Five Essential Tools for Expanding Career Search Possibilities

The Princeton Review offers a short quiz to help determine your best fit for a career. This engaging 'either/or' style quiz will present you with around 25 questions, and then based on your answers it outlines your strengths, skill sets, and possible career matches. The tool is free to use and requires the very quick process of making an account using your email address. Another fantastic resource by The Princeton Review is a career search that provides detailed information on all types of occupations, including 'day in the life of'-type depiction of jobs, what type of training/education needed, and a career outlook for early and later in each occupation.

O*Net OnLine offers an extensive list of occupations based on interest, personality, and work style. The job descriptions on this site are comprehensive; you can search based on these types of strengths: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional. The search allows you to input your first, second, and third interest options. Results from this search not only include job titles, yet also other things which may inspire you to think outside of the box, including information on necessary skills, occupation-specific tasks, job environment, strengths, and more.

JAN (Job Accommodation Network) has many in-depth and helpful resources for job seekers on their website. One of these is a comprehensive search tool - you can search by disabilities/conditions, work-related functions, limitations, accommodations, and more. For example, you might search 'ADHD', and find new ideas for accommodations in the workplace you hadn't previously considered, such as the use of a job coach, adjusting method of supervision, or reinforcing creativity. Considering job tasks and responsibilities from these new angles might spark an idea about a job you hadn't previously thought possible.

Exploring LinkedIn can be a great way to come up with new job possibilities. Take a look at organizations you admire, colleagues in adjacent fields, and professionals that are connections of your connections. In this way, LinkedIn can be an innovative tool to learn about positions you hadn't yet considered. These resources collectively provide multiple pathways for job seekers to expand their search beyond traditional methods and discover opportunities that align with their unique strengths, interests, and needs. The tools address various aspects of career exploration from personality matching to practical workplace accommodations, making them valuable for job seekers at any stage of their career journey.