A career search starts before you write a resume and begin applying for jobs. Searching for a career also includes identifying your skills and interests, considering what you value and enjoy doing, and exploring different careers to learn what type of training and education they might require. The resources and tools in this section will help you start to identify possible careers pathways and the ways to enter and advance in them. Whether you are entering the workforce for the first time, shifting to a new career, or reentering the workforce following an extended absence, these tools will help you start exploring your options.
Some resources are specific to El Paso County and Colorado while others are more general.
Choosing a career can feel overwhelming. There are so many careers available, and narrowing it down to just one can be tough. Career assessments are surveys or tests given to see how a person's personality, interests, skills, and values align with certain careers. Essentially, you take a career assessment and it will give you several options of careers that might be good for you.
Are you looking for a short assessment to help you get started for the first time? Do you have time to take a longer, more in-depth assessment?
There are four major types of career assessments: personality tests, interest inventories, skills assessments, and value assessments. Each of the assessments listed below can help you find careers that match your interests or skills.
Learn more about the different types of assessments:
- What is an assessment?
- Interest assessment
- Skills assessment
- Work values
Rate your skills from Beginner to Expert in 40 categories. You'll be able to see occupation titles that match your skills as well as wages, education requirements and employment outlook for each title.
CustomGuide – Career Development Resources
CustomGuide provides comprehensive career development courses and tools to support professional growth. The "Career Development" category offers an all-in-one training solution, covering key areas such as:
Job Hunting: Learn effective strategies for securing employment, including resume writing, interview techniques, and building a strong job portfolio.
Personal Branding: Develop a professional presence through networking, LinkedIn optimization, and self-promotion strategies.
Career Planning: Set career goals and create a roadmap for success with self-assessments, career coaching, and insights into freelance opportunities.
Colorado Career Advising (CCA) Tool. Designed for career seekers, students, and advisors, the Colorado Career Advising (CCA) Tool features a quick survey to identify strengths and motivators, laying the foundation for a personalized career action plan. Using the Indigo Pathway Survey is an all-in-one solution. The 10-minute, DISC-based personality assessment will provide you with descriptions of personal strengths, motivators, behaviors, and communication styles. Then, based on your results, you’ll get a list of highly accurate career matches.
CAREERwise Interest Assessment. Indicate your interest level in a variety of activities. View your Interest Profile and explore a list of related careers and majors.
16 Personalities. Only 10 minutes to get a “freakishly accurate” description of who you are and why you do things the way you do.
Workforce Atlas. Start with the “job interests” assessment, after that, you will unlock other assessments to rate your work, reading, and number skills.
The Pikes Peak Workforce Center is the American Job Center serving El Paso and Teller counties. They connect vital businesses with work-ready job seekers and employer-driven services. Their clients range from entry-level to professional, including youth, adults, people returning to the workforce, and those with barriers to employment. Veterans have priority for all PPWFC services.
**CONTACT THE PPWFC BY PHONE TO DETERMINE THE BEST WAY TO RECEIVE SERVICES**
Directory: https://ppwfc.org/contact-us/
Address: 1675 Garden of the Gods Rd., Colorado Springs, CO 80907
Phone: (719) 667-3700
O*NET OnLine has detailed descriptions of the world of work for use by job seekers, workforce development and HR professionals, students, researchers, and more! O*NET is a great tool for career exploration and job analysis.
The O*NET database includes information on skills, abilities, knowledges, work activities, and interests associated with occupations. This information can be used for career exploration, vocational counseling, and a variety of human resources functions.
Job seekers use O*NET to:
The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) is a publication of the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics that includes information about the nature of work, working conditions, training and education, earnings, and job outlook for hundreds of different occupations in the United States.
To effectively use the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH), explore occupations by browsing groups, using the A-Z index, or employing the occupation finder to filter by education, training, pay, growth, and projected new jobs, or search by job title.
Here's a more detailed guide:
Access the OOH: You can find the OOH online at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
Explore by Occupation Groups: The OOH organizes occupations into clusters, allowing you to browse by broad areas like "Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)" or "Business and Financial".
