My interview with success story Amy
Naomi: How did you find your current job?
Amy: My resume’ is on all the major career websites, so although I’m not positive I think I think the recruiter found me on Monster.com.
Naomi: Favorite library you have been to?
Amy: Being a Southern California native, I’d have to say my favorite will always be the Huntington Library. Exquisite gardens, beautiful art gallery and an amazing staff of people whom I met during an archives workshop many years ago. I love that place!!
Naomi: Favorite book?
Amy: I’m going to go VERY old school, but I still adore Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. There is yet to be a good movie translation, but I hope a woman will one day direct and give it the finesse it deserves.
Naomi: Favorite thing about libraries/ library technology?
Amy: Knowing the work I do will help people down the road gives me lots of pride. I love leaving a project or a job in better shape than when I came. In one company I came back briefly and found that the work I did made a huge difference to the new hires. The documentation of processes is highly underrated, and needs to be emphasized more in the work environment.
Naomi: Any websites or feeds or blogs we should be following?
Amy: Social media is vital to finding a job and I’d have to say LinkedIn is an invaluable resource for me. There is a feature on LinkedIn where you can belong to particular groups as well. I’ve found that extremely helpful to see what people are talking about and what jobs are available. Also connecting with former co-workers is always good to do as well.
Naomi: Best piece of job hunting advice?
Amy: Don’t give up!! I made it my daily ritual to get my coffee and start my search first thing in the morning…jammies and all!! I had over 75 resume’s sent out since 2010 and had been unemployed nearly 3 years. Keep learning, keep connected, stay focused and stay sharp!! You never know where your next opportunity may be!!
My name is Amy Gutierrez and I started my library career in college. My BA degree is in English and although I don’t have a library degree at this point, I have been working in Special Library and Archives for over 20 years.
My career has been primarily in the entertainment industry, organizing everything from paper documents to digital video and audio files. I have been lucky enough to also work in Aerospace, Automotive, Print Production and Museum/Exhibits on short term assignments.
In the future I’d like to work on getting my MLIS in Digital Libraries. It’s never too late to learn and all through my career I’ve continued to take online classes at the local community college level to sharpen my skills or learn something new. You never know when the next opportunity might be around the corner.