Soon-to-be-grads are starting to look for jobs, and many who’d targeted public or academic jobs are finding few opportunities. They are, however, finding other jobs that could make use of their skills. If they take these non-traditional-library jobs, will they damage their ability to land future jobs in traditional libraries should those jobs open up?
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To paraphrase the oh-so-elegant Babe Paley, you can never be too rich or have too many terrific books on LIS career options. Two of the best ones on alternative LIS paths are A Day in the Life: Career Options in Library and Information Science (Priscilla K. Shontz and Richard Murray, Libraries Unlimited, 2007) and What’s the Alternative? Career Options for Librarians and Info Pros (Rachel Singer Gordon, Information Today, 2008).
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Recently I’ve had several conversations with friends, colleagues, and a couple of nieces and nephews who’ve made it to the final cut of a job candidacy, only to learn, after several rounds of interviews, that the other applicant was hired. Their reactions have understandably ranged from disappointment to frustration to resignation (okay, with a couple of double scotches mixed in).
But even though these reactions make complete sense, they’re not likely to help advance friends and family members toward their ultimate goal of landing that great job. Instead, here’s the approach I recommended they consider:
Ah, where was I before all hell broke loose, which is another way of saying before I started teaching this past fall? The double whammy of teaching my alternative LIS careers course for the University of Denver and then the holidays means that it’s been an embarrassingly long time since I last posted.
Perfect timing for a New Year’s resolution to be a more diligent blogger, yes? Maybe, maybe not.
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Creating a dynamic career is often a mix of good luck, hard work, and an ability to position yourself smack in the middle of the “path of opportunity” – that spot where cool new things are happening, and someone needs to take charge. If that’s where you’d like to be, consider the following four actions to get things moving: