Target Opportunities

A positive Attitude and clarity about your Aptitudes will give your career Altitude. Step 4 of the You Were Created for Good Works workbook will help you get altitude, motivation, and direction to target opportunities by doing what you do best for people who need it most.

Explore six factors to target opportunities and maximize your career: Occupations, Employers, Locations, Income, Platforms, Culture. With these in mind, you can attract employers with resumes and profiles that communicate opportunities you seek, what you do best, and the value you offer.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10 NIV

Below are links to resources designed to help you in this step of the workbook. These are designed to go along with the workbook content, but can be used independently as well. 

Resources

General
6 Factors to Target Opportunities: this printable worksheet allows you to gather your six factors all in one place, and rank them appropriately.

Target and Timing Exercise: Use this target-shaped chart to examine the relationships between the types of employers or positions you want to target and your financial ability to weather your period of unemployment. Page one is an example, and page two is blank for you to fill out. 

Occupations
Occupation Outlook: Find information on various occupations through the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Browse 500+ Career Videos - Browse CareerOneStop's video collection to learn about careers, industries, skills and abilities, or work options and education levels.

Match Your Skills to 900+ Occupations On O*Net - This tool for career exploration and job analysis has detailed descriptions of the world of work for use by job seekers and more.

Search Through Professional Associations - This directory can help you locate a professional association in your area by searching using industry type as well as location. 

Top 50 Fastest Growing Occupations - CareerOneStop lists the occupations expected to have the largest rate of growth over a 10-year period.

Industries & Employers
Industries at a Glance - From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, this list of industries included in Industries at a Glance is arranged in North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code order.

Top 50 Fastest Growing Industries: These are the industries that are projected to grow the fastest from 2018 to 2028. Select any industry to see a full report on the industry from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

100 Best Companies to Work For: Explore this list on Fortune.com, which has been published for over 20 years. 

Places To Live & Work
Check Local Newspapers - Local newspapers can give insight into what it is like to live and work in the community. Not sure what newspaper is in your location? Use this search tool to find one. 

Contact Local Chambers of Commerce - Use this search tool to locate the chamber of commerce in your location. They can be great resources for relationship building and local businesses. 

Relocation? Protect Your Move- The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration can help prepare you for each step of the moving process. 

Search Sperling’s Best Places - Compare cost of living and other factors by city, or search for popular cities with Sperling’s search tool. 

See Lowest Unemployment Metro Areas - this list on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics allows you to see cities arranged by unemployment rate. 

Income

Explore Salaries - Whether you’re researching a new job offer, looking for a promotion, or just want to see what you should be getting paid, Salary.com gives you the tools to understand your worth.

Best Health Plans from U.S. News Magazine - U.S. News offers information on how to buy health insurance and publishes plan ratings for every state. Use this to help evaluate health coverage when considering job offers. 

Figuring Benefits - Calculate what your employer spends on your total compensation package (base plus bonuses plus benefits) with this personalized tool. View industry averages and enter your benefits information for a custom report.

Health Plans and Benefits - Learn more about options for health plans and benefits from the U.S. Department of Labor.

What to Know about Retirement Plans - Learn more about Retirement Plans and Savings from the U.S. Department of Labor. 

Platform
Employee or Contractor? - This helpful document from the IRS provides definitions for both employees and contractors, which is an important distinction with tax implications. 

Start & Grow Your Own Business - Utilize the Small Business Administration’s numerous resources to take you from creating a business plan to achieving growth in your small business. 

Search 1,000+ Franchises - Interested in franchising? The International Franchise Association search tool can help you explore and narrow down your options based on industry, location, and amount needed to invest. 

Culture
Look inside any company! - Search Glassdoor.com for ratings and reviews of over 600,000 companies worldwide. Get the inside scoop and find out what it's really like from people who've actually worked there.

Do your Research on Companies - Use Vault.com to find out what it's really like to work within an industry, company, or profession, and how to position yourself to start, advance, or change your career.

Target Resumes
Master Resume Exercise - Gather all your resume information in this printable worksheet to make it easy to construct customized resumes for a specific job or employer. 

Resume Builder - Register on the Crossroads Career website, then build your own resume from scratch with our easy-to-use builder.

Best Resume Tips - Not sure where to start with your resume? This post on the Crossroads Career blog will help point you in the right direction. 

Tale of Two Resumes - Looking for visual examples of what to do (or not to do) with your resume? This post on the Crossroads Career blog compares and contrasts two resumes and illustrates how to put important information up front. Make your skills and qualifications easy for interviewers to review. 

Click to view  Step 5