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12 free resources on this topic. Everything here is free and hand-picked. You can also search within this topic.

FreeArticle
Career & Professional Optimization

9 Dying Industries That Aren't Worth Getting Jobs In At This Point

FinanceBuzz article by Josh Koebert, syndicated on MSN, listing nine fields it argues are shrinking: journalism, computer programming, data entry, telemarketing, photography, translation, bookkeeping, legal assistance and customer service. It cites Bureau of Labor Statistics projections — 4% fewer journalism jobs, 6% fewer programming jobs and 6% fewer bookkeeping jobs by 2034 — and points at information security analysts as a growing alternative with a 2024 median salary above $124,000.

Why I recommend it: Useful as a prompt to check your own field's BLS projection — not as career advice. Three things I would not take from it: the headline conclusion is the writer's opinion, not the BLS's; a projected national decline says nothing about whether good jobs exist in your city; and the page is packed with affiliate links to insurance and money products, which is how it earns. Look up the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook entry for your own job title and read that instead.

#ai and jobs#automation#bureau of labor statistics#career change#career planning#cybersecurity careers#declining industries#job markets#job outlook#job search#research#salary
msn.comAdded Sep 23, 20260 opens
FreeGuide
Career & Professional Optimization

Dataspace Recruiter Resources

Hiring guides, salary context and role descriptions for data positions, published by a data-focused staffing firm.

From the site: As data science recruiters, we love share our insights on the process. Here's a collection of our best resources and tips for recruiters.

Why I recommend it: This is written for recruiters, not candidates — read it that way. It shows you how data roles get scoped and screened before you ever see the posting.

#career-advice#data#data-jobs#free-resource#hiring#interview#job markets#job-descriptions#recruiting#salary#talent
DataspaceAdded Sep 18, 20260 opens
FreeReport
Career & Professional Optimization

Millennial Stability Stacking Report (Glassdoor)

Glassdoor research on "stability stacking" — how millennials are combining roles, side income and benefits to build job security in an unstable market.

Why I recommend it: Useful numbers to cite when you are explaining your own patchwork career history in an interview.

#career#job-market#millennials#job-security#workplace-trends#research#side-income#benefits#salary#career-change
glassdoor.comAdded Sep 17, 20260 opens
FreeJob Board
Career & Professional Optimization

Hiring Cafe

A free job search engine that indexes listings directly from company career pages instead of relying on job board postings, with unusually deep filters for salary, remote policy, visa sponsorship, and experience level.

Why I recommend it: I like this one because the listings come straight from employers, so you run into fewer ghost jobs and reposted duplicates. Use the filters hard — two or three well-matched searches beat scrolling for an hour.

#aggregator#ai#ai-jobs#career#career-development#free#free-tool#job markets#job-board#job-search#policy#regulation#remote-work#salary#tech-jobs
hiringcafe.comAdded Sep 11, 20260 opens
FreeTool
Career & Professional Optimization

PayScale Salary Report

A free personalized salary report based on your role, skills, location, and experience, useful as a second data point before you name a number.

Why I recommend it: Never walk into a pay conversation with one source. Pull two or three ranges and bring the one you can defend.

#benchmarking#career#career-development#compensation#free#negotiation#pay#research#resources#salary#tool
payscale.comAdded Sep 9, 20260 opens
FreeWebsite
Interview Prep

Harvard Program on Negotiation Resource Library

A free resource library from Harvard Law School's Program on Negotiation, with articles and guides on negotiation strategy, conflict resolution, and dealmaking.

Why I recommend it: The deepest free negotiation material I have found anywhere, and it is not limited to salary. Read one article before any offer conversation.

#career#conflict-resolution#free#free-resources#harvard#interview-prep#job-search#negotiation#regulation#resources#salary#website
negotiation.law.harvard.eduAdded Sep 9, 20260 opens
FreeDocument
Interview Prep

U.S. DOL TEAMS Salary Negotiation Participant Guide

A federal, downloadable PDF negotiation guide developed for the DOL's Transition Employment Assistance for Military Spouses (TEAMS) program, broadly applicable beyond its original military-spouse audience.

