Perhaps the most underutilized "free lunch" ever offered to job seekers is the Job Service that every state government operates. Although the quality of their service varies widely, each Job Service office provides employment assistance that includes career counseling and a job database. Some also offer job-matching services.

Popularly known as the "unemployment office," a state Job Service office can put you in contact with job vacancies in government that range from low-paid and entry-level jobs to top-level positions.

Each Job Service office maintains a constantly updated list of job openings from throughout the state. The vast majority of states let you access this list via computer. You can usually obtain a full job description from the Job Service office for those positions that interest you.

The entries in this chapter (28) note if a state's Job Service office also provides additional job search assistance including job-matching services.

You should be able to find the address and phone number for a nearby Job Service office in your local telephone directory. In case you can't, this chapter offers information that enables you to locate each state's employment services, including Job Service offices, by mail or on the Internet. You should write or call directly for more information from the state(s) of your choice. Please note that while most states call these "Job Services," some assign a different moniker like "Employment Security Department." So before you turn to your local phone directory to find the Job Service office nearest you, be sure to see the entry in this chapter for your state to learn what your state calls its Job Service offices. The Dartmouth College maintains a list of the addresses and phone numbers of every Job Service office in the nation at Internet.

General Sources for local and state government jobs. Chapter 3 of Government Job Finder reports on the job-hunting tools that cover more than a single occupation in municipal, township, county, regional, or state government throughout the country. For job sources that focus on individual specialties in local and state government such as accounting, engineering, planning, public administration, law enforcement, and dozens of other disciplines--and their related technical, trades, labor, and office support positions--see the chapters 4 and through 27. Because so many of these specialties overlap, cross references are made to related fields and to specific job sources described elsewhere in the Government Job Finder. For the disciplines which do not have helpful job aids that focus on them alone, job openings can be found in the general periodicals and other job resources listed in this chapter. Also, be sure to consult the Index for references to the specialties that interest you. Chapter 28 gives you job resources for each state. Chapter 29 present job resources for positions with the federal government.

While Chapter 29 is the essential chapter for federal job seekers to read, they should be assure that federal positions often appear in a number of the periodicals itemized in this chapter and chapters 4 through 27. The publication descriptions note when federal jobs are frequently listed.

For some fields, the best job sources that include government positions are those that actually focus more on private sector jobs or non-profit positions. In those instances, you will be referred to one or both of the companion books to this volume, the Professional's Job Finder, which covers the private sector, or the Non-Profits and Education Job Finder. For your convenience, the catalog at the end of this book gives you information about these titles. The job sources described in these two companion books include some government positions in addition to private sector or non-profit positions.

Job Ads. There are publications that publish job openings in all facets of local government. Among these are:

• Jobs Available: A Listing of Employment Opportunities in the Public Sector. (P.O. Box 1040, Modesto, CA 95353-1040; phone: 209/571-2120). Biweekly.

• Nation's Cities Weekly. (National League of Cities, 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004; phone: 202/626-3040) weekly.

• State Legislatures (National Conference of State Legislatures, Suite 700, 1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202; phone: 303/830-2054) ten issues/year.