Idealist, well-known by young people as a source of social change job listings and other resources, has introduced valuable new services targeted at career-switchers and other experienced adults.

The site’s new Mid-Career Transitions Resource Center offers resources for people beginning to consider a career change, women in transition, military personnel and “encore careerists,” with links to events, graduate school programs and forums where members comments on the ups and downs of their job searches. There are even local support groups for mid-career transitions, such as one in Portland, Ore., that has 16 members.

Another terrific resource is The Idealist Guide to Nonprofit Careers for Sector Switchers,available as a free PDF document or in print for $42.18 plus shipping.

Written by the Idealist staff with assistance from other nonprofit experts,The Idealist Guide takes you step-by-step through the process of moving from the for-profit world to a nonprofit career. Sections explore self-assessment, networking, how to become a stronger candidate, tools for job searching, resumes and cover letters, closing the deal and starting your own nonprofit. There’s also a primer on the lingo of the nonprofit sector.

Idealist.org is a network of 80,000 nonprofit and community organizations around the world, with hundreds of jobs and internship opportunities. An introductory tour, Can You Imagine a Better World?, explains the organization’s vision of connecting people with similar values, dreams and challenges and helping them to work together.

Idealist offers job seekers email alerts or RSS feeds to flag new listings by interest area and location. Click here to sign up.
For nonprofit employers, Idealist has assembled resources in its Human Resource Center.