"at your library" in the north island eagle: jobs and careers: we've got you covered

Jobs and Careers: We’ve Got You Covered

Recently I had the pleasure of attending a career fair hosted by the Kwakiutl First Nation. I wasn’t there to convince anyone to become a librarian – although it is an awesome profession! I was telling people about the resources our library has for researching careers and looking for jobs.

Whether you’re starting your first career or looking for something new – if you’re wondering what kind of job might be a good fit for you – if you’ve got interviews coming up and you need to prepare – and so many other career and job-search needs – we’ve got you covered.

Career Cruising is my go-to app for all things job-related. With Career Cruising, you can take a self-assessment test to see what careers might be a good fit for you. Then you can find out what education you’ll need, what a typical day might be like, what kind of career path you might have, and how much money you can expect to earn – all for a huge variety of careers.

Once you have some direction, or if you already know what you want to do, Career Cruising helps you with your resume, interviewing, even what will be expected of you after you start working.

To find Career Cruising, go to virl.bc.ca > learn > business/careers, then scroll down to Career Cruising. You’ll need a library card to create a free account.

Lynda.com is another great app that can help you succeed. Lynda has a huge collection of videos that teach all kinds of skills. This isn’t YouTube – you don’t have to search through hundreds of irrelevant or silly videos to find what you need. The videos at Lynda.com are all professionally made, and they’re organized so you can follow a learning path from total beginner all the way to advanced.

Lynda teaches a huge array of topics. Job searchers can learn about creating resumes and preparing for interviews, as well as basic tech skills that many employers require, such as using Outlook, Word, and Excel.

You can find Lynda.com through the Library website: virl.bc.ca > learn > business/careers, then look for Lynda. Use your library card to create a free account, and start learning.

Kanopy is best known for indie film and documentaries, but it offers education resources, too. Look for the word browse at the top of the screen, then click the pull-down arrow. You’ll see categories such as Business, Education, and Instructional Films and Lessons, to name a few.

You can use Career Cruising, Lynda, and Kanopy from home or in the library. The only things you need are a library card, a device, and an internet connection.

You can also go to virl.bc.ca > learn > all databases to see all the free apps the Library offers. It’s a long list.

And don’t forget books! The library has a huge selection of books on all these topics, too. We can help you find and request whatever you need.

If you don’t know where to start, or you’ve started but are stuck, come see us! We’re here to help.