Element K Blog: On Finding a Job in the Learning and Development Industry

As 2010 gets going, many in the L&D industry continue to face the job-search struggle. Many more will encounter a similar need this year or in years ahead, so I thought it might be helpful to provide a blog posting with some resources to aid your search. I'm not talking about the obvious "big and broad" sites for job hunting, places like Monster, CareerBuilder, and others, or the social networking sites, like LinkedIn, that can be so crucial during a job search. Rather, I want to share some sites and other resources that focus on just our Learning and Development field.

First off, many of the key organizations in our industry provide help for those searching for work or looking to further develop their careers. A few of these (with an emphasis on North America) include:

See also page 84 of the July T+D Magazine, "Know Your Value in the Marketplace," by Judy Estrin.

Another good resource is the salary data provided on page 24 of the October/November issue of Training magazine.

And my friend Mike Lally provides sage advice in his presentation on Using Social Media in Your Job Search.

And lastly, an interesting and perhaps, at times, humorous resource for you is this wiki of obsolete skills.

So those are just a few links that I hope will be helpful for those in the job hunt in the L&D industry. What key resources did I miss? Which organization sites and job banks are the best for Europe, Asia, and other areas of the world? What sites have you found helpful in your own job search or career development? Please provide good links in the comments to this post!

— Thomas Stone (Tom_Stone@elementk.com, and on Twitter @ThomasStone)