by Cynthia Lesky, Illinois Chapter

As an information professional working in business research, I know that the quality of the decisions that our clients make based on our work – and thus our value – depends on the accuracy of the reports we compile. But accuracy is an increasingly elusive goal.

When the pace is fast and the sources are self-serving press releases or blog posts based on “motivated reasoning” or stories on news sites without pedigrees, truth is hard to pin down. Even well-established trade publications and respected newspapers have more than occasional errors of fact.

The ability to discern facts from puffery and accuracy from simple mistakes or outright falsehood is critical. Simply reporting what we find is not enough. Professional skepticism –informed, always on, finely-attuned, even courageous – must govern our data selection and analysis.

Professional skepticism is the disciplined side of our natural curiosity. It’s the critical thinking that weighs one fact against another and leads us to question suspicious assertions – or simply spot that a number expressed in millions is really billions. In other words, professional skepticism is our BS Meter and our Error Radar.

Being FutureReady means helping our clients or employers make evidence-based decisions in the face of an increasingly fragmented and exploitive news landscape. In that world, you can bet that revved up BS Meters and well-maintained Error Radar will be in increasingly high demand.

Cynthia Lesky is a professional skeptic and President of Threshold Information. Threshold works for corporate information centers and business intelligence units to produce custom market intelligence awareness services, research and analysis, and various types of special projects. Learn more at www.threshinfo.com.

by Jodi Gregory

As an independent information professional for over 15 years, I’ve stayed successful and future ready by continually “connecting the dots.”  It is important to stay connected and when networking, we should be thinking about how we can bring together the new people we meet with other people we know for mutually beneficial relationships.  Often my connectedness allows me to tap into my network for the expertise I need for that missing piece in satisfying an information request for a client.  No longer should we expect to provide answers to our client’s questions only from online services, the open or invisible web.

Our work is continually defined and re-defined by multiple and varying clients and our responses to them.  Since we are experts at evaluating and presenting information, we should utilize these skills to identify future trends and anticipate what our client’s needs and questions will be.  We can improve our efficiency by setting up dashboards or alerts on trending topics so that when a request comes our way, we are already knowledgeable about the best and most reliable sources for the information.  Having this knowledge allows us to be even more valuable to our clients.  I get a little thrill when I can stay to my clients “I’ve read about that lately and I have already identified some experts and great sources for this information.”

One example of a new trend is the use of infographics.  Have you begun incorporating infographics in the presentation of your research results?  As always, they need to be vetted for their validity and quality but visual and graphic presentation of information is appreciated by my clients.  I’ve taken this one step further by working with a graphic designer to create my own based on the information I’ve assembled in my research.

We are experts at disseminating information so we can and should use our talents to provide research in advance of a client need.  Let us be the ones to connect the dots and provide research and analysis that is future ready!

Jodi Gregory is the principal of Access Information Services.  She has been an independent information professional for over 15 years and is a past president of the Association of Independent Information Professionals (aiip.org). She is also a columnist for Cyberskeptic’s Guide to Internet Research published by Information Today.

by Constance Ard, Answer Maven, Candidate for Chapter Cabinet Chair-Elect

Knowledge Revolution is the 21st Century version of the Industrial Revolution.  Revolutions evolve. Be “Future Ready” by leading the evolution.

Educate the masses and transform them into your advocates.  Every member of society needs to know information professionals are not just checking out books at the circulation counter. In fact they need to understand the capabilities demonstrated by any information professional that deals with all the nuances of running an organization within an organization.

Publicize the impact of quality information in a quantitative manner.  Express the services provided in numbers that reflect the bottom dollar goals of the supporting organization.

1. Apply a number to the services provided with a factor for the information sources costs and the value of the professional.  In my waning days at the law firm I had begun toying with the idea of not only collecting the qualitative values of our services, but exploring methods of the quantitative one.  For instance: Winning Summary Judgment = Research Time + Information Source.
   Disclaimer: There are more factors that must be evaluated to develop an accurate equation.
2. eDiscovery is a growing industry in this knowledge revolution.  The cost of sanctions, the cost of preparation and the cost of production are all factors.  Using those factors we can quantify our value for the information management component in a significant manner. No knowledge organization should ignore the importance of information management or they will not be future ready enough to avoid costly risk.
3. Competitive Intelligence research is conducted to grow a business or define competitive advantages.  Quantifying this work is another way to discuss the value added services of knowledge professionals in a manner that establishes us as the leaders of the transition.

Statistics are important, and they need to be the right statistics.  Being future ready means embracing the science part of information science beyond technology and database design.

Eliminate the notion that information centers are overhead. Use statistics. Quantify the value of the information. Quantify costs: both those you reduce through good management practices and those that are necessary to complete the work of the organization. Every web developer knows that analytics are critical – every information professional should too.

Future ready requires you sell your value.

Information professionals are not just info pros – they are salespeople and marketers. It is our job to educate the knowledge workers who benefit from our knowledge, experience and services to view us as strategic partners who can innovate, create, and contribute to the overall goals of our organizations.  Embrace and excel at this sales job and the revolution is yours to transform.

Constance Ard is an Independent Information Professional with 14 years experience and expert research skills.  Ms. Ard offers on-demand research and information and content management business consulting services specializing in e-discovery preparation and project management.  You can follow her blog at http://www.answermaven.com and find out more about her services at http://www.answermavensolutions.com.

Constance is an active information professional organization volunteer. She served as the Chair of the Legal Division of the Special Libraries Association for 2010 and is a member of the New Member Outreach Committee for AIIP.  She has served in many leadership roles throughout her career.

Ms. Ard’s latest publication “Legal Research in the Age of Open Law” was published in the September 2010 issue of Online.  In October 2009, Ms. Ard completed her first published book: Next Generation Corporate Libraries and Information Services.

Background story:  Two days ago, Arik Johnson a member of the crack FutureReady365 team, alerted me that Seth Godin—marketing guru extraordinaire and SLA conference keynoter in 2008—had a riveting post on the future of libraries that would be highly relevant to the future ready conversation. I contacted Seth at 2:56pm to request to cross-post. Seth respond at 3:01pm with this imperative: Go, go, go! So, at the speed of Future Ready, here you GO!

Cindy Romaine

First, how we got here:

Before Gutenberg, a book cost about as much as a small house. As a result, only kings and bishops could afford to own a book of their own.

This naturally led to the creation of shared books, of libraries where scholars (everyone else was too busy not starving) could come to read books that they didn’t have to own. The library as warehouse for books worth sharing.

Only after that did we invent the librarian.

The librarian isn’t a clerk who happens to work at a library. A librarian is a data hound, a guide, a sherpa and a teacher. The librarian is the interface between reams of data and the untrained but motivated user.

After Gutenberg, books  got a lot cheaper. More individuals built their own collections. At the same time, though, the number of titles exploded, and the demand for libraries did as well. We definitely needed a warehouse to store all this bounty, and more than ever we needed a librarian to help us find what we needed. The library is a house for the librarian.

Industrialists (particularly Andrew Carnegie) funded the modern American library. The idea was that in a pre-electronic media age, the working man needed to be both entertained and slightly educated. Work all day and become a more civilized member of society by reading at night.

And your kids? Your kids need a place with shared encyclopedias and plenty of fun books, hopefully inculcating a lifelong love of reading, because reading makes all of us more thoughtful, better informed and more productive members of a civil society.

Which was all great, until now.

Want to watch a movie? Netflix is a better librarian, with a better library, than any library in the country. The Netflix librarian knows about every movie, knows what you’ve seen and what you’re likely to want to see. If the goal is to connect viewers with movies, Netflix wins.

This goes further than a mere sideline that most librarians resented anyway. Wikipedia and the huge databanks of information have basically eliminated the library as the best resource for anyone doing amateur research (grade school, middle school, even undergrad). Is there any doubt that online resources will get better and cheaper as the years go by? Kids don’t shlep to the library to use an out of date encyclopedia to do a report on FDR. You might want them to, but they won’t unless coerced.

They need a librarian more than ever (to figure out creative ways to find and use data). They need a library not at all.

When kids go to the mall instead of the library, it’s not that the mall won, it’s that the library lost.

And then we need to consider the rise of the Kindle. An ebook costs about $1.60 in 1962 dollars. A thousand ebooks can fit on one device, easily. Easy to store, easy to sort, easy to hand to your neighbor. Five years from now, readers will be as expensive as Gillette razors, and ebooks will cost less than the blades.

Librarians that are arguing and lobbying for clever ebook lending solutions are completely missing the point. They are defending library as warehouse as opposed to fighting for the future, which is librarian as producer, concierge, connector, teacher and impresario.

Post-Gutenberg, books are finally abundant, hardly scarce, hardly expensive, hardly worth warehousing. Post-Gutenberg, the scarce resource is knowledge and insight, not access to data.

