This past week our school district HR department emailed employment intention notices for the 2017-18 school year. This was the first time that I have ever filled out a "transfer" application with "School Media Specialist" noted as my intention. It's hard to believe that this journey, the road to becoming a certified school librarian, will soon be coming to an end. It's been two and a half years since I started the School Librarianship program at Longwood. I have learned so much and I am hopeful that my dream of becoming a school librarian will soon become a reality. Now that the time to begin my job search is actually here I have to acknowledge some conflicting feelings. I am very excited about the possibility of interviewing for school library positions this spring. I am also....well.... apprehensive. I haven't had a job interview in over 12 years. My resume is "somewhat" updated, but still needs tweaking. The portfolio class that I took through Longwood was incredible...it really helped me to reflect on all that I had learned through the program. The portfolio "defense" was initially a little intimidating, but was excellent practice for future interviews. I found a few great resources regarding the job search and that first daunting year as a new school librarian. I hope that these resources will be helpful to other "soon to be" librarians. provides encouragement through her article, Hang in There: How to Get a Library Job Against All Odds. Topics include:
- Ratcheting up your resume
- Does your cover letter cover all the bases?
- Presenting the best possible you—online and off
- Dress for success
- How to ace the interview
- Don’t forget to say thanks, formally
- Don’t be discouraged
- When preparation meets opportunity
- Harvey, C. I. (2004). The Rookie: a primer to help you survive your first year with flying colors. School Library Journal, 50(9), 50-52.
This is a great resource for all of us in the library program - thanks!
ReplyDeleteWay to go, Kelly! You're going to be great!!!
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