Q: I am changing careers after completing an LIS program. I have been working at a technical help desk in various roles using many of the skills taught to information professionals. For example, I have taught effective search techniques, researched technical issues using various technical resources, and practiced customer service through various communication paths. Is there an effective way to present these types of transferable skills when applying for a library position?

SM: This is a good question and an issue that many people have, especially those who are changing careers and those who are just entering the profession and have little or no library experience. One option is to use a functional resume, rather than a chronological resume. Functional resumes focus on skills and experience rather than work history over time. You might choose to organize your resume into categories such as: customer service, research, instruction, and technology. Within the categories you can list out the different skills and go into more detail about the jobs themselves. The skills you mention transfer nicely to the library world, and the job of working at a technical help desk is comparable to working at a reference desk, so this seems like a natural fit for you.

When you are writing cover letters, emphasize whatever skills are emphasized in the job description. For example, if the job is for a reference librarian, write about how you have assisted users both in person at the desk and online — and be specific about the tools/technologies/databases/media/etc. that you used. Employers like to know that you have experience (or expertise) with the same or similar tools that they have at their library. And they like to know that you are knowledgeable about current or emerging technologies and trends.

Resources that might be helpful:

Should You Use a Chronological or Functional Resume? By Roberta Chinsky Matuson

Crafting a Winning Resume by Tiffany Eatman Allen

JobStar Resume Guide (+ sample resumes)

Q:  I’m a recent LIS graduate and have been a reference librarian for two years, but I have long been interested in collection development. Prior to that, I worked as an assistant in a special library doing copy cataloging and collection maintenance, and in a university law library, also doing collection maintenance. Unfortunately, due to limited availability of a collection development class in my program, I never took it and only learned in my last quarter before graduation when I asked to have my practicum in collection development that the class was a prerequisite. Thus I was pushed into reference, and while I’m content in my role, I still often wonder about a career in collection development. I have no clue how I might one day make the transition, especially since it’s such a specialized area of work. Can you suggest any ideas for how a relatively new reference librarian might acquire the experience necessary to cross over into collection development post MLIS?

TA:  Several ideas come to mind when I think about your question of how to get into collection development after a couple of years as a reference librarian.  Here are a few:

• Seek specialized training through a professional association; attend workshops and professional meetings in the area of collection development.
• Take a continuing education course in collection development through an ALA-accredited library school.  Or, consider the possibility of a Certificate of Advanced Study (a post-MLS program) and specialize in collection development.
• Reference librarians know a lot about the collection, so look for ways to build opportunities into your current position.  In many libraries, the lines between reference and collection development are being blurred by the liaison or subject specialist role, where librarians are arranged by subject and not function.  If your current employer doesn’t offer enough opportunity to explore collection development, and you’re willing to dive into the job market, maybe a subject specialist or liaison type position is your bridge to a position that has exclusive responsibility for collection development.
• Look for a professional mentor who is already a collection development librarian.  And how do you find that kind of mentor?  Well, since you asked…
• Conduct a few information interviews—Ask others who have the job you want how they got there, what they love about their job, and what they would change.  Be sure to watch your vocabulary when describing your current situation.  What you’ve described above can be heard as a bit negative (I was “pushed” into reference) and perceived as less-than-careful planning in library school (I “only learned in my last quarter before graduation…”).  Focus on the future and your career aspirations.
• Pursue an additional degree that would support your move into a collection development position.  Many librarians engaged in collection development have an additional degree beyond the MLS that allows them to specialize deeply in a specific subject or discipline.
• If your current employer offers a sabbatical or research leave, develop a research project around the intersection of reference and collection development.  At the end you’ll know more about your areas of interest and have a deliverable that you can share with others.

Q: I have a professional dilemma, and I would be so grateful for any insight or encouragement you might be able to offer me.

In June 2011, I completed library school thinking that I wanted to be a public librarian. Actually, I was pretty certain of this, even though I had minimal experience working in public libraries. My background is actually in special (government/law and art) libraries.

Shortly after earning my degree, I was offered a part-time librarian substitute position at a local large urban public library system. I have worked as a public reference librarian for one year now, and I have decided that it’s not for me. In addition to this, I have applied for countless internal job postings within the public library organization and I’ve had no luck. I think someone is trying to tell me something that I’ve ignored for a long time.

I feel like a fool, and like I have to start over. However, I am eager to get my career back on the right path and continue to pursue something more personally fulfilling. For the last four years, I have been employed part-time at a government law library and I absolutely love it. Even though there may not be a full-time or professional position for me there, I want to continue to pursue a career in government librarianship, perhaps in a science or engineering library. Do you have any thoughts on how I might get started?