The library is no longer a warehouse for dead books. Just in time for the information economy, the library ought to be the local nerve center for information. (Please don’t say I’m anti-book! I think through my actions and career choices, I’ve demonstrated my pro-book chops. I’m not saying I want paper to go away, I’m merely describing what’s inevitably occurring). We all love the vision of the underprivileged kid bootstrapping himself out of poverty with books, but now (most of the time), the insight and leverage is going to come from being fast and smart with online resources, not from hiding in the stacks.

The next library is a place, still. A place where people come together to do co-working and coordinate and invent projects worth working on together. Aided by a librarian who understands the Mesh, a librarian who can bring domain knowledge and people knowledge and access to information to bear.

The next library is a house for the librarian with the guts to invite kids in to teach them how to get better grades while doing less grunt work. And to teach them how to use a soldering iron or take apart something with no user serviceable parts inside. And even to challenge them to teach classes on their passions, merely because it’s fun. This librarian takes responsibility/blame for any kid who manages to graduate from school without being a first-rate data shark.

The next library is filled with so many web terminals there’s always at least one empty. And the people who run this library don’t view the combination of access to data and connections to peers as a sidelight–it’s the entire point.

Wouldn’t you want to live and work and pay taxes in a town that had a library like that? The vibe of the best Brooklyn coffee shop combined with a passionate raconteur of information? There are one thousand things that could be done in a place like this, all built around one mission: take the world of data, combine it with the people in this community and create value.

We need librarians more than we ever did. What we don’t need are mere clerks who guard dead paper. Librarians are too important to be a dwindling voice in our culture. For the right librarian, this is the chance of a lifetime.

SETH GODIN has written thirteen books that have been translated into more than thirty languages. Every one has been a bestseller. He writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership and most of all, changing everything.

by David Meerman Scott

A fascinating convergence is upon us right now bringing a perfect opportunity for open-minded information professionals.

In the world of marketing and public relations, scale and media are no longer the deciding factors. The world works in real-time now. Speed and agility are an organization’s decisive competitive advantage.

The mantra of the day is: communicate quickly. In real-time.

There is an opportunity for information professionals to make the connection between real-time information and the opportunities and threats to an enterprise as a result. This requires agility. The marketing and PR people need your help because they don’t have the skills to interpret data in real-time like a bond-trader.

Sadly, many corporate libraries have reduced or eliminated their staff and that means  talented researchers and information professionals have been laid off. I’ve had a chance to speak with various information professionals recently and many are downcast about career prospects.

At the same time, many organizations — corporations, nonprofits, government agencies, and educational institutions — finally understand the value of creating interesting information online that serves to educate and inform consumers. People in companies now realize web marketing success comes from creating content-rich web sites, videos, podcasts, photos, charts, ebooks, white papers and other valuable content.

Companies I speak with are trying to figure out who will create the content that they need for their online initiatives. Marketers, executives, and entrepreneurs say things like: “David, I need help. If I knew how to create great content, I’d already be doing it.”

At every speech I deliver I say to corporations one of the best ways to create great Web content is to actually hire a journalist or information professional, either full- or part-time, to help identify opportunities (and threats) and actually create information that will serve as what I call “brand journalism.” Journalists and information professionals are great at understanding an audience, researching, and creating content that buyers want to consume—it’s the bread and butter of their skill set.

What this convergence means to you, a smart journalist or information professional:

You went to graduate school to learn how to research, organize and access information. Yes, the employers who traditionally hired your skills are shrinking fast. But there is an entirely new world out there for you to consider: marketing departments and public relations departments. Please keep an open mind about this.

I’m talking about creating content for a corporation, government agency, nonprofit, or educational institution. You’ve probably not seriously considered that there are potential employers outside of traditional library and information centers.

Yes, there are new potential employers. And they need you and your skills. Now.

You’ve learned that you need to collect information on all sides of a story. You wonder how can you be balanced if you work for the “dark side.” I get that. But if you realize that your skills are in demand right now, you’ve got a new and fascinating opportunity.

You don’t need to compromise your integrity. You still provide authoritative research and access to content. You still practice your craft. You still have followers who care about what you do. You still change people’s lives.

The idea of using your research skills should be to educate and inform, not to overtly sell products. While some of you would rather wait tables than work for “the man,” others of you will find the opportunity refreshing.

It may even make you more marketable for traditional gigs with information hungry enterprises, as long as you are dedicated to providing quality content while pioneering this new way of using your skills.

If I had my marketing dream team, I’d fire the marketing staff and hire journalists and information professionals. I can’t emphasize this enough: you have a role in real-time marketing.

David Meerman Scott is a marketing strategist, keynote speaker, and seminar leader. His book The New Rules of Marketing & PR opened people’s eyes to the new realities of marketing and public relations on the Web. Six months on the BusinessWeek bestseller list and published in more than 25 languages from Bulgarian to Vietnamese, New Rules is now a modern business classic.  A recovering VP of marketing for two publicly traded information companies, he was also Asia marketing director for Knight-Ridder, at the time one of the world’s largest newspaper and electronic information companies. David’s popular blog and hundreds of speaking engagements around the world give him a singular perspective on how businesses are implementing new strategies to reach buyers.

Catch up with David at his blog WebInkNow or download his free ebook Real Time: How Marketing & PR at Speed Drives Measurable Success.

by Connie Crosby, Toronto Chapter, KM, Legal, Taxonomy and Leadership & Management Divisions

We have a big opportunity to use our skills in initiatives beyond the library, to contribute to teams that bring together a range of skills. In the book The New Polymath (http://www.thenewpolymath.com/), Vinnie Mirchandani describes teams made up of experts with a range of backgrounds coming together to innovate in ways not previously seen.

Becoming an independent consultant has been an eye-opening experience for me. I work with teams of extremely smart, insightful people working with information who come from a range of backgrounds, not just library. By contrast, I find so often librarians want to hold ourselves apart as “us” versus “them” (librarians versus non-librarians) but really, it should just be “us”.  We are all on the same side, working toward the same goals.

And I am starting to take exception to those who try to hold librarians as somehow special. Distinct perhaps, yes, but not somehow better than others. In the process of justifying our place in the universe, I fear that librarians—primarily in the United States and Canada where we do not have licensing in our profession—have inadvertently excluded others in our workplaces and industries who we really should be respecting, working with, and learning from.

Many Library Technicians have horror stories about the difficulties they have faced in working with “MLS’s”, often times being passed over for jobs or promotions, or doing the same work as an MLS but with lower pay. So much of what we know in the library industry is learned on the job, that I often wonder how this can be. I think back to my own library school education a number of years ago: while I learned a lot at the time, very little of it today resembles my working reality, and very little of the program resembles today’s program. I can’t help but think that, once we have been in the working environment for a number of years, the experience counts for so much more.

We also often forget there are others in the information world, many of whom are also without the MLS degree: researchers, information consultants, information architects, knowledge managers, records managers, user experience specialists, indexers and taxonomists among others. While those with library degrees often excel in these areas, they are not prerequisites for success in the job. Since leaving the library workplace for consulting, I have come across and worked with so many different types of people, many who (much to my surprise) know an awful lot about information.

We do not own this, folks.

I therefore have a difficult time understanding the elitist mindset of some librarians. I do realize that in an economic downturn when we are all struggling to keep a roof over our heads, the effort to survive forces us to find ways to distinguish ourselves, and promoting our degrees over others’ is one way we often do this.

However, we need to keep in mind that different skill sets and personalities on our teams contribute to successful projects. I believe we can also learn a lot from one another, and have always benefited from working with others of backgrounds different from our own. If we are all going to work together, we need to be mindful and respectful of one another.

I know we fear losing our identities as librarians. But I am here to tell you: fear not!  Your paranoia is not justified! There is such a great opportunity here for learning from others. For while we learn from others, and treat them with respect, they learn from us and hopefully show us increased respect as well.

I know that when I tell people I am an information management consultant, their eyes glaze over. When I tell them I am a consultant with law librarian training, it suddenly captures their imagination and they have an instant vision of how I might help them. And when I work on projects with other consultants, they have an appreciation for my background and what I can bring to the project.

I am proud of my library degree, and continue to identify myself as a librarian. But, having worked as a technician in the past and working as an information consultant now, I can see that putting ourselves into an ivory tower is such a mistake. Exclusivity does not help us become stronger.

I would love for us to embrace the other information professionals out there, and have us welcome them into SLA more than we are doing now. It would enrich our own experience so much, bringing fresh viewpoints and ideas into our divisions and chapters. And it would give them a way to learn from us (i.e. librarians) as well.

And in your own working life, I encourage you to look beyond the physical limits of the library, and put yourself forward to participate on teams that might normally be outside your realm. They need you. And, you need them.

Photo credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Rich Vintage Photography

Connie Crosby is a consultant specializing in library management, information management, knowledge management, and social media inside the enterprise. Before consulting, she was a law library manager for 10 years in a Toronto law firm. Connie is a founding director and contributor for the co-operative law blog Slaw.ca and also writes for her own blog at http://conniecrosby.blogspot.com. She is an instructor with the iSchool Institute at the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto, teaching continuing education courses on social media and an  organizer of PodCamp Toronto, a gathering of social media professionals and enthusiasts in Canada, co-organizer of Knowledge Workers Toronto, a monthly meetup group. Her 2010 book Effective Blogging for Libraries is part of the Tech Set series from Neal-Schuman Publishers.

by Chelle Batchelor, past SLA-UW Student Chapter Member

In late April I had the honor and pleasure of teaming up with SLA President Cindy Romaine to present this talk on the Future Ready Job Search at an SLA-UW Student Night event. As soon as she explained to me the Future Ready concept, I started thinking about how the key components of collaboration, flexibility, adaptability, and community could be applied to the difficult job search we all experience after we graduate with our MLIS degrees. Here are just a few ideas for a Future Ready inspired job search, but please feel free to add more!

Community: it is crucially important to actively reach out to your community of practice while you are in graduate school, and afterward as well. If you are reading this, you’ve already started! The key word here, however, is active, and I think people sometimes miss that when they receive (or give) advice like this. So, you are reading Future Ready 365. Great! But, can you do more? Post something, perhaps? Here’s another example: many people attend large professional conferences as part of their job search, which can be mind-boggling and sometimes even end up feeling like a waste of time and money. The key is, it is very important to get actively involved in the conference in any way you can! Find a way to volunteer, present a poster, or join a committee or peer group as well as attending a career fair or resume review. You can then note your achievements on your resume, and you will be interfacing directly with professionals who might have helpful career advice or leads! The important thing is to find meaningful ways to connect with your community.

Collaboration: I think community and collaboration go hand in hand. By connecting with the community of practice that has evolved around the kind of work you want to do, you will discover peers and mentors who can help you with your job search. Ask your peers to review your application materials, or form a job search support group to trade resumes and share ideas about how to represent your skills. Brainstorm with your peers to help each other think of skills you have gained through your coursework. Ask your mentors for advice on where to search for jobs, what to include in your application, or how you might broaden your job search strategy if you have run out of ideas. Finally, keep your peers in mind when you are searching for jobs. For example, when you see a position that you don’t think is the right fit for you, take the extra step to share it with a friend who might be more interested!

Flexibility: this one is probably the most important, and the most difficult. In my presentation I represented the problem as a Venn diagram. As with a Boolean search, each time you add another “AND” to your search strategy, you narrow your results. So, let’s say keyword phrase #1 is YOUR JOB SKILLS, #2 is GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION and #3 is TYPE OF JOB YOU WANT. Once you put those three together, you could end up with a very tiny job market to target! In order to get your first job, you may need to broaden your search. Gain some new adaptable skills, extend your search to places you haven’t considered before, or consider jobs in the tech and information industry that are not traditional “library” jobs. Those jobs might turn out to be a perfect match for your energy and enthusiasm! Don’t just search the library job lists like SLA, ALA, PNLA, LibGig, and LISjobs, try to find out what companies and other organizations are hiring information professionals. Some examples I gave my Seattle-based audience included Serials Solutions, Zaaz, Ascentium, Amazon, and Microsoft.

Adaptability: once you have identified an organization you want to work in, learn as much as you can about them and their culture. For best results, adapt each and every resume or CV and cover-letter to match the job and the work environment of that organization. Look at their web pages and familiarize yourself with the culture you see represented there. Use the language of their website, and especially the language of the job description to describe your skills and experiences in your application materials. If you don’t understand the lingo or are unfamiliar with their corporate culture, try to set up an informational interview with someone in the organization who would be willing to tell you more about the work they do and what they look for in a new employee. Finally, if you are invited to interview for a position, be prepared to answer questions about why you are interested in working for that organization, and why you care about the work you will be doing in the position you hope to fill. Be the person they want!

I hope this information is helpful for those of you graduating this year. It is a tough marketplace right now, and I think you will need to be more flexible in your job searches than ever before. The information profession is changing every day, and while it becomes more interesting, it also becomes more competitive and complex at the same time. Please take advantage of this SLA community to post more ideas for a future ready job search in the comments below!

Chelle Batchelor is the Access Services Librarian at the University of Washington Bothell and Cascadia Community College Campus Library. She graduated from the University of Washington MLIS program in June 2005 and was hired as the Head of Interlibrary Loan at the University of Las Vegas in July 2005. Two years later (almost to the day!) she began her job at UWB. She was an SLA student member from 2003-2005 and is now actively involved in ALA, co-chairing the Access Services Discussion Group and the Cooperative Remote Circulation Committee. Chelle brings the perspective of a UW iSchool Grad whose cohort has gone far and wide in the Information profession in the past six years.

by Sarah L. Warner, Sarah L. Warner Associates

To be future ready start by thinking about what you have accomplished at each of your positions. The resume’s central section is the essential section to express your responsibilities in the form of Accomplishments. More and more clients are looking for accomplishments, not simply a listing of the tasks (job description) that you were responsible during the tenure in each position. For example: Task – Involved with a variety of software projects across the department. Accomplishment – Selected to participate on a team with the rollout of LegalKey Attorney Desktop, which enabled end-users to request files. Task – Handle all research questions and daily new items for the organization. Accomplishment – Created and disseminated specialized daily news digest to targeted groups throughout the company using Microsoft SharePoint, drawing from newspapers, journals, website, newsletters, reports, wire services and blogs.

