THE JOB SEARCHPreparing for Today’s Job Market (Part 1)

Starr Hoffman | Susanne Markgren

ALA Annual Conference - Placement Center | June 25, 2016

Who are We?Susanne MarkgrenAssistant Director for Technical ServicesManhattan CollegeBronx, NY

Starr HoffmanHead, Planning and AssessmentUniversity LibrariesUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas

Manage Your Career!

https://morguefile.com/creative/FidlerJan

If you want a successful career in librarianship—or just about anything else—you have to manage it. You can’t sit back

passively and let things happen to you. You have to be proactive and figure out what

you want; where you want to be in 2, 5, 10 years; and what it will take to get there.

Then start working on it.

Quote from the Career Q&A Survey

Personal / Career Mission Statement“…a declaration of who you are, what you stand for and what you want to put out into the world. Personal mission statements are simply a conscious call to action. They can be helpful in providing awareness of your ‘future self’ and will assist you in understanding your own motivation, or lack there-of!”~ Susan Steinbrecher, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-steinbrecher/why-you-need-to-create-a-_b_5642112.html

Lorenzo Magnis: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lorenzo-l-m/22616044373/

THE JOB SEARCH

Morguefile user ariadna: https://morguefile.com/creative/ariadna/1/all

Finding Job Listings: Library-Specific• ALA Joblist• INALJ• SLA Career Center• Chronicle of Higher Ed• Inside Higher Ed• HigherEd Jobs

Finding Job Listings: Region-Specific• State or regional library associations• Individual institution’s sites• State or regional education associations/groups• Local government websites (city/county)

Finding Job Listings: General• Simply Hired• CareerBuilder.com• Indeed.com• Monster.com• Social Media Sites• Social Media: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook

Analyzing Job Listings• Position’s essential duties

• Required vs. preferred• Reasonable expectations of experience• Compensation in line with required degree & experience?

• Check: glassdoor.com, salary survey reports (ARL)• Sense of the institution, culture• Sense of the role’s fit within the organization

Analyzing Job Listings: Beware!• Requirement: “BA in Library Science”• Mismatch between qualifications & duties• Too many or unrelated responsibilities• Hours: too few? unpredictable? • Low wages, high expectations (experience/education)• Requesting salary expectations

Consider: institutional restrictions, legal/HR language, affect on listings

Analyzing Job Listings: Reaching• What position do you want?

• Looking for a challenge?• Moving to next career step?

• What does the position require that you don’t have? • What do you have instead, that could contribute to your success in the

position?

• Ask mentors, colleagues about your fit for the position. • Explain that you want to reach.

• Ask others about their promotion experiences. • Strategize how to relate your unique qualifications. • HOWEVER:

• Don’t apply to positions wildly out of range.

• Don’t apply for non-entry-level positions as a new grad.

Researching a Prospective EmployerCan you find…?• Who you would report to?• Is this a new position?• Is there someone else in the same

role/position/title?• An organizational chart?• Who would be your departmental

colleagues?• What are these colleagues doing?• Are they professionally active?• Is there a mission statement for the

library/institution?• What makes the library/institution

unique?

ORGANIZING THE SEARCH

Morguefile user: https://morguefile.com/creative/ratheeshmarath

Create an Application Schedule• Certain days, at certain times• Limiting your time keeps you fresh• Ensures you do *other* things! • Ensures you move forward on applications

Day Time Task

Sunday (day off)

Monday 6pm – 7pm Check websites for new job listings

Tuesday 6pm – 6:30pm Respond to any emails

Wednesday (day off)

Thursday 6pm – 6:30pm6:30pm – 8pm

Respond to any emails.Apply to identified jobs.

Friday 6pm – 7pm Check websites for new job listings

Saturday 9am – 11am Apply to identified jobs.

Track Your Search • Create a spreadsheet (or other mechanism) to track:

• Positions to which you applied• Stage of your application• Stage of the interview process

Organize Your Materials• Folder for each application:

• Cover letter• Tailored resume/CV• Original position description

• Save a copy!• Interview materials (presentation

slides, presentation notes, list of questions, articles)

Isaac Bowen: https://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacbowen/2752095700/

APPLICATION MATERIALS

Morguefile user ://morguefile.com/creative/DodgertonSkillhause

Cover Letters• An introduction• A statement of interest• A writing sample• A marketing tool• Most important: a first impression

Cover Letters: Dos and Don’tsShould:• Explain why you are right for the job.• Mention where you saw the job ad.• Relate your experience and skills to the job

requirements.• Explain gaps (if any) in your work

history/resume. • Explain why you intend (or want to) move for

the job. • Expand on one or two specific jobs, projects,

or accomplishments (that relate to the job). • Highlight one or two specific systems or tools

that you have used in a current or previous job.

• Demonstrate that you can write well. • Show a potential employer that you know

something about their library. • Convince the reader that you genuinely want

the job. • Be gracious.

Should not:• Address it to the wrong person.• State that you are the best person for the job. • Discuss experience and skills that are not

relevant to job requirements. • Ignore any gaps in your resume/work history. • Not express interest in relocating, if the library

is in another city, state, or country. • Use generic language with no specific

discussions of jobs, tools, or accomplishments.

• Forget to convey interest/enthusiasm in the job.

• Forget to include any mention of the job or library to which you are applying.

• Not convince the reader that you want the job. • Write poorly, with spelling or grammatical

errors, or problems with sentence structure. • Be overly confident.

Cover Letter TemplateParagraph One: • State your interest & why• Job ad location (also full position title & reference #)

Paragraph Two: • Introduce yourself: summarize your current role & library.

Paragraph Three: • Connect your background to the first job requirement(s). (Specific examples.)

Paragraph Four: • Do the same with the next job requirement.

Paragraph Five: • Discuss your other relevant skills (possibly “preferred”), and be specific.

Paragraph Six (or final paragraph): • Re-state your interest in the job.• Thank the committee for its time and consideration.• Include a statement about their values, mission, or vision.

Exercise 1: Mini Cover Letter• Use the job description….

• Circle keywords in the description• What does it tell you about this institution’s culture?• Is this a new position? What else can you find out about it, in 5

minutes?

• Write a 3-paragraph cover letter• Concentrate on:

• Conveying interest in the position• A specific example that fits one job requirement

• Be as strategic as possible!

Resumes & CVs: What Are They For?

Purpose? To document:• Educational credentials• Experience• Professional service & activity• Contact info

CV:• International & academia

• Some academic libraries, not all

• 2+ pages, could be 12+ pages• Additional info (all

publications, research specialization, etc.)

• Resumé: U.S.; all types of libraries

• 1-2 pages (5 max)• May list selected

publications/presentations, or may not

Elements of a Good Resume• Clear organization (chronological or functional)• Formatting: headings, bullet points• Scannable – selectively use keywords• Tailored to fit the specific role• No typos• Must contain: education, work experience, contact info,

professional affiliations or publications• May contain: summary statement, keywords (bold

cautiously), extra training specific skill sets

PRESENTING YOURSELF ONLINE

Illustration by Gerardo Obieta, Creative Commons License: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rosauraochoa/3256859352/

Why a Professional Online Presence?• Differentiates from your personal online life• Look savvy, professionally active• Shows initiative• More full, interesting picture than cover letter & resume alone• Showcase “unrelated” projects/accomplishments• Makes committee’s work easier

VS.

Platform OptionsPLATFORM PROS CONS PURPOSE

Wordpress (or other blog software)

Very flexible format/layout.Can include blog.

Takes some time to set up.

Online portfolio (and/or blog).

LinkedIn Easy and pretty quick.Standard.

No customization. Scroll-fest!

Directory, resume discovery tool, networking, online resume.

Twitter Quick and easy.Fosters conversation with peers anywhere.

Speed = harder to be thoughtful. Update pressure.

Pithy communication, networking.

Facebook Widely used. Easy.

A behemoth of a tool with many functions. Inflexible layout.

Social networking. Sharing events.

Vizualize.me (or other infographic)

Visually engaging. Nonstandard = hard to find specific info.

Resume tool made visual.

ePortfolio Basics• Basic Resume/CV info• Narrative bio/statement• Images are great! • “Bonus Features”

• Teaching syllabi or exercises • Projects where you shone• Research statement• Teaching/librarianship philosophy• Technological skills• Writing samples (OA articles, class assignments)• Hobbies & interests (humanize)

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Exercise 3: Outline Your ePortfolio• On the first sheet, list the types of content you want to

include• On the second, plot out the portfolio structure

• Hierarchy of pages• Non-text content to consider:

• Images• Files (PDF, PPT, etc.)• Links (to Slideshare.net, Twitter, etc.)• Embed slides or video content

• Include your resume/CV as a downloadable PDF

THE WAITING GAME

Morguefile user: https://morguefile.com/creative/LiaLeslie

So You Applied… Now What?• Track your applications• Move on to the next—don’t fixate on just one• Network• Learn something (small) • Be conscious:

• Social media presence• Conferences, events

• Reward yourself for meeting small goals• Seek out others for support

Final Thoughts• Aim high!• Be kind and diplomatic to others.• Be gentle with yourself.

Questions? …. And, Thank you!

Susanne MarkgrenAssistant Director for Technical Services (starting August 1)

Manhattan Collegesmarkgren@gmail.comTwitter: @smarkgrenPortfolio: https://smarkgren.wordpress.com/Library Career People: https://librarycareerpeople.com/

Starr HoffmanHead, Planning & Assessment

UNLV Libraries starr.hoffman@unlv.edu

Twitter: @artgeeklibrarianPortfolio: https://geekyartistlibrarian.wordpress.com/