Career Guides
- FirstHand (formerly Vault)Access provided by Boston University Career Center. Registration is required for first time users. Follow these steps to create your account:
1. Go to Firsthand and click "Get Started".
2. Click on “Register now” at the bottom of the box. Enter your BU email address on the next page. Complete the registration process and then click “Create Account” to get started.
3. Click on the link Firsthand e-mails you to confirm your email address (this can take several minutes to process). Note: Firsthand will send you a follow up email to “complete your profile.” This is not required, and completely optional.
Excellent resource on what it can be like to work within an industry, company, or profession.
How to Find the Vault Guides and Rankings:
Vault Guides are under “The Library.” Select The Library tab on the left side of the page, and you’ll see a link for Guides in the top navigation bar.
Vault Rankings are under “Careers.” Select the Careers tab on the left side of the page to see rankings in various fields.
The Careers tab also includes FirstHand Industries and Professions which include Industry profiles and Profession profiles.
- First Research Industry Reports This link opens in a new windowIndustry reports with Career focus. Includes overview, sales & marketing, finance & regulation, regional & international issues, human resources, and statistics for over 100 industries. Additionally, contains quarterly industry updates, business challenges, trends & opportunities, call preparation questions, and ratios.
- Occupational Outlook HandbookIndustry guide from the U.S. Department of Labor includes descriptions of myriad jobs. Includes the nature of the work, required training, job outlook, and earnings.
For in-depth industry Information, see Industry Information Sources.
Company Directories
- Data Axle Reference Solutions This link opens in a new windowCurrent and historical directories of U.S. businesses and consumers. Search businesses by company name, geographic area, business type, SIC code, revenue, location, number of employees and more. Also includes job and internship listings. For help, see tutorial listed below:
- Company Dossier(Through LexisNexis Academic) Click on “Create a Company List” tab, to create list of international or U.S. companies by industry, geographic area and revenue. Rank U.S. companies by sales. For help, see Company Dossier Tutorial.
- GuideStar: The National Database of Nonprofit Organizations This link opens in a new window
Guidestar, part of Candid, provides information on the missions, finances, programs, and management of nonprofit organizations, including foundations, public charities, and others. Search by name, keyword, city or state, nonprofit type (public charity, private operating foundation, or private nonoperating foundation), or income range.
