Career and Job Search Resources for Public Service Careers

Books in the PSU Career Center Library

• 100 Jobs in the Environment by Debra Quintana
• 100 Jobs in Social Change by Harley Jebens
• A Guide to Careers in Community Development by Paul Brophy and Alice Shabecoff
• Career Opportunities in Politics, Government, and Activism by Joan Axelrod-Contrada
• Careers for Caring People and Other Sensitive Types by Adrian A. Paradis
• Careers for Nature Lovers and Other Outdoor Types by Louise Miller
• Careers for Good Samaritans and Other Humanitarian Types by Marjorie Eberts and Margaret Gisler
• From Making a Profit to Making a Difference: How to Launch Your New Career in Nonprofits by Richard M. King
• Making a Difference: Your Guide to Volunteer and Community Service by Arthur Blaustein
• Opportunities in Fund-Raising Careers by Mark Rowh
• Real People Working in the Helping Professions by Blythe Camenson
• The ECO Guide to Careers that Make a Difference by the Environmental Careers Organization
• RESPONSE: A Directory of Full-Time, Faith-Based Volunteer Opportunities by the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service.
• Careers in Focus: Government
• Inside a U.S. Embassy: How the Foreign Service Works for America

Vocational Biographies

Vocational Biographies describes the career success stories of 1001 real people. Search by career title, keyword, topic, and career cluster. Username: portland su and pass code: 3w9n.

Resources for Finding PAID Public Service Opportunities in the Portland Metropolitan Area

• CareerConnect — Search the Career Center's database.
• CascadeLink — "your community information network, [serving] the Portland OR & Vancouver WA area." Links to goverment job boards
• Craigslist Portland — Nonprofit jobs. Government jobs.
• Community Nonprofit Resources Group (CNRG) — "provides a resource network for engaging people in the nonprofit community."
• Idealist — Search for nonprofit jobs by keyword, area of focus, location.
• JobDango.com — Search database by category (counseling, education, government/civil service, nonprofit, and social services) and location.
• Oregon Employment Department — Search job listings by keyword or occupational group.

Resources for Finding VOLUNTEER Public Service Opportunities in the Portland Metropolitan Area

• CareerConnect — Search the Career Center's database. In Custom Search, select Volunteer opportunities from the list under Job Classification.
• Community Opportunities Board — Lists "volunteer and paid employment opportunities in Portland and the greater Pacific Northwest." From the School of Social Work at Portland State University.
• Craigslist Portland — List of volunteer opportunities.
• Community Nonprofit Resources Group (CNRG) — "provides a resource network for engaging people in the nonprofit community."
• Hands On Greater Portland — Find out about volunteer opportunities in the Portland area.
• Idealist.org — "One of the largest communities of nonprofit and volunteer resources on the web." Search for volunteer opportunities.
• Network for Good — Links volunteers with "issues they care about." Search by keyword, location, areas of interest.
• Student Leaders for Service — "Student Leaders for Service (SLS) ... is designed to engage students in community service, community-based learning, and leadership development activities."
• Volunteer Connection — Serves Clackamas County.
• VolunteerMatch — Organization "dedicated to helping everyone find a great place to volunteer." Search for volunteer opportunies by location, keyword, skills, and interest areas.
• Volunteer Opportunities and Resources — From the Center for Lakes and Reservoirs, Department of Environmental Sciences and Resources, Portland State University.

E-Books and Articles on Nonprofit Employment

• Idealist Guide to Nonprofit Careers for First-time Job Seekers — From Action Without Borders/Idealist.
• Idealist Guide to Nonprofit Careers for Sector Switchers — From Action Without Borders/Idealist.
• The UC Berkeley Career Center has several excellent articles on careers in the nonprofit sector.
• • 5 Ways to Prepare Now for a Career Working for an International Nonprofit
  • Building a Nonprofit from the Ground Up
  • Do What You Love and Satisfaction Will Follow: Nonprofit pros offer insights about the rewards and challenges of their positions as well as tips for making it financially once you're there
  • From Psychology to Nonprofits Consulting
  • Funding Your International Experience through the Rotary International Foundation
  • Nonprofits 101
  • Teach for America — A View from Inside
  • Top 10 Myths About Working for Nonprofit Organizations

Articles on Federal Government Employment

• From the Partnership for Public Service:
  • 2007 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government
  • Where the Jobs Are: The Continuing Growth of Federal Job Opportunities — Includes agency-by-agency hiring projections and summarizes hiring needs by occupational category.

Search for Nonprofit and Governmental Organizations

• Community Organizations Online (COOL) — Use COOL to find local community organizations. Part of CascadeLink and hosted by the Multnomah County Library. CascadeLink represents an interjurisdictional effort to gather information, provide links to access points for citizen involvement and to provide online access to citizens living in the Portland, OR/ Vancouver, WA metropolitan-region.
• Community Resources Online — From 211 Info. Database of health and human services in the greater Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington region.
• Find Nonprofit Organizations — From Idealist.org.
• Oregon Involved - online resource for finding and connecting with Oregon nonprofits.