It's my Saturday

I'm tempted to add "and I'll cry if I want to," but there really is no reason since only two hours remain at the conclusion of my lunch break. It has been a normal Saturday for early in the "spring" semester; a few students, a chat question or two, and an abnormal amount of time working on a technology glitch, our style sheets are overpowering an outside vendor's sheets creating a visually unappealing mess. In short order I was able to assist students in person and in cyberspace. Naturally the technology glitch was another matter and took most of the morning to solve. I'm happy to report a compromise was reached, I used print screen to create an image header, and at this point all is well (though I am whiney the site css could not be used).

I have had a new first in my library job search/employment history. Most of the positions I applied for in recent years were initially located via the Internet; it's the convenient norm. I still look at professional journals and peruse while at conferences, but postings through ALA & ACRL's Joblist, Higher ED Jobs, and The Chronicles email list, have streamlined the process significantly. That said, it follows I have sent application materials (resume, CV, etc.) and set up phone interviews via email correspondance. Yesterday, however, I received a politely worded "rejection" letter via email (it followed a phone interview conducted before the holiday break). I'm not sure why it bothered me; after all, it means the same in an email as it does on official letterhead.

I wonder email notification is the new norm? It is as fiscally responsible as phone interviews, why not? Time will tell.

Vitae this, vitae that

I have finally finished updating my personal page and have moved on to obsessing (nothing new there) about use of CV titles, tags, and format of the page. I Googled CV this afternoon and found various adaptable resources from colleges and universities; career service pages were promoting resumes and vitas. After awhile, they started to blur and one pithy tip stood out from the others - be to spell vitae correctly. I am somewhat disappointed by my alma mater, University of Pittsburgh, provided only linked information to other pages and did not provide samples of any sort; sad for a university that is touting itself in the newest magazine for being a top level facility for alumni. Be that as it may, here is some of what I found:

• Preparing a Curriculum Vitae - University of Texas at Austin
  EUREKA (Enhancing undergraduate reserach experience, knowledge and access
• Writing the Curriculum Vitae
  The Owl (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue
• Writing a Curriculum Vitae
  University of Virginia Career Services (Handouts)
• Curriculum Vitae and Related Letters
  University of North Florida Career Development Center
• Writing a Curriculum Vitae
  University of North Carolina Chapel Hill - Career Services
• Writing a Curriculum Vitae
  Carnegie Mellon - Career Quick Tips & Academic Resources
• Writing your Curriculum Vitae
  Dartmouth Graduate Studies
• Writing a Curriculum Vitae
  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Career Services Office

I have not read through everything I printed (thank heavens for duplex) as of yet. The next step will be determining if the headings I am currently using actually fit the information displayed. After the page is complete, I will take a serious look at the job openings that have caught my attention in the last weeks and determine where to go from here. There are questions to be answered. Use the vitae? Create new resumes? Submit electronically? Start working on updating that portfolio?

Projects run away

Late last week an email arrived from the library director, it is time for his year end report. Each librarian was to send a quick list containing updates regarding our professional development pertaining to the 2006-2007 academic year. Suggested information included, but was not limited to campus committee involvement, professional affiliations (statewide and/or national), presentations, publishing, conference and workshop attendance, and anything else that would successfully speak to our professional development. After compiling the information, and yes I keep a monthly list routinely referred to when crafting my yearly evaluation document, I remarked this would be a great time to update my resume and vitae.

At the time I was merely making humorous email repartee with the boss, but in retrospect decided it would be a good time to update things. So, for the last several days I have been compiling my lists (and checking them twice)and working with my university web page and vitae. As with many universities, we have dedicated server space and it is recommended we personalize the page. My personal page is attached to the resource center web page and links to the library page. It also includes links to various presentations and course pages. While very few of the faculty librarians here have elected to provide this information to the campus community - and the web - I believe having a vitae in place is an important aspect to professional development. Furthermore, it is more often than not I overhear librarians bemoaning the fact we are not fully recognized as faculty by the faculty. Including your vitae with library liaison information is key to creating an awareness of their own professional involvement and growth.

