Job Seekers Toolkit

Welcome to the Job Seeker’s Toolkit created by the Bellwood Public Library. The resources on this page are curated to help you create or update your resume, write a cover letter, find help with your job search, and ultimately find the best job for you. Each of the tabs to the left have different resources and tips.

Two black women at a table with notebooks smiling.

Photo by Christina Morillo via Pexels.

Triton College has free job training through their Workforce Equity Initiative. For more information, contact them. 

Not sure what area to start in? Check out this recent Ask A Manager post about fields having hiring booms! And this one about how to find out what types of jobs even exist! 

Want a video tutorial? Check out this Google course "Land Your Next Job" or this one "Use Google to Get a New Job."

Check out this Built in Chicago list of best workplaces, and this one from the Chicago Tribune! 

Free Online Resume Builders

Struggling with the confidence to talk about yourself in a resume or cover letter? Check out this Google course on confidence for self-promotion.

Free Resources

GCF Global Classroom

Khan Academy Careers Courses

Free Code Camp

The links below are free classes but these websites do offer paid courses. Be careful when clicking around to make sure you don't get charged for anything you don't want to.

DOs

  • Do use action verbs to describe what you did at each job.
  • Do use numbers to show examples of how effective you were at each job.
  • Do focus on your skills, especially how they transfer from one job to another (example: customer service skills are incredibly important and transferable to a lot of industries).
  • Do consider a functional resume format rather than the standard reverse timeline if you're changing career fields. This puts the focus on your skills, not your job title.
  • Do get a friend or family member to proofread it and catch any typos or misspellings.
  • Do keep several copies: a PDF, a DOC, and a TXT, so that you can submit whatever the job asks for.
  • Do tailor your resume to each job or job field you're applying to.

DON'Ts

  • Don’t include a photo; that’s not part of the professional norms for most jobs and opens the door to discrimination even if the reviewer doesn’t mean to.
    • This is different in acting or modeling jobs where your appearance does matter for the work.
  • Don’t use a bunch of graphics and colors; most resumes are run through an online applicant tracking system (ATS), and the graphics and colors can cause the system to misread your resume and miss things.
    • This is different in graphic design, where you’d want to show off your skills.
  • Don’t use a fancy resume template from Canva or somewhere else; same reason as not using graphics, it will mess up the ATS.
  • Don’t waste space on an objective, we all know your objective is to get a job. Delete it and use the space to include more of your work history and skills.
  • Don't lie on your resume, that can get you in a lot of hot water if the job finds out.

Career Changing

650.142 Rea (Real Resumes for Career Changers)

650.14 Col (Second-act careers)

650.14 Lor (The Pathfinder)

371.425 Bol (What color is your parachute)

650.142 Ene (Real resumes for military to civilian transitions)

650.14 Wol (Out of Uniform)

Careers (General)

371.423 Ins (the series of little brochures)

371.42563 Cas (Green careers)

650.14 Bry (Great answers to tough career dilemmas)

Entrepreneurship

153.35 Gra (Originals)

658.11 Thi (Zero to One)

261.85 Jak (Soar)

343.73 Fis (Working for yourself)

629.47 Gut (How to make a spaceship)

658.11 Deb (Start a Successful Business)

658.11 Bue (The Introvert Entrepreneur)

658.1141 She (Thrive)

Management

650.1 Joh (Rise and Grind)

650.144 Kra (Job Interview Tips for overcoming red flags)

658.4 Iba (Act like a leader, think like a leader)

658.421 Abr (Level Up)

Job Searching

650.14 Bir (The Job Search Checklist)

650.14 Dal (The 2-Hour Job Search)

650.14 Tra (New grad job hacks)

650.14 Wal (Job searching with social media for dummies)

Interviews

650.144 Oli (Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions)

650.144 Mar (What to say in every job interview)

650.144 Yeu (Answering tough interview questions for dummies)

Cover Letters

650.14 Ken (Job search letters for dummies)

650.142 Far (The quick resume & cover letter book)

650.143 Ene (Cover letter magic)

650.143 Yat (Knock ‘em dead cover letters)

Resumes

650.14 Ene (Best resumes & letters for ex-offenders)

650.142 Ene (Expert resumes for health care careers)

650.142 Ene (Modernize your resume)

650.142 Far (The quick resume & cover letter book)

650.142 Kur (Same-day resume)

650.142 Nob (Gallery of best resumes)

650.142 Yat (Knock ‘em dead resumes)

Remember, anything that we don't have, we can order from other libraries. If we don't have a book that will help you, we can request one from another library, and you can also check out the online resources linked on this page.

Ask A Manager "7 Questions to Answer Before Accepting a Job Offer"

Ask A Manager "Ask for More Money with that Job Offer: Here's How"

Ask A Manager "How to Turn Down a Job Offer"

Ask A Manager "Look at 24,000 People's Real-Life Salaries"

Ask A Manager "Set a Start Date Before Resigning"

Glassdoor "How to Evaluate a Job Offer"

Harvard Business Review "How to Evaluate, Accept, Reject, or Negotiate a Job Offer"

Indeed "Key Criteria for Evaluating a Job Offer"

Indeed "Job Offer Tips: How to Evaluate and Negotiate a Job Offer"

Living Wage Calculator from MIT Use this to figure out what you need where you live or may move

Marcus "How to Evaluate a Job Offer: 5 Tips Before Saying Yes"

Salary Negotiation Guide

Smart Asset Paycheck Calculator Use this to figure out what an hourly rate means in yearly pay, or what a yearly pay rate means in hourly pay

USC Career Center "What to Consider When Evaluating a Job Offer"

You got the offer; great! Now what? The resources on this page will help you judge the job offer you've got and decide if it's a good one for you.

A black woman with locs sits in front of a laptop looking pensive.

Photo by Christina Morillo via Pexels.