Use the A-Z Index: If you know a specific occupation, use the A-Z index to find its profile.
Utilize the Occupation Finder: The occupation finder allows you to narrow down your search based on:
Entry-level education: Select the required education level (e.g., high school diploma, bachelor's degree).
On-the-job training: Filter by the amount of on-the-job training required.
Median pay: Explore occupations within a specific salary range.
Projected employment growth: See which occupations are expected to grow faster or slower than average.
Projected number of new jobs: Identify occupations with a high number of projected new jobs.
Search by Job Title: If you know the name of a specific occupation, you can enter it into the search box on the homepage.
Browse by Hot Topics: The OOH homepage also features quick links to "highest paying," "fastest growing," "most new jobs," and "field of degree" occupations.
Review Occupational Profiles: Each occupational profile provides detailed information, including:
What workers do: A description of the typical duties and responsibilities.
Work environment: Information about the typical work setting.
How to become one: The required education, training, and experience.
Salary and pay: Median pay and factors that influence earnings.
Job outlook: Projected employment growth and the number of new jobs.
Related occupations: A list of similar jobs.
Professional and trade organizations: Links to relevant professional organizations.
Use the OOH for Career Planning: The OOH can help you:
Identify skills: Determine the skills needed for your preferred job and plan your career development accordingly.
Explore similar careers: If you're changing careers, use the OOH to find related occupations that match your skills.
Set salary expectations: Use the OOH's salary information to develop a negotiation strategy.
Assess future prospects: Understand the job outlook and potential for growth in your chosen field.
My Colorado Journey is a free service that connects job seekers and students to careers, education planning and support resources through a guided process that drives action and goal completion. It includes tools like Careers in Colorado (pathways for Colorado's growing industries), Money 101, Interest Surveys, and much more.
My Colorado Journey makes it easy to evaluate career and program options, set goals and take the steps needed to achieve them, whether you’re an adult switching careers, a high school student choosing a next adventure or a military veteran transitioning into civilian life.
This site is supported by Talent Found, Colorado Department of Higher Education, Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Colorado Workforce Development Council, and Colorado Department of Human Services Child Welfare Division.
My Next Move is an interactive tool for job seekers and students to learn more about their career options. My Next Move has tasks, skills, salary information, and more for over 900 different careers. Users can find careers through keyword search; by browsing industries that employ different types of workers; or through the O*NET Interest Profiler, a tool that offers personalized career suggestions based on a person's interests and level of work experience.
CareerOneStop is the flagship career, training, and job search website for the U.S. Department of Labor. The website serves job seekers, businesses, students, and career advisors with a variety of free online tools, information and resources. It also connects you to the local American Job Center, the Pikes Peak Workforce Center. Information also available in Spanish.
🤖 Customizable Courses - Make training yours with over 300 courses.
❓ Skill Assessments - Measure existing knowledge, learning & growth.
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🖥️ The catalog includes a complete set of career training! Career Development Topics, Job Hunting Courses, and Leadership & Management Topics, etc.
Website: https://www.customguide.com
This is a Google Applied Digital Skills video-based learning path that will take you through the steps necessary to create and follow through with a job search plan. By the end of the lesson, learners will
Time to complete: 4 - 8 hours
Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)
Provides immediate, effective, and comprehensive employment services exclusively to people recently released from incarceration. Currently operates in 30 cities and is dedicated to ensuring that justice-impacted job seekers have opportunities to achieve socioeconomic mobility. Their vision is that anyone with a criminal record who wants to work has the preparation and support to find a job and stay connected to the labor force.
Contact: Nikki Holliday, Site Director at Nholliday@ceoworks.org
Address: 888 Garden of the Gods Rd, Suite 110. Colorado Springs, CO 80907
Hours: Monday to Friday, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
Phone: (719) 694-5450
GEO Reentry Connect is a comprehensive resource for individuals who have been incarcerated. Find resources you need upon release from prison or jail–employment, housing, education, family services, treatment, and more: https://georeentryconnect.com/