Olin Library Research Guides: Economics: Job & Career Info

Researching Careers

Occupational Outlook Handbook
Use this as a starting point to research necessary training, nature of a career, typical salary, and trends in employment.

Pay special attention to the "Contacts for More Info" area (under the "More Info" tab), as it links to professional organizations which are often gold mines for career leads.

Finding Job Leads

If you are limiting your search to the local area, sometimes the best way to find advertisements is to go directly to a company's website and search their career listings. You can find a list of the largest employers in Central Florida here.

USAJOBS (Federal Government)
This is the official job portal for federal government jobs, both domestic and international.
People First (Florida Government)
This is the official portal jobs for the State of Florida. If you want to work for a city or county instead, please go their local job site (e.g., City of Orlando Human Resources).
Orlando Economic Partnership
If you want to get a job in Central Florida, this organization provides a ton of data on local businesses. They create reports on top regional employers, employment, and lots more.
Monster.com
One of several major national job sites. It's worth trying Monster in conjunction with other job search websites.
CareerBuilder
CareerBuilder is very similar to Monster and worth checking as well. Please note that employers often post the same job on multiple job search websites.
Indeed
Indeed is another major job search website, which you should check in conjunction with Monster and CareerBuilder.
Glassdoor
Glassdoor is another big job search website. It's known for its company reviews by current and former employees. These reviews can be helpful, but you should use them in conjunction with other resources to make an informed decision.

Preparing for an Interview

If you are interviewing with a large company like Disney or Darden, you can easily find articles published about their activities and initiatives. Search a database such as ABI-Inform or Business Source Complete for such articles.

If you are interviewing with a small company, the odds are poor they will have generated articles in national or even local publications. In such a case, the best thing to do is research the industry so you can carry on an intelligent discussion about trends and issues relevant to the company.

IBISWorld This link opens in a new window
This is the best place to find research on national industries. Even if you are interviewing with a tiny private company, if you know about trends in video game design or hotels, you will be more competitive.
Business Insights: Essentials This link opens in a new window
This is our main company research tool. It's most effective for U.S. public companies, but you can sometimes find out about private or foreign companies as well.
Statista This link opens in a new window
Statista can give you company and industry information, but it's a great place to find out about consumer trends. For example, if you're interviewing with a hotel company, knowing about whether consumers prefer Airbnb or hotels will help you interview.
Access World News This link opens in a new window
If you are interviewing with a private, local co0mpany, it can be difficult to find information about them except in newspapers. For example, you may find an article about an Orlando law firm's pro bono work in the Orlando Sentinel.