Interactive career tool helps job seekers research market

Cheryl Rogers | Tuesday, June 13, 2017

If you’re tired of competing against the masses applying for advertised jobs, meet FREIDA, the Florida Research and Economic Information Database Application.

FREIDA can help you research employers in your career field, in all 67 counties of Florida. And a whole lot more.

“FREIDA can serve as a data-rich resource for jobseekers to use in exploring career opportunities,” says Morgan McCord, Press Secretary for Florida’s Dept. of Economic Opportunity. “It can help students, veterans and jobseekers refine their career options and find the best match given their education, training or experience.”

Visitors to FREIDA’s website homepage can get a variety of customized career data on request. For jobseekers that have honed in on a specific career, “Job Seeker Services” under “Services for Individuals” is a good place to start researching employers.

After clicking “Employers,” users choose the geographic area and type in a keyword for their career. Users can choose a single county, metropolitan area, zipcode or the entire state as their area. They also can choose a “Quick Employer Search,” an “Advanced Employer Search” with more options, or an “Employer Search by Occupation.”

“Much of the data in FREIDA is updated constantly by the Florida Bureau of Labor Market Statistics to provide timely local information about Florida’s labor market,” McCord says.

By clicking on “Labor Market Services” from the menu, then “Labor Market Facts,” visitors also can choose from a general assortment of career questions including:

• What jobs are currently listed for an area?,
• What are the highest paying jobs in an area?,
• What occupations are predicted to have the most future job openings in an area?,
• What occupations have the highest employment in an area?, and
• What are the largest employers in an area?

“FREIDA has a ‘Services for Individuals’ selection at the top of the page and can help job seekers looking to change or explore careers. This part of the system links to various functions; including ‘Career Tips’ under 'Career Services,' ” McCord says.

Some of the website’s buttons, like “Finding a Job,” will connect visitors to the Employ Florida website for more information.

Read more articles by Cheryl Rogers.

Cheryl Rogers is a freelance writer and editor who enjoys writing about careers. An ebook author, she also writes Bible Camp Mystery series that shares her faith. She is publisher of New Christian Books Online Magazine and founder of the Mentor Me Career Network, a free online community, offering career consulting, coaching and career information. Now a wife and mother, Cheryl discovered her love of writing as a child when she became enthralled with Nancy Drew mysteries. She earned her bachelor's degree in Journalism and Sociology from Loyola University in New Orleans. While working at Loyola's Personnel Office, she discovered her passion for helping others find jobs. A Miami native, Cheryl moved to the Temple Terrace area in 1985 to work for the former Tampa Tribune.