Career Development
Career Development
Today’s information professionals can pursue a wide range of career paths in a rapidly expanding field, and career exploration strategies are more important than ever before.
We developed online resources to help our students, alumni, and prospective students navigate a myriad of career opportunities, learn about emerging trends in the field, and develop an effective job search strategy.
Each year, we also produce an informal job market analysis. Download the MLIS Skills at Work: A Snapshot of Job Titles and the Archives and Records Management Jobs Analysis.
We invite you to explore our Career Development resources, whether you are just embarking on your career as an information professional, or if you are working in the field and seeking tips and ideas for refining your career pathway.
Career Direction
Graduates with either a Master in Library and Information Science or Master in Archives and Records Administration degree have a unique opportunity to work in a variety of different settings and environments. You may already have some idea of what you want to do with your degree. However, not all students are sure, and others may find that their initial career objectives change as they spend more time in the MLIS or MARA program.
Skilltype Library Talent Platform
Are you wondering if you have the skills and competencies needed to work in a certain position in a different type of library? Now you can use the Skilltype system to see what skills you may have gaps in and strengthen them while you’re still in grad school. Skilltype uses linked data to create personalized training plans.
Networking
If you want to get the inside scoop on the variety and diversity of LIS positions available to you, then you should definitely network and conduct informational interviews. This is a critically important job search strategy — and you can take advantage of it whether you are actively conducting a job search or not.
Job Search and Agencies
It is never too early to start the job search process. As a current student, you can do this by reading articles about the LIS field, reviewing job ads to make note of the required qualifications, staying on top of market trends, developing your network and making ongoing efforts to stay connected with that network. It is important to start this process early in your academic career.
Social Media for the Job Search
Conducting a successful job search requires you to start the process early. Read articles about the LIS field, review job descriptions to take note of needed skill sets, stay on top of market trends, develop your network and make efforts to stay connected, and conduct informational interviews.
Resumes, CVs and Cover Letters
Resumes, cover letters, and curriculum vita (CVs) are your job search documents. They introduce employers to who you are and what you can do. Depending on the type of position you are seeking and the industry you are applying to, potential employers will require a combination of these job search documents. Each has value in demonstrating your unique skills and capabilities. It’s never too early to create a draft of your documents so that you have a template you can easily tailor when you find a position you want to apply for.
Career e-Portfolios to Help Land a Job
Using a career e-portfolio in your job search is one more way you can showcase your skills and abilities to prospective employers. Whether or not you completed the INFO 289 e-portfolio class, you can still create a career e-portfolio that will showcase your strengths, help you get that interview, and perhaps even help you land the job.
Interviewing
Interviewing is a skill, and with preparation and practice you can get through even the toughest interview questions. Many applicants don’t realize how critical preparation is – please don’t expect to walk in and “wing it” successfully. Preparation and practice is the key to developing the skills to make the most of any interview situation.
Career Podcasts
How do you get from where you are (passionate, smart student) to where you’d like to be (happily employed information professional with a thriving career)? Find out from individuals who’ve done just that – and are willing to share their journeys.
Online Career Workshops
Career Workshop Series
Throughout the academic year, the iSchool hosts informal online workshops for current students and alumni via Zoom. These workshops allow for an interactive question and answer discussion with a focus on different topics, such as resume writing, telephone interviewing, and the job search. These workshops are recorded and archived for viewing at your convenience.
SJSU Career Center
The SJSU Career Center is a great resource for students, alumni, and employers. It is chock-full of important information for job seekers and serves as a recruitment tool for employers. You can browse job openings, post new opportunities and access SJSU Handshake.
For your convenience, we provided links to the relevant web page for the different users: