Career Blog: Career Strategy

Overview

Career Blog: Career Strategy

Career Blog

How to Get the Most Out of Joining a Professional Association

Illustration of professional people gathered

Published: June 20, 2023 by Hannah Nguyen

There are many professional organizations within the field of librarianship that offer networking opportunities, scholarships, grants, continuing education, and other resources and perks. You may already be familiar with some of these organizations because the iSchool provides a complimentary one-year membership for students enrolled in Info 200. If you’ve never joined a professional association before, you may feel overwhelmed by the new emails or feel unclear about how to contribute. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your membership.

Career Blog

Tips for Staying Positive During the Job Hunt

Woman writing in notebook and looking out window

Published: June 15, 2023 by Hannah Nguyen

The process of searching and applying for, interviewing, and following up on available jobs can be exhausting. It feels like a part-time job and requires a lot of energy and attention. If you haven’t landed your dream job yet, or have experienced some rejection, it becomes very easy to feel defeated. Here are key tips to help you avoid burnout and maintain an optimistic outlook.

Career Blog

Should Librarians Be Worried About Artificial Intelligence?

Robot hand touching human hand

Published: May 29, 2023 by Hannah Nguyen

As new technology emerges, there is often a discussion about how librarian’s roles will change in relation to it. This conversation has become especially relevant with the introduction of new artificial intelligence (AI) tools. These innovations are certainly going to affect America’s workforce, and librarians are no exception to this. But what are the opportunities and risks? Should we be worried?

Career Blog

Four Free Career Development Resources Every Student Should Be Using

Girl smiling next to her computer

Published: February 10th, 2023 by Hannah Nguyen

Graduate students spend a significant amount of time juggling school, work, family and personal obligations. It can make it difficult to be aware of all the great FREE career resources you have as a student. Here is a list of four of the best career-building perks you can take advantage of right now.

Career Blog

Why You Should Learn About User Experience

Image of hands drawing web site wireframe

Published: January 23rd, 2023 by Hannah Nguyen

User Experience (or UX) might sound familiar to you if you’ve done any job hunting lately. In fact, UX was named one of the most in-demand hard skills by LinkedIn and ranked on Glassdoor’s Top 50 Best Jobs to have in 2022. Libraries are no exception to this trend with the job title User Experience Librarian being named one of the five library jobs on the rise by American Libraries in June of 2022.

Career Blog

Do You Need a Reference or a Recommendation? Know the Etiquette to Ask!

Published: April 5, 2022 by Jillian Collins

We started with the basics in “Do You Need a Reference or a Recommendation? Here’s How to Tell.” Our other blog posts, “So, You Need a Reference? Here’s What to Know,” and “So, You Need a Recommendation? Here’s What to Know,” explored and explained the nuances of each. Yet, a key aspect is the professional etiquette of requesting a recommendation or asking someone to be a reference – and that’s how this series is going to end and putting knowledge into practice begins.

Career Blog

So, You Need a Recommendation? Here’s What to Know

Published: March 27, 2022 by Jillian Collins

A recommendation, in the professional world, is a glowing and strong case made by someone on your behalf, when career goals are within reach. There are so many situations that require a recommendation. You need to know the types of recommendations you can get, and help you understand when and how they can benefit you.

Career Blog

So, You Need a Reference? Here’s What to Know

Published: March 8, 2022 by Jillian Collins

References come from people who know you, your work, and the position you’re applying for. You want to make a direct impact during your interview, but references are your rave reviews from others. With that in mind, here’s a deep-dive reference guide to references!

Career Blog

Do You Need a Reference or a Recommendation? Here’s How to Tell

Published: February 15, 2022 by Jillian Collins

Whether you’re applying for a job or an internship, it’s great to have good references, e.g., people who have seen your work (and how you work) and can confirm that you have what it takes to do the job. Same with recommendations. But how do references/recommendations work these days, and what process should you follow when requesting one? We’ve got you covered!

Career Blog

We Need to Talk about Burnout

Published: January 19, 2022 by Jillian Collins

We all have high expectations set for ourselves. Burnout is when those expectations cross the line from the goals we celebrate, to defining who we are, by our metric of “perfection.” Knowing what burnout is – and isn’t – will help you now, before you find yourself caught in it later.

Career Blog

Create and Maintain a ‘Living Résumé’ to Make Life Easier

Published: January 12, 2022 by Jillian Collins

The purpose of your résumé is to open a door. Writing a résumé is a process that shouldn’t have to be done over and over. You just need your résumé to be tailored to fit the position, providing you have the skills and ability to perform in the position. A trick to streamline the résumé part of a job application is to create a “living résumé” – a one-stop-doc that you add and record all information you included in your résumé.

Career Blog

Reassess Your Self-Assessment for 2022

Published: January 3, 2022 by Jillian Collins

The career self-assessment is yet another amazing iSchool tool. The self-assessment is a template for you to conceptualize the functions, people, and setting you want for your career. It’s 2022, a new year with obstacles beyond your control. Consider the optimism and strengths gained both academically and personally to map out important aspects of interactions, duties, and physical work environment.

Career Blog

Direct Your Career by Managing Up

Published: September 10, 2021 by Jillian Collins

Managing up is the process of learning your boss’s management and communication preferences, and then adapting your communication in the workplace that supports those preferences. Clear communication among all staff members is one of the building blocks of great working relationships that enable teams to reach the goals of the organization. The same holds true for your relationship with your boss. 

Career Blog

Professional Visibility = Professional Opportunities

Published: August 20, 2021 by Jillian Collins

When you’re a student, it’s natural to focus your efforts on your courses, your GPA, and for a few highly organized types, your e-Portfolio items. But since the goal of getting a master’s degree is to land a job that can help launch a career you love, now is also a great time to be paying attention to an equally important asset: your professional visibility.

Career Blog

Your First Job is Step One to Your Career

Published: July 13, 2021 by Jillian Collins

Your first job is a huge milestone! As you complete your MLIS program, you’re gaining specialty tools to thrive in an expanding market. Your first job with your master’s degree is just the foot in the door. Your eventual career may end up being completely different from the door you first walk in, which is part of your growth as a professional, and the way your fellow professionals grow, as well.

Career Blog

In case you missed it: How to Build Your Professional Network (Without Feeling Weird About It)
On-Demand Webcast with Kim Dority

Published: June 15, 2021 by Jillian Collins

So many people have networking anxieties. That’s why we’re lucky to have Kim Dority, the fantastic iSchool career consultant! Check out her presentation, How to Build Your Professional Network (Without Feeling Weird About It). Kim goes beyond networking as a ‘thing to do’: strategies, etiquette, and what you can do now that builds up a network bit-by-bit! 

Career Blog

Not in the Job Description? Sell Solutions to the Hiring Manager!

Published: June 4, 2021 by Jillian Collins

If you’re considering information work for organizations other than a school, public, or academic library, you’re likely to encounter interviewers (for example hiring managers or HR people) unfamiliar with the range of strategic skills information professionals can provide. Even the job description may use terminology that describes things you know you can do, but with non-library language. Not to worry – you’ve got this. Seal the deal by selling the solutions your skills provide.

Career Blog

Your Terms, Your Action Plan

Published: April 26, 2021 by Jillian Collins

In February 2021, Kim Dority, our iSchool career advisor, gave an amazing presentation about creating and executing a personal career action plan. Action planning is a career – and life – skill. If you watch the presentation, you will see how actively constructing your career starts with actively knowing that small steps become larger leaps to greatness.