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I knew that looking for a new job was a lot of work. I have applied for four different jobs already and I have a few more that I’m considering. It is a lot of work. After I get home from my current job, the last thing I want to do is sit down and fill out another job application. But if I want to get a new job, that’s what I need to do.
Job searching takes some preparation. In addition to having a resume, I have also prepared a curriculum vitae (since some of the jobs I am applying for are in the academic realm), and a work history chart with the most common information employers want regarding my work history. For the most part, this works great. I can just refer to my chart when I get to that section of the application and fill it out quickly.
What discourages me about the job searching process is how much information some employers want. For example, I sat down to fill out an online application for a job that looked great. When I got to the work history section, they also wanted to know what all my job duties included for each job that I have had in the past. Since I did not have that information prepared, I just gave up. It felt too overwhelming. I would rather just send in a resume and cover letter and let those speak for themselves. Alas. Every employer is different.
For another application, the employer wanted some additional questions answered in 500 words or less. I suppose the essay questions prove to an employer how badly you want a job because you actually take the time to write those if you want the job. I suppose it also proves to them whether or not you can write.
As a result of having to fill out all these applications I have come to the conclusion that I need to set a goal. I need to set aside a certain amount of time each week to fill out applications or try to fill out one application per week. Thankfully, I can afford to do this because I’m already working at a great place and I’m in no hurry to leave.
In higher education, there has been a trend for colleges and universities to find ways to provide opportunities for students to learn in the context of serving their community. An example of this would be having architectural students work with an architect in the community to plan a new community center and then help to construct it.
I was reading an article the other day about illiteracy and public policy. The government, in the past, has provided funding to organizations willing to provide literacy classes and training to those who do not know how to read or write.
The article stated that though grant funding had been available, many public libraries were not taking advantage of it. The authors also believe that public librarians should continue to consider offering technology and literacy classes to adults.
I believe that academic libraries have a great opportunity to develop literacy programs in the context of service learning. They could partner with other community organizations and departments on campus (such as education) to offer credit to students who are interested in learning to program and educate adults who want to improve their reading and writing skills. I know this would take a lot of work to pull off, but I think it would be a great service for the library to offer and a great learning experience to offer to our students.
When I was searching for my first “real” job, I interviewed for two positions in the same week and then I got to make a choice between them. Looking back on that experience, I feel like I took the wrong job. I should have taken the other one. As I’m revisiting this experience, I realize that there were some subtle signs that the job I took was going to be more challenging than I realized. It was in this position that I had the communication conflict with my supervisor. It wasn’t that this interview went badly, its just that the other interview was a slightly more positive experience.
The interview for the job I didn’t take went REALLY well, and the woman who would have been my supervisor was so enthusiastic and excited for me to work there. She knew she wanted to hire me. BUT (sadly) I took the other job.
I am thankful that I got to experience a really bad work environment. If I get into that kind of situation again, I realize that it is still my prerogative to get out of that situation as quickly as possible. But looking back at the contrast between those two interviews at the beginning of my career, I feel that this experience will add to my ability to discern whether a position will be the right one for me.
I feel that it is ironic that my current position and duties are eerily similar to the ones I would have had at the job I didn’t take. It feels a little weird, or perhaps circumstancial that despite the choices I’ve made, I think I ended up in the place I was meant to be. It just took me awhile to get here.
I am in the process of searching for a job. It has been a good experience so far; my resume and/or CV are ready to go, I’ve worked up a work experience timeline so that I have all the information from previous employers ready to access and I have some good places to look. I’ve applied for four jobs in the last month, and they are all pretty different. The good news is that I got my first interview. I am encouraged by this–it means I am applying for the right kinds of jobs for the level of experience I have. However, I was not expecting to get an interview this soon. I had to apply for a lot of different positions the last time I looked for jobs and it took me about four months to find something. I have this timeline in my head for finding my next job, and it involves a lot of looking, applying here and there, and then waiting for an interview. In the timeline in my head, this is going to take six months or maybe even a year. So when I got called to interview for one of the positions I applied for, I was excited and nervous, but fearful too because I do not feel ready to take the next step.
I currently have a great work environment, and I’m fearful that I will not be able to discern whether my next place will also be a positive place to work. I have had a job where I did not communicate well with my supervisor and I never want to repeat that experience again. It seems difficult to me to gauge whether a new work environment will be a positive place to work. I realize that there is always going to be one or two people that could be more difficult to work with, but even in those situations, the workplace can be a positive place to be. I’m really hoping that I’m able to discern this. At least I only have to make a decision if they want to hire me!
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