TA:  Dear “Professional Dilemma”:

Please know that you are not alone when it comes to reassessing a career path.  Some enter library school on one path, and exit on another.  Other times, it takes some experience in the profession to realize your true calling lies elsewhere.  But don’t worry, or criticize yourself.  Just prepare yourself and take the necessary steps to get where you want to go.

First, you’re not starting over.  You might be taking a step back, but you’re not at the very beginning.  Over the course of the last several years, you’ve gained professional experience that will translate from one library to another.  You’ve also learned where your strengths and interests lie, so don’t take that for granted.  Check out the other articles about transferable skills and how to market those on your application materials.

Second, we say all the time that librarianship is a very small profession.  That truth is amplified for special librarianship.  This is a tight group of professional colleagues who know, work with, and recommend others in their professional circles.  Make this work for you in three ways: one, stay close to your colleagues in the government law library where you’ve been working (think: future references and recommendations); two, start creating and working a professional network of other special librarians doing what you want to do (see other articles on informational interviews); and three, find a mentor who can walk with you through all of this and introduce you to others in the profession.

Finally, sit down and do some written exercises to help you identify what you want in the future for your career.  Assess what you have and what you need to achieve these goals, and create an action plan.  Just as you would plan any other event, thoughtful consideration, measurable goals, and an action plan will help you get there.

Q: I received my MLIS in March of this year and have now been called in for my first interview.  I just learned from the institution today who my competition is and what her qualifications are.  I’d thought I was a great candidate for the position — until I saw how much more experience the other candidate has!  Do you have any advice for new librarians competing for their first librarian jobs against professionals with years of experience? Thanks.

SM: Yes. In a nutshell: stop worrying about the competition.

But… here’s the thing — you usually wouldn’t know who your competition is when you are interviewing for a position. By knowing this information, it puts you in as awkward situation and has the potential to play havoc with your confidence – which is so not what you need when you are in the process of interviewing.

So, let’s pretend that you don’t know who your competition is or how much experience he or she has. In fact, you should not be thinking about your competition at all (or, you should expect everyone to be your competition). Ultimately, you should not be thinking about things you have no control over. You should be focused on the job and the interview and your rapport with the people you are meeting. You should be concerned about the requirements of the position and about  figuring out if you really want the job should they offer it to you. You should be concerned about your own abilities and experience and motivation and about selling those, and selling yourself, to the hiring committee.

You will always be competing with candidates who have more experience than you, and are more skilled at something than you are. But, that doesn’t mean that they are right for the job. Hiring committees don’t hire the candidate with the most experience, because they have the most experience. They hire the right candidate, the one who fits into the environment and meets the requirements of the job. A good personality, the ability to adapt to different situations and environments, and an affinity for learning can go a long way. I’m assuming that you meet all the requirements of the job, if you are applying for it; so therefore, you have just a good a chance as someone with more experience.* And, depending on the type of job it is, you may have a better chance. Many candidates may not be right for the position because they have too much experience. Hiring committees may not want to hire someone who has  years of experience for an entry-level position that requires minimal or no experience. So, look for entry-level positions and only apply to ones that you are qualified for.

*Caveat: this can get tricky if you have no experience, or very, very little… which is why we always recommend to get some experience (doesn’t need to be professional) before or during library school, so you have it under your belt when you start applying for positions.

Q: I’ve been accepted to several different LIS programs, one from the top ranked university in the nation. But I haven’t received money offers from any of them and I’m not sure I want to take on all of the debt from my first choice (it’s out-of-state). I could go to the in-state graduate program, save a lot of money, etc., but I’m wondering how much which graduate school I go to will affect my job chances after I graduate? I’m so confused and my adviser has not been much help, as she has no experience in this field. Any suggestions or advice?

SM: This is a tricky question to answer, because the school you go to will definitely, absolutely affect your future career and your job prospects after you graduate – but not due to its reputation or ranking (so much). And, a degree from a highly ranked library school, even the top-ranked one, will not guarantee you a job. Each school has different classes, different instructors, different opportunities, different specializations, and different locales. The things that will influence your library career will be just those: instructors, student jobs, internships, classes and projects, mentors, classmates, groups or clubs, career centers, and the educational, professional and social climate you will immerse yourself in, wherever you choose to go to school. You’ve probably heard from others that library school is just something you need to endure to get the degree in order to get the job. It makes me kind of sad to hear this (even though I understand the mentality), because if you are going to pay a lot of money for it, you should get something that will give you way more than a piece of paper. The program you attend should provide you with skills and experience and support and guidance and mentors and friends that will enhance your life, arouse your ambitions, and jump start your career.

As for the money issue — we are opposed to spending lots of it on library school, and we’ve said this before. It’s no secret that we (librarians) don’t make a lot of money, especially when just starting out, so…  don’t put yourself in tons of debt (really, don’t). However, as you are probably aware, many of the higher ranking library schools are in public universities and out-of-state tuition for those programs may be (quite a bit) less than paying in-state tuition at a local private institution.

