There is so much literature out there already on how to write job applications (namely cover letters and resumes) that I wasn’t sure I was going to write this post, but based on the job applications that I was looking over, I’m almost amazed at how many glaring errors people still make. Continue reading “Yet Another Tips Post on Job Applications”
Tag: jobs
Applying for Jobs is a Job in Itself, seriously.
I’m probably preaching to the choir here, but I am still amazed at the number of students, especially in library school that do not understand that applying for jobs is hard work and might as well be a part time job. So much of this will sound redundant or obvious to those who know what they’re doing, but I have been asked by a few people before what I’m doing to get jobs, so here are all my “secrets” spilled. Continue reading “Applying for Jobs is a Job in Itself, seriously.”
The Whirlwind of Getting and Starting a New Job
I got a job! Mind you, it’s a contract and not a permanent job, but I think any new graduate will agree that even that is a feat when looking only within Canada, and being at least somewhat particular about what job to accept. In light of the whole process, I thought I would reflect a little on various aspects of getting and starting a job.
Prioritizing
I think it’s important for every person to decide on what they want in a job before applying to everything. Totally common sense I’m sure, but strangely for me, it took some time to really figure out what I wanted in terms of:
- type of position – willing to take anything? including non-professional positions?
- location – willing to move? what regions? urban or rural?
- type of organization – libraries only or other information organizations?
- salary – is there a minimum amount?
I’ll not spend time on the application and interview parts of the process as I’ve covered them before in other posts. I will only say that while it’s important to be flexible, you might think about whether you’re willing to spend money on flying somewhere if the organization will not pay for you.
My Interview
My interview was a particularly interesting situation as due to the available times, I ended up doing my interview after a 10-hour flight which I was sick on, 1-hour train ride, 20-minutes car ride, and a few hours to prepare and feel better. We also had a couple of technical difficulties, but I took them in stride (always have a back up plan!) as well as I could.
I also got asked a lot of questions about things that I honestly just did not know about. JAZZ? REST? Huh? Others I knew, but had absolutely no experience in, like AJAX, ColdFusion. I admitted to being unfamiliar with them and tried to emphasize that I am willing to learn (though I felt like a little bit of a broken record by the time I was done). Still, I think the important lesson is not to be daunted by the questions, since the questions are asked of all the interviewees.
Negotiating a Contract
As a new graduate, I was very nervous about negotiating my first professional contract. Thankfully, I had just finished my management class, so I took the advice of my instructor and inquired about:
- benefits
- relocation
- vacation/sick leave
- professional development
- higher than minimum salary by considering my student work
Some things were a simple ‘no’ as mine is a contract and not a permanent position, but then I would never have known without asking. I think the last is especially important since many graduates may think that their work as a student will not count towards their salary, and while at some organizations it may not get the same level of consideration, that does not mean it will not be considered at all.
Starting a New Job
It’s important to know where you’re going and what time you’re expected the first day (oh and knowing what to bring for HR form filling), but beyond that, I think it’s okay to just take your time getting into it. Certainly, I’ve been a little worried especially since there are various technical things to take care of, but thankfully, people seem very understanding of needing some time to settle in.
Getting a Job Also Means Not Always Taking a Job
So recently, many people I know (including myself) have been applying for jobs. Although it may be tempting as a new graduate to take any job that comes along (especially a permanent one), over the course of a couple of co-ops and student jobs, I began to realize that one of the most important aspects of a job is the work environment. This may seem obvious, but again, as a new graduate, most of us would be happy to even get an interview, let alone a hopes at a job.
Red Flags
Even as new graduates, I think we should have certain expectations and if something throws up a red flag, we should be careful. If something throws up two or three, remember to reconsider whether you would take the job.
Say you get an interview. Great, right? Well, yes… but then what if some worrisome things started popping up? If say it was a permanent position, I would expect a lot of libraries to fly someone in for a second stage in-person interview. If they’re not willing, you might look into why. Budget might be a reason in the current economic environment, but then you might also consider whether the job is worth paying hundreds of dollars for the interview.
