Career Research
Research what a role pays, where your industry is headed, and which companies belong on your target list, using resources that are free and mostly government-run.
The best job searches start with aim. Before the applications go out, it is worth knowing what your target role pays, where its industry is headed, and which companies you actually want, the 50 to 100 names I talk about in the Quick Start Checklist. The resources below cover that research without asking for your money or your email. Start broad with the occupation and industry tools, then use the directories to put real company names on your list.
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Occupations, pay, and outlook
What a role pays, what it involves, and where it is headed. The first two come from the Department of Labor, which collects this data directly from employers. If your company gave you an internal title that nobody outside would recognize, search these by what you actually do, and the real-world titles come to you.
Occupational Outlook Handbook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics profile of hundreds of occupations: median pay, projected growth, education requirements, and what the work involves.
O*NET OnLine
The Department of Labor's occupation database: skills, tasks, technology, wages by state, and related roles for finding adjacent careers.
My Next Move
O*NET's plain-English front end. Search by what you do, browse by industry, or take the interest assessment to translate your work into recognized titles.
MIT Living Wage Calculator
What it actually costs to live in any U.S. county or metro. Turns a relocation question or a salary offer into arithmetic.
Industry research
Whether an industry is growing or shrinking should shape where you aim. Both of these are free Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Your professional association is the other industry research tool, and most publish data the government does not.
BLS Industries at a Glance
Employment, earnings, and trend data for over 100 industries, one page per industry.
BLS Employment Projections
Which industries and occupations are projected to grow or shrink over the next decade, from the same people who count the jobs.
Company signals and target lists
For building the target list and checking the health of what is on it: who is funded, who is hiring, who is shrinking, and what the public filings actually say.
Gregslist
Personally curated lists of the software and SaaS companies in major North American metros, filterable by funding stage. A ready-made target list for tech.
SEC EDGAR Full-Text Search
Every public company's real filings: financials, risk factors, and layoff disclosures, straight from the source with no account.
Layoffs.fyi
The running tracker of tech and startup layoffs. Worth a search before any company goes on your target list.
WARNTracker
Layoff notices across every industry, built from the advance warnings large employers must legally file with their states.
Crunchbase
Funding stage, investors, and growth signals, useful for sorting startups from scale-ups from the mature. The deeper cuts sit behind a paid tier.
Built In
Tech company profiles and hiring hubs, browsable by city and by remote-friendly employers.
Y Combinator Startup Directory
Thousands of early-stage startups searchable by industry, size, and location, for the job seeker who wants the fast-growth end of the spectrum.
USAspending.gov
Search which companies are winning federal contracts. A fresh contract award is often a hiring signal months before the jobs post.
Data Axle Reference Solutions
The professional company database most public library cards unlock for free. Filter by industry, headcount, and geography to generate a full target list. Ask your library if it subscribes.
Employers by industry
Directories that list the employers in one field, which is exactly what you want when building a target list inside your industry. A membership or supplier directory is a list of companies that hire people like you, even when nobody calls it a job site.
Clera Startup Map
A browsable map of funded startups across industries and cities.
BioPharmGuy
Biotech and pharma companies listed state by state, with links to their careers pages.
BioSpace Hotbed Maps
The regional clusters of the life sciences industry, and who operates in each.
Climatebase
Organizations working on climate, clean energy, and sustainability, with a job board attached.
gamedevmap
A long-running map of video game studios and publishers worldwide.
VANAS Studio Directory
Animation, VFX, and game studios by region.
NALP Directory of Legal Employers
Law firms and legal employers with offices, practice areas, and recruiting contacts.
Thomasnet
The manufacturing supplier directory: search industrial companies by what they make and where they make it.
SEMI Member Directory
Roughly 3,000 member companies of the global semiconductor and microelectronics industry association.
The Blue Book
Commercial construction companies and contractors, searchable by trade and region.
Agency Spotter
Advertising, marketing, and design agencies searchable by specialty and location.
FDIC BankFind Suite
Every FDIC-insured bank in the country, with locations and financial data. A complete employer list for banking.
NCUA Credit Union Locator
Every federally insured credit union, mapped, with research data on each.
Medicare Care Compare
Every hospital, nursing home, home health agency, and clinic that takes Medicare. Built for patients, but it doubles as a directory of healthcare employers near you.
NCES College Navigator
More than 7,000 colleges and universities, searchable by state and size. Higher education is a major employer that most job seekers never map.
PublishersGlobal
Publishing companies and services, browsable by country, state, and subject.
ProductionHUB
Film, television, and video production companies and crews, searchable by location. Built for people hiring crews, but it doubles as a map of the production companies near you.
ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer
Nearly every U.S. tax-exempt organization, searchable by name, state, and category, with revenue and top salaries from their actual filings. The financial X-ray for nonprofit employers.
Idealist
The social-impact sector's hub: browse nonprofits by cause and location, with the sector's largest job board attached.
State Associations of Nonprofits
Every state has a nonprofit association, and most run local job boards and member directories. This finder from the National Council of Nonprofits opens that door.
Charity Navigator
Browse rated nonprofits by cause and location. Built for donors, but the ratings double as a health check on a prospective employer.