My interview with success story and INALJ volunteer, Yandee!
Naomi: How did you find your current job?
Yandee: I found my current position through a hodgepodge of library listservs, job finding websites, and any random page of information-related jobs that I put together over the course of 2 years. Pouring over the list of jobs was time consuming, but it eventually paid off.
Naomi: Favorite library you have been to?
Yandee: My favorite library is the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. I considered attending the university there for library school and visited the National Library while I was there. The walk to the library is quite steep but the view from the top is gorgeous! The library itself looks stodgy and imposing as you walk up, but is actually quite lovely inside.
Naomi: Favorite book?
Yandee: I am a big fan of C.S. Lewis and Stephen King, so my favorite is actually a tie between The Stand and The Great Divorce.
Naomi: Favorite thing about libraries/library technology?
Yandee: One of my favorite things about libraries and information technology is how they can widen the scope of an individual’s world. They bringing information that seems far off a lot closer to home, and clarify issues within the community that can be forgotten or ignored. Collaborative space, while simultaneously preserving its existence as the cultural hub of communities.
Naomi: Any websites or feeds or blogs we should be following?
Yandee: Definitely this site! It was a huge help in my job search and in keeping up morale. I’d also recommend Open Cover Letters (http://opencoverletters.com/) which help me learn how to write a cover letter and how to best tailor it for employers. Hiring Librarians (http://hiringlibrarians.com/) is also a great resource. It really shows you the ideas and qualities libraries want to include, and thus hire, on their team.
Naomi: Best piece of job hunting advice?
Yandee: The best advice I can give is to keep looking. It took me about an incredibly frustrating year and a half to get my current position. I sent out hundreds of applications to a variety of jobs, spent a lot of time re-working my cover letters and resumes, and read lots of rejections–when they thought to send them. In fact, I was told that my current position was already filled when I followed up on the interview. They called me three weeks later and asked me if I’d take the position. I started working 2 and a half months after the interview. You never know when something will turn up.
Also! Do something nice for yourself once in a while. It’s one of those things some people neglect to do when they’ve been job searching, but it can really help clear the mind and keep things going. ‘Something nice’ doesn’t have to be anything fancy either, it could just be taking the time to enjoy a crisp fall day.
Hello all! My name is Yandee Vazquez and I’m from Houston, TX. I completed a BA in English Literature at Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX where I worked as a library aide for the entirety of my undergraduate schooling. While there I discovered the joy of providing and promoting information to the academic community and decided to pursue librarianship.
In May of this year I completed my MSLIS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and began working with Texas Woman’s University (Houston) as the Library Assistant in September. I enjoy petting my cats Mina, Rupert, and Linus when they let me, and exploring Houston’s incredible variety of restaurants.