91´«Ã½

Networking Led to a Job

By Sharon Marcacci

As an MLIS student (I graduated December ‘08) I was often urged (by teachers, school administrators, etc.) to network, join professional organizations, and attend meetings and conferences. It’s hard to squeeze these activities in when you are going to school, probably working, and often have family responsibilities as well. But I can attest that there are certainly benefits to making connections.

I attended a conference, which offered a service often provided – career counseling, resume review, job networking, etc. I bravely submitted my resume for review. The reviewer happened to be the director of a public library in a town about 45 minutes away. In the process of our discussion, when she heard I was looking for weekend work (for various reasons I was unable to leave my non-library “day job”), she said her library used weekend subs, and that she would give one of her employees my resume.

I was soon offered the opportunity to join the substitute pool, without going through any interview or testing process – phew! I felt very fortunate to have made this contact, which paid out in landing just the type of job I wanted, part-time on the weekends. I have been working at the library for a number of months now, and it has been enjoyable and educational, as well as providing great experience to list on future resumes. So my advice to current library school students, is to pay attention to that sometimes-too-familiar reminder about the importance of looking beyond the next assignment due, and taking time to network – I can vouch for the fact that it can open a door that otherwise might not have let you in!

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Posted 3/2/11. Originally written for the 91´«Ã½'s Get A Job site.

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