Cruisin’ to the Top!
Toronto Public Library subscribes to almost 100 databases (yes…I really did count!), but many people don't in fact know what a database is, let alone how awesome they can be! At the most basic level, a database is pretty much a website filled with tons of relevant information and many are subject-specific. In this post, I want to pass on my love for my favourite career database: Career Cruising!
Anytime I share my passion for this database, I tend to come across as pretty geeky, but by the time I'm done with you, I can guarantee you are going to love it just as much as I do. The main reason I fell in love with this site is because it has all of that information you would want to know when looking for a job or changing careers, that is REALLY hard to find anywhere else on the Internet. Plus it might take you days to put it all together. On top of that, all of the information is CANADIAN. You read that right. Dollar values and all.
Here is a brief overview of what you can find and I'll leave you to play on your own!
When you first log in, it will have one menu across the left-hand side with questions and a traditional-looking menu across the top. They are both the same thing. Regardless of which you choose to click, it will take you to the same information:
Assessments: If you register for the site (it's free!), it will give you access to two quizzes. One will match your skill-set to the job best suited to you and the other quiz will let you know what learning style you lean towards.
Careers: This is where you'll spend the majority of your time. With four different ways to search for a career, this section will let you know all those things you really want to know about a job but that a lot of people don't want to talk about, such as salary, work atmosphere, what personality traits you'd need to succeed, and education requirements, to name a few. I also love that this section shows you the career path available to a specific job, so you know if there is room for growth and where on the totem pole you'd slot yourself in, based on your previous experience. There are also interviews with employees currently in the field (I actually know one of them, so I know they're not lying!), to help give an inside perspective on what the job is really like.
Education: Many people come into the library looking for course calendars and there used to be a time where we would have boxes and boxes of them, but with the rise of the Internet, websites have kept all of that information for us. However, this database is a great resource to find out what colleges/universities offer which programs, in addition to where one can find apprenticeships. Remember, this is Canada-wide, so if you're thinking of packing-up and going cross-country, you can see which school you may be headed to.
Employment: This section is to die for. After looking at all the previous categories and deciding on what career is best for you, now you can start the job hunt! This part of the site looks a lot like any other job-search website, where you can hunt around for job postings. But wait 'til you try it. If you type in the keyword of whatever job you're looking for (i.e. 'Administrative Assistant'), it will search the Internet for you and bring back tons of job postings relating to that keyword. It's almost like a one-stop shop for job postings! Ultimately, you then follow the links until it brings you the original job posting, whether it be on the company's direct website or another job-searching website. Either way, all you have to do is remember to come here, and you're good to go!
I hope that now you will take some time to check out Career Cruising a bit more in-depth, and that you will love it just as much as I do! And if you're still having trouble with your job-hunt, why not try attending one of the library's free Career and Job Search help programs.
8 thoughts on “Cruisin’ to the Top!”
Thank you for this – I had been looking for this database and didn’t realize that TPL had it!
Great to hear! Have fun cruisin’. 🙂
Thanks! I enjoyed your blog post – useful to know all the tips mentioned above. Hope you continue to post more about employment/career resources!
Lovely. I have regained my passion for it. Are there any analytics regarding the success rate of job fulfillments?
Hi Radmila! Great question. After speaking to the powers that be at Career Cruising, they assured me that in the not-too-distant future, they anticipate adding in even more statistics such as current occupation numbers, expected number of positions filled in 5 years, and more. Just another excuse to keep checking back in on the database 😉
Actually we are looking for this type of information. I also would like to request to other job seekers to visit http://www.myfutureconsulting.com/ for getting multinational job.
Really useful piece of information that you have shared!
Thanks so much! Enjoy 🙂