Organizations conduct a baseline level of training in order to ensure that staff understand the philosophies, values and core expectations in order to ensure success in a given field. In addition, the organization has developed a framework by which departments are organized with a goal of ensuring leadership occurs (succession planning.) There are job descriptions that define the basic expectations or competencies for positions. Advertisements are worded carefully to attract a strong pool of applicants. And, interview panelists and questions are chosen to ensure that successful candidates possess the necessary experience, competencies, and desired attributes to match the position. The desired result is that there are good matches to positions and a high level of success is attained.
Within the Library profession, we make sure that our training programs give staff the necessary tools to perform in their positions. However, attaining the experience and skills necessary for an advanced position, and providing evidence of accomplishment that warrants career advancement is the responsibility of the individual staff member.
What can you do to demonstrate success and provide evidence of accomplishment?
- Learn to “Talk the Talk.” Assess organizational terms that are most acceptable for the promotion, position, or organizational competencies in question.
- What have you done that relates to the job you are seeking? Identify position elements that are transferable skills areas, e.g. communication skills, teamwork, organizational skills.
- Assess your readiness. Determine the level or knowledge/experience you have in the competency areas in question.
- Résumés are targeted. Write résumé position descriptions using terms consistently under job titles.
- Indicate evidence of accomplishment in skills areas in résumé entries.
- Bring something to the table. Provide evidence of accomplishment in portfolio, advancement, promotion, or application package.
- Use skills statements in cover letters.
- Discuss skills and accomplishments in response to interview questions.
Other important things you can do:
- Dress for the job you want—not for the job you have. You don't have to do this, but you are likely to get better recognition if you do. It is one of the easiest things you can do to get noticed!
- Don’t sit on committees, participate in them. Perform an important function for that group. When opportunities arise, contribute and show others what you have to offer.
- Take the lead! Ask for the responsibility, volunteer to do the task. Leaders and high achievers do not wait for fate to put them in a winning situation. They seek out opportunities to demonstrate their worth.
- Be visible. Attend professional events, conferences, and join professional organizations such as MALC and TLA. It is a small investment that yields high dividends in the form of networking and visibility, and access to experience and professional development.
When positioning yourself for advancement, it is imperative that you do more than list your positions and professional activities. Most employers are looking for traits/qualities that are both explicit in the job description and implicit when considering a successful candidate. While you may not have performed the specific job for which you are applying, there are skills that you can transfer that are essential for success. In order to be competitive and demonstrate your professional worth, you must be able to articulate your areas of competence and provide evidence of accomplishment. Below is a sample worksheet to aid you in assessing skills/competency and demonstrating evidence of accomplishment.
| Position | Responsibility | Competency | Evidence of Accomplishment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title Location Dates | Lead, Information Literacy Team | Group leadership: learning what motivates others to produce quality work; Group facilitation | Facilitated group project that led to successful curriculum design; Chaired meetings that led to successful completion of all project objectives | |
| Title Location Dates | Member, Strategic Planning Group | Teamwork: Working with others to complete essential activities of a project | Served on research sub-committee and conducted in-depth research on current and future technological trends in libraries | |
| Title Location Dates | Member,ILS Migration Training Team | Training: Presentation skills Curriculum Development | Led 4 sessions for 32 people teaching Search Strategies skills using the new ILS interface Co-developed training curriculum and materials for system wide ILS implementation || | |
| Title Location Dates | Branch in-charge designee | Management and Leadership: Learning facets of Agency Management and developing leadership skills | Responsible for Agency schedule Processed payroll Served on interview panel for Circulation Representative |
Important Resources:
American Library Association
ALA has a great page devoted to Education and Careers in the Library field. There is a general overview of the profession, links to scholarship information, lists of accredited Master's Degree programs, and even a section dedicated to recruiting for the field.
ALA Education and Careers
Accredited Degree Programs
Continuing Education
Tennessee Library Association
WebJunction
WebJunction is an online community for Library staff. The mission of the organization is to identify and embrace appropriate technologies and apply them to daily work. Having said that, there is an extensive offering of resources and online courses designed to aid library professionals in developing and enhancing technology competencies and other library related skills.
WebJunction
WebJunction Courses
Technology Competencies for Public Access Computing
Accredited LIS programs for the Mid-south:
The following is a short list of degree programs which offer distance education programs that can be completed entirely online. These are excellent opportunities for the working student who would like to pursue an advanced degree in Library Science.
Drexel University
University of Southern Mississippi
University of Tennessee
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
