Letterwhiz

I had the weirdest advertising experience today: I went with a colleague to grab a coffee and as we were walking away with our fix, we checked out the posters--hey, I need a new blender--and saw one advertising, Free Cigarettes. Below, in small letters, was a notice for a website called Letterwhiz and a disclaimer, no free cigarettes are offered, just letters. Bee-zarre, I thought.

Anyway, Letterwhiz is a letter template site that has business (moving locations), career (cover letters) and student (scholarship) letter templates. I'm not a big fan of these sites, since I think you should write your own letters, especially after graduate school. However, a cover letter makes us sweat more than a paper, since a paper gets a grade but a cover letter gets a salary and full dental. And sometimes we have never written a certain type of letter before, like a relocation letter, and we just need a glimpse of the form. A template site can help.

Glassdoor

From the makers of Expedia and Zillow, Glassdoor--now in beta--is a site that allows employees to post work place/environment reviews and salary information. The premise: “What would happen if someone left the unedited employee survey for the whole company on the printer and it got posted to the Web?” (From the About Us). Users give a rating up to five and list the pros and cons, as well as advice to the CEOs, about the company they work for.

I think these services can help special library/corporate library job seekers by giving them an idea about the type of workplace, either confirming or denying rumors. (But when it comes to the people posting the information, make sure you aren't posting from work.) These sites are also extremely effective for people looking to work in large corporations or Fortune 500 companies, but I haven't seen a lot of evidence that they help people looking to work for non-profits, privately-held companies, or for companies that have less than 100 employees--most libraries. Actually, their sorts are good--by industry, by approval rating, by job type--but an advanced option with company size and a mashup with LinkedIn or Indeed/SimplyHired might go a long way for users.

One of the Salon bloggers has provided a basic review, including some saucy dishing on Apple's salaries.

Update: WSJ posted an announcement of Glassdoor the following morning, stressing the similar experience of Zillow in collecting accurate data and information. I thought the quote at the bottom was a bit funny, we aren't a recruitment site. Just why do you think people will visit the site? To evaluate stock prices, ok, sure, but the vast majority of users will be coming to the site so they can prep for an interview or evaluate a job offer. Combining research on work environment with links to potential jobs is just one way to increase site traffic and overall stickiness, one of the tools of seduction when your site relies on ad revenue. No job ads for a fee, ok, but a mashup is called for.

Do you know what you look like on webcam?

Have you ever actually watched yourself on a web camera? When I bought my web camera, I ran some tests to see what the camera could see and GE-AH! you would have to pay me to look at my roundish, shiny self. I can't believe people do this willingly and make kissy faces.

But there are times when you will have to do this unwillingly: distance job interviews or if you deliver programs over the internet with the help of a webcam. WSJ has an article about web presentation etiquette--do you want to be remembered as the person who should have gotten cream for that particular itch?--but I also want to to remind people to get a good look at themselves before they plunk themselves down in front of the camera.

• No jammies for this distance interview. They can see your little duckies.
• Check the position of your web camera and try not to lean or fidget: cleavage shots do not get library jobs. Ditto, standing up to reach for something and putting your can/ camel toe in the picture.
• Are you shiny? This seems really vain, but we are unforgiving about video standards and appearance. Who are we measuring ourselves against? News anchors. Now, we can't all have the calm authority of Lloyd, but a good scrubbing can't hurt. At least they can't smell your breath.
• Where are your hands? No, seriously. If you're a hand talker like me, are you jazz handing through your interview? Does it look like they're getting busy below the desk: out of sight hand-wringing can look like illegal fondling. Put little marks on the table, like dancers do for their feet, and make sure you know what your left hand is doing.

Some forgiveness is nice. How many interviewers realize their pores look like nebulae, too? Many people, especially if they are not experienced IM users, just throw themselves down and don't even check what they are actually filming. You scoff, but I know this is true. I have seen their nose hairs.

You work too close together

I'm not convinced that this isn't a stunt or a surveillance camera "movie", but thank god for two things: libraries don't usually look like that (imagine the damage an American Heritage Dictionary could do), and it's Friday.



