Career Blog: Skills

Overview

Career Blog: Skills

Career Blog

Makerspace Librarianship
You Can Do It Your Shelf

Woman sitting at workbench making something

Published: August 15th, 2023 by Hannah Nguyen

Makerspaces have become a staple in many libraries around the country, and it’s easy to see why they are a match made in heaven. These collaborative spaces offer equipment, software, or supplies to help patrons create and innovate. Ideally, they are designed to reflect what their community wants, which means that no two makerspaces are alike. They can house anything from arts and crafts supplies to 3d printers, to a podcast studio. Patrons might use them to create physical objects, play music, or design a virtual reality room. Here are some tips for those interested in pursuing makerspace librarianship.

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 Reasons to Join Student Leadership

Man during video call with six other people

Published: April 30, 2023 by Hannah Nguyen

There are ten student groups offered at the iSchool that offer a wide range of benefits to enrich your educational experience. Several of these groups are associated with larger professional associations (such as ALA, ASIS&T, SLA, and SAASC), and others have been created at the iSchool as a reflection of student interests. You may be familiar with many of them from emails advertising free panels, student mixers, or webinars. If you have ever considered joining student leadership in one of these groups, many of them are actively recruiting for the upcoming academic year. Here’s why you should consider nominating yourself to be a student leader:

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

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

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.

Career Blog

Take Stock of Yourself with a Skill Inventory

Published: March 15, 2021 by Jillian Collins

Being able to identify (and discuss) your skills and strengths is a really important aspect of job-hunting. But how do you find these qualities in yourself? If you’re stuck, you’re in luck! Information is your super power. Now it’s time to concentrate on information about you. The skill of creating a Skill Inventory!

Career Blog

The Impact of Feedback on Your Personal Brand

Published: March 10, 2021 by Jillian Collins

Your professional reputation, also known as your “brand,” is the foundation of the essentials in career kits and in your long-term career development strategy. And because everyone forms an opinion of us during any interaction we have, it’s not like we can just decide to ignore all this brand stuff. Better to take charge of how others see you to ensure they’re seeing the real you.

Career Blog

Now’s the Perfect Time to Revisit (or Complete) Your Skill Assessment

Published: January 25, 2021 by Jillian Collins

Finally – a new year! Rather than coming up with the usual new year’s resolutions, how about instead getting the year headed in a positive direction by doing deep-dive career reflection? Specifically, why not launch this year by taking the time to revisit the career passions you identified in your Career Self-Assessment to identify what’s changed. Or, if you haven’t yet had an opportunity to explore this valuable resource, perhaps now’s the time to jump in.

Career Blog

Carrie McKnight Wants You to Know…

Published: January 21, 2021 by Jillian Collins

Meet SJSU graduate student career counselor, Carrie McKnight. While we have entered 2021, my interview with her in December 2020 clued me in on three crucial career center tools. With Carrie insight, it’s much easier to turn career resolutions into reality. As Carrie said to me, “My job is to advocate for you guys because you guys do such great work.”