Julia began
by introducing the audience to her own varied career and how varied roles can
be in the information sector. Although there are few generic proscribed roles
for a librarian, there are common skill sets, for example: Communication, methodology,
organisational skills, an enquiring mind.
Librarians
have hard skills (cataloguing, literature searching etc) and soft skills (which
can make you more competitive in the job market (problem solving, preparation and
approach to discussions and meetings, developing empathy (active listening,
keeping in touch, showing interest, consistency), an analytical mind, ability
to inform/influence stakeholders etc. To identify these Julia suggested
reviewing your own value to your peers, taking lessons & feedback from
appraisal, using your wider network (other non-library peers) and considering
what recipients value in your work. Look at your competencies & examples,
think about evidence of communication excellence.
We then moved
onto CVs and reviewed the many roles a CV can have, from obtaining a job,
identifying your skills gap, promoting your role to management, career mapping and
many more (see list below). Find and harness your USP (unique selling
proposition), use your CV for this, even if you have no immediate plans to
leave your current role.
Purpose of a CV:
- Obtain an interview
- Gain promotion
- Professional biography
- Assessment tool (for HR & self)
- Record of achievement
- Measure of progression
- Self analysis
- Matching requirements
- Compliance (company record)
- To show desirable/essential requirements
- Meets organisational requirements
- Value matching
- Where personal meets professional
Your CV has
the value of being a reminder and a representation of you. It is a way to find
opportunities both within and external to your organisation, a way to
differentiate yourself from other candidates, showing where you bring value and
acting as a showcase of your talent
CV Tips
- Develop a CV profile
- Use case study examples
- Select referees that reflect/support your
assertions about achievement
- Try mind mapping to avoid over-simplification
- AVOID function, dwell on your achievement
- Include keywords for your CV that will ensure you
are “found” for jobs you are targeting
- Use a framework for self-assessment
- Plan themes e.g. outputs, results, functional
domain, contextual knowledge (industry or sector), methods &
frameworks-research & analysis, IL retrieval analysis, technology,
sources and tools, leadership, strategy.
- Advancement-personal development
- Learning
- Partnering arrangements and working
- Find a balance between the personal and the
professional
- ALWAYS tailor your CV to the application.
It’s worth
considering when you submit your CV for a new job whether it is targeted to an automated recipient i.e.
online form or to HR department for an initial shortlisting. You need to
identify essential requirements and make sure you answer these. The applicant needs to be self analytical,
aware and purposeful. Applicants should
overcome self consciousness and tackle an application with direction, a sense
of adventure and good planning (time, resources, focus). Remember that covering letters are often
stored separately and may not be viewed by the assessors. Prepare for &
“harness” interviews, noting that interviews are often EVIDENCE based these
days
Determining your market value
Finding the
appropriate value of your role can be a challenge. Look for precedence in the
information sector or business sector. Review how pertinent are your skills,
performance & contextual knowledge to the role. Supply & demand will
also have an impact, but remember it is the price of the role rather than the person
We
finished with a look at the extensive range of job titles and roles that
encompass jobs in the information sector – always something to remember when
doing an online job search. It was a
thought provoking session and we would like to thank Julia sharing her
expertise.
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