Saturday, May 30, 2009

Maybe Europe?

Careers That Don't Suck has an interesting post on The European Job Market. I am sure there are several libraries in Europe ;->>

Despite the bleak numbers, it may be an option for some--if you're on a study abroad, or have secured an internship. Put it on the possibilities pile.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Resume writing scam

Jason Alba of JibberJobber has prepared an excellent post about the Ladders resume writing scam, which also grabs some of the critiques of the Ladders resume writing service into one post. At the bottom of his post are links to reputable services that will help people find professional resume writers.

The comments to his post as also really worth a read. You will recognize a few resume book writers, like Susam Britton Whitcomb, commenting on the post.

It is good to be aware of these scams, not only for yourself, but any other patrons who come to the reference desk looking for someone to write their resume.

Will buying an ad on Facebook lead to a job?

ERE interviews an MBA grad who has bought an ad on Facebook to try to get a job with Microsoft.

It's an interesting way to exploit the Facebook platform and their ads services: he can keep his costs down and he is generating interest--but not a job--while demonstrating his marketing capabilities.

Again, beware the fad, but I am sure he is still shopping his resume around.

How to be a good boss in bad times

Bob Sutton, the author of the No Asshole Rule, as well as the co-author (with Jeffrey Pfeffer) of Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths, and Total Nonsense, a book that librarians who love evidence-based practices should eat up with a spoon, has written an article for Harvard Business Review, How to be Good Boss in Bad Times. Because of how HBR works, you will have to pay for his article. To decide if you want to, watch the interview that he participated in on the McKinsey Quarterly.



I was really interested in his explanation of the "toxic tandem" and when he talks about the fall out of layoffs: the first thing that happens is the best people start leaving.

If you are interested in Sutton's work, he does have a blog, Bob Sutton, Work Matters.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Get a Job Toolkit

ALA will launch a Get a Job Toolkit during the annual conference, and they are currently soliciting stories about what to do and what to refrain from doing when you are looking for work.

It is not clear from the press release if this is meant for librarians looking for work, or who select staff, or if the Get A Job Toolkit will be a tool that librarians can offer to their clients.

Monday, May 25, 2009

The Meltdown: The Story So Far

If you haven't seen I.O.U.S.A yet, you can watch a 30 minute speed version. There don't appear to be any more public events scheduled, at least on the website, but if you have a documentary night in your library, you may want to include this movie to your roster.


Once you've tackled that, take a look at this article from the New York Review of Books, where Bill Bradley, Paul Krugman, George Soros, Nouriel Roubini, Niall Ferguson and Robin Wells comment on what happened and what is coming. Since you have watched I.O.U.S.A you will be struck with shudders when you read:

...it seems reasonable to anticipate a much more rapid explosion of federal debt to somewhere in the region of 140 or 150 percent of gross domestic product.

It's enough to make you want to go back to bed sometimes.

But in the world of better news, and because I work amongst many Krugman fans, when he says, things are improving, I am happy to make link to The Man.

More about Paul Krugman.