Almost complete, I have a few workshops I unearthed this evening that I will add to the list tomorrow, it is time to take a critical look at the headings and document organization. Currently in place are education, experience, organizations, presentations, poster sessions, publications, workshops, program committees, university committees, grant reviewer and grant projects, library service, fundraising, web authoring, and blogs. Some of these should be combined while others would benefit from reconsideration. Naturally, as a librarian, I have various articles detailing aspects of vitaes and resumes. I also have references from books I have found to be useful. I will review these, find new, and progress.

All in all, it reflects well on both the library and me to have the information presented professionally and updated constantly. From a seriously selfish standpoint, this will be helpful should I decide to apply for one or both of the openings that have caught my interest as of late.

I did not finish all I planned with this project this evening. As noted in the title, a clever little word-play on my Wednesday night television show Project Runway, things got away from me.

Resumes & CV's, what to do?

Today in my inbox was an e-newsletter from eWeek; I really should put it on my bloglines account and get rid of one more e-newsletter, but as usual, I digress. What was the headline topic of today's careers eWeek newsletter? Resumes. Yes, resumes. Is it karma, is it fate, is it coincidence? (Does it matter?) I found it interesting after posting about possibilities of a career move, and wondering if I should send a resume (their request) or my somewhat lengthy vitae (did I mention they requested a resume?) to the institution in question.

Whither the Resume?, by Deb Perelman, poses the following:

"The paper resume went the way of the caveman nearly a decade ago. Web 1.0 recruiting technologies, such as big job boards and vendor-powered ATS, ATS (application tracking systems) on corporate career sites effectively killed the need for a paper resume on 24-pound ivory stationary stock."

I am not sure I completely agree with her premise, but there is no doubt how potential job candidates send resumes to employers has changed in the last several years. Submitting documents via email, resumes being scanned, applications accepted - even preferred - via web site forms, are in some cases the norm. But a resume continues to be a viable way for employees to highlight their qualifications for job openings. It is not, however, the only way. I think job seekers, especially librarians, need to have particular skills sets that include a basic understanding of "web 2.0" technologies. This should at the very least include a simple CV on their personal university/library web page and an electronic portfolio.

The blog article generated a number of reader comments, one that doubled between the time I first read the post before lunch and two hours later when I checked the link for this post. Check out the comments, they are as interesting as the concept put forth by the author. I did a couple of quick Googles and found sites with information pertaining to CV's and resumes. I was curious regarding the thought and definitions behind both documents, as well as what might be preferred.

• Writing your curriculum vitae - Dartmouth Graduate Studies
• Writing the Curriculum Vitae - The OWL at Purdue
• Writing a Curriculum Vitae - University Career Services - University of Virginia
• Chronicle Careers: Jobs in Higher Education

I also found an interesting article in Chronicle Careers, From CV to Resume, by Kim Thompson and Terren Ilana Wein:

"While both documents represent you as a professional, they differ on many counts. A résumé is designed to sell your relevant skill set and experiences to a particular employer. The goal of a CV is to present a complete picture of the breadth and depth of academic experiences you have accumulated."

I am far from convinced resumes are passe, especially in academics and academic librarianship. It will behoove a job seeker to provide the required information and include links for additional resources. For example, a resume if requested, and inclusion of web links to a CV in the cover letter and supporting documentation. What would not be in my, or any job seeker's, best interest would to ignore what is required/requested.

Academic Library's & jobs

I have been thinking about Gilman's article and the tips he presented to academic librarian search committee's. Though I like my current position, it did not result from looking specifically to work in academics. Point of fact, I only applied to one university/college for a job opening, this one. After graduation, armed with my fresh MLIS with school library certification (I have a teaching degree, it made sense), three years of public library work, teaching experience, and a variety of retail management experience, I sent resumes to a variety of targeted places. Since the best time to look for a job is when you have one, I took my time and only applied for jobs that interested me. My current job's description/advertisement was a combination of many different library, teaching, and management skills I possessed. And, even though sure I was not qualified, I sent out the information as requested.

