The resources mentioned in this section are ones with which I have personal experience either with the content or the individual(s) who have created the resource. Throughout this website I identify and highlight other resources with which I have had a positive experience. You will obviously make your own decision about those resources on this site that are most relevant for you at this point in your life and career.
Foundational Resources
There are some general job-search and career-exploration sites I use as foundational resources because they provide a wealth of job-search information as well as suggestions for exploring the possibility of working for the Common Good:
- myperfectresume.com (formerly rileyguide.com)
- job-hunt.org
- 123test.com
- commongoodcareers.org
These are legitimate sites and are packed with solid information.
The former Riley Guide, was changed to myperfectresume.com. The good news is that it kept and updated the comprehensive Career Resources section .
job-hunt.org has not changed from the outstanding resource that it has been for years. 123test.com and commongoodcareers.org are amazing resources that are directly related to the central focus of this website.
I want to provide information on two important areas in the career-exploration and job-search process that require extreme caution. They regard how you use job board and online information and how to and/or whether to hire a career coach.
There is a massive amount of information on the internet about careers, employers, and jobs; and amongst that information are resources and people who are unethically trying to separate you from your money or gain information about you that could be used to your disadvantage. Be cautious and vigilant regarding any site you visit and any link you click.I am going to refer you to Job-Hunt.org regarding the wise use of a job board and online information related to your job search and/or career exploration. As you look through the many powerful resources and free guides they offer you will find the following:
- Guide to Job Boards – From Indeed.com (today’s largest source of job postings in the world) to Craigslist’s local online classified, job boards are everywhere. Some are excellent, some are not particularly useful, and some are downright dangerous (or, simply scams). This Guide helps you analyze job boards and use them appropriately, particularly Indeed and Craigslist.
- Choosing Safe Job Boards (pdf) – Not every job board is useful. Some are scams and some are ineffective. This Guide explains how to evaluate job boards, separating the good ones from the useless and/or dangerous.
- Using Craigslist for Job Search (pdf)
Craigslist can be a wonderful source of local jobs, no matter where you are in the world. Jobs are posted by many medium and small employers — jobs you won’t find posted elsewhere — and by many large employers. But, you do need to be cautious using Craigslist. The Guide offers tips on leveraging Craigslist for your job search as well as how to spot and avoid scams. - Guide to Protecting Your Privacy
In an online job search, smart job seekers take precautions to protect their privacy. This Guide explains why and how to do that. - Guide to Avoiding Job Scams
Job seekers are particularly vulnerable to online scams, and without knowing what you might be facing and how many of the scams operate, you can be badly hurt by them. This Guide will help you spot and avoid online scams in your job search. - Guide to Personal Online Reputation Management
More than 90% of potential employers will Google your name, so online reputation management is really not optional. - Guide to a Stealthy Job Search
Employers are not usually happy to discover that an employee is job hunting. This Guide offers help to keep your job search a secret from your employer and other employees..
This research report provides a very thorough evaluation of coaching as it relates to the nonprofit sector. Particularly important publications are Coaching Readiness Questionnaire and the Guide to Selecting a Nonprofit Coach. Although geared to those already working in nonprofits, it provides valuable information as to what coaching is and howto make the most of it, which is relevant to anyone doing a job search and/or a career exploration of any kind.There has been an explosion in the number of individuals who identify themselves as life coaches, career coaches, job-search coaches, career counselors, resumé coaches, etc. The title “career counselor” is unregulated, unlike engineers or psychologists, whose professional titles are legally protected. Many who help individuals with their career questions are very professional and competent in the work they do. Many of them are not. I was very fortunate to have supervised over one hundred very skilled career counselors and executive coaches in the consulting firms in which I have worked. I have also seen firsthand, through dozens of interviews with individuals who thought they were qualified to coach in the consulting firm where I worked, the significant variance in quality of individuals who presented themselves as experienced and effective career and executive coaches. Many were discovered to be not even close to average, once we looked deeply into how they would approach working with our clients.What follows are some suggestions and resources to use if you think you need help from a career coach or career counselor with identifying and moving toward a job or career working for the Common Good. The primary way to evaluate individuals who offer services is to be referred to them by someone you trust. That is a given. Beyond that, going to an organization that has as its mission the credentialing of individuals as career coaches or career counselors is also a legitimate option. A third, but less effective option, includes asking organizations that train career counselors or coaches for referrals to some of their graduates. Obviously they will be positively biased about the qualifications of the individuals they have trained, and therefore less than objective in many cases regarding their referrals.
Organizations that Certify or Accredit Career Counseling/Coaching Professionals
If you go to your search engine of choice and insert “Certification of Career Counselors” you will be provided with a number of suggestions. If you refine your search on that topic to your particular state you will be provided with localized options. What follows is a short list of national resources to get you started with identifying a career coach or career counselor.