How was the first interview? Did you get a good sense of how people were like? Did you like the way that they did it? Did you feel like you were wasting your time? If you get negative ‘vibe’, research more about the library, ask colleagues and friends if they know anything. Think about whether you would want to work there for a year, for five, for ten.
Prepare Your Own Questions
I think the easiest way to get a better feel is to ask your own questions at the end of the interview. Again, this sounds obvious, but some people do not seem to be willing to ask questions such as:
- How would you describe your management style?
- How would you describe the team dynamics?
- What do you like most about working for your organization?
- Is there anything that stands out as a benefit to working for your organization?
- etc.
I’ve asked these questions before myself and have gotten some pretty good answers from some and some vague ones from others. Vague isn’t always bad since it depends who your interviewers are, but on a panel, there should be at least one person who can properly answer each question.
Current Job Opportunities for System Librarians
For one of my management assignments, I decided to do a job analysis of the current job opportunities.
Purpose
Looking at the various aspects of the job postings to look at where and what opportunities are available as well as what is being looked for.
Methodology
Collected all systems related librarian positions which were primarily either systems or web services from September 1 to October 15. I collected 19 job postings and tallied the various aspects including skills and areas of knowledge required and preferred.
Results
The Basics
Jobs were primarily in academic libraries (17 of 19) and a majority were permanent full time (13). The job subareas and titles differ, but were generally broken down in this way:
| Systems & Technical Services | 2 |
| Systems | 8 |
| Web Services | 11 |
| User Experience | 1 |
Jobs were also generally in the East.
| Canada | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| West | 1 | West | 4 |
| Central | 1 | Central | 2 |
| East | 4 | East | 7 |
Finally of the salaries that were listed the average minimum of $49,000.
Education & Work Experience
No surprise that every single posting required: MLIS degree from ALA accredited school or equivalent.
Most required or preferred at least 2 years of experience, and preferred but did not usually required experience within the area of hiring.
Note that the “type” is an indication of whether the experience needs to be in the same type of library (e.g. academic library by posting from academic library).
Duties
Many positions included non-technical related duties. The top two:
- Reference – 37% (7)
- General/Student Instruction – 26% (5)
Technology Related Skills & Areas of Knowledge
As the majority of the positions were web services related, there was a bit of a bias towards skills that are web related, but generally for systems, I simply found that there were less specific technology requirements and it was also more diverse. The top technology related required skills & areas of knowledge:
- HTML/XHTML – 58% (11)
- Web Development/Design – 47% (9)
- CSS – 42% (8)
- Standards & Best Practices – 37% (7)
- Emerging Technologies, Trends, & Issues – 37% (7)
- Usability/User Experience – 32% (6)
- JavaScript – 26% (5)
As I said, the range was wide and included everything from server administration to proxy to analytics.
General Skills & Areas of Knowledge
What might (or might not) surprise people is that the top required skills and areas of knowledge were general in nature and not technology related.
- Communications & Interpersonal – 95% (18)
- Collaboration & Teamwork – 84% (16)
- Project Management, Planning & Organization – 68% (13)
- Problem Solving & Analysis – 58% (11)
- Work Independently – 47% (9)
- Leadership – 26% (5)
- Flexible & Creative – 26% (5)
If anything, I think this trend is encouraging for new graduates as it seems that “soft” skills are more important than the technology/technical skills which frankly, many of us just do not have the opportunity to learn in library school, but with some tech savvy would be more than willing and able to learn on the job.
Limitations
There are some obvious limitations to my analysis. For one, some job postings were no longer accessible as they were closed, which meant that they were not included. For my purposes, I also left out all management positions, such as AUL and director positions.
Another issue is that how qualifications were grouped was very subjective on my part, so may not have been consistent. For example, planning and organization was grouped with project management, but results would have been different if the three had been kept separate.
Possible Future Work
It would be interesting to see what the trends are in general rather than only looking at systems positions, but that would be a much larger effort.
Hopefully this information is useful for anyone else in North America interested in systems related jobs.