The interview process was lengthy, more so than I imagined. There was a phone interview, something that I have only had twice since then, and the offer to come to campus for a day long interview. That was new to me, day long interviews (when they said day long, they meant day long). For anyone who has never interviewed for a job in an academic library, it can be a bit overwhelming. The day included an initial meeting with the library director where I presented my portfolio and left it in his office for viewing throughout the day, an open question and answer session with the entire library staff and faculty, the requisite presentation with assigned library topic, a lunch meeting with key members of the library faculty and college of education chair, a quick meeting with human resources followed by a short campus tour, a late afternoon meeting with the university provost, and a closing meeting with the director. In a nod to Gilman's article, there was over a month between the actual visit and contact from the library director or a search committee member. I had decided not to bother when I received a letter and follow up phone call and job offer.

With that instance in mind, other - shall we say oddities? - continued to nag at me regarding interviews I have participated in during the last few years. For what it's worth, here are some of the more interesting occurrences and a few tips:

• Walking a mile in those shoes: It is always necessary to dress appropriately for an interview. For one interview I wore a lovely black suit (long coat with the slacks and a nifty splash of color with my Bill Blass scarf from QVC) with comfortable and stylish black boots. At least they were comfortable until I was obliged to take a walking tour around the entire campus, in the cold. My advice? Heels are great and we girls have our fair share of shoe vanity; just be sure you can really walk distances in the shoes you choose to wear to a day long interview.
  
• The dark room: Be it a bibliographic instruction session or a topic driven assignment, presentations are a given in the academic library interview. In this technology age it should be safe to assume power point, a data projector and accompanying screen, and a well lit room are part and parcel with the presentation. At one university I was asked to present on the future of resource centers in a room that had no blinds, a computer running office 97, and a stand alone screen. During the presentation I had to straddle the power cords and surge protectors running from the wall to the computer. Since I am not one to just stand in front of the computer when presenting, this was a definite challenge. I won't get in to the rickety table and lack of mouse. My advice? Check what technology is available before the presentation. Then, save your presentation in various external devices (disk, cd, or pen/flash drive). If you have web access to an email account send the presentation to yourself. Consider taking overheads, yes transparencies, as backup. Technology is our friend, but stuff happens.
  
• Degree's of separation: When applying for a job, I expect my name to be divulged only to those on the search committee on an as needed basis. Maybe that is naive, but the process should include a degree of privacy. The fact remains academic librarianship is a small community and people talk. I was taken by surprise several years ago when after applying for a job and being asked to attend an on campus interview, I received an email from a colleague wishing me luck. What? After overcoming my initial shock, I asked how he knew I had applied for the job. Seems the institution in question sent out an email via their student LIS list serv inviting participation in the open question portion of the interview. Not so bad, but they listed the names of all the people being interviewed. This disappointed me enough to consider calling off the interview. My advice? Remember the academic library applicant pool is a small one. Don't burn any bridges, don't name names, and be professional at all times regardless of the actions of the interviewing entity.
  
• Separation, part deux: The same institution that sent out the list announcement also sent a letter less than a week, maybe ten days, after the interview. Not so bad, especially considering the time this often takes. The catch? They named their new hire and invited us to congratulate him. I found myself hoping the person in question had the chance to tell his supervisors before the letter went out. My advice? Live and learn.
  
• University prestige vs paycheck: When interviewing at a larger institution it's easy to let the name and prestige temporarily blind you to the potential downfalls of the application process. After the successful completion of a day long interview I had the opportunity to speak with the HR people and they talked money. With my experience in an academic library, at that time three years, I was offered a salary less than what I was making. The move would have taken me to an area where the cost of living was almost double my current location. Do the math. I came back to earth with a big thud and spent the plane ride home worrying I might be offered the job and would have to turn it down. My advice? Do not be blinded by the big name as big money does not always follow.
  
• Sins of the father: What can you learn about the person who had the job previously? Why did they leave; reassignment, firing, other opportunity? I rarely ask that question unless it becomes obvious in the interview that I am paying the for the previous applicants sins. During one interview day I was asked the same question by six different people concerning management style. Despite the obvious indication that the committee did not coordinate who would ask about management (since they all did), I was puzzled and then, well cranky, at the constant necessity of restating my position. On the way to speak with another group I apologized to my tour guide and asked why the different committees were harking on this topic. I learned the previous person utilized a management style difficult to work with and they had a hard time "getting rid" of her. Great. My advice? Keep eyes and ears open when interviewing. It is hard to remember when you want the job, but you are interviewing them as well.

