Access to the open job market is straightforward, but it may be limited in value. As expected, newspaper and magazine advertisements, employment clearinghouses at ACS national and regional meetings, employment agencies, and campus interviews make up the bulk of the open market. But remember, your greatest competition is in the open market.

The skills you have developed to search the scientific literature can be applied to locating companies. A good first step is to go to the library and introduce yourself to the reference librarian, who will be a valuable resource in your job search. Consult several reference sources for information about employers and jobs; librarians can help you find them. This information will help you write your resume and prepare for interviews. Classified ads in newspapers and scientific journals can help you identify leads in the unpublished job market.

Large Companies
By necessity, large companies have greater visibility and are easier to research. Many maintain extensive Web sites where information about their products, services, plants, and laboratories is posted. More and more companies are also using their corporate Web pages to discuss career paths and opportunities. Even though these postings are technically a subset of the open job market, many job seekers are not aware of them. Positions in larger industrial organizations usually are advertised extensively, not only in magazines such as Chemical & Engineering News but also in national newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal.

Certain publications profile corporations, including financial directories such as Standard & Poor's Register of Corporations, Directors, and Executives; Dun and Bradstreet's; and Value Line. The Directory of American Research and Technology, the Thomas Register of American Manufacturers, and The Job Seekers' Guide to Public and Private Companies are other good sources of information. For publicly owned companies, annual reports provide information about financial status as well as descriptions of products and new strategic initiatives.

Small Companies
Although many of the methods for locating large companies will work for small companies, it usually is harder to gather information. Your primary source should be your network, especially the members who either travel widely or have contacts with small companies and know where they are located. For example, instrument vendors and repair personnel travel widely within a geographic area. They would know about small companies, their viability, and, possibly, any employment opportunities.

In addition to the primary sources mentioned for large companies, consult the telephone Yellow Pages and the Donnelly Directory. Don't forget local and state Better Business Bureaus and other business and industry associations, such as Chambers of Commerce. Your librarian should have access to all this information.

An often-overlooked source of information is exhibits at national and, more importantly, ACS regional meetings. Regional meetings are particularly attractive to smaller companies because they save time and money. It's a bonus if they are able to do some informal recruiting at the same time. Stop in at the exhibits to find out about a company's product lines and, if possible, indicate your interest in working for them.

Academic, Nonprofit, and Government Positions
Leads for academic positions, both teaching and research, can be found in The Chronicle of Higher Education and Chemical & Engineering News. The Directory of Graduate Research and The Research Centers Directory are good sources for names and addresses of contacts at specific organizations.

For positions at nonprofit organizations, such as trade associations, look at The Encyclopedia of Associations, The National Directory of Non-Profit Organizations, The National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States, and The American Consulting Engineers Council Membership Directory. If you are considering a job with the government, America's Federal Jobs-A Comprehensive Guide to Job Openings in the Federal Government and Federal Jobs Digest are good resources.

After you have targeted a specific kind of organization, keep up-to-date by reading relevant periodicals such as Chemical & Engineering News, Chemical Week, Business Week, and The Wall Street Journal.

This information comes from Targeting the Job Market, published by the ACS Department of Career Services, which also offers information on how to use the Internet to locate companies and expedite job searching.