You will need to weigh your options and think about the different opportunities you might have at each of the colleges you are considering. If possible, you should visit the campuses and the departments and speak with the director and with instructors and students to get a better feel for the program and the environment. Ask questions about jobs and assistantships and internships at the college, and in the city. And ask yourself if you are willing to move out-of-state for school, and for jobs. Being geographically mobile will always help your job prospects, because you will be able to apply for more positions.

If you really want to attend an out-of-state program, I recommend calling the admissions department and asking about graduate assistantships and other financial opportunities. If you are an accepted applicant, they want you there and they should be willing to work with you to try to figure out how to make that happen. Best of luck!

These are similar questions we’ve answered on this topic:

Q: Does the chance of finding a job increase or decrease depending on where you get your degree?

Q: How do I find the right library school for me?

Q: Hi, I’m relocating in a few weeks and have been applying for jobs for the last few months. I realized today that on many of my cover letters I provided an incorrect cell phone number (I rarely use mine and so, of course, I transposed the digits) along with my home number and email address. Should I contact all the potential employers to correct my mistake or should I hope they will use the other methods to contact me? Thanks for your advice.

A: We think that you should not contact all the potential employers to correct your mistake and hope that they will use either your email or your home phone if they want to contact you. A couple of exceptions to this might be if a.) you know someone at a particular place and you could send a friendly email that explains what happened, or b.) one (or two) of these jobs epitomizes your dream job and you feel like you have a good chance at getting an interview and you won’t sleep at night thinking that they are trying to contact you but cannot reach you. If these scenarios are untrue, then don’t waste your time and energy contacting potential employers for a minor error that they probably won’t notice.

Also, keep in mind that (from our experiences) employers/search committees/hiring managers/etc. will typically contact a candidate by email, first, and if they want to setup a phone interview, they will ask you what number is the best for you — and it may not be one of the numbers you provided on your cover letter. It is common for job candidates to be in the midst of moving and phone numbers (and voicemail) can change or get disconnected or just don’t work for whatever reason, so don’t sweat this one. There are much bigger mistakes you could have made. Best of luck to you!

Q: I’ve been working at an academic library since I finished graduate school four years ago. My question for you is this: what would be the best second master’s degree for an academic librarian to get?

I am very interested in pursuing more education and it seems like it would be an advantage to get a second master’s degree, as academic librarians are being asked to be subject specialists more so these days, and I’d like to get a second degree to do just that (and to remain employable). But I’d like your opinion to know what you think are growing trends in regards to higher education — and what potentially overlooked opportunities there are for academic librarians hoping to specialize. For what it’s worth, I’m the library faculty liaison to the College of Education & Psychology here at the university. But if you could recommend a second master’s specialization that would be appreciated!

SM: This is a great question! I have recommendations for you, but the real answer to your question “What would be the best second masters degree for an academic librarian to get?” is… there is no right answer, and it all depends on the job.

A certain subject degree can be valued more for a specific job, because that job deals with that specific subject. A library might be looking for a reference and instruction librarian, but that librarian might also need to be a subject specialist in history, or political science, or mathematics or whatever subject that particular library needs at the moment. And, since you are currently the liaison to education and psychology, and (let’s say) you want to stay in that position, it “may” be beneficial for you and your library to get that second masters in one of those areas. However, since you are already in the role and didn’t need the second masters to be a liaison, then (it seems like) you could probably pursue any subject you would like, although you may want to talk to your supervisor first. If you imagine that you will be job hunting in the future, think about what roles (if you want to do liaison work, and like you said, many academic librarians do) you would prefer. Also, think about how many people have degrees in the humanities (literature, history, etc.) and how many of these people you may be competing with for any given job. In this case, something a little more obscure (like the natural or applied sciences) might make you more desirable as a candidate and more specialized as a librarian, but there may not be as many of those jobs.

Another option might be to pursue a different kind of degree in something like educational technology, or social media, or computer science, or instructional design, or media studies, or public relations, or marketing, or management… where the second masters degree isn’t so much a “subject” but a skill or tool for you to use in your role as a librarian.

My advice for anyone contemplating getting a second masters degree is to go for something that you want to study, something that interests you, and something that you think will be useful to you as a librarian (in future positions as well as your current position) – and this may not be a typical, straightforward subject degree.

Another piece of advice is do not put yourself into massive debt to get a second masters degree. If you are working in an academic environment or applying to academic librarian positions, ask about tuition remission and look into the types of degrees offered at the institution. And, keep in mind that while many institutions require that you have a second masters degree, many of those will let you get the second masters on the job. And, the best part — they pay for it. These positions will usually state in their job ads that a second masters is required for promotion and tenure. When you apply for these positions, you should say in your cover letter that you are very interested in pursuing a second masters degree. An advantage to getting your second masters degree “on-the-job” is that you may be able to tailor it more to your current role and the needs of the library. A disadvantage is that you are limited to that institution’s (or system’s) offerings.

