Published: September 10, 2018 by Evelyn Hudson

Do you consider yourself an expert on all the career resources on the iSchool website? If not, there was a great webinar to catch you up! This past week, students were treated to insider tips on how to best use the iSchool career resources by Jill Klees, iSchool Career Consultant for Students and Alumni. Klees hosted the webinar “Your LIS Career Starts HERE!” for nearly three dozen attendees.

Klees stated that students who “maximize their time” while at SJSU by using the resources, completing an internship, etc. have better luck finding jobs. She recommended that students begin by exploring the Career Development website.

Klees next advised that students review the many webcasts available to them on the iSchool YouTube channel.

“[The webcasts are] all about professional identity within the LIS field,” Klees explained.

Klees runs workshops each month on different career topics. These are always recorded so students who cannot attend live can still hear her advice. The recordings are available here. Klees also sends out an E-News & Opportunities newsletter to students each month by email. These contain job search tips and popular new jobs.

Klees explained that while job sites such as Indeed and Simply Hired are useful, Handshake has an important difference.

“The difference is that employers are specifically posting on this site because they are seeking SJSU MLIS students and recent grads,” she stated.

Klees reminded students that they “automatically have access” to Handshake with the same login information as their email. She advised that new students should do an “environmental scan” to see what kinds of jobs are currently available.

Klees next explained the steps in searching for a job or internship: assessment (step 1), research (step 2), and finding a job (step 3).

“Most people go right to step 3,” Klees explained, but that doesn’t work. She stated that it is important that students begin with assessment.

A great place to start, Klees said, is the self-assessment section of the Career Development website. This assessment asks you to consider the people you want to work with, the setting you want to work in, and the functions you want to undertake to help you determine your ideal job.

The next step is research. Klees recommends students check out the Snapshot of Job Postings report to see what is available to students with the MLIS degree.

Klees also shared the Career Pathways page with attendees. She encouraged students to remain open-minded about potential jobs as “your skills are so incredibly transferable.”

Informational interviews are a great way to network and do career research, Klees illuminated. She showed students the Community Profiles page with lots of potential contacts.

“Community profiles are…people who are working in these areas who have an MLIS or MARA degree and you can see what they are actually doing with the degree,” she explained.

Klees reminded students that they all receive a free one-year membership to a professional organization, which she highly recommends they take advantage of.

Finally, the search. The Job Search and Agencies page is where Klees recommends you begin. She emphasized that placement agencies are a viable option.

“Make sure that’s on your radar, too,” she advised.

Klees next discussed LinkedIn and shared the iSchool’s webpage about how to best use LinkedIn.

“Keep it up to date,” she offered as advice.

Klees explained that the most visited section of the website is the Resume section. Here, you’ll find writing tips and sample resumes.

Interviewing is also a popular section. Klees reminded students that they have access to Big Interview, where you can record yourself doing a mock interview to improve your skills for the real test.

Klees ended the webinar by telling students she is happy to review resumes and help them in any way she can. Her email is jill.klees@sjsu.edu. She also recommends that students use the career resources early—”don’t wait until graduation to start!”

Did you watch the webinar? What stood out to you? Share in the comments!

New LIS Jobs in Handshake

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Don’t forget to explore job openings outside of the public and/or academic libraries in Handshake. Consider searching on topics such as taxonomy, research, data management, digital asset management, and similar terms that may reflect your particular LIS skills or area of emphasis.