NextGen: A Formula for Success

By now, you know: There are lots of jobs out there in libraryland. The challenge is that you just need one. While library job ads pop up every day, if you are about to graduate or have just graduated from library school and are looking for a job, not many of those job ads are looking for you. It is a classic catch-22: most employers are looking for librarians with at least two years of experience, but how do you get full-time experience if you cannot get that first job?

The good news is that, like many others, including me, you can and will find suitable employment. For me, preparation was the key. Having just survived the employment process, here are five tips that worked.

It sounds simple, but you can't get what you want until you know what you want. Consider everything you desire in an ideal job: the type of library (academic, public, special, etc.), the kind of work and skills involved, the geographic location, and the minimum salary you would accept. After you have come up with your ideal job, turn your attention to what type of position you would absolutely not take.

It might help to create a list of qualities that would be offered by both: your ideal job on the one hand and your unacceptable job on the other. Visualize yourself in each setting. Doing this will help you better assess which positions will or will not fit your needs and will greatly enhance the entire job-hunting process.

Be honest with yourself. When looking at a job ad, gauge where the position lands between your ideal and unwanted spot. If it falls within the range you've set out, go for it. If it is outside your range, don't waste your time. And if you have looked and looked and nothing fits, it may be time to reevaluate your employment objectives.

Remember, too, an ideal position is also one that you qualify for, but at the same time don't shortchange yourself.

Once you have found some job ads that fit your needs, treat each application with some tender loving care. In such a competitive environment, just one inadvertent mistake somewhere can cost you a position. Treat each application as if it were the only application.

And do this often. Apply, apply, apply! My goal when I was looking for work was to apply for at least five positions every week. On some level, landing a job is a numbers game. Hundreds of people may go after the same position for which you just applied. It comes down to a simple formula: apply for X number of jobs, get Y number of positive results, which leads to Z number of interviews.

Be prepared: the whole process can be daunting, especially when the rejection letters start coming. The good news, however, is that you only need one job.

Even though you may be working on your 40th application, you have to be tough and get through it with the same enthusiasm and diligence that you felt for the first application. Each position is different, and so you must treat them all individually. Keep an even keel: try not to like one position a little too much while you are looking at many.

Become an expert at applying for work. As you go along, learn ways to improve each application, each formal contact, each interview. Your goal should be to improve and make yourself look better and better each time you go through each of the steps. If you work to sharpen everything you do as you look for work, you will come out of this process with a good job.

After you have survived the application process and gotten through the interview and things begin to look very promising, don't let your guard down. Until you have a job offer in writing, do not decrease the pace of your search or cancel other interviews or reject other offers.

In librarianship, the line dividing “applicant” and “employee” can be very gray. People may smile at you, shake your hand, even tell you how impressed they are with your interview. But none of this equates to a job offer. Speculate, and you may end up without a job or, worse, turning down a job because you thought you were already hired elsewhere.

Ultimately, stay flexible throughout the process. It is a good idea, for example, to have a backup plan in case you don't land a position quickly. Graduating broke and needing something the day after commencement is a difficult challenge, so try to give yourself some leeway. Furthermore, don't forget that you may not see a paycheck for a month or so after your start date once you do get hired.

No question, the job-hunt in library science is very demanding. Nevertheless, you must do as everyone else in your position does and try your best to find the right job for you. You can do it. Good luck!