My Guide to Job Hunting: Find Mentors and Maintain Relationships with Them

As I mentioned before, I'm so sorry to ignore any readers who have come here looking for advice and sympathies on being an unemployed librarian.  So I’ve prepared a series of posts to help guide you down your path of library job hunting. Be sure to check out my other posts in this series, Treat Job Hunting Like Your Job, Get Organized, Diversify Your Sources, and Update Your Cover Letter and Resume Daily.

Find mentors and maintain relationships with them

I’ve mentioned several times that I have wonderful mentors and that they served as excellent beacons of advice during my job applying days.  Have I mentioned that the sole reason I’m in the job I’m in now is because of my mentor? 

In late February, I responded to a post on my school’s listserv from a former professor of mine who was looking for some help with a consulting project she was working on a local hospital library.  I knew I didn’t want to be a medical librarian (ha!), but I needed the experience and the money, so I emailed her and told her I was interested.  Fast forward 3 months and I was interviewing for the medical librarian position.  All because of one of my mentors.  Several people had responded to the listserv posting, but she asked me (and my hospital librarian colleague) because she knew me and knew my work. 

Besides my special library mentor, my other mentors were my favorite professor, the director of my program (I was her grad/teaching assistant), and the librarian at the small library on campus where I was a graduate student employee for a year.  All them proofed my resume and cover letters multiple times, gave me interview tips, helped me through my nerves, and gave me countless hours of advice for job hunting and actually being a librarian.  They served as my references, and because I had such good relationships with them, I never worried that one of them wouldn’t show me in the best light.  I kept them informed of my progress and sought their opinions on numerous occasions. 

I still maintain those relationships.  Whenever I visit my library school’s campus, I make a point to try to schedule a quick meeting or a lunch and we have fairly regular correspondence by email.  By maintaining these relationships, I now count them as colleagues and look forward to discussing our jobs and trading anecdotes.  My relationship with my special library mentor is even better.  She stops by the hospital on occasion, we have lunch every few months or so, and she is my biggest source of help.  Whenever I have a question or a literature search that is extremely difficult, I turn to her first. 

I encourage you to find mentors at library school, your job, your local public library, anywhere!  You never know where a good mentor is going to appear.  Mentors should be more than sources for references and job advice.  They should be professional colleagues, even friends.  Someone to guide you on your path to being a better librarian and someone to help you through those tough moments. 

Do you have a mentor?  While I may not be the most experience librarian, I’m always willing to talk to aspiring and new librarians, so feel free to email me with questions or even just to chat.  My email is lizy1285 (at) gmail (dot) com. 

I hope you enjoyed this series.  Please feel free to leave comments or email me with any questions.  If there is a topic I missed or something you would like to see covered, please let me know!

My Guide to Job Hunting: Update Your Cover Letter and Resume Daily

As I mentioned before, I'm so sorry to ignore any readers who have come here looking for advice and sympathies on being an unemployed librarian.  So I’ve prepared a series of posts to help guide you down your path of library job hunting. Be sure to check out my other posts in this series, Treat Job Hunting Like Your Job, Get Organized, and Diversify Your Sources.

Update your cover letter and resume daily 

It goes without saying (but I’m going to say it anyway!) that you should tailor your cover letter for each job you apply for.  Not only should you make sure you have the correct name, address, and job title in the letter, but you should also be using the job description to write your letter.  If the job description asks for energetic, enthusiastic librarians with Web 2.0 skills and outreach experience, your cover letter should demonstrate how you meet these qualifications.  The point of a cover letter is to highlight your resume and make you stand out in a crowd.  A cover letter is not the time to be modest!  Outside of an interview, this is your only opportunity to let the search committee know how amazingly suited you are for the job.  And all of it should be done in one page.  That’s a lot to ask I know, but a good cover letter can mean (and mostly likely will) getting the interview over another candidate.  Look for a post on writing good cover letters soon.

A lot of job searchers craft their resume, have a friend or colleague proofread it, and call it day.  That is not enough!  You should tweak, fix, edit, proof, etc your resume every day.  Working on your resume is a great thing to do during the time you’ve set aside each day for job hunting, especially if it’s a day with no applications to complete.  There are a number of resume writing resources out there, so I’m not going to spend time telling you what should and shouldn’t be on your resume.  Hopefully, you should know that.  And if you don’t, email me and we’ll work on it.

