Career Blog
Career Blog
Career development is on everyone’s minds. After all, that’s why most, if not all, of our students come to us. This blog is all about giving you the latest and greatest in what’s going on in the job market. Chock-full of tips and guidance, the Career Blog is a must-read for all students and job seekers.
Demystifying Conferences
Published: November 28, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
If you’ve taken INFO 200 and watched Dr. Michael Stephens’ lectures, or taken his hyperlinked libraries class, or read his “Office Hours” column in Library Journal, or read his book, or ever heard him speak, then you know he is passionate about connecting with the global community of library folks. That made him the perfect choice for the Special Libraries Association Student Chapter’s (SLASC) recent virtual program, “Demystifying Conferences.”
Use Your ePortfolio for Your Career
Published: November 17, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
Whether you’ve recently completed your eport or are planning to soon, I have a few ideas about giving your hard work a longer shelf life.
For anyone doing their eportfolio this semester, November 20 is a date imprinted on their brains. That’s the day everything must be completed and approved in order to pass and, therefore, graduate. It’s kind of a big deal.
All About LibGig
Published: November 14, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
In my quest to learn All The Things LIS careers-related, I spoke to Brad Rogers, Director of Recruiting at LibGig. LibGig is a staffing firm for the library and information management professions, which means it’s customized for people like us and organizations who might hire us.
Library Journal Placements and Salaries Results Are In!
Published: November 10, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
“Recent graduates are experiencing faster placements and earning more money than last year’s” is the big take away from Library Journal’s Placements and Salaries: 2017.
LIS Jobs in Pharma and Beyond
Published: November 7, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
Are you interested in a career outside of academic or public libraries? Are you curious about LIS jobs in the pharmaceutical industry or another STEM area? Do you want to know what job titles to search for beyond “librarian”? Then I wholeheartedly recommend you watch a recent Career Development webcast: Information Management Roles in Pharmaceutical Companies.
Transferable Skills and the LIS Degree
Published: November 1, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
Are you interested in a career outside of a traditional library environment? SJSU’s Student Chapter of the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) has an outstanding webinar coming up! On Thursday, November 2 at 5:30pm Pacific, join ASIS&T and Jill Klees for “Transferable skills and the LIS degree: How to market your LIS skills to job markets outside of libraries.”
LIS Jobs in Pharma: What They Are, Where They Are, and How to Land One
Published: October 20, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
Have you thought about a LIS career that’s NOT in a library? If so, or if your curiosity is piqued, join the Career Development team on Wednesday, October 25 at 5:30pm Pacific for LIS Jobs in Pharma: What They Are, Where They Are, and How to Land One. Mindy Beattie, Associate Director of Library & Information Sciences at Gilead Sciences, will present via Collaborate, and it sounds both interesting and informative.
What Search Committees Want You to Know
Published: October 17, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
Last week, the iSchool’s Society of American Archivists Student Chapter (SAASC) presented “Job Hunting: What Search Committees Want You to Know” via Collaborate. Gene Hyde, University of North Carolina at Asheville’s Archivist and Head of Special Collections, presented national research findings on what search committees look for in library and archives applicants. So, more generally, how to get a job.
4 Things I Learned at Library 2.0
Published: October 13, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
I attended Library 2.0 earlier this week, and while the title of this post implies that I’ll be talking about cool new makerspace ideas, I’m not. It was incredibly interesting to view sessions through my Career-Blog-colored-glasses because it was like watching LIS skills in action. Take note – if they’re not already part of your resume and cover letter language, they probably can, and should, be!
3 More Ways Library 2.0 Can Boost Your Career
Published: October 10, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
I recently wrote about how you can use Library 2.0 to boost your career. Well, I’ve been thinking about it some more and have come up with a few additional ideas. Library 2.0: Makerspaces is tomorrow (don’t worry, sessions will be recorded), so now seemed like a good time to share. I’d love to read ideas from you in the comments!
Choosing a Professional Organization
Published: October 6, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
If you are enrolled in INFO 200 this semester, then you qualify for a free one-year membership in a professional organization.
Update Your Resume with Jill Klees
Published: October 3, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
On Thursday, October 5 at 5:30 PM PDT, SJSU Career Center liaison extraordinaire, Jill Klees, will hold her monthly workshop via Collaborate. Her presentation – “Update Your Resume” – is timely for you if you are:
- preparing to graduate
- considering an internship
- a recent graduate
- looking to get a job.
So, in sum, it will be useful for everyone!
How My Internship Strategy Paid Off
Published: September 29, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
A good piece of advice that was repeated over and over in the iSchool’s alumni survey was, “No matter what else you do, be sure to do an internship before you graduate.”
Use Library 2.0 to Boost Your Career
Published: September 26, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
Have you registered for the Library 2.0 conference that’s happening in just a couple of weeks? Perhaps I should back up a bit – do you know about the free, virtual, Library 2.0 conference on October 11? If not, you should definitely check it out, as it’s a pretty amazing collection of events that the iSchool puts together for the LIS community each year.
New Career Pathway: Data Science
Published: September 22, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
There’s a new career pathway: Data Science. Check out the suggested courses that can help you land the “sexiest job of the 21st century.”
The iSchool recently introduced a new career pathway – Data Science. Perhaps this doesn’t strike you as very library-sounding? It may not seem so at first, but after learning a little more about what data science is, it makes total sense.
6 Alumni-Approved Job Search Resources
Published: September 19, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
The iSchool recently surveyed 2016 MLIS graduates, and participants shared “3 resources that have been helpful in your job search.”
4 Benefits of Your Alumni Network
Published: September 15, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
One of the nice things about the iSchool’s online community is that there are a lot of ways to connect. Besides class discussion posts and group projects, we have
Handshake: SJSU’s New Jobs Database
Published: September 12, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
If you are not brand new to the iSchool, you may remember SpartaJobs, SJSU’s job database. SpartaJobs is dead; long live Handshake! Handshake is the name of the new database, and it couldn’t be easier to start using. Current students automatically have access, and recent alumni retain access for one year post-graduation.
Bridget Thrasher – From Earth Science PhD to Stanford Librarian
Published: September 8, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
As part of my effort to explore the available LIS career paths, I reached out to some SJSU iSchool alumni to learn about their jobs. The third stop on this career tour was Bridget Thrasher (previous stops: Digital Music Librarian and Public Librarian).
Your LIS Career Starts Here
Published: Tuesday, September 5, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding
Whether you are a new iSchool student or tackling your eportfolio, Jill Klees wants you to know what tools are available to you as you navigate the LIS world. On Wednesday, September 6, she’s holding a Collaborate session to help you jumpstart your career: Your LIS Career Starts Here.