinds of structures, including homes, manufacturing plants, office buildings, streets and highways, sewers, irrigation projects, and more. The construction industry also includes related activities such as painting, electrical work, and plumbing.
Careers in the Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and Communications cluster focus on designing, producing, exhibiting, performing, writing, and publishing multimedia content including visual and performing arts and design, journalism, and entertainment services.
Careers in the Business Management and Administration cluster relate to planning, organizing, directing and evaluating business functions essential to efficient and productive business operations. Careers in leadership, management, and support roles are needed by all types of organizations to operate successfully.
The education and training career cluster focuses on the activities, resources, and locations that provide all kinds of learning services. It includes careers at public and private schools at every level—pre-K through high school—as well as colleges and universities. Occupations at libraries, museums and corporate training services are also part of this cluster.
Careers in the energy industry relate to extracting or harnessing power from a variety of sources, refining it and distributing it, and ensuring its safe use by consumers. With vast supplies of natural resources and ever-improving technologies, the United States is a global leader in the production of energy.
Finance relates to the services involved in financial and investment planning, banking, insurance, and business financial management. The finance and insurance industry is all about managing money and making financial transactions—from a child’s first savings account to multimillion-dollar corporate loans.
Careers in Government and Public Administration relate to planning and performing government functions at the local, state and federal levels, including governance, national security, foreign service, planning, revenue and taxation, and regulations. A primary goal of virtually all careers in public service is to help improve the quality of life and livelihood for the citizens represented, while
The primary work of careers in the health science cluster is to treat patients facing illness or injury—whether to cure or rehabilitate from a condition, to maintain wellness, or to provide comfort or palliative care to persons dealing with incurable conditions.
Careers in the hospitality and tourism cluster relate to the management, marketing, and operations of restaurants and other food services, lodging, attractions, recreation events, and travel related services.
The Human Services career cluster relates to meeting human needs through activities such as counseling and mental health services, family and community services, personal care and consumer services.
Information Technology relates to the design, development, support and management of hardware, software, multimedia and systems integration services. The United States is the world’s largest technology market, and the IT industry is a major contributor to our overall economy.
The law, public safety, corrections, and security career cluster is all about protecting and serving the public. People working in this sector deal with protecting life and property, enforcing laws, providing legal counsel, sentencing defendants, and rehabilitating offenders.
Workers in the manufacturing career cluster produce nearly all the products and equipment used in daily life. Manufacturing is the transformation of raw materials or parts into a new product.
The marketing career cluster includes sales and advertising, and focuses on influencing consumers’ buying behavior and generating sales for products and services. Just about every type of organization, from your corner grocer to regional banks, public universities to multinational corporations, participates in marketing in some way.
Careers in the Science Technology Engineering and Math cluster relate to planning, managing and providing scientific research and professional and technical services such as laboratory and testing services, and research and development services.
The Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics cluster is all about moving people and things from one location to another quickly, safely, and at a low cost. Workers in this industry design transportation systems, operate or repair equipment, plan how to move materials, and take care of storing products. Transportation systems included in this cluster include aircraft, railroad, waterways, over the road, and pipelines.
Do you naturally like to create order and organize things? Do you tend to notice details and find patterns? Or are you a “numbers person”?
The “Conventional” interest category
These are characteristics of the “Conventional” interest; that’s one of the six interest categories from the Interest Assessment, based on the widely-used Holland career theory. Dr. John Holland proposed that people’s interests and work environments could be classified into six categories. Since then, researchers have found that by knowing your interests and choosing a career that matches them, you’re more likely to find greater job satisfaction and success.
On a personal level, people with Conventional interests tend to be detail-oriented, careful, orderly, thrifty, and well organized.
They often like to:
Make plans with others in advance
Find the most efficient way to do things
Structure their day
Persist until a task is done
Commit to meeting deadlines
Which careers feature Conventional interests?
Careers that feature strong Conventional interests tend to emphasize following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, materials, and information, typically in a business setting.
A variety of work categories tend to be a good fit for people with Conventional interests. Check out these types of work environments, and examples of activities that workers perform.
Detailed category
Example activities
Office Work
Maintain files, inventory, and database systems. Schedule appointments.
Accounting
Develop spreadsheets. Keep accounting records and prepare budgets.
Finance
Analyze a company’s investments. Manage businesses’ financial decisions.
Information Technology
Research security measures and resolve computer software problems. Write software code.
Human Resources
Hire employees and maintain personnel records. Explain company policies.
Mathematics/Statistics
Develop statistical models and conduct analyses. Expand knowledge in math fields.
Want to learn more about “Conventional” careers? You can see career profiles and watch career videos by selecting a link from some sample “Conventional” careers below.
If you’d like to learn whether Conventional is one of your strongest career interests, take the Interest Assessment on CareerOneStop and explore the careers listed in your results.
A job interview is your time to shine during the job application process. To many employers, your social skills and your attitude is just as important as your job skills. Here are some tips to help you demonstrate the asset you an be to an employer.
Practice describing your accomplishments of the previous several years clearly and without jargon. Prepare one or two stories about how you were able to master a new skill or task to solve an employer’s problem. Interviewers prefer stories over a laundry list of facts.
