The library job hunt, that is.
I’m not job hunting these days; I begin my work as a library assistant with a Braille and talking book library next week and couldn’t be more thrilled. A couple of months ago, though, before that opportunity presented itself and with graduation quickly approaching, I embarked on my first serious job search in quite a while.
I’m not going to write a “library job search how to” post-there are plenty of those out there, written by those with more experience and authority on the topic- but, in my initial efforts to secure employment in the LIS field, I have discovered some resources that I’d like to share.
A quick Google search reveals what I found to be the most comprehensive collections of tips and tools for the library job seeker: LIScareer.com, LISJobs.com and ALAJoblist. All three sites offer career development resources for information professionals; topics addressed include resume writing, interviewing, and professional development. The sites also offer access to job postings. ALAJoblist users, for example, can create and save search criteria and have search results delivered via e-mail or RSS.
When I created the website on which this blog is housed, I did a lot of online searching related to the organization of electronic portfolios. One of my favorite discoveries was What Not to Do When Applying for Library Jobs. In this June 2009 In The Library with the Lead Pipe post, the authors offer practical advice based on their experiences as interviewers and applicants.
I’ve also discovered that, while the job listings offered by the three library career sites listed above are helpful, I prefer a different approach. I like the Google-style interface and search refinement offered by the Indeed.com job search engine, which also gives users the ability to save searches and receive results via RSS or e-mail. Speaking of RSS, the LibGig feeds send several new announcements to my reader each day, and it’s my sense that theirs is the most current and comprehensive collection of opportunities in the LIS field.
While aggregators are great and helpful, I also prefer to go straight to the source by viewing employment opportunities on the websites of organizations in which I am interested. When exploring library work at community colleges, I checked the Alabama Commission on Higher Education’s employment opportunities page and the employment opportunities page of each institution listed in the Commission’s index of two-year public institutions. When searching for jobs in public library systems, I looked for job vacancies posted by the Alabama Public Library Service, but I also looked for vacancies posted on the website of each library listed on the APLS website. This process was made less onerous by the use of- you guessed it-RSS. When a site offered a feed I subscribed to it and when it didn’t I created one with Page2RSS or Feed43. I directed the feeds to the “Jobs” folder of my RSS reader and read them when I had the time (and volition- job searching is hard!) to do so.
While I’m hoping to not search for a job again anytime soon, I know that the tips and tricks offered here and on the library career sites referenced above will help me when the time comes. I hope my friends and colleagues find them useful, too.
Happy hunting.
LINKS IN THIS POST
