It's been a little while since my last post. Mostly this is because this April finds me in a new job. Having had a number of personal changes in my life, I sought a new start. Many things helped me to find my current position - and thus the topic of this entry.
Networking, networking, networking!
I put the word out to every possible librarian that I knew that I was looking for a new opportunity. I attended trainings, conferences, workshops, and got involved. The key thing to this I see is not stopping those activities now that I'm settled. In order to retain one's network it is mandatory that it be a way of life, not just something you use when you need something.
Mentors
I had developed some mentors along my path. People that although they may be sad to see me move on were still encouraging me every step of the way. My two cents on finding one is to see who's in your environment, your sphere of influence that you respect and admire. Do not be held back by thinking they may be too busy or too important to spend time with you. What I found was that these were exactly the people MOST willing to be a mentor.
Job Buddy
I had a couple of friends/colleagues that I was able to continually talk with about the job hunt. They were the people that encouraged me when potential employers were taking forever to respond. They were the ones that helped remind me WHY it was I was going through this job change. Finally, they were the ones that helped me evaluate not only my own resume, but also the job postings that sounded most interesting.
I wish you luck on your next job hunt! Feel free to contact me if you need that extra boost to get started or keep going!