How feasible is this focus change for you?

Basic Information

All resumes should include all the following basic information: name, address, home telephone and or mobile phone (not your office phone or email), personal email, your objective along with your summary of skills. Beginning with an Objective, do make sure that it is focused on the job you are applying for. For example, if you are focusing your career shift search to academic law libraries and the job you are applying for is for a law firm library in a private law firm, be sure to update the Objective. Some recruiters recommend a Brief Statement of key experiences and strengths in lieu of Objective.

The next section to focus on is Work History –  Skills, areas of expertise, and specific accomplishments. Your resume is about you. It is about what you have learned, accomplished, and created. Then put this all in light of the client’s position that you are applying for each time you apply for a new position. If your Skill Section is so overwhelming, it is best included after the Work History, with your databases and software Microsoft Office etc. Following the Work History is Education, Training, and Certificates. Dates of completion are not required unless degrees completed within the last 5 years. The final section includes information on Awards, Professional Memberships, and Volunteer Work if relevant to the position applying. Awards related to the position you are applying for are particularly important to include.Tell the best truth about yourself on your resume; do not be misleading about your skills, job history, dates on job history, education, or compensation. The prospective employer will verify these.

The Work History is the essential section to express your responsibilities and accomplishments along with inclusive dates. Relevant work experience is critically important in the selection process. Candidates who are career changes or someone with other work experience may want to break the Work History into two sections Library Experience and Other Relevant Experience. This will assist the review in determining the exact extent of your experience. Library experience should be described in more detail. Clients want to have an understanding of your work timeline and in particular what experience you have that is of utmost relevance to their requirements. Remember it is not simply a listing of your jobs with description of your tasks. Did you save your current company X amount of dollars or did you build a successful reference service intake system that saved the reference librarian’s time and allowed time for research analysis?

The current thinking is to include positions held only for the last ten years unless an earlier position includes key germane accomplishments that are most relevant to position being applied for. When you are responding to a specific opportunity, it is strongly suggested that you highlight your experience in that area that addresses what the client’s priorities match your own achievements. For example, you are applying for a position that includes training experience using a specific software program and as part of your current or last position you had you taught and were awarded for your knowledge of the tools, be sure to move your point to a strategic point in the position’s list. If you achieved a particular skill in an early position than consider noting it for inclusion in the cover letter.

A point that is often questioned by hiring clients but also applicants is just how to address the short-term positions. In all cases, clients and recruiters expect to see the exact dates of the assignment. It is appropriate to indicate it is an “internship” or “contract.” In this challenging job market you may have gaps on your resume due to being out of work or taking temporary jobs that are not part of your career path; you can explain it as such. If you are working with a recruiter, be sure to be forthcoming with explanations about gaps. All in all keep your resume in a bullet format is preferred in one to two pages maximum unless you are applying for an academic position and a curriculum vita can be more appropriate.  Be sure to proof read multi-times. Remember one typo could send your resume to the trash.

References

One note on References is that it is not recommended to include them as part of your resume. Rather write at the bottom of your document “References available upon request.” References do not want to be caught off guard by receiving an unexpected phone call or email requesting information about you. It is preferable for you always to prep a reference about the position you have applied for and why you have applied for the position.

In the end you want to have made it clear to the reader of your resume, whether it is an in-house recruiter, hiring manager, or search committee member, that you have read and understand the skills and experience they are seeking for the successful candidate.

Cover Letter

An additional way you can convey why you are qualified to be the successful candidate for the position is with the Cover Letter. The purpose of the cover letter is to invite the reader to look directly at your resume and also next insure an invitation for an interview. If you have not done your homework on the company that you are interested already, it is a must. You may find this law firm has a specialty that is one of your particular research focuses.

