As a recent grad of the program, and someone who has spent a considerable amount of the last year job hunting, I’d like to offer a key thought as you begin your first or second year of the program. Here it is: Get involved. Just going to your classes and doing a practicum is not going to differentiate you from our peers, whether they graduate from Western or UBC or San Jose State.
It’s pretty simple. I was involved in SIMSA (the School of Information Management Students’ Association), DJIM (the Dalhousie Journal of Interdisciplinary Management), and the SLA (Special Libraries Association) student chapter while studying for my MLIS. When it came time to apply for jobs and then to do job interviews, it wasn’t my coursework that potential employers were interested in. The time management skills I honed while working the publication process at DJIM, or the public speaking experience I gained as part of the SIMSA executive came up much more often in interviews.
If running for an elected position or volunteering for a committee doesn’t interest you, there are so many other ways you can add to your CV and make yourself more attractive to future employers. In the winter of my first year I threw together a poster for the IWB (Information without Borders) conference, even though I’d never done anything like it before. That spring I organized a quick Web 2.0 workshop for MLIS peers so we could share with each other which applications (Twitter, RSS feeds) we regularly use and love. It took very little planning and was a fun way to learn from my classmates. I was asked about all of these little details from my CV during job interviews this spring and summer.
It’s the start of a fresh school year and a great time to think about what you can do in coming months to make yourself stand out. Don’t miss this opportunity to find ways, whether large or small, to make yourself unique among MLIS grads. Feel free to comment about ideas you have for getting involved, or to discuss how you’re already setting yourself apart – simply by reading this blog and keeping in touch with SIM’s network of active professionals.
Lara (MLIS 2010) is a Research Assistant at the College of Pharmacy at Dalhousie University. She writes book and film reviews for PopMatters.com, here. She’s also on Twitter, here.
Lara, you’ve got it exactly right. As someone who hires both students and full time employees, I am one of those managers who does look at extra curricular activities. Why? It helps me discern your interest and passion even for your profession. I want keen people who are interested in a career, not a J-O-B. And I see that interest through participation.
Right now as you start out and are barely “oriented” the thought of getting involved may be overwhelming but keep an open mind.
and for others who have pretty busy lives outside school – parenting, jobs to pay for school, and other outside responsibilities it is probably asking too much.
You might not be able to take on a leadership role, or even a committee chair, but find something that you’re interested in among all the extracurricular activities that relate to your new profession. It could be the make or break between getting the job or not.
I completely agree with Lara. I was also involved with SIMSA and the ACA student chapter and I end up talking about those aspects of my experience at SIM more than anything else during job interviews. I just want to add that Halifax Public Libraries has programs that need volunteers. Personally I have been, and still am, involved with the Adult Literacy program and I know they are looking for volunteers over the school year. You can find out how to get involved by going to the HPL site and clicking on the “volunteer” link at the bottom of the page. There are also other opportunities around the city. So I suggest you look out in to the wider community as well because the connections you make there will be just as rewarding the ones you make at school.
Cheers!
Thanks for your comments, Terri and Greg!
It’s good to get Terri’s perspective as an established professional in the field, a manager who considers more than just degree qualifications when hiring.
Greg has a really great point about looking to the larger community for opportunities to make yourself stand out. HPL is a great starting point, and there are other small initiatives in Halifax that can use volunteers. I spent some time last spring (and hope to continue this fall) cataloguing zines at the Anchor Archive zine library at the Roberts Street Social Centre in the north end. As Terri says, you don’t have to jump right in with running for an elected leadership position, but think about what your long term interests are, and seek out opportunities that will help you develop skills and gain related experience.
Great post, Lara! I completely agree with what you have written here and would like to add to your comment about participating in the Special Libraries Association. Professional organizations are a great way to meet people who are already working in the field and I would recommend them to current students, particularly those graduating this spring.
A few to look into include the Atlantic Provinces Library Association (http://www.apla.ca/), the Association of Canadian Archivists (check out the Mentorship program: http://archivists.ca/content/aca-mentorship-program. The deadline to apply is November 25th.), and the Halifax Library Association (http://halifaxla.wordpress.com/). The HLA offers events throughout the year to help you meet other professionals, the first of which occurs October 1st.
Go out, meet, mingle, and conquer the world!
Thanks for sharing this Lara, and I am really happy that SIM has started this blog.
For those students who are interested in working outside the typical library setting, there are many, many other types of opportunities out there where your gained library and information management skills and knowledge can be applied, especially in today’s social media and digital age.
Throughout my wonderful time at SIM (I actually graduated from SLIS in 2003), I met and connected with numerous people and organizations who simply shared my particular interests and passions in life (i.e. the natural environment, web technologies, traveling, cooking, etc.). When talking about what I was studying at Dalhousie and explained why I chose to go to library school, there were many “a ha!!” moments both from me and the people who I talked to.
In short, what they all had in common was “content” and information that needed to be organized, accessed, and shared.
Sounds familiar?
Sometimes you need to help people realize that they need a librarian to help them do that.