Career Blog: Skills

Career Blog

What Else to do While Job Hunting

Open Notebook with Red Pen

Published: May 23, 2025 by Aryn Prestia

For some, job hunting can be a full-time job in itself. While there are dozens of library-specific search sites that can help make your search more effective, there is no set timeline for finding a job in the information space. Whether your search takes days or months, it’s important to keep up the momentum and remind yourself why you want to work in a library or archive. Whether you have work experience in information science or not, using the gap-time in your job search can be a great opportunity for honing your skills. 

Career Blog

Learning the Art of the Interview with Big Interview

Woman waving to computer screen

Published: May 5, 2025 by Aryn Prestia

An interview can be intimidating, whether it’s in-person, over the phone, or held as a video call. The only true way to improve interviewing skills is through practice, but if you are not in the active job search process it can be hard to find scenarios in which to do that. This is where Big Interview comes in. 

Career Blog

How to be a Library Advocate

Open Book

Published: April 22, 2025 by Aryn Prestia

Being a library advocate is not only a job responsibility for anyone working in the information science profession, but an opportunity to showcase your personal values surrounding equitable information access. Whether as a student or a recent graduate, it’s important to take your role as a library advocate seriously.

Career Blog

Finding a Job in Archives and Preservation

Rows of Archive Files

Published: March 14, 2025 by Aryn Prestia

The Archives & Preservation pathway is one of the most popular career pathways at the SJSU iSchool and more than 300 students are members of the Student Chapter of the Society of American Archivists. Yet how common are Archivist jobs, really? Let’s explore the current hiring landscape to learn more about the nuances of finding work in the Archives field.

Career Blog

Building Your Library Resume

Hands holding a resume

Published: February 28, 2025 by Aryn Prestia

An updated resume is arguably the most important aspect of your job search process. Regardless of the information science sector you choose to work in, you will be asked to provide an updated resume. But what exactly should you include in a resume for a library-specific position?

Career Blog

So You’re Graduating in May, Now What?

Shadow of four graduates

Published: January 15, 2025 by Aryn Prestia 

It can be exciting to enter your final semester in the MLIS program. Whether that effort has been months or years in the making, you are now ready to demonstrate the culmination of your hard work in your e-portfolio and a degree that will lead you to a new career. 

Career Blog

Getting that First Library Experience

Several people on laptops working at a table

Published: December 4, 2024 by Aryn Prestia 

If you have started the job search, you’ve likely noticed that a majority of the postings indicate that experience is required. In fact, the most recent MLIS Skills at Work Report disclosed that 88% of job announcements include the stipulation that experience is required or preferred. 

But what do you do if you’ve devoted yourself to your MLIS degree full-time and have no library experience? In this post, we’ll be looking into how you gain library experience when you have none. 

Career Blog

Choosing Medical Librarianship

Stack of files in woman's arm

Published: November 20, 2024 by Aryn Prestia 

Interested in becoming a medical librarian? The SLASC recently hosted a Q&A Panel featuring medical librarians from Stanford and UC San Francisco. While you can watch the full panel here, you can find some of the panel’s top tips below.

Career Blog

Your Interview Outfit: What to Consider

Clothing on a Rack

Published: October 16, 2024 by Aryn Prestia 

When preparing for an interview, it’s common to brush up on potential interview questions but it’s also important to consider how you will present yourself to a potential employer. A huge part of your first impression relates to what you are wearing. 

Career Blog

Airtable for Librarians

Computer with spreadsheet

Published: October 9, 2024 by Aryn Prestia 

Project Management is one of many job skills that librarians will find themselves using in the workplace. Though there are courses that students can take to understand a bit more about the project management process, ultimately the best way to learn project management is through practice.

Career Blog

Coursera Career Academy for iSchool Students

Published: September 25, 2024 by Aryn Prestia 

Being an MLIS student at SJSU comes with so many incredible benefits. You have access to dozens of specialized courses, fourteen active student groups​scholarship programs, and internship opportunities, all of which can be accessed virtually to help you stay involved no matter where you live. Adding to this slate of virtual benefits is the Coursera Career Academy, a free continuing education program for all students. 

Career Blog

Transitioning from a Library Assistant to a Librarian Job

Brainstorming in front of a window

Published: September 18, 2024 by Aryn Prestia

A majority of students in the MLIS program here at the iSchool are already working in library environments. Yet without an MLIS degree, the only positions available to students are typically Library Assistant, Circulation Aide, or Library Page. As you get closer to graduation and begin thinking about the next step in your career, what does it mean to take that jump from assistant/aide/page to librarian?

Career Blog

How to Tailor a Resume Using AI

Hands holding a resume

Published: July 24, 2024 by Aryn Prestia

AI Chatbots like ChatGPT are one of the most accessible avenues to Artificial Intelligence for students. Not only is it fun to play around with new technology, but it can actually be beneficial to the job search as well. In this post, we’ll be taking a look at how AI chatbots can be useful while crafting resumes.

Career Blog

No Creative Skills? Canva can help with that!

Student sitting at computer with color wheel

Published: April 11, 2024 by Aryn Prestia

Librarians often find themselves embracing a range of duties on the job – a customer service specialist at the circulation desk, a researcher at the reference desk, a sort-of referee in the children’s section, and an all-around marketer and library advocate at all other times.

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: