Published: May 30, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding

This year’s snapshot report of LIS jobs has a wealth of information and career tips; it’s very much worth your while to look through the slides.

Last week, I previewed the Emerging Trends Report and suggested three things to look forward to: skills language, language inspiration, and a list of tech skills. In the time since I wrote that post, the 2017 Report has been published, and (she says modestly) those three predictions were spot on. This year’s slides have a wealth of information and career tips; it’s very much worth your while to look through them.

Here are a few tidbits that really jumped out at me from the 2017 Emerging Career Trends Report:

• “Corporate/business employers increased their job postings by 50% between 2016 (8%) and 2017 (12%)” – Wow! Although corporate LIS positions are a small piece of the overall employment pie, it’s exciting to see this growth. Hopefully, it’s a sign that the business world’s appreciation of LIS skills is increasing.

• “Knowledge of ‘Integrated Library Systems/Software/Technology Experience/Management’ is becoming an increasingly sought-after skill, moving to #2 on the desired-skills list from #15 in 2016” – This is a HUGE jump. I’m curious why it is so, but, in the meantime, if you have any kind of ILS experience, make sure it’s on your LinkedIn profile, personal website, and resume.

• “Medical/pharmaceutical/scientific employers, special libraries, and academic libraries specializing in these fields often called for candidates to have experience or an academic background in those areas” – This insight is tailor-made for the many career changers here at the iSchool because it’s yet another example of how non-LIS skills can help you get a LIS job. Taking pride in and taking advantage of your previous academic or employment history could just help you land your dream job.

Now, I’d love to hear from you! What in the Report surprises you? What new information did you learn? Will any of its findings impact your job search strategy? Let’s discuss!