Job Hunting

I was recently asked to comment on how I went about job-hunting and securing employment following the end of my MA. Whilst the questions provided for me to answer resulted in what I fear to be an overly chirpy set of responses, it left me thinking about the harsher realities of securing employment.

Job hunting at the moment is tough. It has been for several years now. Whilst I have been fortunate enough to land employment following both my undergrad and postgrad courses, I know many that have had a much harder struggle. We seem to be living in an age of austerity, which sounds to me something like the title of an Eric Hobsbawm text. What I do not think I conveyed whilst talking about employment is that is it is extremely difficult not to become disheartened when an application is rejected (that is if you ever hear back at all), and this can be doubly hard to face following an interview. It can leave one feeling dejected, devoid of energy and down heartened. Generally full of words that begin with ‘D’ (I’d not noticed that before).

Unfortunately, I do not have a remedy for this, or a great revelation at the end of the post that will ensure that this malaise can be overcome, other than to keep going. There are jobs out there to apply for, and if you work hard to make yourself right for the job then that can go a long way in keeping up your spirits and increasing your chances at selection stage.

I wanted to write this post as a general “keep going” to those looking for employment. Hopefully it comes across as a positive message of goodwill. I have also summarised my tips for job hunting from my recent short section in CILIP Update:

- Constantly amend and critique your CV. It may seem like a bore, but even small things such as amending words to tie in with those used in job descriptions can make a difference. Keeping it up to date even whilst you are in employment or not specifically looking for a job can ensure that you capture and note down all of those skills that you have and projects undertaken that may be forgotten about when scrambling together an application at the last minute.

- Make use of recruitment agencies, but do not rely upon them. Imagine them to be like a walking stick, not a full set of crutches.

- Use RSS feeds to keep an eye on a range of sites that you are interested in without having to check them constantly

- Identify skills that you think may be useful for your ideal position, and then work to develop them before that perfect post arises so you are in a better position to apply.

- Don’t always worry about completing all of the desirable criteria perfectly, if something doesn’t quite match, explain any deficiencies and offer something else instead – demonstrate that you really want that job and have something special to bring to it.

- Apply for opportunities that present themselves through professional bodies and apply for bursaries to keep costs down! Use the JISC mailing lists to keep and eye out for things.

- Build a network, either via Twitter, LinkedIn or in person. You can then use your connections to help you job spot and suggest ways you could spruce up your CV. Don’t be shy in asking for help!

Introducing… The World of Libraries

It is approaching that time of year when a fresh set of graduate trainees are starting to enter the library world, so if you are a ‘library-trainee-to-be’, or thinking of things to tell your replacement, I’ve outlined a few things that might be of use to you. You don’t need to do all of them, but hopefully a little awareness will go a long way.

Library Current Awareness

• Sign up to some mailing lists – these are great for keeping an eye on opportunities for students and grad trainees (ie. conference bursaries), library meet ups that may be taking place in your area, and general library happenings. The JISC mailing lists (free!) are great, with a strong array of specialised lists, as well as general ones such as LIS-LINK.  Have a browse to see which ones take your fancy; the majority of library related ones begin with “LIS-”. A word of caution though, if you sign up for too many, your inbox WILL become full VERY QUICKLY! I un-subscribed from several due to being inundated by emails that were not relevant for me. Being on two lists is about as much as I can manage, but every now and again, a gem of an email comes through and makes it all worth while.

Be sure to sort through your inbox often to avoid this situation.

Get Involved Online

• Join Twitter so that you can ignore it and call it a waste of time before realising the error of your ways and coming back to embrace it before the year is out. For some good beginners’ tips regarding Twitter have a look at Ned Potter’s guide.
• Start a blog to keep a record of what you get up to. I wish I had! At the time I probably wouldn’t have seen the point, but looking back, having something to compare my experiences to would have been fantastic. It will make writing your applications for postgrad courses and jobs easier too by providing you with a record of all that you have achieved and contemplated across the year.
• Keep an eye on the LISNPN forums for interesting discussions, and read through the anonymous reviews of library courses, very informative!
• Scout out a few library related blogs to read. You don’t need to add hundreds to your Google reader or RSS feed, but having a look at one or two every so often on your lunch break will give you a taste of the kind of issues libraries face and problems that you can tackle in the future. Great for getting a sense of how awesome and exciting the profession is and helping to understand the big library picture!

And Offline!

• Online activities give a great sense of what the library world is like, but the best way to understand it is to meet people! Keep an eye out for LISNPN meet ups in your area.
• Apply for things! When you see a bursary opportunity pop up in your inbox, apply! What is the worst that can happen? Maybe you’ll be sent to locations such as Newcastle, Dublin, or America!
• Question the people you work with! There is a mine of information sat around you, so why not question them relentlessly about every aspect of the LIS profession you can think of? If they don’t have time at work, then suggest some after work activity where you can sit them all down and grill them. You are there to learn after all, why else would they have a trainee role?

The grilling of colleagues is metaphorical. Remember that.

Join Some Professional Bodies

Student membership can help you to make an informed decision of what a body can offer before having to shell out big bucks later on… Most importantly though, don’t be afraid to go along to events. As I’ve said before with regard to networking, if you are enthusiastic and have ideas, people will be pleased to talk to you, no matter what job level you work at. You just need to put yourself out there!

• CILIP student membership is currently about £38. For me, the main benefit was access to some academic library journals, providing a taste of the kind of material I would be studying during my MA. I would also recommend the Career Development Group for getting involved- keep an eye out for their New Professionals Conference! You also receive Update and Gazette, useful for academic and public library news.
• Special Library Association (SLA) student membership is currently about $40, roughly £25 depending on the exchange rate. You’ll receive their magazine, Information Outlook, but also access to a division (specialist) and chapter’s (regional) information. For instance, I have joined the European chapter and the Legal division, though you are free to join more, and do not have to practice in an area to join that division. Also of note, is that it isn’t just for specialist libraries – for instance, there is a large academic division. For me, the real benefit has been the networking opportunities SLA has provided, it contains an amazingly diverse set of librarians and information workers, opening my eyes to roles that I never knew existed.
• Other specialist bodies such as the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL), the City Legal Information Group (CLIG) and the School Library Association (a different SLA) can provide networking opportunities and information more specifically related to interests you may have. Ask those who you work with what they would recommend!

Anything Else?

Let me know if you wish you had known anything else while you were in your traineeship or first library post!