Some Hard Lessons on the Job Search

LJ's Student Affairs blogger Staci Elliott, in a swan song, offered some sober reflections on why she remains library-jobless since she started applying for positions in October 2007. (She earned her degree two months later.)

First, she acknowledged some mistakes. While she refused to apply for jobs that didn't pay a decent basic salary, she wrote, “Two-thirds of your needed salary is better than no salary at all.” While she eschewed certain states, like Texas, she now understands that a way station is not a life sentence. She turned down the one job offer she got early on but now realizes she was lucky to have gotten that.

She advises readers that working in a library before going to library school—even as a volunteer—offers an important step up.

Elliott cited several things she did right, including using connections, writing a good cover letter, and keeping a careful folder for each position of interest. When telephone interviews were scheduled, she prepared with notes about the institution.

“As for me, I continue to struggle,” she concluded, offering self-criticism but acknowledging “that the economy and my lack of direct library experience both contributed to the problem.” As she wrote November 4, she's now looking outside libraries, but she remains gung-ho about the field. To find Student Affairs, go to LibraryJournal.com and click on “Blogs.”