Flexibility in job hunting means considering part-time positions by Crystal Bauer, INALJ Missouri A few months ago I was approaching graduation from my MLS program. As excited as I was at the prospect of graduating, in the back of my mind, I began dreading the job search within the library field. Having volunteered as an…
Not Feelin’ It: Tips for Improving Your Internship Experience by Josh Rimmer, Senior Editor We’ve all been there. When a job, an internship opportunity, or volunteer experience transpires to be something completely different than what we thought. Rather than developing negative thoughts, it’s best to turn the experience into a learning opportunity. It’s okay…
by Josh Rimmer, Senior Editor, INALJ Missouri, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana How to Avoid HR’s Wall of Shame. Job Application Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs (advice from non-library HR pros) Definitively not a prestigious accomplishment to include on your resume, but mistakes do happen. Did you come across an ideal job opportunity and…
by Angie Solis, Senior Assistant, INALJ Missouri Vampires and Treasure and Librarians! OH MY! This month I wanted to do something a little different and a little fun. In honor of the new TV show coming out in December on TNT called “The Librarians“, I thought I’d countdown my favorite librarians in pop culture. This list is in…
by Josh Rimmer, Senior Editor, INALJ Missouri, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana How to Tread the Waters of Uncertain Job Prospects to Stay Afloat and Keep Your Head Above Water. No matter the amount of articles written about job hunting, or the amount you have personally read. The job hunt affects all of us differently,…
by Angie Solis, Senior Assistant, INALJ Missouri The Real Netflix for Books Modern libraries are beginning to have more and more competition in the world. One of which is Amazon’s new Unlimited Service. What I’ve noticed is that there has been a ton of backlash from the library community in an attempt to preserve the traditional library and…
by Josh Rimmer, Senior Editor, INALJ Missouri, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana No Ouija Board Required! The Librarian Civil Service Exam While I have certainly tried it; however, I have yet to have my mechanical pencil hover over my ScanTron to deliver answers from another realm. Although maybe my lead breaking over the C bubble is…
by Josh Rimmer, Senior Editor, INALJ Missouri, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana Preparation, Preparation, Preparation, and…….Preparation. Preparing for a job interview is probably the least exciting of tasks to perform, but it should pay off in the long run, if you are diligent. When I think back to my first interview, I remember the mental…
by Angie Solis, Senior Assistant, INALJ Missouri Acing the job interview: Post-interview tips (pt 4 of 4) I hope that throughout this series you have learned at least one thing to help you through the interview process. Since we started on this journey we have talked about pre-interview prep, personal and professional interview prep and surviving the interview.…
by Angie Solis, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri Acing the job interview – Surviving the Interview (Part 3 of 4) In Part one and two we discussed pre-interview prep and personal and professional interview prep. Both these articles were written to get you to this day. The BIG day! INTERVIEW DAY! So now that we’ve made it here…
by Angie Solis, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri Acing the job interview – Personal and Professional Interview prep Part 2 of 4 Last time we talked about Pre-Interview Prep to be the best interviewee you can be. Now that we have mastered the skills to prepare for anything an interviewer is going to throw at you, it’s time…
Angie Solis, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri Acing the job interview – Part 1 of 4: Pre-Interview Prep Recently, searching for a job has brought me to really work on perfecting my interview skills. There is a lot of content online that may be maddening to search through and decipher. The whole interview process can be stressful, confusing, scary…
Angie Solis, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri So I’ve graduated library school… Now what? As I write this on the eve of my graduation from library school I find myself caught up in feelings of joy, fear, worry, happiness and relief. The feelings of elation come from the fact that I can stand up and proudly announce: “I have…
Angie Solis, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri My life as a procrastinator As my time as a graduate student comes to a close I have been reflecting on the last two years I have spent at Wayne State University learning the ins and outs of Library and Information Science. I have gained so much knowledge throughout these years, but…
Angie Solis, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri Pinterest for the Library and for Life In 2012 I attended a SEFLIN (Southeast Florida Library Information Network) conference and sat in on some very useful information sessions which included using Infographics, Prezi and Pinterest. While all these topics are nothing short of interesting and functional, I have come…
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri Are Librarians Taking over the World? Libraries are everywhere. I can’t think of one town that doesn’t have at the very least a public library. Schools also have libraries, colleges and universities have libraries, organizations like law firms and zoos have libraries. Hospitals have libraries; there are libraries…
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri Keep in Touch with Your References One of the most important parts of getting a job is your references. Usually prospective employers will wait until after the interview to call your references, but occasionally, they will call before. I just spoke with one of my references, Keith, and…
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri How Many Jobs Should You Apply For? I’ve been without a job for several months now. I had a student position while getting my MLS, and when I graduated, I lost my job. That’s just how student positions go. I was recently talking to a colleague and I…
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri How to Prepare (Now) for Your Future Dream Job So you have a professional goal or a dream job. The only problem is that you’re not qualified at this time for that job. Either you want to be a library director at a small public library or an…
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri Learn a Second Language and Improve Your Marketability! I took 3 years of Spanish in high school, and 2 years in college, I even went to Mexico for a week, but sadly, I cannot understand most native Spanish speakers. They just speak too fast and their words get…
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri What a job seeker wants to see in a job posting (An article to employers) I’ve been volunteering at INALJ since January of this year, and I’ve looked at thousands of job postings. Some of them are fantastically written and sadly, some of them could use a little…
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 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 Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri Knowing is Power: How I organize my job search As of June 23, 2013, I have applied for over 70 jobs and have had 15 interviews. How do I know all this? I keep a record of it. When I first started searching for jobs, I asked some…
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri I Can Start Working on That Day But, I’ll Need a Week Off for my Wedding (what to do when you know you’ll need time off before you ever start the job) You know you’re going to have to take off work for several days, or several weeks,…
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri Other duties as assigned? Almost every job description has this line. It’s usually near the bottom of the list of duties. It says “Other duties as assigned.” What does this mean? Well, pretty much whatever you and your employer agree that you should do. One thing I’ve learned…
by Tiffany Newton, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri Location, Location, Location Do you like horseback riding on thousand-acre ranches? Do you like living in the city so every night can be filled with different events, or do you like sitting on your front porch at night listening to the crickets? Do you like the beach? What…