Articles

3 Ways to Get Your Mojo Back

by Veda Darby Soberman, former Head Editor, INALJ Hawaii

3 Ways to Get Your Mojo Back

Perhaps you joined the fray of job seekers full of hope and confidence, but searching for a library job can be a difficult road.  You could grow quite disheartened as time passes with little or no job prospects, as you see your peers being hired for your dream jobs, or you move through a seemingly endless cycle of searching, applying, interviewing and being rejected.  Feeling doubtful that a job in the information profession is out there for you can be a difficult cloud to escape, but there are a few things to do that could help inspire you.  Here are three simple ways to help you to regain our job seeking mojo.

  1. Reflect on your accomplishments.  Don’t just review what is listed on your resume, but dig deep into your personal archives.  Reread those graduate projects which took so much effort to complete.  You may be surprised at what you have done, and you will be reminded of what you are capable of.  It is also a great way to recall important issues and topics in the field.  Perhaps you will want to pursue further research in an area which you had previously explored.
  2. Try retail therapy.  Revive your interview and professional wardrobe.  Invest in some new basic pieces like a fresh white button down or dress shirt, and an item or two which are season appropriate or on trend, yet classic.  Dressing well is sure to boost your confidence and energy.  Do you feel clueless when it comes to professional fashion?  Just find a few business fashion blogs to follow like one of my favorites, Corporette.
  3. Go on a library and information center road trip or vacation.  Visit that far away library with outstanding architecture, or even just some libraries in a neighboring town.  Remember to schedule informational interviews to get even more out of your travels.  Taking the time to network could prove worthwhile, especially if you fall in love with the library you are visiting and may consider relocating if a job offer happens to come your way.  The 25 Most Beautiful Public Libraries in the World by Flavorwire is a great place to start planning a trip.

 

I hope these ideas will help to stay motivated and feeling like your future is bright.  Good luck!

 

Previously published 5/10/2013

Naomi House

Naomi House, MLIS, is the founder and publisher of the popular webzine and jobs list INALJ.com (formerly I Need a Library Job) and former CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) of T160K.org, a crowdfunding platform focused on African patrimony, heritage and cultural projects. INALJ was founded in October 2010 with the assistance of her fellow Rutgers classmate, Elizabeth Leonard. Its social media presence has grown to include Facebook (retired in 2016), Twitter and a LinkedIn group, in addition to the interviews, articles and jobs found on INALJ. INALJ has had over 21 Million page hits and helped many, many thousands of librarians find employment! Through grassroots marketing, word of mouth and a real focus on exploring unconventional resources for job leads, INALJ grew from a subscription base of 20 friends to a website with over 500,000 visits in one month. Naomi believes that well-sourced quantity is quality in this narrow job market and INALJ reflects this with many new jobs published daily. She has also written for the 2011, 2012 and 2013 LexisNexis Government Info Pro and many other publications in the past decade. She presents whenever she can, including serving on three panels at the American Library Association's Annual Conference in Las Vegas; as breakout presenter at OCLC EMEA in Cape Town, South Africa; as a keynote speaker at the Virginia Library Association annual meeting; at the National Press Club in Washington DC; McGill University in Montreal, Canada; the University of the Emirates, Dubai, MLIS program and the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Naomi was a Reference, Marketing and Acquisitions Librarian for a contractor at a federal library outside Washington, DC, and has been living and working in Budapest, Hungary and Western New York State. She spent years running her husband’s moving labor website, fixed and sold old houses and assisted her husband cooking delicious Pakistani food. She is preparing to re-enter the workforce and is job hunting. Her husband is now the co-editor of INALJ, a true support!  She has heard of spare time but hasn’t encountered it lately. She pronounces INALJ as eye-na-elle-jay. 

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