by Kiersten Bryant, former Head Editor, INALJ California previously published 7/2/13 The 1-2-3 Method for Building-Up Your Online Presence I’m still a relative newbie to using social media to create an online presence to gain recognition from employers and influencers. I know that it’s very important in the job hunt these days to have an…
by Courtney Baron, former Head Editor, INALJ Georgia formerly published 7/26/13 I Found my Dream Job but I’m Not Qualified Sound familiar? As Head Editor of the INALJ Georgia page, I post jobs in the LIS field on a daily basis. Of course, many catch my eye. It can be difficult to see these amazing…
by Lisa Huntsha, Head Editor, INALJ Sweden previously published on 6/19/13 How Volunteering may actually be Hurting your Job Hunt If you’re job hunting, undoubtedly countless people have suggested that you spend some time volunteering. This can, of course, be beneficial for a several reasons: You can get your foot in the door at a…
by Elinor Crosby, Head Editor, INALJ Nova Scotia previously published 6/10/13 So You Have Blue Hair Or maybe you have fully tattooed arms, or a labret or septum piercing or stretched ears. Can you still get a job looking the way that you prefer to look? I feel that the answer is a resounding yes.…
by Julie Watson, former Head Editor, INALJ Pennsylvania previously published 6/11/13 Soft Skills = Success: 5 Ways to Manage Your Emotions During the Job Hunt This is the fourth in a series of articles on soft skills. Job hunting is a stressful time – the effort you put into applications, the uncertainty of not-knowing when/if…
by Julie Watson, former Head Editor, INALJ Pennsylvania Soft Skills = Success: Self-Awareness This is the second in a series of articles on soft skills. Employers are looking for soft skills in their in prospective employees and having these skills often makes the difference between who can do a job and who gets a job. Since…
by Nena Schvaneveldt, Head Editor, INALJ Utah (previously published 7/31/13) How I recovered from being fired My last blog post brought a lot of feedback. Most of it told me what I suspected: I wasn’t alone in having been fired. I know the questions I had were similar to the ones others had, so I…
by Sarah Porter, Head Editor, INALJ California Supplemental Questions: Pros & Cons Currently, I am procrastinating answering supplemental questions on a job application, by writing a blog about supplemental questions. If you are anything like me, then you are probably procrastinating by reading this blog when you should be answering supplemental questions. After reading this,…
by Jill Olsen, Head Editor, INALJ Nevada My Friend Is Interested in Becoming a Librarian, Can You Talk to Them? I seem to be getting this question a lot lately so I thought I would put it out here and talk about my recommendations to someone who is thinking about becoming a Librarian. I’d love to…
by Amanda Viana , Head Editor , INALJ Massachusetts . . . Founders’ Day : what library outreach can look like Every community has its own unique events that bring people together. In the town where I work, the Founders’ Day Picnic is one of those events. Organized by the town’s Recreation Department (all volunteers), Founders’…
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri How to apply for a job: resume and cover letter advice I’d assumed that anyone with a bachelor degree knows how to apply for jobs, but I was surprised by how many graduating students asked me for help at the reference desk at an academic library. Usually when…
by Matthew Tansek, Head Editor, INALJ Rhode Island Some Thoughts as a Novice Researcher at a New Job One thing that can be hard to do once you get settled into any new job, is find avenues of research. Perhaps those fresh from college, with professors words still ringing in their ears will jump onto…
by Sara Dixon, Head Editor, INALJ Kansas Prepping for the Job Interview For this blog post, I want to share some ways that I prepare for job interviews. I’m told that I prepare too much sometimes, but I just feel more comfortable the more that I prepare. The one thing I try to remember, and…
by Emily Guier, Head Editor, INALJ Wyoming INALJ Book Club I recently moved to a new town, and in doing so, left my established book club in Laramie. I’m going through book club withdrawal and have subsequently been brainstorming different book club scenarios I could create in my new town. That got me thinking about…
by Shayna Monnens, Head Editor, INALJ South Dakota Spotted the Perfect Job? So Did Your Friend – The SAME Perfect Job This is it. You are at the stage where you are looking at open positions. Your head is 100% in the game. You have scoured the job market. The market is plumb for the…
by Courtney Butler, Head Editor, INALJ Idaho Positively Pleasant While I have my share of awful, grumpy days (and I don’t think anyone would refer to me as one of those “always happy” people), I make a strong, concerted effort to always be a positive, optimistic force in the workplace. I do this for a…
by Ashley Crace, Head Editor, INALJ West Virginia What are your Weaknesses? When I practiced for job interviews, I used notecards with common interview questions, gathered from varied sources. I started doing this on recommendation from a friend and it worked well for me. I felt more prepared and articulate in the actual interview. One…
by Kristen Jaques, Head Editor, INALJ Maine What I Gained from Living and Working in a Small Town From the moment I relocated to Simmons College in Boston for library school, I took right to city life and imagined that from then on, I would always work and live in the city. When I graduated…
This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions by Sandra Hoyer, Head Editor, INALJ Washington Being Daring as a Librarian: Nadia Pazolis-Gabriel on Creating Opportunities for Oneself I had the pleasure of meeting Nadia Pazolis-Gabriel during a brief, but exciting, time volunteering with…
by Amanda May, Head Editor, INALJ North Dakota Job Searching Tips for Introverts If you are an introvert, like me, you may not be the biggest fan of social interactions. If I had to choose between a large group meeting and going to the dentist, I would probably choose to go to the dentist. Nonetheless,…
