A Checklist for Career Strategies and Job-Seeking

By Antje Mays (Coordinator of Collection Development, University of Kentucky Libraries) <antjemays@uky.edu>

Career Planning as Framework for Job-Seeking

Are you starting your career and looking for your first job? Are you an experienced professional pondering your next career move? Successful job searches draw from longrange career planning in addition to the immediate focus of navigating specific job searches. At the start of one’s career, the first role is important to becoming established and setting a career direction. With growing experience, the sequence of roles is important to the career trajectory. Whether earlycareer or already established, knowing what positions to seek out is informed by reflecting on one’s values, skills, interests, career path and growth goals, and community of service and connection. Applications should be tailored to specific positions. This customized approach gains more depth when informed by these broader career reflections (Bolles, 2023; Coleman, 2021; Miller, 2020; Press, 2020). This article offers a two-part checklist — Part I covers guideposts for reflection and career strategies; Part II shares guideposts for job-seeking.

I. Checklist for Career Strategies

1. Values and work culture: Job success is greatly enhanced when your values, the organization’s mission and values, and workplace culture are compatible. Examples of values include integrity, excellence, hard work, service commitment, and a spirit of inquiry. Which values are non-negotiable? For example, if innovation is a core value, is the potential organization creating meaningful solutions to challenges in the library world? If excellence is a core value, what can be discerned about a potential employer’s approaches to quality (Bolles, 2023)? Regarding workplace culture, much has been written about toxic workplace cultures and burnout in recent literature across many industries including libraries. Toxic environments obstruct organizational functioning, undermine trust, and hinder workplace relations — warning signs of incompatibility with higher-order values (Holm et al., 2020; Owens & DaulElhindi, 2020). Conversely, commitment to ethics, honesty in work relationship, and values-based business practices promote trust and support higher-order values (Gillespie et al., 2021; Swaroopa & Chandrasekhar, 2019).

2. Skills & strengths: What are your key strengths and skills? Examples of skills include teaching, public speaking, writing, data analysis and visualization, creative problemsolving, research, management. If just starting your career, consider your study programs and volunteer projects. What tasks and knowledge areas came naturally? Are your skills and strengths rooted in working with people, ideas, processes, or objects? What skills need further development? Career planners should strategically seek out training, classes, tutorials, and other learning resources to strengthen these skill areas (Coleman, 2021; Gray, 2017; Markgren & Allen, 2013).

3. Interests: What types of work spark your enthusiasm? Which areas of librarianship interest you? To identify areas of interest, begin with reflection: What types of problems are you interested in solving?

What types of tasks and projects interest you? For recent MLIS graduates, which classes, independent study projects, and practicum placements spoke to you? What made these study activities attractive? What recurring themes permeated your favorite learning projects? For already practicing librarians, what areas of the professional literature are especially inspiring? What challenges in the field inspire you to provide solutions through your skills and knowledge? In prior positions, which tasks and projects proved the most interesting and inspiring? Which important contributions have those work areas made? In which ways have they made positive impacts and inspire you to pursue this work further (Bolles, 2023; Hakala-Ausperk, 2017; Miller, 2020)?

4. Career path and growth goals: Based on your values, skills and strengths, and interests, what career path is of interest and what are your growth goals? The library and information profession has variety and offers many career paths. In libraries, paths include administration, acquisitions, collections, electronic resources, scholarly communications, data, digital scholarship, information technology, archives, special collections, instruction, liaison roles, public programming and more in academic, school, public, corporate, government, special libraries, publishers, vendors, technology providers, library-adjacent consultancies, and independent roles. Whether staying in libraries or pivoting to the publisher or vendor side, considering one’s values, skills, interests, and the types of work across the information industry provide grounding for deciding next career steps (Hirsh, 2018; “Library Specialties,” 2008; Pintar & Hopping, 2023; “Types of jobs in libraries,” 2009; Whitlatch & Woodard, 2020).

5. Community: mentor, service, publishing and presenting, professional ties: Career strategies are inextricably linked to active participation in the profession and community. Service projects contributing one’s knowledge also help enhance one’s skills. Participating in the profession through conferences, publications, presentations, mentoring, and professional networks cements ties and builds further knowledge conducive to career growth (Hibner & Kelly, 2017; Pratchett & Young, 2016).

II. Checklist for Job-Seeking

1. Résumé, CV, cover letter: Is your résumé or curriculum vitae (CV) up-to-date? Do your materials reflect your most recently honed skills and latest accomplishments? Does your cover letter address the specific needs of the position? It is important to convey enthusiasm and how your skills and experience support the organization’s needs expressed in the job description (Markgren & Allen, 2013; Yate, 2015, 2014).

2. Positions of interest: Librarianship offers many specialty areas. Begin by determining areas of interest. What areas of librarianship inspire you? Defining potential roles based on skills and interests is an important foundation for choosing positions to pursue (Bolles, 2023; Coleman, 2021; Gray, 2017; Hakala-Ausperk, 2017; Hirsh, 2018; Markgren & Allen, 2013; Whitlatch & Woodard, 2020). Examine a potential position of interest. What is it designed to accomplish? Is the mix and arrangement of tasks conducive to successfully achieving those goals (Ceniza-Levine & Thanasoulis-Cerrachio, 2011)?

