- How does the job market look for the career I have in mind?
- What are my chances for finding a position in that field?
- Should I consider relocating?
The growth rate for jobs that require higher than average levels
The Engineering Workforce Commission's Industry Occupational Projections lists employment data for engineering, engineering technology, and related disciplines. This document is available through the American Association of education and training is expected to outstrip the growth of jobs in general. However, it is also predicted that many companies will be downsizing, and many of the positions eliminated will be in middle management.
In general, growth in service producing industries is expected to be much greater than growth in industries that produce goods. In manufacturing firms, however, employment in professional occupations is expected to grow slightly.
According to the Engineering Workforce Commission's occupational projections, the expected growth rate for engineers in the year 2005 will be the same as that for all other occupations, about 1.57% annually. This clearly indicates a slower growth rate than previously experienced by the engineering professions.
What size companies provide you with the best chance of being hired? Surprisingly, it has been estimated that two thirds of all jobs are in smaller companies those with 25 or fewer employees. Many of the publications mentioned later in this chapter it tends to concentrate on larger companies. It is also important to use the informal direct employer contact techniques discussed later in this chapter to locate smaller businesses.
Locating General Occupational Information
When deciding where to concentrate your job search efforts, it is useful to have data on industries that offer the best overall employment prospects,
If you have worked before, you are probably most familiar with one or two industries. Even if the outlooks for these industries are poor, you might be able to find work if you make a concentrated effort, as replacement employees are often needed. However, you probably will want to explore industries with better prospects as well.
If you are a first time job seeker, there may be a number of different areas of work open to you, and it would certainly pay to concentrate on those with the highest potential.
Publications
There are a large number of government and private publications that offer a wealth of information on outlooks, salaries and growth trends for jobs and industries.
Most of these publications are for sale to individuals, and some of them are quite affordable. All of the publications, however, are available as reference books in the public library and in many college and university libraries.
Following are some examples of publications that are good sources of labor market information.
- Occupational Outlook Handbook. Published by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, this book gives the outlook for hundreds of jobs. It also describes working conditions, duties, qualifications, and advancement potential. It is particularly valuable to new job seekers.
- Occupational Outlook Quarterly. This book is published by the U.S. Department of Labor It gives an overview of the outlook for different sectors of the economy and individual occupations, and it often contains articles focusing on selected job areas.
Gopher to umslvma.umsl.edu and select "The Library" and "Government Information"
- Projections 2000. This publication by the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics gives detailed projections of the U.S. economy and labor force.
- State and Metropolitan Area Data Book. Published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, this book compiles statistical data from many public and private agencies. It includes unemployment rates and the rate of employment growth and population growth for every state. Also, it presents a vast amount of data on employment and income for metropolitan areas across the country.
- White Collar Pay: Private Goods Producing Industries. This publication is produced by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is a good source of salary information for white collar jobs.
- American Salaries and Wages Survey. This book by Gale Research (Detroit, MI) gives detailed information on salaries and wages for thousands of jobs. Data is subdivided geographically. It also gives cost of living data for selected areas, which is very helpful in determining what the salary differences really mean. Finally, it provides information on numbers employed in each occupation, along with projected changes.
- American Almanac of Jobs and Salaries. Published by Avon Books (New York, NY) this book gives information on wages for specific occupations and job groups; many of which are professional and white collar. It also presents trends in employment and wages.
In addition to publications, there are several governmental agencies that provide expert labor market information to the public without charge.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics maintains eight regional offices around the country. You may contact any of these offices by phone during business hours to obtain labor market information for the area. The New York regional office also provides 24 hour access to recorded information covering such diverse topics as national and local employment statistics, wage information, and how to get recent Bureau publications,
The telephone numbers of the Bureau of Labor Statistics regional offices are:
State Occupational Information Coordinating Committee Each state maintains a State Occupational Information Coordinating Committee (SOICC), which helps the public locate the labor market and career information and projections. The addresses and phone numbers for the SOICCs are listed in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, or they can be obtained from the National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee at (202) 653 5665.
Using Information Sources For Researching Specific Companies
After you have a good idea of the industries, fields of work, and geographical areas where you want to concentrate your job search, the next step is to locate companies that might employ people in your field.
