Best Practice Self-Assessments for Job Search & Reemployment Planning

As the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) marks its 70th birthday in 2019, the Editors at Career Action Resources have assembled this brief look back at its origins and history using information from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website.

The first version of the handbook, called “Occupational Outlook Information,” was issued in August 1946. It was prepared at the request and under the financial support of the Veterans Administration to make information available to returning World War II veterans about the need for general education and for trained personnel in various occupations. 

In answer to many requests, an Occupational Outlook Handbook was then published in spring 1949 and sold to the public. Subsequent editions of the Handbook were published in 1951, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963, and biennially in even-numbered years starting in 1966. 

The BLS assembled and wrote the OOH, which became a very big book and a nationally recognized, respected source of career information. With each edition, the BLS updated the 10-year employment projections for hundreds of occupations and made many updates and changes to the in-depth occupational descriptions, plus added new jobs, as the economy changed.

For 2010-11, the BLS published the final OOH print edition. At that point, the OOH went solely online, although some publishers continued to offer printed versions for sale to bookstores, workforce programs, libraries, schools, and other customers.

To this day, the OOH continues to provide comprehensive, up-to-date, and reliable labor market information and descriptions for our economy’s jobs, always with an eye toward the future. It gives essential facts and figures about prospective changes in the world of work and the skills and qualifications that will be needed by tomorrow’s workforce. The OOH has helped millions of Americans plan their education and work lives.

Happy 70th Birthday, OOH!

The U.S. Department of Labor has launched a new effort to reduce improper Unemployment Insurance (UI) payments across the nation.

"Providing states with resources to recognize and combat improper Unemployment Insurance payments is a critical piece of our federal-state partnership," U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta said, according to a USDOL news release. "I have contacted governors across the nation and asked them to recommit to lowering the UI improper payment rate in their state. The Department stands ready to help states with high level of improper payments by providing targeted assistance."

In addition, the USDOL has published a redesigned "Unemployment Insurance Payment Accuracy by State" webpage that show each state's improper UI payment rate. The page offers information on each state's root causes of improper payments and other data.

Need help guiding UI claimants and the unemployed to employment? Workforce development professionals: Request a complimentary review sample of Your Employment Search (YES).

How do your job seekers find job openings? If they are searching the big online job sites only, they may be leaving many job possibilities on the table. It is important for job hunters to let people know they are job searching, to ask for job leads, and to look for opportunities beyond traditional job search channels.

Job seekers may find job leads and openings through the following:

1. Local American Job Center
2. Employers of interest, even if no jobs are advertised
3. Companies running numerous help-wanted ads (they’re hiring)
4. Family, friends, and neighbors
5. Alumni association and career services at their school or college
6. Professional groups and events
7. Colleagues and former co-workers 
8. Past classmates and teachers 
9. Hobbies, clubs, and sports
10. People at their place of worship 
11. People they know through their children and their spouse/significant other
12. People with whom they do volunteer work and community service 
13. People who provide services, such as their dentist, accountant, and insurance agent
14. People they've helped in the past 
15. Recruiters and employment agencies 
16. Job fairs and hiring events
17. News articles about growing companies
18. Business journals and specialty publications and job sites for their field and related industries 
19. LinkedIn and other social media
20. Freelancing, part-time work, and consulting work

The more doors your job seekers knock on, the more likely it is they will find a job soon. 

Need help guiding job hunters to employment or reemployment? Workforce development professionals: Request a complimentary review sample of Your Employment Search (YES).