The Cover Letter should be well written, well organized, and customized (Yes, customized) for the position you are seeking.  Always use the addressee’s name in the salutations. Research the right contact and get the facts straight, addressee’s title and the job title. (Sometimes searching LinkedIn is a good tool.) If you can’t successfully find the first name of the contact, it would be appropriate to put the initial and last name R. Jones. The Cover Letter is a way you can introduce yourself and convey your personality, impress a reader with your achievements, and your writing skills. If no name using Hiring Manager or Recruiter is appropriate. The cover letter is a vehicle for you to tailor a document to a specific company more than you can with a resume. The letter should not be over 3 to 4 paragraphs. There should be plenty of white space left on the page.

The opening paragraph should state your intentions, what positions you are applying for, and how you learned of the opening. If you have been fortunately to have been referred by someone, be sure to include the person’s name – maybe it is a colleague in the same company.  The following paragraphs should address the position as it pertains to your background. Call attention to those elements of your resume that you would like the employer to notice first that most clearly relate to what the client is looking for in the successful candidate. It should have supporting evidence that there is an appropriate match between you and the employer. Talk about both skills and experience. Highlight your merits. Include special contributions or achievements that are applicable. Convey enthusiasm – What can you do for them. Show them how you can be an asset.  This is NOT the time to be thinking about salary, or anything else about what they can do for you. It is what you can do for them. The final paragraph should include a gracious thank you for the employer’s time and consideration, and indicate your availability for interviews. There is information in the cover letter that is not included anyplace else. The letter can end with “Thank you for your time and consideration” or “Best regards.” It can be helpful to add your email address after your name.

Resume Portfolio

A bonus method to stand head and shoulders above the other candidates is to have a carefully crafted Resume Portfolio. If you are a recent library school graduate, this application is ideal for inclusion to set yourself aside from other graduates. By definition a Resume Portfolio is a well-prepared portfolio providing additional “evidence” to an employer of your accomplishments, skills, abilities and it documents the scope and quality of your experience and training. It is an organized collection of documentation that presents both your personal and professional achievements in a concrete way. Effective sample portfolios can range from an online version of your resume to a web site full of your created material. A portfolio can include writing samples, custom research or analysis.  What is fundamental is that what you are presenting is applicable to the position you are applying for or to client discussion.

When all is said and done the person who’s most talented, has the most relevant skill set, and has proven to be most valuable to his or her former employees achieves the new position.

Sarah L Warner and Associates LLC offers distinctive services for direct-hire and executive search in the areas of the information professional that incorporates Records Managers, Research Directors, Senior Legal Researchers, Digital Image Manager, and Account Manager.  Sarah L Warner and Associates LLC’s proven techniques of sourcing candidates allow us to represent talent not found on job boards. We introduce you to custom recruited candidates so you see exceptional candidates for direct hire.

Sarah has over ten years of experience directing recruitment services with personal care and expertise previously at Wontawk, a leader in recruitment, and over twenty years of experience in entrepreneurial, corporate, and non-profit settings, developing and providing a full spectrum of library & information services, including management, staff recruiting, and research. Sarah is a long-time active member of SLA with a Masters in Library and Information Science is from Pratt Institute.  She can be reached at sarah@sarahlwarnerandassociates.com

by Stephanie Callaway

It is important to remember to set your goals- and do not stray from them!  It is advised to make a list of potential jobs prior to your initial job search.  These ideal jobs will help you direct your search in a positive manner and allow you to assess your timelines towards gainful employment.

When the job market is diminished and you are not hearing back from companies, it can be easy to become frustrated or fear that your resume is entering a black hole.  It is highly recommended to keep a journal or record of where you apply and to whom you sent your resume.  Remember to always follow up!  This shows your potential employers that you are genuinely interested in working with them and eagerly awaiting their feedback.

From reading Ms. Pamela Wall’s post regarding “My Resolution,” I have to agree with the fact that “the future is now.”  As you embark on your independent job search it is important to remain organized and focused.  Gear your search towards what you want to be doing.  As recent graduates the future may seem like a threatening or unusual place- where you are no longer graded for your effort, and the work isn’t divided by semesters.  This will be your job!  Make it something that interests you, and something that you are truly excited about.

If you feel as though you are stuck in a rut or would like assistance with your job search, it is a great idea to reach out for help.  TRAK Records and Library is a national staffing company with a strong presence in major cities across the United States.  We specialize in your field of information management, and TRAK prides itself on partnering with the up-and-coming MLS graduates and helping to create an ideal situation post-graduation.  If you are interested in hitting the ground running this May, please feel free to reach out for more details.

For more information on TRAK, please visit our website at www.trakcompanies.com, or send your resume toResumes@TRAKRecordsandLibrary.com for immediate consideration.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Stephanie Callaway is the National Business Development Director for TRAK Records and Library.

by Linda McKell

This is a question I am frequently asked since I work in a library staffing company. It is an interesting question, involving understanding people, organizations and what they need to keep viable.

