{"id":20871,"date":"2013-05-06T15:45:09","date_gmt":"2013-05-06T19:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=20871"},"modified":"2013-05-27T13:06:34","modified_gmt":"2013-05-27T17:06:34","slug":"tips-and-tricks-for-job-seekers-panel-discussion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=20871","title":{"rendered":"Tips and Tricks for Job Seekers Panel Discussion"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Rebekah Kati, Head Editor,<\/em> INALJ North Carolina<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Tips and Tricks for Job Seekers Panel Discussion<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"HPIM1534\"<\/a>The North Carolina Library Association hosted a \u201cTips and Tricks for Job Seekers\u201d<\/b> panel in late March.\u00a0 The panelists included Susie Corbett<\/b> from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Rusty Taylor<\/b> from the Wake County Public School System, Lisa Ruth<\/b> from North Carolina State University and Brandy Hamilton<\/b> from the Wake County Public Library System.\u00a0 Each panelist has experience hiring for their library.\u00a0 The panelists took questions from job seekers, including the questions below.<\/p>\n

***
\nDo you have any advice for a job applicant who would like to work in a library, but does not have any library experience?<\/b><\/p>\n

The panelists agreed that some experience is necessary to obtain a library job.\u00a0 This experience could be acquired through internships or volunteer work, although professional or paraprofessional library experience is preferable.\u00a0 Ruth advised the job seekers to work and\/or intern during library school.\u00a0 She also mentioned that interesting internships will catch her eye on a cover letter.<\/p>\n

Both Ruth and Corbett recommended that the candidate leverage the experience that they already have in the cover letter, even if that experience is not in a library.\u00a0 Skills such as retail, teaching or even hobbies might be transferable for the position.\u00a0 Taylor also emphasized the need for applicants to have some experience, but teaching experience is more important than library experience in a school library environment.<\/p>\n


\nWill employers consider paraprofessional work when assessing a candidate\u2019s professional library experience?<\/b><\/p>\n

The panelists concurred that the answer to this question will vary depending on the position and the particular library.\u00a0 Hamilton pointed out that many libraries, including the Wake County Public Library system, have strict experience requirements and will not consider a candidate if they do not have the required level of professional experience.\u00a0 For example, an applicant with no professional experience would qualify for a Librarian I position, but not a Librarian IV position.\u00a0 However, other libraries may assess paraprofessional experience in lieu of professional experience if it is relevant to the position.\u00a0 Taylor re-emphasized the importance of teaching experience and work with children in a school library environment and stated that this experience does not necessarily need to be in libraries.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What makes a candidate stand out in their application materials?<\/b><\/p>\n

Each panelist emphasized passion in their answer.\u00a0 Employers want to know that the applicant wants their job and not any job.\u00a0 Ruth explained that she looks for \u201cthe story of why you are perfect for the job.\u201d\u00a0 She also cautioned applicants to be specific in their cover letters.\u00a0 Search committees may not always connect the dots between a candidate\u2019s experience and the position requirements.\u00a0 Taylor mentioned that school libraries look favorably on candidates who are knowledgeable about instructional technology.\u00a0 All the panelists said that an applicant that meets the preferred skills for the position will also stand out.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Do employers prefer local candidates?<\/b><\/p>\n

Each panelist said that they are looking for the best candidate for the position and that many employers do not look at the applicant\u2019s location during an initial screening.\u00a0 Ruth mentioned that a non-local applicant may want to indicate a desire to move in their cover letter, since this could speak to the candidate\u2019s desire for the position and the area.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How do employers feel about applicants who are starting a second career?<\/b><\/p>\n

The panelists agreed that they look very favorably on second career librarians when screening applicants.\u00a0 Corbett said that second career applicants stand out to her, but she prefers that candidates be upfront about their career change in their cover letter.\u00a0 Ruth elaborated that candidates should say why a library career is the right fit for them in the cover letter.<\/p>\n

Hamilton closed the session by listing the following qualities that she looks for when screening applicants:\u00a0 engagement, energy, a good work ethic, flexibility, creativity, a good team player, knowledge of library trends, and a good sense of humor.\u00a0 She also mentioned that she looked favorably on candidates who sent thank you notes after the interview.\u00a0 The rest of the panel agreed with Hamilton\u2019s list and said that they would look for similar qualities in applicants to their libraries.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Rebekah Kati, Head Editor, INALJ North Carolina Tips and Tricks for Job Seekers Panel Discussion The North Carolina Library Association hosted a \u201cTips and Tricks for Job Seekers\u201d panel in late March.\u00a0 The panelists included Susie Corbett from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Rusty Taylor from the Wake County Public School System, Lisa Ruth…<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[69,3592,3627,4241,4242,4240,3952,111,4243],"class_list":["post-20871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","tag-article","tag-blog","tag-inalj-north-carolina","tag-job-seeers","tag-job-seeks-panel","tag-panel","tag-rebekah-kati","tag-tips","tag-tricks"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1WoMK-5qD","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20871\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}