A resume is a lot like a cover letter.  It should highlight your abilities, skills, and education.  It should make you look like a star applicant.  While it should never lie or stretch the truth, your resume should make you look like a rock star.  Your resume should show the search committee that you have the education, experience, and skills to do the job they want you to do.  Which is why you should tailor your resume to suit the job.  I’m not saying you should rewrite your resume for every job you apply for, but you should have several different versions.  For example, I had a version for academic libraries with an instruction focus, academic libraries with an outreach focus, for public libraries, etc.  They all had basically the same information on it, but I would move different things towards the top of my list, or add more or less details on certain jobs or skills depending on the type of job and the description. 

Example: Say I’m fresh out of library school and applying for a reference and instruction position at a small academic library.  The first thing I would list is my reference internship and I would give details that emphasized the time I spent sitting at the desk, assisting with instruction classes, and building LibGuides.  I would then progress down my list spotlighting any true reference work and any teaching experience.  Second example: This job application is for a public library reference position.  The first thing I would list would be my internship, but I would change the description to focus more on the reference side and dealing with all types of patrons.  I would also mention something about working with collection development if that was part of the job description.  The next job I would list would be my job as a manager in a bookstore because there I worked with the public, managed employees, did training, etc.  See what I’m doing here?  Your resume should read like a work history yes, but it should also state why your previous experience makes you such a good candidate for this job. 

Coming Wednesday: Find mentors and maintain relationships with them

When was the last time you updated your resume?  Do you write a new cover letter for every job?

My Guide to Job Hunting: Diversify Your Sources

As I mentioned before, I'm so sorry to ignore any readers who have come here looking for advice and sympathies on being an unemployed librarian.  So I’ve prepared a series of posts to help guide you down your path of library job hunting. If you missed anything, check out part one, treat job hunting like your job, and part two, get organized. 

Diversify your sources

I’ve posted about my top 5 job sites (or sources), but obviously there are others.  The source I used the most and found to be the most helpful was the University of Texas’s iSchool Job Board.  I got the emails (actually I still do) and printed out every job that looked like something I would be interested in.  Other sources that I used, besides the ones on the list, include LibGig, the LIBJOBS listserv (run by IFLA), LibJobs.com, Library Journal JobZone, Higher Ed Jobs, and LISJobs.

The reason I subscribed and checked so many sources is because not every job gets posted all over the internet.  For example, all of the jobs on ALA’s JobList will end up in a Texas iSchool email, but not the other way around.  My job as a medical librarian at a community hospital was posted in our local paper (a great source for corporate/special libraries where the people doing the hiring aren’t librarians), and then later, on LibGig and MEDLIB, but not on any other site.  So even though you may be seeing a lot of the same jobs being posted, you never know when you are going to run across something unique. 

It’s also a good idea to check with local libraries.  The branch libraries in my city have been hiring, but the jobs don’t get posted to national lists.  They occasionally end up on the local library school listserv, but the posting is mainly confined to the library’s web page.  So if you are interested in working in a specific area, check out the libraries’ web sites.  The same goes for academic institutions, especially small and community colleges.

Coming Tuesday: Update your Resume and Cover Letter

What sources am I missing?  What are your favorite sites to look for jobs?

My Guide to Job Hunting: Get Organized

As I mentioned before, I'm so sorry to ignore any readers who have come here looking for advice and sympathies on being an unemployed librarian.  So I’ve prepared a series of posts to help guide you down your path of library job hunting. If you missed part one, you can find it here.

Get organized

I can be very organized and compulsive when it comes to certain areas of my life, and job hunting was definitely one of them.  I work better with a set schedule, to-do list, and deadline so I set up the process described above to suit my personal needs.  Obviously, most of you aren’t as obsessive as I am, so you’ll want to set your schedule up to suit your needs. 

I established three ways of keeping track of the paperwork job hunting generates.  The first was a job hunting binder to help me keep track of all the job postings I came across.  I used a 2 inch three ring binder and 4 dividers, labeled according to job type: academic, public, special, applied for.  I printed off every posting I found that I thought I might possibly apply for (I know, a huge waste of paper, but necessary for me), and wrote the application date on it.  I then highlighted the date according to priority (immediate, open until filled) and arranged them in the binder in the correct category, according to their priority level.  After I applied for the job, I wrote the date I applied at the top and stored it in the last section “applied for”, organized by date.  When I followed up on the a job or heard back from the job in any way, I also marked that on the job description. 

The second way I stayed organized was by establishing a flash drive just for job hunting purposes.  I only stored job-related documents on the drive.  That way I could carry it around and use it on different computers without having to email myself all sorts of documents.  On that drive is the cover letter for every job I applied to, and probably 5 or 6 different versions of my resume (another post coming soon to explain why I think you need multiple versions of your resume).  I saved all working files as word documents and finished documents (ones that had been attached to a job application) in a PDF.  Now, I’m a little obsessed with folders on a drive so I had folders that mimicked the sections in my binder.  I found that helpful because when I was following up or needed to reference something, I could easily locate the correct cover letter/resume.  I know a lot of people don’t save all their cover letters and may find this excessive, but again, this is what worked for me and kept me sane through all of this.