CareerCertification.org – Institute of Career Certification International. From the About page: “Criteria for ICCI Certification: Certification is portfolio-based, demonstrating industry defined competencies representing proven education, professional experience and expertise. There are three levels of certification based on years in the field, proven competencies and contributions to the field. Career Management Professionals certified by ICCI come from a rich variety of business, government, education and non-profit background. Ethical standards for Certified Career Management Professionals are exacting and help protect the public and the consumer.” The site has a list comparing the different career certifications available from a number of organizations. Disclaimer: I received the Career Management Fellow designation from this organization over twenty years ago.
CoachFederation.org – International Coach Federation. From the History page: “Professional Coach Thomas Leonard started ICF in 1995 as a nonprofit organization for fellow coaches to support each other and grow the profession. Three years later, buoyed by 70 dedicated volunteers and growing interest, ICF began its quest to raise the profile of professional coaching. ICF created Core Competencies and built a Code of Ethics, setting the standard in the coaching field. An Ethical Conduct Review Process and Independent Review Board (IRB) were established, allowing consumers to file breach-of-ethics complaints. ICF also defined curriculum standards (accreditation), to ensure consistency in coach training, and developed an ICF Credentialing system, requiring renewal every three years.”
NCDA.org – National Career Development Association. From the Mission page: “NCDA is the recognized leader in developing standards for the career development profession, for the provision of career counseling programs and services, and for the evaluation of career information materials. NCDA works with licensing and credentialing bodies to support the preparation and recognition of career counselors and career development facilitators. NCDA also sets ethical standards for the career development profession including guidelines for the provision of career services on the Internet.” The site also provides Guidelines for Choosing a Counselor, which is divided into the following three categories: Why Seek Career Counseling?; Services of the Career Counselor; and Client Expectations, Rights and Responsibilities. This guideline is well done and might prove helpful if you have not engaged the services of a coach or counselor before.
NBCC.org – National Board of Certified Counselors – In the About section of the Home Page is the following description.
“(NBCC) is a not-for-profit, independent certification organization established in 1982. NBCC’s original and primary purposes are to establish and monitor a national certification system, to identify those counselors who have voluntarily sought and obtained certification, and to maintain a register of those counselors. As NBCC has grown, it and its divisions and affiliates have taken on additional responsibilities to advance the counseling profession and enhance mental health worldwide.
Today, there are more than 62,000 National Certified Counselors (NCCs) in more than 40 countries. NCCs have voluntarily met high national standards set by the counseling profession and based on research, including passing an examination.
Two of NBCC’s certifications, the NCC and Master Addictions Counselor (MAC), are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Learn more about NBCC’s national certifications.”
Bottom line: When you use job boards, online job sites, and/or career coaches…proceed with caution.
Other Resources
Identifying Organizations & Jobs of Interest
Resources for Finding Jobs in a Variety of Common Good Sectors
Resources for Finding Jobs in a Specific Common Good Sector
The Greater Good Science Center is one of the most powerful work, live and lead for the common good resources in the world. Here is how they describe themselves. “The Greater Good Science Center studies the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of well-being, and teaches skills that foster a thriving, resilient, and compassionate society. Not only do we sponsor groundbreaking scientific research into social and emotional well‐being, we help people apply this research to their personal and professional lives.” For more information go to: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu
Meg Wheatley is an inspiring writer and teacher regarding how to understand and have a positive impact on an increasingly desperate world. Her recent book Who Do We Choose to Be, as I wrote in an Amazon review connected to this book, “Is for anybody who has an interest in understanding the major factors that are impacting our world while learning that there are actions individuals can take to impact our world in a positive way.”
Meg also sponsors training regarding how to be positively impactful. She describes this training as follows. “Warriors for the Human Spirit are leaders, activists, and citizens who want to make a meaningful contribution in this time of increasing assaults on the human spirit and all life. To serve well, to be effective with their energy and influence, they train with discipline and devotion to refrain from fear and aggression and to embody the best human qualities of generosity, insight and compassion.” You can find out more about Meg’s writing, training and consulting at: https://margaretwheatley.com/
The Institute for Brain Potential (IBP) “Is the leading provider of programs on the brain and behavioral sciences. Our non-profit organization has presented cost-effective, informative and practical seminars by outstanding speakers since 1984.” You can check them out at: https://www.ibpceu.com/
The New Better Off: Reinventing the American Dream (2017) and Do It Anyway: The New Generation of Activists (2010) are two of the most important books I have encountered regarding understanding the issues we are facing in our current world and learning about what to do about them. You can find out more about these books and Courtney Martin’s work at: www.courtneyemartin.com/
The Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) is a comprehensive and beautifully researched and written resource that helps readers understand how to advance social change. It is published by the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (Stanford PACS). Here is how that organization describes its mission. “Stanford PACS informs policy and social innovation, philanthropic investment and nonprofit practice. SSIR is a shared intellectual space where scholars and practitioners publish inter-disciplinary and cross sector research and ideas to advance social change. The journal is complemented by a website, blog, conferences, webinars and podcasts.” You can reach them at: https://pacscenter.stanford.edu/
Melissa Smith and Alex Plinio at Life & Career Planning, LLC have extensive experience coaching and consulting with individuals and organizations of all kinds. My work with them has been around their interest in working with individuals and organizations that are interested in working, living and leading for the common good. For more information go to: https://www.lifeandcareerplanning.com/