by Ryan Nitz, former Head Editor, INALJ Alaska previously published 5/14/14 Professional Shadowing for Your Toolbox As part of a training program at work, I recently had the opportunity to spend a day shadowing someone in a leadership position in my organization. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it turned out to be one of the…
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska Maximize your effectiveness: Rein in overextending Aside from my career as a librarian, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time as a student of music. I’ve been fortunate to have worked with some brilliant pedagogues. One of the most important things I’ve learned on the journey so far is that overextending…
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska Accepting (And Maybe Even Seeking Out) Honest Feedback In my last blog post, “Job Hunter, Know Thyself,” I wrote about the MBTI personality inventory and how understanding your own personality a little better could be valuable in helping to identify opportunities that may represent a more natural fit than others. Well,…
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska Job Hunter, Know Thyself One of the more interesting and enlightening things that I’ve done recently is take the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). I had heard about the MBTI a few times, but never really thought much about it or its implications. For those of you who don’t already know,…
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska 3 Articles on Job Searching During the Holiday Season We’re all so busy during the holiday season, it can be tempting to take some time off from the job hunt to relax, catch up with friends and family, or simply to keep up with all the craziness. No…
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska Nobody Doesn’t Like a Candidate with Fundraising Knowledge Pretty much no matter where you look, libraries–like basically all other nonprofit organizations–are looking for ways to find more money. Whether they’re searching for special project money, general operating funds, or whatever, it’s not very likely that you’ll run across…
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska Unplug and Recharge As a result of the recent government shutdown, I’ve had the opportunity to step away from technology throughout the day a bit more than I usually would. I’ve noticed that not having to be in front of a screen for a significant part of the…
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska The Power of Organization I recently attended a meeting of FLIP, the Future Library and Information Professionals at the University of Alaska Anchorage, to visit and share with the group about what I do as a contributor here on INALJ. It was a great experience and a lot…
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska So you’re not the prospective employer’s first choice–do you care? You persevered through the job search slog, and at long last you get a call from a prospective employer asking for an interview. The interview day arrives and clearly you nailed it. You feel great. A week or…
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska Career Sustainability Monique Valcour over at Harvard Business Review recently wrote a piece entitled Craft a Sustainable Career. This is a thought-provoking read and one that provides a great framework for analyzing the way in which you think about your career. And in terms of sustainability, we’re not…
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska Soon-to-be grads: have you considered an internship? One of the most frustrating aspects of being a recent graduate in any field is the how-do-I-get-a-job-without-experience-but-how-do-I-get-experience-without-a-job conundrum. Well, if you’re still in your LIS program (not that it’s impossible to do an internship outside of school, but it’s harder and…
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska eSociety: a new undergraduate program of study My alma mater, The University of Arizona, has introduced a new undergraduate program of study (major or minor) that could be of interest to those planning for a career in libraries and information centers. The program, called eSociety, will live in…
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska The 3 Ps of Federal Job Hunting Are you considering federal librarianship in your job search? Working for a federal agency is challenging in many ways, but correspondingly rewarding. Whether you’re primarily interested in the public service aspect, the opportunities to transfer and relocate, or the wide range…
by Ryan Nitz, Head Editor, INALJ Alaska Work You Can’t Not Do? Since most people reading this are in the LIS field, I feel like it’s pretty safe to assume that we share a fascination with information and learning. TED talks are one of my favorite ways to come across new information, ideas, and perspectives.…