Whatever path or subject you decide to pursue, just make sure it is something that you enjoy, something that challenges you, and something that will enhance your career.

Hello readers! I did an interview with Naomi House for I Need a Library Job (INALJ). If you haven’t seen the site, or LinkedIn group, or Facebook page, you are missing out on a lot of great  conversations and advice.

Q: I’ve decided to take a few library science classes before applying to graduate school, mainly because I don’t have any prior experience working in a library and my undergraduate degree is in an unrelated field. Which would look better to the admissions office: a certificate from a local community college in library science or a couple of graduate courses? The certificate is in ‘library science basics’ and is 5 classes and would cost about the same as 2 graduate courses. Would one be more beneficial than the other? Are either really necessary?

SM: If you plan on going to library school at some point in the future, to pursue a graduate degree in library and information science (or equivalent), then the graduate courses would be better… because you are applying your money to that one degree. If you choose the certificate, which may be beneficial and help you get a library job (although not a librarian job), and then you decide that you do want to be a librarian, you will need to start over again in the graduate program. The certificate degree really won’t count and you will end up spending more money in the long run. As for what would look best for the admissions department – I think both would look good and show that you are motivated to learn and determined to work in libraries. But (and this is a big but), neither one is necessary to get into an LIS program. So, you might want to wait and apply to graduate school, and get into an LIS program, before spending any extra money on classes. And while you are in the program, work (or intern or volunteer) in a library to get the much needed experience which will help you get a job once you get the degree.

Q: First of all, thank you both for your blog and the thoughtful responses to Library career questions. I am finding it very useful and practical in my hunt for employment in the library field. I was wondering if you could give me any advice about my current situation.

While living in the UK, I have completed a CILIP qualified Masters of Information and Library Management at a UK University. I am living in a rural area of England, and there are very few library jobs. I have been volunteering at a local library and archive for the last few months. I have interviewed for about 4 positions in the last 9 months, but I have not been successful. I got positive feedback for all of the positions, but they decided other candidates were more suitable. Due to not being able to get employment in the UK, I have decided to move back to the US, and am starting to look for library positions in the Greater Philadelphia area.

I am not sure what I am qualified to apply for, and how to best represent myself on paper. A CILIP qualified library master’s degree is recognized as equivalent to an ALA qualified MLS or MLIS, but I am not sure if employers will recognize this. I have been putting information in my materials about the CILIP degree being equivalent to an ALA degree by pointing to the ALA website,  as well as providing a link to a great article comparing graduates from library schools in the US and UK. I also have a previous Masters degree in Urban Affairs and Public Policy, two and a half years as a research assistant at a large university, some supervisory experience, two years library assistant experience at an academic library, and archival/digital collections experience.  And, do you have any suggestions for ways to break into entry-level academic library roles?

SM: I wouldn’t go too far to point out the fact that your degree is “different.” You don’t want it to stand out as a red flag and you don’t want to make it seem questionable, because it isn’t. The American Library Association states that the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand” have been identified as having “formal” accreditation processes and an individual who has received his/her degree from an institution in one of these countries is considered acceptable for employment in the United States.” [Library programs in Canada are accredited by the American Library Association.]

It can be a bit tricky, figuring out what you should include in your application materials and how much explanation is necessary, because you want to educate those who may not know that other countries have equivalent degrees to the ALA-accredited MLS, but you don’t want to push tons of information at them which could be both distracting (since it doesn’t pertain to the job at hand) and demeaning (because they may already know about foreign library school credentials, or they can easily look up the information on their own). So, I would suggest to err on the subtle side and go with minimal information on the degree and focus on how your background and your experience and your skills relate to the job you are applying for. If you are a finalist for the position, the search committee (director, HR, etc.) will have plenty of time to seek out the history of your degree and ask you questions about it during the interview.

All you really need to do when you apply for jobs are two simple things:

• In your resume, list your degree, as you normally would. For example:

2011 – MA, Library Science, City University London

• In your cover letter, write a sentence or two about getting your degree abroad and mention that the degree is an equivalent degree and you can (if you are so inclined) provide a link to ALA’s page on Library Employment and Foreign Credentials.  And, you might also want to mention that you are a U.S. citizen.

As for breaking into entry-level academic library jobs in the U.S. — just apply for ones that you are qualified for and ones that interest you… and play up your strengths. You have library experience, research experience, supervisory experience, and a second masters, and you’ve lived and worked (volunteered, but that counts!) abroad which may be appealing to some search committees and some academic cultures. Keep an open mind and a positive attitude, seek out library organizations and groups in specific cities you are targeting, network online, and look for more than just entry-level positions (which you may be qualified for).  Good luck!