The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is a lot more than numbers and diagrams. In fact, the best place to start your job search might be the bureau’s Web site at www.bls.gov . Besides providing an overview of the national employment picture, with information on wages and descriptions of jobs in various industries, BLS also provides several resources for jobseekers. 

The Occupational Outlook Handbook provides information about jobs, their educational requirements, typical salaries, advancement opportunities and a 10-year job outlook. The handbook is a good place to start if you are looking to enter the job market, change jobs or to find information about careers that interest you. The Web site provides job search tips as well as information about the job market in each state. There’s also online help with where to find job openings, job search methods, applying for a job, interview tips and how to evaluate a job offer. 

Career guidance 

The Career Guide to Industries is similar to the handbook, but it focuses on specific industries. You can find out about jobs within a particular industry and learn about the entry-level training requirements, advancement opportunities and the 10-year forecast for the industry. 

The Occupational Outlook Quarterly is a quarterly magazine devoted to job-related topics, from finding an internship to job outlook by degree. You can look for occupations by educational level and projected growth by using a “postsecondary training category search” and an “occupation search.” You can study wages by geography, finding out where certain occupations are prevalent and what you might expect to be paid in different parts of the country. 

Other sections of the BLS Web site deal with benefits, workplace safety and other career exploration resources, such as the Department of Labor. On-screen tutorials will take you through various parts of the site, showing you exactly how to search for job information. 

Choosing a Career 

Students can explore various job options on the BLS Career Information page - such as reading, nature or computers - to possible career paths. 

The BLS Web site also provides links to state job banks and to USAJobs, the federal government’s one-stop for launching a career in public service at the local, regional or national level. Finally, you can find employment with the BLS through Careers@BLS, which hires economists, mathematical statisticians and information technology specialists for its Washington, D.C. headquarters.