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In the library science profession, developing a well rounded career seems to come from a willingness and ability to be geographically mobile. Although settled in a position in medical publishing, I began just over a year ago to seek a library job in the Midwest. I underwent a difficult search: first from New York, then at the 2006 ALA Annual Conference, and finally following a move to Chicago.

Searching remotely

While I was in New York, my job hunt focused on the Midwestern region surrounding the state of Illinois. (Both my move and this geographic choice were precipitated by personal reasons.) I used RSS feeds, e-mail alerts, lists, and local consortia sites to find open positions, and having a general region in mind helped focus my job hunt. I weeded out the positions I wasn't interested in or where I failed to meet the qualifications, which left me with two to four positions every week to explore in greater detail.

The grueling task of researching potential places of employment and creating job-specific cover letters and resumes condensed my number of applications. I quickly learned that there was a limit to the number of evenings that I could sit poring over the ways to describe myself and my qualifications to appeal to HR departments. Too many applications also put a strain on the diligent proofreaders going through this process with me.

Key things that I learned at this stage:

• Be prepared to justify in detail your willingness to relocate.
• Use RSS feeds: I could wade through 60 jobs in five minutes, which left time to search sites that didn't have feeds.
• Get multiple resume opinions. Everyone will have a slightly different read and will notice new details.
• Do background research on the town. If you're a big city mouse, a small town may not be for you.
• Keep a plain text version of your most complete resume (to be edited for specific jobs) to put into the various job web sites.
• Get a copy of your transcripts and keep a scanned version of them.

Attending ALA

Last summer, I sent myself to ALA. It was a daunting process. Because I worked for a publisher instead of "XYZ Library," and my job title did not include any form of the word "librarian," I seemed to fall through the cracks. Librarians and vendors alike assumed that I was a vendor - which drastically changed their perception of and initial reaction to me. I spent a lot of time explaining that I was attending the conference as a librarian and adding that I was long distance job hunting.

While others have shared that their "random conversation at ALA led to a job," this was not my experience. My impression was that a number of people that I encountered perceived me as a threat as a job hunter interested in "their" library or company. The exception was at the ALA Placement Center. Here, I encountered incredibly welcoming people, who couldn't wait to encourage my application to their libraries. Unfortunately, none of them were from my geographic region of interest. Overall, conference attendance was an excellent experience for networking, volunteering and meeting people; however, I would not recommend it for someone who was primarily attending to job hunt.

Key things I learned at this stage:

• Some people view you as a threat if you are upfront about job hunting.
• Always have a couple extra resumes with you - along with your business card.
• Even if you're not going to the conference, make use of the jobLIST site to add your resume information. More employers use this than are able to put booths in the career area.
• Inevitably, if you attend a program on hiring/getting hired, you will encounter someone whose "extensive" job hunt lasted two whole months resulting in eight interviews but only three fabulous job offers that s/he had to consider. Don't take it personally.

Searching locally

My scheduled move date arrived before I'd found a job. Now, I was a local Chicago candidate, but my search area decreased exponentially. Having funded one cross-country move, I could not afford to move again. The transition also raised an entirely new set of questions in interviews, most of them a discreet version of "so... why did you move?" Optimistically, I continued to plow through the job ads and got a part-time job to cover the bills that my freelance work didn't meet. The search lasted three months longer than anticipated - I moved in September, with the expectation of being in a position by January. Instead it was nearly April. As a result, I often second- guessed myself and my abilities. Towards the end, my search got a bit desperate, and I needed a lot of reassurance to stay focused.

Key things I learned at this stage:

• Make sure that you have a strong support network to reassure you when another rejection letter arrives or an anticipated phone call doesn't come.
• Keep finding new people to read your resume and cover letters.
• Be prepared for your job hunt to take longer than you expect - you still have to pay bills.
• Some employers are not particularly good with hiring timelines and communication to candidates.
• Freelance information specialist recruiters may be able to help you, but may also send you on a wild goose chase.
• Don't quit any work until you have a confirmed start date at your new job, preferably on paper.

Ultimately my job hunt was successful, and I'm settling into a new position. It was a difficult search and not a version I'd recommend, but I had an exciting opportunity to find a great library position - and an educational job search along the way.

Abigail Goben is a Children's Librarian in the midst of the Summer Reading Program for the Chicago Public Library. She can be reached via e-mail at abigailgoben@gmail.com, but responses will probably be at 3 a.m. on Tuesday.