Publications
There are a large number of publications that contain lists of companies by industry, location, size, and other defining characteristics. Some of these are intended specifically to help job seekers, while others are designed for different purposes. Regardless of the original intent, many of these publications can be used to find companies that might have potential for you. A few of them are discussed below
- The Job Bank Series, (Bob Adams Inc., Holbrook, MA). This series consists of books aimed primarily at job seeking professionals; each covers a different large city or metropolitan area. Each book also gives an introductory economic outlook for the covered area, followed by a listing of the area's major companies. Common positions within each company are listed. General tips and advice on job hunting are provided.
- The Job Hunter's Guide to 100 Great American Cities, (Brattle Communications, Latham, NY). Rather than concentrating on a particular locale, this guide gives the principal area employers for 100 of America's largest cities.
- MacRAE's State Industrial Directories, (MacRAEs Blue Book, Inc., New York, NY). These directories are published for northeastern states. Similar volumes are produced for other parts of the country by other publishers. Each book lists thousands of companies, concentrating almost exclusively on those that produce products rather than services. They include a large number of small firms in addition to the larger ones listed in many other guides.
- National Business Telephone Directory, (Gale Research, Detroit, MI). This book contains an alphabetical listing of companies across the United States, with their addresses and phone numbers. It includes many smaller firms (20 employees minimum).
- Thomas Register of American Manufacturers, (Thomas Publishing Company, New York, NY). This register lists more than 100,000 companies across the country. It contains listings by company name, type of product made, and brand name of product produced. Catalogs provided by many of the companies also are included.
- America's Fastest Growing Employers, (Bob Adams Inc., Holbrook, MA). This book lists more than 700 of the fastest growing companies in the country. It also gives many tips on job hunting.
- The Hidden Job Market: A Guide to America's 2000 Little Known Fastest Growing High Tech Companies, (Peterson's Guides, Princeton, NJ). This book concentrates on high tech companies with good growth potential.
- Dun & Bradstreet Million Dollar Directory, (Dun and Bradstreet Information Services, Parsippany, NJ). This directory provides information on 180,000 of the largest companies in the country. It gives the type of business, number of employees, and sales volume for each. It also lists the company's top executives. An abbreviated version of this publication also exists, which gives this information for the top 50,000 companies.
- Standard & Poor's Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives, (Standard and Poor Corporation, New York, NY). The information given in this book is similar to that in Dun and Bradstreet's directory. However, it also contains a listing of the parent companies of subsidiaries and the interlocking affiliations of directors.
- The Career Guide Dun's Employment Opportunities Directory? (Dun and Bradstreet Information Services, Parsippany, NJ). Aimed specifically at the professional job seeker, this guide lists more than 5000 major U.S. companies that plan to recruit in the coming year.
There are many directories that give information about firms in a particular industry. For example, one such directory is The Blue Book of Building and Construction.
American Business Information Inc. of Omaha, Nebraska, publishes business directories for many different industries. They can be reached by phone at (402) 593 4600.
Chambers of Commerce and local business associations may also publish directories listing companies within specific geographical areas. These are available in libraries or by writing to the individual associations.
Finally, industry specific magazines can be a great source of information.
Professional and Trade Associations Professional and trade associations constitute another excellent avenue for getting information about where engineering jobs might be found. These associations:
- help you identify areas where growth is occurring
- provide the names of firms that might employ people in a specific type of work
- can identify the best information sources for developments within the field
- can provide more information on small firm leads than directories
- publish newsletters that provide information on companies needing increased staff in the near future
- American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Member Employment Services, 345 East 47th Street, New York, NY 10017 2392, (212) 705 7523
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Member Information Services, 345 East 47th Street, New York, NY 10017 2392, (212) 705 7066
- The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., Public Relations Department, 1828 L Street, N.W., Suite 1202, Washington, D.C. 20036 5104, (202) 785 0017
- American Association of Engineering Societies, Engineering Workforce Commission, 1111 19th Street, N.W., Suite 608, Washington, D.C. 20036 3690, (202) 296 2237
- Encyclopedia of Associations, (Gale Research, Detroit, MI). This book gives a listing of more than 22,000 professional, trades, and other non profit organizations in the United States.
- Career Guide to Professional Associations, (Garrett Park Press, Garrett Park, MD). This guide describes more than 2500 professional associations. The information is more specifically oriented to the job seeker than is the Encyclopedia of Associations. A word of caution because this guide has not been updated since 1980, some of the information may not be current.