The third and last way I maintained organization was an Excel spreadsheet.  I know next to nothing about Excel, but I am capable of setting up a simple spreadsheet to help me keep track of all the jobs I applied to.  I liked to think of the binder as way to keep track of all the job postings for jobs I wanted to apply for and the spreadsheet to keep track of all the jobs I applied for.  My headings were simple and included things like the name of the institution, what sort of place it was (public, academic, special), where the job was, what kind of librarian they were looking for, the date of the application deadline AND the date I applied, whether it was an electronic application, an email application, or a print and mail one, if I had followed up, the date of the follow up, if I had received any correspondence from the library and what kind, and if I received a phone or in-person interview.  Obviously, this was a huge spreadsheet, so I never printed it out, but I used it to keep track of how my job application was progressing.

Coming Monday: Diversify Your Sources

How do you stay organized in your job hunting?  Is my method to OCD for you? :)

My Guide to Job Hunting: Treat Job Hunting Like Your Job

As I mentioned before, I'm so sorry to ignore any readers who have come here looking for advice and sympathies on being an unemployed librarian.  So I’ve prepared a series of posts to help guide you down your path of library job hunting. 

Even before my 5 month stint as an unemployed librarian, I was a serious job hunter.  I started job hunting the September before I graduated library school in December.  So I easily clocked in at 8 months of serious job hunting before I lucked out with my current job.  Thus, I consider myself fairly experienced in the realm of library job hunting.  I am by no means an expert, so this serves as a disclaimer that what worked for me may not work for you.  But I hope it at least helps. 

Somewhere along the line (sometime before graduation) I developed a daily routine or a process for job hunting.  I had several mentors in library school, ranging from professors to practicing librarians to the director of my program, and all of them provided me with job hunting advice and taught me great skills.  I sort of meshed all these skills together and created my own process/routine/guideline/whatever you want to call it.  There are five parts in my process, and beginning today, I will share this guide with you.

Treat job hunting like your job

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got before library school graduation was treat job hunting like a job.  What my awesome mentor meant by that was you should set aside time every day to job hunt; create a work-like environment (see “get organized” below) and sit down and do nothing but job hunt.  Go somewhere else other than your home if you need to further that “going to work” mentality.  Don’t answer the phone, surf the internet, check facebook, or do any of those unproductive things that limit how much we actually get done.  You should devote several hours each day where you do nothing but look for jobs, apply for jobs, and work on your resume(s) and cover letters.

I had a routine during my unemployment.  After breakfast, I would get dressed (because I don’t know about you, but I’m not very productive when I’m in my pajamas) and do the usually morning piddling on the internet (blogging, facebooking, email checking).  After that I would set a time limit (usually two hours) where I job hunted.  I made myself to apply for at least four jobs every day.  If I ran out of jobs to apply for, I worked on my resume, emailed potential contacts or followed up on previous applications, and continued to look for more jobs.  If I didn’t finish all 4 applications in the two hours, then I would go back later in the day and finish them up. 

Clearly this takes discipline and motivation, but if you think of job hunting as your only job until you find a real one, I find the motivation isn’t too hard to come by.

Coming tomorrow: Get Organized

What do you think about this?  Do you have a routine that helps you stay focused on job hunting?

It’s Time to Ask the Readers!

The other day I was checking my stats (I have a love/hate relationship with mine) and looked to see what keywords people were using to find my blog on search engines. It surprised me that the number one key word search that brings people to this blog is "unemployed librarian".

Honestly, that shouldn't surprise me because this blog was originally entitled The Adventures of an Unemployed Librarian and the URL still reflects that. But sometimes I forget (and/or get caught up in other things) about all the unemployed librarians out there. So I apologize! But never fear, I will try not to neglect you again.

I have shared a few things fairly recently about job hunting and the state of the library economy (you can find those here and here). You can also read more about those topics and my personal experiences in the "Job Hunting" category. But it's been a while since I've given any real advice.

I have a post planned for later today on my personal process for job hunting, but what I really want is your opinion. As far as job hunting goes, what would you like to read about? Resume tips? Interview skills? Life as a full time librarian? (If you are interested in the latter, you can check out my posts about medical librarianship at Closed Stacks.)

What can I write about to help you/ease your fears/convince you stay in the profession?

