SimplyHired Job Seeker Report

Last month, SimplyHired released their Today's Job Seeker Report, to explore and explain the behavior of job seekers--which will help HR professionals post jobs.

As far as the assistance for job seekers, the report breathlessly states that 86% of job seekers look for work on the Internet. Not a surprise--we look for everything, including TV, spouses and wart cream--on the Internet. But what most job seekers should get out of this report is that networking still works--with 37% reporting that they got their last job through networking--and so few job seekers do it, with only 32% using networking as a job search strategy. According to the report, more respondents used the newspapers (!) than networking.

But what was really sad about this report: 53% of respondents said that their college major was not relevant to their current career.

Did my tattoos cost me the job offer?

When people are applying for work, especially in a conservative workplace, they may be concerned that their permanent body art--tattoos, piercings--may keep them from getting a job offer. This is especially painful (hah!) when the person got permanent body art that no longer expresses who they are--the new conservatism is a better fit. But do tattoos and piercing really keep someone from getting a job offer?

Body of Work (will need a free sign on to access the article), an article from Workforce Management, looks at tattooing and piercing in the workplace, including the following issues:

• do companies include body art in their dress code?
• do professionals feel that they have not gotten a job because of their body art, or
• have they covered up their body art during the interview process?

I can't speak for all libraries, but most of the ones that I know of are not conservative, and I have seen staff with permanent body mods, but I wonder if any prospective librarian applicant feels they didn't get a job because the person doing the hiring could not see a person with a tattoo sleeve delivering story time? There does seem to be a definite vibe in this article that if you work with the public, that body modifications are not acceptable--though I wonder if they feel the same about breast implants?

In hard to find positions it is more difficult to restrict or discriminate against body art, though not everyone wants to join the military or become a doctor. And many people, including bosses and HR personnel, have body art themselves:

According to a 2010 Pew Research Center study, 12 percent of the 18- to 29-year-olds surveyed have at least one tattoo and 26 percent sport two or more. About 7 percent have six or more tattoos. Generation X is fond of body ink, too. About one-third of those between 30 and 45 said they have at least one tattoo. Only 15 percent of baby boomers between 46 and 64 have one.

With the large number of Boomers, that 15% is a significant percentage, which may even indicate that more Boomers than Ys, definitely than Xs, have tattoos. So the mature professional who is interviewing you whose shirt is crinkling with starch, may have several tattoos up his sleeve.

The article also suggests that there is more acceptance for tattoos if they are tasteful (which can cover a broad range of tacky to tasty and is very much in the eye of the beholder) and do not include any profanity or desecration of religious symbols. If your tattoos fall into those categories, I don't think the tattoo or the piercing is keeping you from employment.

Japanese Studies Librarian

Library: University of Iowa Libraries seeks qualified candidate to provide collection management and public services to students and faculty in Japanese studies, and to serve as adjunct faculty with teaching responsibilities in Center for Asian and Pacific Studies. Requires Master's of Library Science Degree, thirty-six months experience in academic or professional library setting, with demonstrated high level of professional competency in written and spoken Japanese and knowledge of East Asian studies as an academic discipline. http://jobs.uiowa.edu.

Appeared on Chronicle, harvested from SimplyHired, tagged on my twitter feed as #jobs #japanese. Now don't you wish you'd gone on JET?

October Labour Force Survey released

Stat Can has released the October 2010 Labour Force Survey. There is a teeny-weeny improvement in the unemployment rate from 8.0% to 7.9%. CBC is reporting the unemployment rate may have improved "because 4,300 fewer people were in the labour force looking for work."

The Business Beat for November 1, 2010

"Will it get me a job?"

One of University Affairs feature articles in the most recent edition includes the article, Will it get me a job? about the expectations of prospective students at Canadian institutions.

We asked applicants what motivated them to go to university, and the answer we got was that 99 percent of them chose either “career preparation” or “career advancement” as one of their reasons.

The interview subjects also make some assumptions about various programs--how students that enter into environmental studies are not "hippies" but "careerists"--that I can't agree with, though I do think that many humanities programs are trying to explain how a degree program will lead to a viable career and not a permanent berth in a parent's basement.

Labour Force Survey, September data released on October 8, 2010

"Since September 2009, overall employment has risen by 349,000 (+2.1%)."

The CBC describes the results as a stall. According to a employment forecast by TD Economics this week, there should be some small gains made in the Information and Cultural sector, where many librarians find employment, in 2011 and 2012.

FYI: "jobless rate" is same as "unemployment rate."

I'm doing a bad job. Can I still get a raise?

This article from the Evil HR Lady made me think about how many new librarians who may find themselves in this position: they were hired to replace a retiring librarian who had been with the system for a long time. Like an experienced chef, he/she kept all of their recipes in their head and has now departed with them--but the patrons still like the cooking.

Sadly they may not feel like they are doing a good job, when there is nothing they can do about the nostalgia that the patrons had for the old librarian. This is not a feeling that you can fix--you can only make new memories. I hope they are better ones, but some will suck and possibly hurt your feelings.