Spotted on Jobacle blog.

Hose or no hose?

Since I'm talking about appearance, I came across this article on WSJ about hosiery and dress codes. I think I would still wear panty hose to an interview (or really nice socks ;->) but I will be bare-legged during the summer under my skirts.

I got to be honest: I hate hose, it's a waste. It can be cute, but I wear them as frequently as I will wear nail polish.

This one is strong in the scent

Since I take the train to work, I have gotten a good whiff of people, not to mention some of the memorable trips snuggled right into people's armpits. I have to say that though I am not a fan of BO, excessive perfume is just a killer. I walked on the deck this morning and took a deep breath of some sweetly toxic miasma and prayed I would find a seat in another car. I couldn't imagine being trapped in a room with the person and being able to think anything but, you smell funny.

If you are going on a interview, ease up on the scent. Both men and women, since men can get a bit exuberant with the spray bottle, too. Despite what you believe about allergies to scent--there is a yes/no argument about how affecting perfume is and if scent allergies really exist--if I believe that your perfume is aggravating or will give me an asthma attack, I'm not thinking kind thoughts about you. Small room, huge smell? I'm not going to be thinking about what you are saying, just when can I escape. You should also be aware that there are some workplaces that are going scent free.

And no one likes to talk about smell: it is a basic, animal sense and our reaction is instinctual and sometimes hard to control. Who wants to say to someone, you smell...odd? Doesn't seem nice, does it? But if a scent, too much of good or bad thing, is too over-powering, it could leave the wrong impression.

And I am not saying, don't wear any perfume; I'm saying, moderation is a good idea. Think about it: you go to the perfume counter and you smell a wide variety of scents. You don't like all of them, but someone will buy the others that aren't to your taste. Imagine that you have purchased and worn the scent that makes your interviewer's back teeth ache. Yeah, you aren't buying either.

So, for one day at least, spray once and step in.

Layoff, not a fun way to start the week

I've seen a bit of chatter on some of the listserves that I subscribe to about recent and upcoming layoffs. Layoffs in the public service sector--as public librarians, that's where some of you fit--are the result of the economy's belt-tightening--or the mistaken belief that less spent on public services, the less it looks like government waste. Just when the public needs us the most.

A layoff is not a firing: it has nothing to do with performance--but it still hurts like a son of a bitch. It may also be temporary and not permanent--don't we wish rent and groceries could be the same? Put it on my tab, or trust me, the cheque is in the mail.

I'm trying to soothe at the same time I'm giving a smack: it's intentional. If you are afraid of a layoff, or imminent layoffs have been announced, I don't want you to wait. I want you to get your resume ready, find some job postings, line up some freelance stuff. Why? Not just because eating is important but because I'm betting something most outplacement specialists don't think of: you still want to be a librarian. And if layoffs come, the pool of available applicants will be that much bigger.

If you look at most layoff survival advice, it's buck up, or take this as a learning experience or opportunity to switch careers. I bet most of you don't want to: librarianship is cool, it's fun, we have great colleagues, nice places to work, the pay is mediocre to abysmal, but we can read and talk to people who are interested in knowledge and books and call it work. It's not just the dream, it's the wet t-shirt whipping cream dream. I would give it up to make my mortgage payment, but not forever. And you need to plan for how you will stay on track, not at a place, but in a particular occupation.

So, what are you doing to stay librarian?

More on microloans

CNET just released an article, At microloan sites, the new college try, today about microloan sites and student loans. Basically, a microloan is a "small" loan given to a person who is not eligible for or who has exhausted other forms of credit, with terms of repayment. The loaners are not always banks--though they or other agent can become a middle man--but could be normal people who just want to help someone. For example, I just made my first Kiva loan this past week, purely out of interest in the idea of microloaning. But I wonder: could I have had a greater impact, in line with my professional goals and personal beliefs, if I had helped someone with their education?

I have some other questions:

• Will a microloaning movement in education affect the amount of money people give to scholarships? A loan is different from a scholarship, but recycling money with microlending may appeal to some givers.
• Will it affect how much people give to their alumni association--which also disperses funds to students--if they are tapped out from giving their "charity" to microlenders?
  