Looking back over this post it seems I had a few less than stellar experiences. Keep in mind that on a whole the library job search is no better, nor worse, than looking for a job in any other profession. The six instances I mentioned were only from three interviews. In the scheme of things, that is not such a bad average.

Tags: Library job search, Academic Library, Library job tips, Library interviews, Academic Library interviews

Academic Librarians & jobs

I just read an interesting article, actually was directed to it from the ACRLog, concerning the length of time often taken during a job search for academic librarians. Chronicle Careers posted the article titled Endless Searche on July 27, 2006.

In the last few years I have applied for and interviewed with different colleges and universities. Generally speaking, none of the positions offered the career advancement, opportunities, or pay that I have in my current job. I admit the process can take time, especially with the larger schools who have political hoops to jump through, but only once was I tempted to withdraw because of the time span. More often than not, I was worried about how to turn down an offer (not as snotty as it sounds). In the current climate of librarianship, every other library journal has an article about how hard it is for recent graduates to find jobs, I have to wonder about the statement regarding now being in a "sellers market." The author of the article, Todd Gilman @ Yale University, says:

"Few recent Ph.D.'s searching for faculty jobs would reject a tenure-track offer out of resentment over how the search process was handled. But academic librarians are in a seller's market and may be able to afford that luxury. A good academic librarian might not think twice about turning down an offer, since a move elsewhere is not only possible but will almost certainly come with a raise and an increase in prestige and responsibility." - Gilman

Is academic librarianship a perceived seller's market because of the somewhat more stringent qualifications required? I agree that often jobs posted in academia include requirements and/or preferences for second masters degrees in subject specialty areas, doctoral degrees for tenure, and experience with instruction is generally preferred. In that respect, an experienced academic librarian would have an opportunity to select offers best representing their needs. However, smaller academic institutions may not offer tenure. Generally speaking they may offer twelve month contracts and in many cases do not consider librarians faculty. I feel in these instances the employer has an advantage.

The rest of Gilman's article discusses much needed common sense pointers for conducting library job searches. It is almost foolish that someone would have to be reminded to keep in contact with applicants or to be sure the people selected for on-campus interviews successfully meet qualifications stated in the initial job posting. Unfortunately these pointers are as necessary as warning tags on hair dryers telling users to not dry their hair in the bathtub. They are there because someone, somewhere, made that jump. I can only hope hiring committees reading this article take heed instead of thinking "he can't be talking about me."

I don't have any specific anecdotes to share regarding this particular issue. But, I have noticed a few interesting job hunt trends and will mention a pointer or two from my experiences:

• Calling references: A recent trend has potential employers calling references before even offering candidates an interview. Do not put your current boss on that first reference list unless he/she knows you are searching. Offer that information only during or after an actual interview. It has happened to me, a University called my boss for a reference before I knew I was being considered for the interview. Luckily, I have a supportive boss who told me about the call. Since then, he is off my initial reference list.
  
• Applying for a position: Only apply for a job opening you would seriously consider uprooting your life and family to take. In other words, do not go the "gee that sounds interesting" route and fire off resumes and vitaes without thought. Several different things may happen in that case. (1) You get a call for an interview and do not have a graceful way out of giving it serious consideration. Academic librarianship is a small pond, calling off is a way to get a bad reputation in the field. (2) You get a name for applying for any and all positions in a particular area or field. See previous mention of small world.
  
• Portfolio: Yes, librarians can and should create portfolios for interviews. This can be done in power point, as a web page, or even a nice hard copy binder. If you can, do an electronic and hard copy of the portfolio, it facilitates more than one person being able to look at the information at a time.

Gilman mentions he will be taking a look at "working conditions in academic libraries" in future Chronicle columns.

I look forward to them.

Tags: Chronicle Careers, Chronicle of Higher Education, Library job search, Academic Library, Todd Gilman