3. Researching the organization: Conduct online searches and research the literature for the library and library professionals at the organization of interest. The research findings will impart a sense of the organization and its employees. Are they active in professional publications, presentations, and service? What projects is the library undertaking? Going by available information about the organizational chart and roles, how is the library organized? Is the organizational structure conducive to serving constituencies smoothly and efficiently? Do the employees’ roles at the target library provide insights into workflows and priorities (Ceniza-Levine & ThanasoulisCerrachio, 2011; Holm et al., 2020; Owens & Daul-Elhindi, 2020)?

4. Interview: Ask questions during the succession of phone, virtual, and on-site interviews. Your initiative to ask questions informed by your research on the library and librarians communicates your interest, knowledge, active engagement, and enables you to gather additional information about the library and position (Markgren & Allen, 2013; Press, 2020).

5. Networking and connecting: Engage in the profession through outreach, service, collaborative projects, mentoring, co-authorships, publications, presentations, and meeting colleagues at conferences. Experienced professionals should consider mentoring new librarians, offer co-authorships to help them on their publishing journey, and help them connect with the professional community. Connecting with colleagues broadens your knowledge, generates new career ideas, widens your perspectives, provides opportunities to give to the profession, and can spawn friendships — elements for success in job-seeking and career growth (Coleman, 2019; Markgren & Allen, 2013).

References

Bolles, Richard N. What Color Is Your Parachute? 2023 Edition : Your Guide to a Lifetime of Meaningful Work and Career Success. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 2023

Ceniza-Levine, Caroline, and Connie Thanasoulis-Cerrachio. Six Steps to Job Search Success . Arlington, Virginia: Saylor Foundation, 2011.

Coleman, Ken. From Paycheck to Purpose : the Clear Path to Work You Love. Franklin, TN: Ramsey Press, 2021.

Coleman, Ken. The Proximity Principle : the Proven Strategy That Will Lead to the Career You Love. Brentwood, TN: Ramsey Press, 2019

Gillespie, Nicole, Roy J. Lewicki, and Ashley Fulmer. Understanding Trust in Organizations : a Multilevel Perspective Edited by Nicole Gillespie, Roy J. Lewicki, and Ashley Fulmer. New York: Routledge, 2021.

Gray, Jamie M. Becoming a Powerhouse Librarian : How to Get Things Done Right the First Time . Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017.

Hakala-Ausperk, Catherine. Renew Yourself : a Six-Step Plan for More Meaningful Work. Chicago: ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2017.

Hibner, Holly, and Mary Kelly. Taking Your Library Career to the Next Level : Participating, Publishing, and Presenting . Cambridge, MA: Chandos Publishing is an imprint of Elsevier, 2017.

Hirsh, Sandra. Information Services Today : an Introduction. Edited by Sandra Hirsh. Second edition. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2018.

Holm, Christina, Ana Guimaraes, and Nashieli Marcano. Academic Librarian Burnout : Causes and Responses. Edited by Christina Holm, Ana Guimaraes, and Nashieli Marcano. Chicago, Illinois: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2022.

“Library Specialties”, American Library Association, September 11, 2008. Accessed May 31, 2023. https://www.ala. org/educationcareers/careers/paths/specialty/libraryspecialties.

Markgren, Susanne, and Tiffany Eatman Allen. Career Q&A : a Librarian’s Real-Life, Practical Guide to Managing a Successful Career. Medford, New Jersey: Information Today, Inc., 2013.

Miller Dan. 2020. 48 Days to the Work and Life You Love : Find It - or Create It. 20th anniversary revised and expanded edition. New York New York: Morgan James Publishing.

Owens, Tammi M., and Carol A. Daul-Elhindi. The 360 Librarian : a Framework for Integrating Mindfulness, Emotional Intelligence, and Critical Reflection in the Workplace. Chicago, Illinois: Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, 2020.

Pintar, Judith, and David Hopping. Information Science : the Basics. Abingdon, Oxon ;: Routledge, 2023.

Pratchett, Tracey, and Gil Young. Practical Tips for Developing Your Staff. London: Facet, 2016.

Press, Meggan. Get the Job : Academic Library Hiring for the New Librarian. Chicago, Illinois: Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, 2020.

Swaroopa, Br. Prasanna, and T. D. Chandrasekhar. Good Values, Great Business. 1st edition. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019.

“Types of jobs in libraries”, American Library Association, August 19, 2009. Accessed May 31, 2023. https://www.ala.org/ educationcareers/careers/paths/jobtypes/librarians

Whitlatch, Jo Bell, and Beth S. Woodard. Competency-Based Career Planning for Reference and User Services Professionals Chicago: ALA Editions, 2020.

Yate, Martin. Knock Em Dead Cover Letters 11th Edition: Cover Letters and Strategies to Get the Book You Want. Jumpingdude Media, 2015.

Yate, Martin. Knock ’Em Dead Resumes: A Killer Resume Gets More Job Interviews. Holbrook: F+W Media, 2014.