Lucas' advice for getting a raise based on over work seems sound, but it is going to take some gumption to go into the supervisor's office and ask for additional training for something that you were hired to do--and what you feel you need more training for. If this is the case, be sure to ask for something that develops your duties--you learned about general collection development and now you need funds to go to a conference that is specific for YA materials. Maybe you need more training in developing reading skills or reaching newcomer patrons. But make sure you ask for training in something that is step two in the process and not the stuff you should have known.

It is also incorrect to value your salary as the same a person who just departed after 20 years--most people will get raises based on duration of service, if only to keep that person in the position. And it sounds like she worked hard for the money and they needed to keep her. You are not yet entitled to the money to entice a long-term, knowledgeable employee to stay. You are entitled to more pay if you need to assume more duties than you were originally hired to perform.

Symphony Librarian

Symphonies do have librarians and this article about the San Diego Symphony librarian explains how the librarian gets the music to the musicians.

Prison Librarian

Prison Librarian and Resource Manager

Employer	Cambridgeshire County Council	Reference	CT307
Published	Tue 05/10/2010 23:00 PM	Closing Date	Sun 24/10/2010 23:00 PM
Organisation	Cambridgeshire County Councilweb sitelogo image	Coverage	Cambridgeshire, Eastern (inc. Herts and Essex)
Working Pattern	Full Time, Permanent position	Hours	37
Salary	£19,621 - £23,708 per annum (depending on Chartered Status)	CRB Check	No
Location	PE28 0SR

Prison Librarian and Resources Manager

YOI HMP Littlehey, Full-time Post, Ref: CT307

£19,621-23,708

You will be catering for the social, recreational and educational needs of prisoners. You should have an interest in stock selection and promotion with the enthusiasm to develop services and explore new projects. Partnership working, innovative ideas and excellent communication skills will be needed in this challenging but rewarding post.

Salary will be offered from £19,621 – £21,519 without Chartered status. Progression beyond this point is dependant on gaining Chartered status. For an informal discussion, actual job posting included contact information, so you should call them to get more information about the position and employer expectations. They are probably keeping track on the people who bothered to call to get information.

Closing date: 25th October

Go DevMental

Microsoft has launched a Canada-wide academic tour, Go DevMental, to give students access to a wide variety of Microsoft programming tools. Student attendees will also get Dreamspark tokens which gives them access to Microsoft development tools, from Visual C to Windows server. This is a good opportunity for people who build apps or who want to network with other programmers.

Web Development Lead (Librarian)

This job would be a great for a person who is into web design and web communication technologies.

Houston Academy of Medicine - Texas Medical Center Library  Houston, TX

 

The Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center (HAM-TMC Library) is a major research library serving Texas Medical Center researchers, clinicians and students, including two major medical schools and over 20 member institutions. The Library is also the Regional Medical Library for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine South Central Region, with responsibility for providing health information to health professionals and consumers in the five state region of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

The HAM-TMC Library seeks an energetic, Web Development Lead (Librarian). This individual will be responsible for the development and management of the HAM-TMC Library’s websites both public/Intranet, and ensuring both sites meet accessibility standards. The Web Librarian will create and maintain mobile technologies for the website, chairs the Web Development Committee and conducts regular monthly meetings.

Duties:

• Creates and maintains the Library’s websites, including the Intranet
• Develops mobile and mash up technologies for the Library’s website in mobile formats
• Updates all Library websites in accordance with new technologies
• Chairs the Library’s Web Development Committee
• Conducts annual user satisfaction surveys of the public website
• Works with the Collection Development and Information Technology Departments to ensure that access to electronic resources through the website are dependable
• Maintains current awareness of competing library websites and online services
• Shares new developments and trends with other library staff

Additional Responsibilities:

• Works closely with Digital Projects Librarian and Database Analyst to create usable databases to for clients and to collect usage data
• Participates in the Library’s Public Relations and Marketing Committees
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills):

• Required: BS in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field; Experience will be considered in lieu of degree program;
• Desired: MLS or MIS from an ALA-accredited library science program or equivalent
• Three or more years developing integrated web sites and Internet applications in a business or educational environment
• Understanding of HTML, XHTML, XML, JavaScript, CSS, .NET
• Experience with web design, usability and mobile technologies
• Knowledge of Internet multimedia technologies (Flash, Silverlight, streaming media, HTML5)
• Applied knowledge of web standards
• Experience with database and web integration
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills; excellent technical writing and documentation skills;
• Must be able to perform most programming and analysis tasks independently and with minimal supervision

The HAM-TMC Library offers a complete benefits package which includes health, dental, life and long-term disability insurance. In additional to a comprehensive benefits package, the Library provides paid holidays, vacation accrual, an exceptional retirement plan and a monthly transportation subsidy.

The HAM-TMC Library is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action institution, providing access to employment without regard to age, race, color, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, political affiliation, or disability.

Salary Range: $40,000 - 48,000