Maintain a respectful formality, but also be friendly. Many employers are looking to see if you’d be a pleasant addition to a team..
Focus on how you can add value. Avoid coming across as someone who has “been there, done that.” For example, don’t start sentences with “When I was your age…” or “This is how we used to do that…”
It is illegal for an interviewer to ask your age, except for jobs that require disclosure, such as an airline pilot. If you are asked your age, it’s appropriate to ask about how your age would affect your ability to do the job.
Video interview tips
More and more employers are conducting interviews virtually, often using a video software platform such as Zoom. Whether you have or haven’t done this type of interview before, follow these tips to be prepared for your interview:
How it will work. The employer will e-mail a video conference link, text a phone number to call, or simply schedule a time when they will contact you using a video conference or audio conference system. For video calls, typically you and the interviewer will be able to see each other.
Pre-recorded video interviews. For a pre-recorded interview, you’ll be instructed to record your voice or video answers to interview questions provided by the employer. Recordings are later reviewed by a human resources staff member, so while it may be awkward at the time, it’s important to convey the same energy and enthusiasm you would if speaking to a live person. One advantage: If you feel that your answers could be improved on, you may be able to re-record your responses before submitting them.
Equipment and space needs. For most video interviews, you will need a laptop or desktop computer with audio and video capability, stable Internet service, and a quiet space to meet. Phones or tablets may be sufficient. If you need computer equipment and/or private meeting space, your local American Job Center may be able to help, and your local library may also have space you can reserve for an interview.
Do several practice runs. If you can, start by having someone practice interview you by phone or video. Practice speaking clearly, using natural hand gestures, and keeping your answers concise and meaningful. Pay attention to how you can communicate enthusiasm and energy with upright posture, eye contact, head nods, and smiles—it often takes a little more effort to show your enthusiasm via phone or video than in person. Record yourself so you can review your performance.
Prepare your environment. Test out lighting and pay attention to your background. Avoid having open closet doors, piles of clothing or papers, cluttered shelves, or other distractions in your background. If you don’t have an uncluttered area, you can select a simple virtual background in the video app, or you can select to blur your background, which keeps the focus on your face while blurring what’s behind you. Also, remember to check the lighting to make sure your interviewer will be able to see you clearly. Close other applications and browser tabs on your computer, and mute notifications on your devices. Finally, remind everyone in your household to not disturb the interview.
Dress for success. It’s just as important to appear professional in a video as it is in person. Experts recommend avoiding patterned shirts as they can distract more readily on video. Consider wearing a plain-colored top, and the same type of slacks or skirt that you would wear to an in-person interview.
Minimize technical glitches. Try to sign into the video conferencing system as early as you can and test the connection if possible. Check out your computer audio and video to ensure they are fully operational and your Internet connection is sound and stable. Unmute audio and video on your screen when the meeting is ready to start. Make sure your phone and/or computer are fully charged. If you’re going to need a password, save it in an easy-to-reach spot.
Maintain eye contact. It’s fine to keep a copy of your resume or some brief notes handy so you can refer to them, but remember to look at and engage with your interviewer as much as possible. Depending on the location of your camera, you may appear to be looking away if you focus on the interviewer; instead focus on your video camera to keep eye contact. Do not look at a phone or device other than the interview device.
Troubleshooting. Keep in mind that all is not lost if you have interruptions or equipment failures. It can even be an opportunity to demonstrate your cool head under stress. Once you and the interviewer connect, ask for their phone number so that you can continue the conversation if technical issues occur. If you remain connected and have an issue, ask for a moment to resolve the issue, mute your audio and video to address it, then resume the conversation with a brief apology and a positive attitude.
Approaching wages and benefits
The reality is that although you may have 30 years of experience, you may not be paid more than a less experienced, younger candidate.
Study all offers closely. Look at the employment status (contract or regular employee), pay, health benefits, secondary benefits (disability and/or life insurance), paid time off, retirement savings plans, work schedule, and potential for growth. Ask for this information in writing.
If you like the job, take it. If you have concerns, talk with the employer or recruiter. If the salary appears too low, ask if the employer will consider a counterproposal. If so, request a minimum of a 10 percent bump due to your expertise. Keep in mind that the employer has the right to say no.
Negotiating for higher hourly wages is possible in the skilled trades, personal services, administrative and clerical areas, but basic benefits are unlikely to be changed. You can also ask for schedule flexibility and more training.
Professional, salaried positions often offer a higher salary, deferred compensation, incentive pay, stock options, and other benefits. For these jobs, insist on a written employment agreement. Senior professional and upper management jobs have the greatest negotiating opportunity on every aspect of employment.
Health coverage is a particular concern for many older workers. If an employer does not provide health benefits, Medicare is available to people age 65 or older and to some disabled people younger than 65. Medicare’s eligibility tool can tell you whether you qualify. Medicaid also provides health coverage for low income individuals. Finally, if laid off, COBRA allows workers and their families to continue their health coverage after employment ends by paying the premium themselves. Healthcare.gov offers in-depth information.