Newspapers contain not only want ads, but also other useful employment information. Articles about new or expanding companies can be valuable leads for new job possibilities.
If relocating is a possibility for you, look at newspapers from other areas, too. They can serve as a source of job leads and can also give you some idea of the job market. The major out of town newspapers are sold in most large cities and are also available in many public libraries.
Some newspapers, such as The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and The Financial Times are national in scope. The National Business Employment Weekly, published by The Wall Street Journal, contains much information of interest to professional job seekers.
Networking
Networking is another excellent way of gathering information about a particular field. It is one of the best ways of discovering the existence of smaller companies, which often are not listed in directories. The chapter on networking is devoted to tips and techniques on this subject.
Using International Labor Market Information
In an increasingly global economy, overseas employment is becoming a realistic alternative for many people. You may seek out overseas employment because you prefer exotic work locations or you may consider foreign employment only after having difficulty finding work in the United States. In either case, looking for a job in the international labor market may open up new possibilities for employment.
Networking
One of the best ways to get information about overseas work is through networking. Talk to anyone you know who has worked in the country in which you are interested. Another excellent method to find overseas opportunities is to look up companies that are either owned by a foreign parent firm or that have foreign branches. There is a good chance you can find someone within the company who can advise you on the possibilities of foreign employment or who can at least refer you to the right authority. The company may even have an opening for you in a foreign location.
Newspapers
Newspapers from foreign countries are available in most large cities. They carry want ads, but since citizenship and work requirements vary from country to country, many of the jobs may not be available to foreigners. A call or visit to the consul of the country in question may help you get some of this information. Many U.S. newspapers also carry ads for jobs overseas.
Directories and Newsletters
Directories and newsletters list specific job openings in overseas firms, but be aware that by the time you reply to the opening it is likely to be filled.
International Agencies
International agencies maintain lists of consultants who are available to work overseas. Some agencies you might want to register with are:
- World Bank
- U.S. Aid for International Development (USAID)
- United Nations Development Program
- United National Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
The federal government also has many jobs overseas. Don't over look civil service announcements as a source of overseas employment. Federal Career Opportunities is available at most public libraries, and the publication Federal News Digest is available through subscription. State employment agencies offer computerized searches for federal job openings.
The Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is another source of jobs overseas. Wages are low and living conditions may be less than optimal, but if you are interested in helping people, the Peace Corps may be a possibility.
Books and Periodicals
These sources can provide useful information to the international job seeker. Following is a listing of some of these.
- How to Get a Job in Europe The Insider's Guide, (Surrey Books, Chicago, IL). This guide gives country by country listings of newspapers, business directories, regulations, and organizations; and other useful information.
- How to Get a Job in the Pacific Rim, (Surrey Books, Chicago, IL). The information given in this book is similar to that in How to Get a Job in Europe, but it is for countries bordering the Pacific Ocean.
- International Careers? (Bob Adams Inc., Holbrook, MA). This book contains information on finding work overseas. It covers government, private corporations, and nonprofit groups.
- Passport to Overseas Employment Job Opportunities Abroad, (Prentice Hall, Old Tappan, NJ). This guide provides information on overseas careers, study programs, and volunteer programs.
- International Employment Hotline, (Worldwide Books, Oakton, VA). This monthly newsletter contains a listing of names and addresses of governmental and non govern mental organizations hiring for overseas work.
- Principal International Businesses, (Dun and Bradstreet, Parsippany, NJ). This is an international version of the Dun & Bradstreet Million Dollar Directory. While not aimed at the job seeker, it provides information on more than 55,000 companies in 143 different countries.
- Key British Enterprises, (Dun and Bradstreet, Parsippany, NJ). This book provides detailed information on the 50,000 British companies that together employ more than one third of the British workforce.
- Encyclopedia of Associations International Organizations, (Gale Research, Detroit, MI). This book contains a listing of over 11,000 non profit organizations in 180 countries. It includes trade, business, and commercial associations and associations of labor unions.
- Directory of European Industrial and Trade Associations, (CBD Research, Kent, England). This book gives a list of industrial and trade associations of Europe. It also gives the principal trade and activities in which each engages.
- Directory of European Professional and Learned Societies, (CBD Research, Kent, England). Similar in format to Industrial and Trade Associations above, this book deals strictly with learned and professional societies.
