Published: April 20, 2016 by Jill Klees

You just found your dream job, but you’re still working on your MLIS. Don’t let this opportunity slip away. This is the perfect time to use being a student to your advantage.

You did it! You just found your dream job. A position that sounds like a perfect fit for you. You feel like this is the reason you went to iSchool. Your pulse is racing and you have butterflies in your stomach—you are so excited. But you know you aren’t ready for it.

You feel like this just isn’t the right time. You are still working on your MLIS. The position is full time, and you aren’t ready to make that commitment. It would also be a long commute, and that is more than you want to take on right now. What do you do?

If you honestly know that the timing is not right to apply for this job, don’t do it. It would be a waste of your time and of the company’s time. But, I would not let this opportunity slip away. It’s a perfect time to follow up with the hiring manager or another contact in the department to get more information about the position and the type of candidate they are seeking. It’s time to do an informational interview.

Use your SJSU iSchool contacts from the alumni career spotlights and community profiles pages or search your LinkedIn contacts to find someone who works at the company and reach out to make an inquiry and request an informational interview. This is the perfect time to use being a student to your advantage.

Your inquiry may go something like this, “I am a current student at SJSU in the MLIS program and I came across your position for an XYZ. I am really excited about this type of position and was hoping I could schedule about 15-20 minutes of your time to ask you some questions about the job, find out what it’s like to work at BLANK Company, and get a better idea of the type of candidate you are seeking?”

This is a fantastic opportunity to increase your networking connections, get practical ideas and tips of what employers look for in candidates, find out about the potential of doing an internship, and learn about future openings. So go ahead and give it a try. Follow up with me if you have questions or would like to share your experience.