This past Friday I was honored to present an interviewing training session to members of the Military and their spouses at a local (Woodbridge, NJ) library. It was part of a program for veterans brought into the town through a grant from the Sansone Automobile Dealership. After my portion of the program, I stayed on to listen to the next presentation given by a library staff member (the Government Documents Librarian). It was about the Job & Career Accelerator tool available in all of New Jersey’s libraries for both in-house (the library) or at home use.  The Job & Career Accelerator is a free resource; all it requires is a valid library card.
This tool is a gem and I’ll bet very few New Jersey residents are aware of it, much less use it. According to a description of the program, The Job & Career Accelerator is a “powerful online resource that delivers award winning content, cutting edge job search and resume tools and extensive guidance to help people overcome the challenging tasks of getting a job. “ It’s an add-on to a tool designed by Learning Express. The product amazed me so many ways; one of them being it allowed immediate access to the newest, latest, hot off the press job offerings. The jobs page updated every 2 – 4 hours.


The Job & Career Accelerator offers a number of easy to understand resources including an occupational explorer, resume and cover letter builder (allowing for multiple resumes for multiple jobs as is the norm these days), interview preparation, thank you letters, a workplace skill builder (free on-line courses) and even a college finder. One of the best parts is that the Accelerator allows the user to build an easy to follow and save Dashboard where everything is securely stored.   
As our instructor described the parts of the product I was struck by several things:
  1. The ease of use (including use at home or at the library)
  2. The cost (FREE)
  3. The currency (circulation of new positions every few hours, the types of free courses including prep exams)
  4. The Resume Builder
  5. The focus for all job seekers including Veterans and Interns
If you live in New Jersey and are looking for job search help, look to this gem offered by your NJ Public Library.  It is simply amazing. 

I suggest that people living outside of the Garden State look at the job search resources offered by their own libraries. If there isn’t anything, inquire about the Job & Career Accelerator. Always look to your local library to offer you job search assistance. They are a treasured resource.