• Should student financial aid offices or faculties start looking for funds for students by acting as agents or intermediaries to vouch for students?
• And, would you loan money on this site? Would you look for a library student who needed funds to complete his or her education?

I think this area is going to see a lot of action in the next year, possibly affecting some students this year and more in the years to come as credit gets tighter.

Office Pranks

I don't think pranking is a good idea.

Whew, caution out of the way: here is an effective use of skills--drywallin' and video editin'--with the end result of a no-person harmed laugh.



I have a day off and I'm going to make dinner for my grandma and my aunt. Happy Friday. L8r.

Microloans

I made my first loan on Kiva today. I decided to do it because I read Banker to the Poor over a year ago and I was interested in the premise. However, after I did it, I wondered: can you get a microloan to pay for college?

Yes. And expect that more companies may be throwing their hat into the ring in this area of lending. Why? Because lenders can see who they are giving money to--a feeling that their money is helping a real known individual--and, if they do their research, the lender can feel that all of their money is going to the recipient, little or no money to administration.

Here's microloaning in a nutshell: a person who is unable to get a loan from a bank, gets a loan, which they have to repay--loan not gift--that suits their smaller needs. Some people like this model--personal, just feel so warm and squidgy after, and if the loan is repaid, the credit can be reapplied--and others wonder if it is really helping: banks turn these people down for a reason and/or the terms of the loan may make them difficult to repay. For more information, check out Microfinance on Wikipedia, or this article from The Tyee.

As it gets more difficult to get loans for education--or if you just need an "emergency loan" and you don't want to go through the scholarship office or get a line of credit that has exorbitant interest--more people may opt for the microfinance option for their studies. And grad studies--short period, usually for professional education with higher learning potential (=pay back loan) may be an answer for some students.

Is your minifeed blasting?

With Friendfeed, Twitter and the updates from the minifeed in Facebook, our friends and professional colleagues could get tired of us. And since Facebook has changed the setting so you can't close the minifeed in your profile, I have gotten a good look at how much information I am blasting out to my friends: tons. No wonder people think I'm on Facebook all the time: the constant blare from my apps is noise on their dashboards every check in.

You might want to tone down some of your apps. Each of these apps in Facebook has their own privacy settings, on the right hand side of the privacy dashboard.

Once you've selected from the apps menu, you can pick and choose the level of privacy. By default, most of my apps only let friends see what I am doing, but this means that I am constantly shouting out to my friends. For now, I'm going to switch off certain apps, knowing that I can go back in, turn on others, and tell them about other stuff that I am interested in (ie not always into the book learning, sometimes looking for new music).

One of my friends says she checks my profile for stuff to play with on Facebook (back atcha) but getting the habit of presence control is a good idea, especially if there are some days or some hobbies that you would like to go below the radar on. Reduce "spit".

Career Jet

Career Jet is a new vertical search engine for job postings. Since the vertical search engine market for job postings is a bit crowded, I'm not sure how successful it will be. It does have some strengths:

1. The search engine is international, with international and multilingual versions of the engine available from one main page. (A Big Number One.)
2. There's a directory on the main page. You can search occupation keyword, but you can also explore by industry, which a bonus for special librarians who may be looking for "information officer", "researcher" or "evangelist" positions, but don't know what the company will call the job.
   
3. Filters, such as job type, and alerts are available, but this is a pretty standard feature for these types of engines.

Drawbacks:

1. Need to work out wonky results. I searched in the Canadian version of the site and got back a library director position located in Pennsylvania that had the SK (Saskatchewan) identifier attached. This was an early problem with SimplyHired (which decided to just throttle outside US jobs instead) and may be worked out in coming weeks.
2. You can't toss out duplicates or remove postings from third-party recruiters. This inflates your job search results, making you think there are more postings, when you are really just seeing fifteen scrapes of the same post. Indeed has had a duplicate, as well as a recruiter, filter for over a year.

Despite the drawbacks, Career Jet is a good multilingual vertical search engine to add to your job search tools.