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Step 2.5: Conducting Information Research

1. Print Resources

Once you are clear what you are looking for it is important to learn where you can search for reliable information. There are numerous sources of printed information available to help you in your information research. The following are samples of print resources available in Career Services:

Compensation Data

  • Salary Guides Binder (a Career Services binder)
  • Publications such as Management Compensation in Canada and Report on Engineers’ Salaries

The VGM Series

  • Each book in this series provides examples of occupations you can pursue with a particular major, "Great Jobs for ..."
  • There is a second set of books in this series called "Opportunities in ..." which cover a particular field

National Occupational Classification System

  • The National Occupational Classification (NOC) is a tool for helping Canadians to understand the world of work. It describes duties, skills, interests, aptitudes, education requirements and work settings for occupations in the Canadian labour market.

2. Conducting Information Research: Internet Resources

The advent of the Internet has made it easier to find information from your desktop. It is important, however, to be sure you are getting your information from a reliable source. Sites that are sponsored by governments, educational organizations or professional associations have more reliability than personal Web sites. If you find similar information in a number of different sources it will hold more validity. Here are some sites to begin with:

Canadian Association of Career Educators & Employers

This site provides authoritative information, advice and services to employers, students, and career centre personnel.

http://www.cacee.com

Career Cruising

This is an occupational information site that includes detailed information available in a multimedia format. University of Waterloo students may contact Career Services for the University of Waterloo access code.

http://www.careercruising.com

Job Futures

Job Futures provides the latest information available about the world of work-information that is important for anyone in the process of making decisions related to career or educational planning. It includes:

  • Overviews of the labour market and general economic trends
  • Detailed information on all occupational groups and post-secondary fields of study
  • Current and future labour market conditions

http://jobfutures.ca/doc/jf/index.shtml

National Occupational Classification System

In addition to the hard copy version mentioned above, there is an on-line version available.

http://www.worklogic.com/noc/home.html

Strategis Business Map

This is a well laid-out list of national and international associations organized by Standard Industrial Code (a way of organizing and classifying companies).

http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/scdt/businessmap/engdoc/0.html

Work Destinations

The Work Destinations site is designed for Canadian residents who want to practise their trade or profession in another province or territory within Canada. This site offers occupation-specific information on work conditions, placement and recruitment, labour market information, local living conditions, social services, training and education opportunities.

http://www.workdestinations.org

Workinfonet

This site provides links to over 2,000 web sites and includes extensive labour market data.

http://www.workinfonet.ca/

WorkInk

This site provides resources and information to enhance the equitable and meaningful employment of people with disabilities.

http://www.workink.com/

To continue to the next section, Step 2.6, click here.