I realize these blogs are already listed on INALJ, but I really cannot stress enough how much I LOVE them. I really encourage everyone (especially recent graduates/newcomers to the library job hunt) to check out these two great resources: opencoverletters.com and hiringlibrarians.com.
Even though I’ve received positive feedback about my writing in the past, I am extremely self-conscious and shy about letting people read what I write (I am majorly stressing out about my monthly blog posts on INALJ….). Open Cover Letters lets me compare my writing to other people’s (maybe I’m not so bad after all?) and I am able to get some great ideas about what to include in my own cover letters.
Though I feel slightly more comfortable with face-to-face meetings, I think everyone feels some anxiety about job interviews. Which brings me to Hiring Librarians. It’s like interviewing your interviewer before an interview — what could be better than that? I love getting the inside scoop about people who are currently reading resumes/cover letters, conducting interviews, and hiring librarians…! Seriously, just writing about this blog is getting me excited. It is fantastic.
To sum up: If you are a library job hunter, PLEASE check out these resources. And as a final note, I’d like to add that I am so excited to be the head editor for INALJ Washington, DC!! Looking at my bio you may wonder why I’m involved in the DC page, but I really do have some connections to the area – perhaps to be revealed in later blog posts. For now, here’s a photo of me in one of my favourite Smithsonian spaces, ca. 2009….