by Shayna Monnens, Head Editor, INALJ South Dakota Library 101: The Missing Course that You Wish You Could Have Taken When we go to library school, we learn all kinds of different techniques. How to provide reader advisory, how to do original cataloging, database creation, and reference work are all topics that are covered in…
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Desk Yoga: Job searching & stretching
by Melanie Masserant, Head Editor, INALJ NYC Desk Yoga: Job searching & stretching (Simple stretches to sooth the seated body) How many hours are you seated at your desk every day on average? The total of hours spent searching, online networking, and resume tailoring is a modern-day desk sentence for job seekers. Since our bodies…
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5 Basic Tips for Doing Well in the Interview
by Sean O’Brien, Head Editor, INALJ Colorado 5 Basic Tips for Doing Well in the Interview So you got the interview! Congratulations! But now, you realize, you still have to get through the scariest part; the interview. But hey, don’t worry, we’re here this month to give you a few basic tips that will help…
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Library Superstar Dream Jobs
by Emily Guier, Head Editor, INALJ Wyoming Library Superstar Dream Jobs Often, I’ll see a news story about a cool space and know that a librarian is the unsung superstar. That’s right, I said superstar. The following is a list of some dream jobs: 1) GM Heritage Center, http://www.gmheritagecenter.com/about-gm-heritage-center/. I heard about this archive on…
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Looking Towards the New Mexico Library Association Conference: April 17-19, 2013
by Mychal Ludwig, Head Editor, INALJ New Mexico Looking Towards the New Mexico Library Association Conference: April 17-19, 2013 Here in Albuquerque New Mexico, it’s the first day (pre-conference sessions) of the annual New Mexico Library Association Conference. I thought I’d share some of the interesting sessions and talks that I plan on attending, over…
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Opt In
by Africa Hands, Head Editor, INALJ Kentucky Opt In Guess what friends? It may not seem like it, but you are in charge of your career, personal development, and advancement. The career website Careerealism has a tagline, Because Every Job is Temporary. Sure it’s somewhat disconcerting, but these days it’s true. You can’t rely on…
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How to build a custom RSS (to help you to save time during your job search)
by Elena Bubelich, Head Editor, INALJ Quebec How to build a custom RSS (to help you to save time during your job search) Everyone knows how long it could be to search in or to check a multitude of sites offering information about jobs. For example, almost every day I check near 30 sites with…
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The Buddy System
by Caitlin Moen, Head Editor, INALJ Louisiana The Buddy System Job hunting is exhausting. Job hunting is life-consuming. Job hunting can eat up your entire identity until you cannot think or talk about anything else. And here’s a hint: your friends and family will get sick of hearing about that awesome job you hope will…
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Give a little, receive so much! Donate to INALJ
INALJ mini-pledge drive Hi Everyone! If you are a regular INALJ.com visitor you’ll know that I don’t ask for donations very often. The last time would have been sometime last year. I can’t even remember when. This is an entirely volunteer project so all hosting and costs come out of my pocket. Even a small…
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Frequently Asked Interview Questions
by Stephanie Altbier, MSLS, ERMp I recently had a job interview where the interview panel asked several personality questions. Here are my suggestions for how to answer the questions. “What is your hobby?” Give a professional response by talking about your volunteering activities and how you grow your professional skills. “What would your supervisor say…
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Career Counselor
Career Counselor by Kelly Quaye I just returned from the ALA Midwinter Meeting (this was 2012) so my mind is still abuzz with the many great programs and services on offer. Did you know that ALA has a Conference Placement Service where you can meet with a professional career counselor during conference? I highly recommend…
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IWALJ – I Want A Library Job by Qraig De Groot
Here’s the sad fact – I’ve been looking for a meaningful and rewarding job since graduating college…in 1993. Now, I don’t mention that as a scare tactic or to imply that I haven’t worked at all since 1993. Quite the contrary. I’ve held down numerous positions in many exciting and interesting fields. Sadly, some never…
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On Finding Stealth Library Jobs (must read)
I was happy to find a posting on finding outside the box or stealth library jobs. ALAJobList originally shared the link and I re-shared it 🙂 Written by Holly the Librarian, Stealth Library Jobs, covers a very important topic, jobs that are perfect for librarians posted employers who don’t know they need us (librarians) for…
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The Road Less Traveled By Chelsea Jordan-Makely
The Road Less Traveled (Postcards from a Library Job Seeker) By Chelsea Jordan-Makely reposted from 9/26/2012 It has been a busy month. Less than four weeks ago, I resigned from two library jobs I adored, received my MLIS, and moved to Oregon with my husband, who accepted a faculty position at a small university here.…
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Thank You Notes = Ace in Hand
by Julie Watson, Head Editor, INALJ Pennsylvania Think thank you notes are just for your grandmother? Think again. According to a 2011 CareerBuilder survey, 22 % of hiring managers say that thank you notes matter. Why do they matter? Neglecting to thank your interviewers shows a lack of follow-through and sends the message that you…
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So How Do I Get Experience?
Having served on search committees I know one of the key things looked at on resumes is whether or not a candidate has experience (with the ILS, in libraries, etc). I know this can be a big challenge these days as many MLIS/MLS students work full time and take night classes or online classes. Also…
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Let it Snow, Let it Snow
Two days ago I was in Washington, DC and it was 97 degrees. Today I am in Montreal, Quebec and the weather outside is quite different, still lovely, though, and snowing 🙂 I am speaking at McGill this afternoon and the show must go on. So today I will be très très busy and I…
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Jobs, Hope, and Community
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Pick Two
Pick Two by Naomi House Just a quick thought on getting involved and networking. There are tons of library and other related organizations you can join and volunteer with. Sometimes the number can be overwhelming so I recommend the strategy of Pick Two. By this I mean picking one national organization and getting involved with…
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New look at the list of references
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e-Portfolio Primer
by Veda Darby Soberman, Head Editor, INALJ Hawaii e-Portfolio Primer So, you’ve entered the job hunt armed with a basic arsenal of a well-crafted cover letter, polished resume and stellar references. Don’t think you are fully prepared yet. One more weapon which is making its way from auxiliary to essential is the e-Portfolio. An e-Portfolio…
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Support Staff Silos
by Courtney Butler, Head Editor, INALJ Idaho Support Staff Silos There’s a lot of talk in job searching about cross-industry skills. Employees and job seekers with skills that can be used in a number of different ways are more marketable and ultimately more useful to employers. Sometimes, however, I think this idea gets a bit…
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Naomi House at McGill in Montreal April 12th!
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Downton Abbey and Dream Questions on the Ref Desk
by Renee Holden, Head Editor, INALJ Nebraska Downton Abbey and Dream Questions on the Ref Desk I kid you not…I was sitting at the reference the desk the other day and a patron came up to me and said with a copy of Downton Abbey in her hands “I love, love, love this show. I…
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Top 5 LinkedIn Groups for Library Job Seekers
There are many places you can interact online with other library job seekers. What I love about LinkedIn is that overall the discussions tend to lean towards being more professional than they do on Facebook, Twitter and other sites. In no particular order: INALJ- The I need a Library job Group : I founded this…