Let me know in the comments or send me an email (lizy1285 {at} gmail {dot} com). I will also be asking this question several times on Twitter tomorrow so, if you don't already, follow @LibrarianLizy and answer there.

The 5 Best Places to Look for Library Jobs

Just because I'm employed now doesn't mean I've forgotten what it was like hunting (and hunting) for a job.  I've given some advice and shared some of things I learned through my process.  Today, I thought I would share (what I think are) the five best places to look for jobs.

1. ALA JobList  - A lot of libraries only post here, so this should be your first stop.  If you are going to mid-winter or annual conference in hopes of finding a job, ALA provides an icon to let you know which libraries will be present.  You can also follow them on Twitter @ALA_JobLIST.

2. UT School of Information JobWeb - This was my favorite source of listings. You can sign up to get emails several times a week and the listings here are very complete.  A lot of the jobs are in Texas, especially media specialists and public libraries, but they also have plenty of jobs outside the state as well.  They also post newly opened jobs quickly which sometimes doesn't happen with other sites.  This is also a good source if you are looking for a more technical library job, like in metadata, web design, etc.  If you aren't getting their emails and you're job hunting, you are missing out.

3. The Chronicle of Higher Education - This is a good place to go for jobs in academic libraries.  You can create a profile that allows you to save the postings you like and even apply through them. 

4. Your specialty's list-serv - Most specialties have at least one list-serv where people in that field stay on top of the latest information.  At lot of the times jobs are listed here first before they get posted to the bigger places.  I would highly recommend subscribing to at least one of the list-servs in your area of specialization and following it everyday.  You never know what you're going to find.

5. Local sources - Local sources can be your library school (I get plenty of job postings through my school's list-serv), local job boards, and your local newspaper.  The job I currently have wasn't posted anywhere but on MEDLIB (which is the medical library's list-serv) and in the local paper.  I didn't read MEDLIB until I started working part time and I never checked the paper.  I just didn't think a library would post a job in the paper.  As it turns out the job was posted in the paper because it wasn't posted by a librarian, but by an administrator who didn't know all the excellent sources for library job listings online.  It was only posted on the list-serv because someone local found it and posted it.  So if you are looking for a special librarian position, check local sources because those are the places non-librarians are going to put them. 

I know there are tons of other sources out there, but these are what I consider the top 5.  What's your favorite library job resource?

I Am No Longer the Unemployed Librarian

Tuesday I posted that I had a job interview. Yesterday, while I was at work, the HR department called and offered me the full-time librarian position at the hospital I am currently working at. I am super excited about this job. It's nothing I ever expected, but I'm excited about all the prospects it presents and all the changes I hope to make. I start full-time a week from Monday after a brief orientation to learn about my benefits and all that fun stuff.

Working full-time comes with it a whole slew of new questions and problems including moving. Right now, I've decided to focus on work and settling in to my new job for two months. Then in July, we will revisit the topic and make some decisions. My parents would like me to buy a house since interest rates are low and it is a buyer's market. I have some money saved, but there are other budget issues to settle first (like having an emergency fund) before I can work on saving towards a down payment. I know the right solution to rent or to buy will present itself in due time.

I'm so excited to have finally found a job. Especially one that I like. It's been a long haul, but I'm satisfied with the results. To all those unemployed librarians out there, keep job searching! Don't get discouraged. You will find a job; it make take lots of time but stay positive. Network all you can (that's how I got the part-time job that led to full-time work) and don't be afraid to take something part time or below your pay grade. You never know what it could turn into!

I had a Job Interview Yesterday

Oh yes, I did. I had my first face-to-face interview since January. How did it go, you ask? It went quite nicely if I do say so myself. I was able to answer all the questions, asked some questions of my own, and didn't sweat off my makeup (it was really hot in there). When I asked the interviewer what she was looking for in a librarian, she said someone exactly like me. I took that as a good sign.

What's the job? It's the permanent librarian position at the hospital library I currently work at. Yes, my friends, I am working on being a medical librarian. Two months ago I was gung-ho about academic reference and hopefully being the collection development specialist for history. Not that I don't want that sort of job any more, I do, but this job is turning out to suit me perfectly.

I get to run the show (which is always good for type-A personalities) and really get to know my patrons. That's the biggest attraction to this job; the idea of knowing my patrons when they walk through the door or call and ask for an article. I think in a special library that's very important so I'm super excited about that prospect.

I have a ton of ideas for the library and many of them my would-be supervisor seems enthusiastic about. They are looking to make changes in the library and in medical education and want someone young, eager, passionate about librarianship to do the job. I just really really hope that person is me.

Hopefully, I'll hear something soon! I'll keep you posted!