Job Search: Home

Resume & Career Help

We are now offering resume help in-person at the central library and neighborhood branches around Brooklyn. 

• You can find our drop-in resume help locations and times in our events calendar
• Sign up for one-on-one help in a Zoom session
• Email your documents and questions to resumehelp@bklynlibrary.org
• Visit our Career Help page to learn more

PREPARING FOR YOUR JOB SEARCH

Keeping your resume up-to-date and writing a cover letter can't be done in one night, and often involves some trial and error. You need to communicate clearly how your skills can fit with the employer so you may want to customize your resume and cover letter for each job you apply for. 

If you're looking for help, tips, and templates, you're in the right place! The library has a dedicated team of librarians who have built this guide, provide virtual and in-person services, and who are here to help support you in your career journey.

This guide will give you resources to help with your job search goals and help you get through the tough parts, as well as offer information on library and community-based resume and career help. 

Looking for work can feel like a full time job!

So... what will it take to get a new job?

1. Identify your skills and look for jobs that require people with your particular skill set. The library's Online Resources and the free websites that are highlighted in this guide can help you determine what careers may be a good fit for you based on your interests and strengths.
2. If you're changing careers and need some ideas for what jobs you want to do, take some time to think about your work values.
   • You can make a career map to explore ideas and potential paths forward. 
   • You can take a career interest quiz and see what positions it recommends -- you just might be surprised!
3. Once you create a resume or cover letter, you should customize those documents based on what the potential employer is highlighting as its most important employee assets. Your cover letter requires you to craft a story that conveys that you are the best fit for the open position because of your skills and experience.
   • For example, if the employer is looking for someone with extensive customer service experience, make sure your resume and cover letter detail the previous experience you have with helping customers and colleagues using their keywords to describe your skills and accomplishments.
4. It may take a while time to get responses to your application; this is not unusual, and don't follow up with an employer more than once if you haven't heard anything. Also, don't wait for one job to contact you before applying for another. You could miss out on something great!
5. Keep yourself organized! Whether you keep a paper list or a spreadsheet, it's good to keep track of where you applied, the date you applied, and if you got selected for an interview.