In the library world, we have for-profit special libraries, non-profit academic and public libraries as well as an entire array of free-lance contract workers/consultants and vendors. While there are differences in funding sources for all of these entities, it still boils down to “where’s the money?”

That is why it is helpful to know about the overall structure, funding sources and directions for any organization, employer or customer that you are trying to work with.

How do you find this out? There are certainly unlimited amounts of information on the web; however, making connections with people inside the company can give you more insight on that and many other aspects of the organization.

Understand the Environment.

First, use your research skills to understand as much about an organization before applying and interviewing. Then you will be able to convey some understanding of their situation rather than just come across like a deer in the headlights.

Some possible questions to research are:

1. How is the organization doing financially? Have they experienced layoffs, downturns and how have they handled them?
2. What achievements, successes and goals do they have?
3. What challenges, obstacles and set-backs have they experienced?
4. Who does the library/dept. serve in the organization?
5. Who does the library/dept. report to?
6. What size staff do they have in the library? Do they have satellites, branches and other locations that they serve?
7. What services are offered by the library/dept.?
8. What is the job description for the advertised position?
9. What other services could be supplied if appropriate skills and resources are available?
10. How can you make a contribution/difference and generally be an asset to the library/dept.?

Get to Know People.

Second, explore your people network. There are more ways to network now than ever before. Now, in addition to just getting to know your immediate neighbors, you can explore the following areas:

1. Get social. Visit Facebook, Linked In, Twitter and other social and professional networking sites like listserves to find people who work where you would like to work. Ask them some of the above questions or others to more fully understand the environment.
2. Get professional. Attend professional meetings. Mingling with people in the profession provides information and direct connections. The programs also give you a heads up on what is currently going on in the field. Getting information virtually is great, but meeting and greeting live provides additional advantages.
3. Broadcast to your local network. Let people know that you are interested in certain organizations, venues or types of jobs. You will be amazed at how even your local network has connections. I once asked the head of an academic library who had worked in a corporate library originally what it was like to work in academia. She told me a few things and then said, “Why, are you interested in working in academic?” I said I would be interested, but now I was working full-time as an engineering librarian in a corporate setting. A few months later she called to ask me if I would like a part-time job in their engineering library while one of the staff worked on a special project somewhere else. I jumped at the chance and learned a lot even though I ended up working both jobs at 12 hour days!
4. Set up informational interviews. Find someone in an environment where you would like to work and ask if you can interview them about their job over coffee or an ice cream cone! Stop by the reference desk at your local library, find a willing person and start talking to them. Don’t monopolize their time, but you can glean a great deal of information from many small interactions over time.
5. Look for problems that need to be solved. See if you can volunteer in an area of interest and do a special project for which there is no funding or no time. This will not only give you a chance to see what the environment is like, but to gain some experience. Who says you have to be paid for work to list it on your resume?

By doing these things before you begin talking to a prospective employer, you will distinguish yourself from others by knowing something rather than little or nothing about them.

Make the Employers’ Job Easier.

You might think that looking for a job is the most stressful situation, but employers are under stress as well. They have to cope with work overloads, staff shortages, budget restrictions while conducting a candidate search. They have to justify their need for a person; handle recruiting activities directly or work with their Human Resources department which can be more of a wall than a door. They then either filter through a mountain of resumes and applications or find that too few qualified people are responding to ads. Lastly, they have to conduct myriad interviews with candidates who either know little or nothing about the job or they are faced with too many qualified candidates making the decision difficult. After making the hiring decision, they have to train and orient the new hire and hope that the person is not only what they seem to be, but, hopefully, better and not worse!

Keep in mind that the employer may be distracted or unskilled in interviewing, as well. You can help them along by creating a friendly atmosphere as you start talking to them. Make them feel comfortable with you. Don’t monopolize the conversation, but be relaxed and try to put yourself in their shoes. Try to make the interview a conversation and not a monologue on either side.

Meanwhile, what employers are really looking for is a person who can not only do the job, but who can bring more to the table, fit in with the work group, and generally make the services rendered the best they can be! They are not looking for people to do the minimum, don’t mix well with the existing work group, and are focused on what’s in it for me versus trying to achieve the goals of the department/organization.

In short, employers are looking for good employees. And that is the best thing you can be!

Linda McKell is President and Founder of AIM Library & Information Staffing headquartered in Mountain View, California. For more information about the library job market, visit the company website at www.aimusa.com.