Why I recommend it: Written for military spouses, but the scripts and framing work for anyone re-entering the workforce or switching careers. Download it before your next offer conversation.

#career#document#download#federal#free#future-of-work#government#guide#interview-prep#job markets#job-search#negotiation#pdf#public-sector#salary#veterans
dol.govAdded Sep 7, 20260 opens
FreeGovernment Program
Interview Prep

CareerOneStop — Negotiate Your Salary

General salary negotiation guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor's CareerOneStop program, not limited to tech compensation.

Why I recommend it: Levels.fyi is great for tech salaries, but most people need a broader playbook. Start here before you make your ask.

#career#careeronestop#free#government#interview-prep#job-search#negotiation#program#public-sector#salary
careeronestop.orgAdded Sep 7, 20260 opens
FreeArticleNewsletter
Career & Professional Optimization

Side Work: I ask people how much they make

A Substack essay from the Side Work newsletter built on direct conversations about pay, showing what people in different roles actually earn and how they talk about it.

Why I recommend it: Real numbers from real people beat any salary calculator. Use it to set a floor before your next negotiation, and notice how plainly these folks discuss money.

#article#career#career-development#free#negotiation#newsletter#pay-transparency#reading#salary
Side WorkAdded Sep 2, 20261 opens
FreeDocument
Interview Prep

Salary Benchmarking Tools & Negotiation Basics

Slide guide to the tools that tell you what a role actually pays — Levels.fyi for role-level comp, Numbeo for cost-of-living context, Glassdoor for company intel — plus the mindset and mechanics of negotiating an offer.

In plain terms: This guide reviews tools for researching pay rates and local living costs. You can use it to determine your minimum compensation and prepare to negotiate your salary and benefits.

Why I recommend it: Pair one role-level pay tool with one cost-of-living tool before you ever name a number.

Salary-Benchmarking-Tools.pdf

Created by Justin Smith — Launchpad Library

#benchmarking#career#compensation#cost-of-living#document#equity#free#glassdoor#guide#interview-prep#job-search#levels-fyi#negotiation#numbeo#offer#pay#research#salary#slides
Added Aug 29, 20260 opens
FreeDocument
AI & Assistive Tools

Best Free & Low-Cost AI Tools for Your Job Search (2026)

A 3-page guide with 35 vetted AI tools across resume writing, mock interviews, job search copilots, job scraping, company intel, salary data, and job-fit scoring — each with its real pricing checked against the vendor's own page.

In plain terms: This guide lists 35 verified free and low-cost AI tools for job seekers. You can use it to find help with writing resumes, practicing interviews, checking salaries, and finding open roles.

Why I recommend it: Start here if you are overwhelmed by AI job-search tools. Everything listed has a usable free tier, and the pricing was verified directly with each vendor.

ai_job_search_tools.pdf

Created by Justin Smith — Launchpad Library

#ai#ai-tool#ai-tools#ats#auto-apply#company-research#compensation#document#download#free#free-tool#glassdoor#guide#hiringcafe#interview-practice#job markets#job-board#job-scraping#job-search#jobright#jobscan#kickresume#layoff#levels-fyi#mock-interview#pdf#research#resume#resume-builder#rezi#salary#simplify#teal#yoodli
Added Aug 28, 20260 opens
FreeWebsite
Interview Prep

Levels.fyi Salary Data

Real, crowd-sourced compensation data so you negotiate with numbers, not nerves.

In plain terms: This website provides salary and benefits data across different companies, job titles, and career levels. You can compare compensation numbers and research pay to help negotiate your next job offer.

From the site: Search 1M+ data points for different companies, job titles, career levels, and locations. Explore our tools to help you get paid more!

Why I recommend it: Bring a range, not a single number, and anchor it to this data.

#career#free#interview-prep#job-search#negotiation#research#resources#salary#website
Levels.fyiAdded Aug 23, 2026120 opens