I wrote an earlier post titled “There are NO Jobs out There” and received a very thoughtful comment that led me to realize the tone of my post suggested that the reason people struggle to find jobs is that they’re lazy or stupid. I apologize for that impression. It wasn’t my intention.
I just landed my dream job and thought I would share some of what I experienced while job hunting with the hope that these thoughts will help you with your process.
I found that if I looked for jobs and/or spent time filling out applications I felt a lot less stressed if I limited my time on these tasks to less than 2 hours per day.
I began adding RSS feeds from noted LIS job sites back during the summer. By looking through job ads so early, I could see what skills employers wanted, what they would pay for those skills and earned experiences, and whether they would hire a recent MLS grad (some employers simply won’t).
Which RSS feeds to add? I chose a few national organization feeds, and then state feeds.
Job Feeds for Library Science Enthusiasts:
This laundry list gives you just a brief sense of all that’s out there.
Archives Gig A blog that culls job ads from a variety of sources and included international opportunities.
Connecticut Library Consortium A site that offers a feed of available jobs from a variety of LIS sites.
LibGig Jobs A library specific job search engine that can search nationally or by state, area or type of library or library position.
Maine Library Jobs A state focused feed.
Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) Site maintained by MBLC.
Selected American Library Association Job Listings Site maintained by ALA that can be sorted by state or type of library or library position through keyword search.
Society of American Archivists Offers resume reviews, job postings, and a lot more.
Special Library Association Career Center Site geared towards those interested in law, medical, music and other special libraries.
As a Northeast girl, I was interested in those feeds in and around New England. However, I found that most states have a job feed if you do a simple Google search or take advantage of regional LIS organizations.
During the time I spent looking for and applying for jobs I kept reminding myself to take risks and not be scared off my jobs that might have been out-side my reach. It was that philosophy that led me to apply for the job I was eventually offered and accepted.
I wish all job seekers good luck and hope they find a position soon that is a great fit and offers many challenges and rewards!