Beyond the Codes_Repositioning towards sustainable development
Climbing the Career Ladder
1. CLIMBING THE CAREER LADDER
NJLA Emerging Leaders | November 10, 2016
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2. CLIMBING THE CAREER LADDER
➤ Career Trajectory
➤ Getting to the Next
Step
➤ Research
➤ Developing the
Skills You Need
➤ Positioning Yourself
for Advancement
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3. Geneva Public Library genevapubliclibrary.net
Countee Cullen Branch of The New York Public Library http://urbanareas.net/info/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/37318_Countee-Cullen-Library2.jpg
Piscataway Public Library, MiY Launch, 2012
6. Librarian
ALTERNATIVE CAREER TRAJECTORY
(President, NJLA Children’s Services Section)
(Chair, Youth Services Forum
(Fiction Reviewer, School Library Journal)
(Member-at-large, NJLA
Executive Board)
Planning Committee)
7. GETTING TO THE NEXT STEP
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8. RESEARCH
➤ Position announcements
➤ Connect with people in
that position
➤ Join conversations on
social media
➤ Awards and recognition
➤ Hard skills vs. soft skills
9. POSITION ANNOUNCEMENTS
➤ Make it a habit to read job announcements related to the
work you want to do
➤ Join library listservs for the geographic areas where you want
to work
➤ Check web sites that post job announcements regularly
➤ Ask people to forward you announcements for specific types
of positions
➤ Don’t hesitate to reach out to people you trust who might
have more information about a position
➤ Be on the lookout for red flags
10. READING JOB ADS
➤ The time to research a
position is before you’re ready
to make a move
➤ Identify hard skills (degree,
certification, language,
software, etc)
➤ Identify soft skills (team-
building, communication,
time management, facilitating
change, etc)
➤ Make a list of what skills and
experience you’re missing
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11. CONNECT WITH PEOPLE
➤ Identify the respected people
in the position you want
➤ Reach out to them, and ask
thoughtful questions
➤ Find opportunities to
familiarize them with your
work (volunteering, serving
on committees, etc)
➤ These people will make
excellent references
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15. PEOPLE
➤ Be proactive in developing
mentor/mentee relationships
➤ Always be networking
➤ Show up
➤ Smile
➤ Ask questions
➤ Follow-up
➤ Develop a personal learning
network
➤ Be strategic
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16. CAREER-RELATED READING & LISTENING
➤ The First-Time Manager by Loren B. Belker, Jim McCormick and
Gary Topchik
➤ Reframing Organizations: Artistry, choice & leadership by Lee G.
Bolman and Terrence E. Deal
➤ Rise: How to be really successful at work and like your life by Patty
Azzarello
➤ Tribes: We need your to lead us by Seth Godin
➤ Harvard Business Review hbr.org
➤ HBR IdeaCast soundcloud.com/hbrideacast
17. TRAININGS
➤ Look for free and low-cost
webinars from NJLA,
LibraryLinkNJ, etc.
➤ Identify trainings that
match your current
responsibilities but will
help you develop new skills
➤ If possible, attend trainings
that fit the job you want
➤ Keep a list of all trainings
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20. BE EXCEPTIONAL
➤ Be really good at what you’re
doing right now
➤ Position yourself as an expert
➤ Write about your work
➤ Volunteer to be a book
reviewer for review journals
➤ Look for speaking
opportunities
➤ (Facebook Group: Library
Conference Call for
Speakers)
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21. EVALUATION
➤ Take evaluation seriously
➤ Be candid with your
supervisor about career goals
➤ Make self-evaluation a part of
your routine
➤ Have a copy of your job
description
➤ Be strategical with working
outside of your job
description
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24. WRAPPING THINGS UP
➤ Be thoughtful and candid
about what you want from
your career
➤ Plan for tomorrow while
you’re still happy with today
➤ Build relationships with
people you respect
➤ Volunteer to do stuff, and
then do it
➤ Be patient, but be decisive
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