by Marlena Barber, Head Editor, INALJ Tennessee References upon Request When I was in undergrad, my advisor recommended adding “References upon Request” to the end of our resumes. In between that time and graduating with my MLIS, that common practice had changed. Internship and full time positions frequently come with online applications and ask for…
by Nicole Usiondek, Head Editor, INALJ Michigan Teamwork Not too long ago I wrote a blog on the seminar I attended that focused on work style preferences. The seminar was very insightful and was followed by a second seminar on effective teamwork strategies. In every work place scenario, teamwork comes into play some way or…
by Shelley Macon, Head Editor, INALJ Florida Rejected Two months ago I tentatively dipped my toe in the job market. I applied for a job. So, now it has been two months and I haven’t heard anything from the employer. No call. No email. Nothing. Now I know I shouldn’t take it personally. In fact, several…
by Alexis Stapp, Head Editor, INALJ Minnesota Best Regional Job sites As a seasoned job hunter, you probably have some key websites you check daily for jobs, and/or subscribe to RSS feeds and are on various listservs. INALJ is one of them, obviously!, but the ALA JobList makes the cut, too, I’m sure. Perhaps the…
by Yandee Vazquez, Head Editor, INALJ Texas Picking up a new language: Helpful tools for developing a new skill As an individual applying for jobs in Texas, one of the more common preferred skills I see in job descriptions is the ability to speak at least some Spanish. Other states along the border probably ask…
by Rebecca Crago, Head Editor, INALJ Virginia How to Deliver Great Customer Service: Lessons from an ALA Webinar As a newbie to public libraries, I was thrilled to participate in an ALA sponsored webinar on delivering great customer service a few weeks ago. While the session wasn’t taught by a librarian, the overall points discussed,…
Sarah Parramore, Head Editor, INALJ Middle East/Arabian Gulf Spotlight on Libraries-Thailand What is it? The Neilson Hays Library and Galleries www.neilsonhayslibrary.com Where is it? 195 Surawong Road, Bangkok, Thailand Why should you visit? This library houses one of the largest collection of English language materials in Thailand and features local artists in their domed…
by Kate Kosturski, Head Editor, INALJ New York State New Librarianship Master Class: What IS a Librarian? What is a Library? This month, I am participating in the Syracuse University iSchool’s New Librarianship Master Class. I’m just finishing up the first week of classes, which will set the precedent for the rest of the course.…
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri Why I became a librarian My interest in libraries started when I was very young. Some of my first memories are about me reading books (or at least looking at the pictures) at my local library. I still remember my library card number. We didn’t have actual cards,…
by Lisa Huntsha, Head Editor, INALJ Sweden Being an Advocate for the Profession Almost every time I meet a new person and they ask what I do for a living, I am met with the same confused face when I answer: “I’m an archivist.” Then there is a brief moment of awkward silence when I realize…
by Renee Holden, Head Editor, INALJ Nebraska Dystopian Future: YA Book Recommendations I have had a lot of teens come to the reference desk recently saying that they want to read something similar to the Hunger Games. When I ask them what they liked about the book they always say that they would love to…
by Duda Trickovic, Head Editor, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick Portable apps Portable Applications (http://portableapps.com/) is free app that lets you carry your favorite applications with you on an USB drive or Cloud drive, and use on any computer. For example, with the portable Firefox browser, you have all your settings and bookmarks with…
by Brad McNally, Head Editor, INALJ Ohio Defining Success There is something funny about the word successful – it is completely subjective. It is something everyone wants in life, but getting there is a source of a lot of frustration for many people. For some people, success is about having the most physical things: a…
by Claire Schmieder, Head Editor, INALJ New Jersey Adjusting the Sails: Managing Temporary Disruptions in My Job Search I have two elementary-aged sons, who, until a few weeks ago, were busy all day at school. Now, they are home for summer. Yikes! I was able to stay at home with them (for the most part)…
by Africa Hands, Head Editor, INALJ Kentucky Tips on Open Access Writing & Publishing Last month, I wrote about the 4 P’s of writing and publishing as described by Beth Evans during a NMRT webinar. For this month’s post, I continue the conversation this time looking at Maura Smale’s discussion open access publishing. Maura Smale,…
Jennifer Crutchfield, Head Editor, INALJ Connecticut My Top 5 historical places to visit in Hartford, CT It’s the time of year when many families are looking for exciting and educational places to visit. Because of this, I wanted to explore my top five places I love to visit in Hartford. The Connecticut Historical Society is…
by Caitlin Moen, Head Editor, INALJ Louisiana Know a Good Thing I’ve wanted to be a librarian for a long time. I’ve wanted to work in an academic library for a long time as well. I’m open to different duties and roles, but constrained by location because of my family. I had a position that…
by Caitlin Bailey, MLIS Rare books; not just for dusty people I started out trying to write a post about why I like rare books. Then I realized it was just as long-winded and wordy as the rare book blogs that I dislike and go out of my way not to imitate on my own…
by Diana La Femina, Head Editor, INALJ South Carolina Keeping Track of Your Accomplishments I’m learning a lot in my current administrative position, and not necessarily what I thought I’d be learning. It’s exhausting (I’m either traveling to or at work 14 hours out of the day) and I find the position really uncomfortable, but…
Dillon Wackerman, Assistant Editor, INALJ Illinois 4 ways to answer, do you have any questions for us? In any interview format – phone, video chat or in-person – the interviewers will eventually (or hopefully) ask the interviewee: do you have any questions for us? For the interviewee, asking relevant and pertinent questions can show not…