Perhaps the most underutilized "free lunch" ever offered tojob seekers is the Job Service that every state governmentoperates. Although the quality of their service varies widely, each JobService office provides employment assistance that includes career counseling and a job database. Some also offer job-matching services.

Popularly known as the "unemployment office," a state JobService office can put you in contact with job vacancies ingovernment that range from low-paid and entry-level jobs to top-levelpositions.

Each Job Service office maintains a constantly updated listof job openings from throughout the state. The vast majority ofstates let you access this list via computer. You can usually obtain a fulljob description from the Job Service office for those positionsthat interest you.

The entries in this chapter (28) note if a state's JobService office also provides additional job search assistance including job-matching services.

You should be able to find the address and phone number for a nearby Job Service office in your local telephone directory.In case you can't, this chapter offers information that enables youto locate each state's employment services, including Job Serviceoffices, by mail or on the Internet. You should write or call directlyfor more information from the state(s) of your choice. Please notethat while most states call these "Job Services," some assign adifferent moniker like "Employment Security Department." So before youturn to your local phone directory to find the Job Service officenearest you, be sure to see the entry in this chapter for your stateto learn what your state calls its Job Service offices. The DartmouthCollege maintains a list of the addresses and phone numbers of everyJob Service office in the nation at Internet.

General Sources for local and state government jobs. Chapter3 of Government Job Finder reports on the job-hunting tools thatcover more than a single occupation in municipal, township, county, regional, or state government throughout the country. For jobsources that focus on individual specialties in local and stategovernment such as accounting, engineering, planning, publicadministration, law enforcement, and dozens of other disciplines--and theirrelated technical, trades, labor, and office support positions--seethe chapters 4 and through 27. Because so many of thesespecialties overlap, cross references are made to related fields and tospecific job sources described elsewhere in the Government Job Finder.For the disciplines which do not have helpful job aids that focuson them alone, job openings can be found in the general periodicalsand other job resources listed in this chapter. Also, be sure toconsult the Index for references to the specialties that interest you. Chapter28 gives you job resources for each state. Chapter 29 present jobresources for positions with the federal government.

While Chapter 29 is the essential chapter for federal jobseekers to read, they should be assure that federal positions oftenappear in a number of the periodicals itemized in this chapter andchapters 4 through 27. The publication descriptions note when federaljobs are frequently listed.

For some fields, the best job sources that include government positions are those that actually focus more on privatesector jobs or non-profit positions. In those instances, you will bereferred to one or both of the companion books to this volume, theProfessional's Job Finder, which covers the private sector, or the Non-Profitsand Education Job Finder. For your convenience, the catalog atthe end of this book gives you information about these titles. Thejob sources described in these two companion books include somegovernment positions in addition to private sector or non-profitpositions.

Job Ads. There are publications that publish job openings inall facets of local government. Among these are:

Jobs Available: A Listing of Employment Opportunities inthe Public Sector. (P.O. Box 1040, Modesto, CA 95353-1040; phone: 209/571-2120). Biweekly.

Nation's Cities Weekly. (National League of Cities, 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004; phone: 202/626-3040) weekly.

State Legislatures (National Conference of StateLegislatures, Suite 700, 1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202; phone: 303/830-2054) ten issues/year.

A complete listing of these publications is contained in thebook, Government Job Finder. (Also there are career centers that offer links to numeroussites where jobs in local, state, and federal government areposted.)

For complete information on government employment see thebook, Government Job Finder by Daniel Lauber. The book contains2,002 best tools for finding jobs and getting hired in local,state, and federal government, such as Internet and online job services,professional and trade periodicals, directories, and others.

For more info about this title, click here.