Whether you are unsure of your life direction; questioning your choice of major; wondering what jobs you can get with your major; looking for help getting ready for the job search; or ready to look for a job, this page has something for you.

Self-assessment	Career Research	Job Search Preparation	Job Search

1: Self-assessment

• Focus 2 provides a variety of assessments, such as personality, interests, and values, and then lists careers that match your results; offers rich information on the careers listed; provides a database of majors, including those offered at Cal State LA, associated with the listed careers; and a decision making and action planning tool. If you use Focus 2 to choose a major, please visit our guide for exploration after Focus 2.

​How to Register for Focus 2 (free courtesy of the Career Center)

1. Use the following link, only. Focus 2
2. Click "Register" underneath the login boxes
3. Fill out all the information (do NOT use your campus credentials)
4. "Access Code": EAGLESLA
5. Click "Continue" when done

• CareerScope is an online tool for eligible Veterans benefit recipients, offered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It provides interest and apptitude assessments, recommendations for careers and courses or training programs to pursue those careers. CareerScope is frequently used by Veterans to determine the best career path for transition to civilian life.  (Disclaimer: Do NOT use your campus credentials to register or logon.)

2: Researching Careers 

• What Can I Do With This Major? provides examples of many kinds of jobs and industries that you can pursue with your major.  No login required.

• Candid Career includes videos that get you inside the office with straight talk from real people in real jobs. Candid Career features unscripted interviews with working professionals about their work. Learn about specific jobs in industries you are interested in, or discover and explore other options. Searchable by industry, career title, college major or keywords. No login required.

• The California Occupational Guides, from the California Employment Development Department, provide detailed information on California wages, job outlook, education, and licensing requirements for approximately 300 occupations. The Guides offer students and job seekers occupational information to assist with making informed career choices that can lead to a satisfying work life. You can perform a topic search, choose your county, and select, from the index, to search occupations by job family, jobs by education needed, or jobs that match your work interests.  No login required. 

• Occupational Outlook Handbook, from the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, provides a trove of reliable information about a variety of occupations, such as typical duties, education needed, projected growth rates, and the median pay. You can search by occupation group, select an occupation category, and discover the preferred entry-level education, media pay, what people do in that category, the work environment, the job outlook (e.g., projected growth), and additional information on how to enter that occupation.  No login required.

• O-NET database contains hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors on almost 1,000 occupations covering the entire U.S. economy. You can browse groups of similar occupations to explore careers by industry, field of work, science area, etc. You can also focus on occupations that use a specific tool or software.  Or, you can use the Crosswalks to search by Education, filter by your academic major, and explore related job titles occurring under each standard industrial classification.  No login required. 

• Employers by major maps dozens of college majors to companies and industries in California that employ graduates of those majors. It provides information about thousands of potential employers, such as industry, locations, demographics, revenue, and the surrounding community.  No login required.

3: Preparing for the Job Search

• CareerSpots provide straightforward videos illustrate what you need to know BEFORE, DURING and AFTER the job interview. Career Spots provides highly relevant career guidance from leading experts across the country. No login required.

• Career and Job Resources LibGuide provides a list of additional resources, such as databases and websites, that will aid you in your job industry research. It also provides information on résumé and cover letter perfecting, as well as information on interview etiquette and preparation.

• OptimalResume heps you build your résumé based on a variety formatting styles. You can also browse sample résumés based on industry and level of work experience.

​How to Register for OptimalResume (free courtesy of the Career Center)

1. On the top right-hand side of the page, click "New User"
2. In the Student Users box, type in your @calstatela.edu email address
   (Alumni will click on the Alumni button and use a personal email address)
3. Click "Continue"
4. Fill out all required information (do NOT use your campus credentials)
5. Click "Create Profile"

• InterviewStream lets you practice interviewing in real-time with video of yourself, custom questions, special tools to evaluate yourself, and the ability to share your video with others.

• Portfolium is Cal State LA's ePortfolio and career readiness network. It gives you the ability to build an organized, visual record of your academic and professional story using the work you are completing both in and out of the classroom. You can upload real work samples including photos, videos, presentations and papers to showcase your coursework, projects, extracurricular activities, volunteer activities, internships and work experiences. You can also connect and collaborate with fellow classmates and club members on projects and activities. Once you've designed your Portfolium profile, you can link it to your résumé and LinkedIn profile to enhance your social/professional presence.  (Disclaimer: Do NOT use your campus credentials to register or logon.)

4: Job Searching

• Handshake is Cal State LA's online job resource, featuring jobs and internships posted by employers seeking Cal State LA students. Note: You must either be a current student or a verified alumni of Cal State LA to have access to Handshake (see How to Create a Student or Alumni Account on Handshake, free courtesy of the Career Center). If you are no more than three quarters away from finishing your degree, a recent grad, or a graduate student, the Career Center's On-Campus Interview (OCI) program will allow you to meet and interview with employers.

• LinkedIn is a social media network with hundreds of millions of professionals. This tool can help you establish your online professional profile and control the top search results of your name, build and maintain your professional network, find and reconnect with colleagues and classmates, learn about other companies and get industry insights, find other professionals in the same industry using groups, tap into the knowledge of your network, and discover new career opportunities.  (Disclaimer: Do NOT use your campus credentials to register or logon.)