Navigating Transition Points in Library and Information Careers
Library and information careers may involve many transition points — some of which can be anticipated or sought out, others not so much. But one of the great things about a library and information science (LIS) career is that with a bit of thoughtful strategizing and research, pretty much all of those transitions can be managed in a way that helps keep your career on track.
The key to making the most of these transitions: assume that change is your friend. In fact, as you move through your career, you’ll find that change, though often disruptive, can also be the source of wonderful new opportunities for you. Whether the change is driven by your employer, new commitments in your personal life, or simply changes in your personal career aspirations, it’s up to you to determine (and drive) the outcomes of those changes in your career. Let’s look at strategies for managing two of the most common LIS career pivot points: career “timeouts” and moving to a new location.
Taking a Career Timeout
Perhaps you’ve decided to stay home to spend more time with your young children for several years. Or your elderly parents are beginning to need more attention from you and it’s compromising your ability to work full time. Or you’ve had a major health setback, and recovery is likely to sideline you for a substantial period of time.
A career timeout such as any of these scenarios doesn’t have to mean career derailment. By staying professionally engaged and connected, you’ll be able to keep doors open for you when you’re ready to return.
Regardless of your reasons for stepping away from your career, here are some basic steps that will keep you professionally viable:
Stay professionally visible. Attend conferences if you can (especially local/regional ones) and the meetings of the local chapters of your professional associations. Serve on virtual committees, if possible, to build even broader professional visibility.
Maintain your professional memberships. These are your key to maintaining your network, staying current with issues and emerging trends in your field, and finding potential volunteer opportunities that will signal your ongoing career engagement.
Do occasional projects if you can. Are you a “timing-out” researcher? Cataloger? Information architect? Whatever your information skill, consider undertaking occasional (fee-based or volunteer) projects. This offers multiple benefits: you’ll be able to point to professional-level work when speaking with an interviewer, you’ll keep your confidence level up, and you’ll be continuing to build your professional network and career brand.
Stay current with industry trends and issues. Set aside a regular time to read about what’s going on in your field. Whether print or online, there are dozens of resources available to help you stay abreast of your professional discipline and maintain your understanding of changes that impact how you will work.
Take courses to maintain the currency of your existing skills or expand your value with new skills. There are now multiple ways to keep learning new information skills; your choices can be based on your finances, schedule, family commitments, and comfort with learning technology, among other considerations. This is, by the way, another great reason for maintaining your professional association memberships: almost all LIS associations offer reasonably priced professional development options. Then, once completed, make sure you add the information about your course work to your LinkedIn profile.
Consider free or inexpensive ways to keep up with new developments. Have you checked out the free Library 2.0 Worldwide Virtual Conferences hosted by the San José State University School of Information? These web conferences are offered three times a year and offer an amazing array of cutting-edge topics presented by expert speakers — topics such as “Soft Skills for 21st Century Information Professionals,” “Innovation in Small, Rural and Independent Libraries,” and “Sustainability in Libraries.” All of the current and past conference presentations are archived, so it’s a smart, free way to get up to speed on, for instance, emerging technology, open data, instructional design, blockchain, and design thinking, among other topics.
Or, take a tip from Chris Coughlan, director of digital strategy for Colorado-based Aten Design Group who has grown her Master of Library and Information Science skills into a career involving user experience (UX), information architecture (AI), and client projects. When asked during an iSchool career podcast how she continued to develop her professional skills, Chris shared a great strategy, which was to find local MeetUp groups that focused on the topic or skill she wanted to learn more about and then started attending meetings (and asking lots of questions). Cost: usually no more than a burger or a beer!
Your goal is to devote just a small, but consistent, amount of time to keeping your career active so that when you do decide to return to the workplace, you haven’t lost all that professional equity you’d built up before you stepped out.
Relocating Your Career
Planning to uproot yourself — and your career — and move to a new community? If you’re contemplating a move to an unfamiliar city, it’s important to gather as much information as you can about your target city well in advance of landing there. (Clearly, part of that research will focus on whether or not you’re likely to be able to find a job there.)
Steps you can take to lay the groundwork for finding a new position in your target destination well before you land in town include:
Start establishing local connections. There are several ways to start making local connections. For example, join the state library association (for the relevant state association’s contact information, see ALA’s State and Regional Chapters web page, which also includes listings for all state library associations) as well as the local chapter of your professional associations (check the associations’ websites for regional chapter information). Check out their membership lists to see whether there are individuals who may be in positions helpful to your job search. These will provide the beginnings of your local network. Also, if your MLIS program has an alumni group, check for any fellow graduates from you program in your target community.
Explore potential opportunities through your online networks. Consider especially how social media platforms like LinkedIn can help you locate connections for your anticipated move in both your own network and those of your connections. Also consider your Facebook, Twitter, and other social media feeds as sources of job leads and related information for your target location. Let everyone in your network know about your career relocation plans in case they have contacts they can connect you with.
See who’s hiring — and for what. Again, LinkedIn provides a fairly easy way to identify and explore companies in your target location, see what potentially interesting jobs they may have open, and then sign up to follow developments at these companies. Create a target list of all potential employers, keeping in mind that you probably want to think as broadly as possible (traditional and nontraditional) when considering potential LIS jobs. Also check the state library and association job lists for your target locations and set up alerts if possible.
Do some informational interviews. In “How an Informational Interview Can Boost Your Career,” career expert Alison Doyle makes the point that “skillfully used, an informational interview is one of the most valuable sources of occupational information.” They become even more valuable when you’re trying to gather information from afar. These can be with people you’ve met (even if virtually) through your work establishing local connections, via your online networking efforts, or directly with the hiring managers of organizations that interest you. Your goal may be to unearth information about the local job market, major local industries or employers, or specific job opportunities — but regardless of your specific purposes, informational interviews are one of the most effective ways to get “up to speed” quickly.
Consider applying for jobs before you arrive. If you find a job opening of interest, why not go ahead and apply for it? Let potential employers know when you’ll be available, and that you’re willing to come for an interview on your own nickel (if the job is worth it to you). Even if you don’t get the job, you’ll have started your job-hunting process. Also, if you arrive in your new location without a job in hand, seriously consider the benefits of doing LIS temporary or contract work as a way of meeting local people in the profession, getting to know the local employers, and starting to build your professional visibility.
Relax — You’ve Got This!
If you’re a student or practitioner learning or using LIS skills, you’ll find that your skill set is uniquely suited to create a career that’s flexible, adaptable, and resilient. How great is that?
