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.
Friday, May 29, 2009
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Friday, May 22, 2009
FBI Librarian
Federal and Armed Forced Library Round Table has a interview with a librarian with the FBI. If you became interested in the FBI after they announced their hiring blitz, you may want to read the interview.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Foreign sounding names have less chance of getting an interview
This is based on a study conducted at the UBC with researchers sending out 6000 mock resumes to 2000 online job postings. Don't just read the article: watch the video of the full interview with the principle researcher who conducted the study to see where he got his more likely/less likely statistics.
From the article and interview:
Cross-posted at co-agitating.
From the article and interview:
- A person with a foreign sounding name was 35% less likely to receive a call back (interview)
- "The study also found employers preferred Canadian work experience over Canadian education. For resumés with foreign names and education, call backs nearly doubled when the applicant had held one previous job in Canada." (article)
- However you cut the data, foreign born immigrants are doing distinctively worse in the labor market. (interview)
Cross-posted at co-agitating.
Out on the job search
InsideHigher Ed just ran an essay about coming out on the job search, Gay in the Academy, and since some librarians are both GLBTQ and planning on working in academia, I thought linking to the article might be useful.
Taking a job as a queer scholar frequently involves moving to a state or location where the majority of voters have declared that we are not eligible for equal rights or protection under the law. Forget questions about a hostile work environment, some queer scholars have to contend with a hostile living environment.
It's not comforting to me to know that stereotypes--as well as outright hatred--are out and about in society. I don't kid myself that bigotry doesn't exist, but bigotry appears to have no shame--though GayProf's comment about malice vs incompetence may be describing some of the difficulties that GLBTQ persons are discovering when looking for work.
Though I have usually made it clear to the search chair before I arrive that I am gay, and my c.v. suggests strongly that I am gay, I have nonetheless been asked if I was [heterosexually] married on every single on-campus interview that I have ever had. Every. Single. One.
They're kidding, right? Probably not. Obviously you can't be competent and productive enough on your own without someone else to tidy your closet and make your meals.
There are some additional resources--pretty slim in my opinion--that can also help GLBTQ who are on the job market.
The Lavender Road to Success is the only on that I have been able to get my hands on. I have also come across Out in the Workplace: The Pleasures and Perils of Coming Out on the Job, but I have not been able to get a copy. There are many academic studies, but trying to find books written for laymen on the topic, especially for human resource officers who are trying to create an equitable work place, pickings are slim.
If you are looking beyond academia, you could refer to Human Rights Campaign's annual Best Places to Work, DiversityInc, Pride at Work, and Out&Equal Workplace Advocates.
If you're worried about where to settle (Tennessee, anyone?), Who's Your City also has a brief list of possible best cities for gays and lesbians, though as GayProf pointed out, finding a job in academia could mean moving outside of a major city.
There is also the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Round Table of the American Library Association but the RT's blog appears to be more active than the pages within ALA main.
Taking a job as a queer scholar frequently involves moving to a state or location where the majority of voters have declared that we are not eligible for equal rights or protection under the law. Forget questions about a hostile work environment, some queer scholars have to contend with a hostile living environment.
It's not comforting to me to know that stereotypes--as well as outright hatred--are out and about in society. I don't kid myself that bigotry doesn't exist, but bigotry appears to have no shame--though GayProf's comment about malice vs incompetence may be describing some of the difficulties that GLBTQ persons are discovering when looking for work.
Though I have usually made it clear to the search chair before I arrive that I am gay, and my c.v. suggests strongly that I am gay, I have nonetheless been asked if I was [heterosexually] married on every single on-campus interview that I have ever had. Every. Single. One.
They're kidding, right? Probably not. Obviously you can't be competent and productive enough on your own without someone else to tidy your closet and make your meals.
There are some additional resources--pretty slim in my opinion--that can also help GLBTQ who are on the job market.
The Lavender Road to Success is the only on that I have been able to get my hands on. I have also come across Out in the Workplace: The Pleasures and Perils of Coming Out on the Job, but I have not been able to get a copy. There are many academic studies, but trying to find books written for laymen on the topic, especially for human resource officers who are trying to create an equitable work place, pickings are slim.
If you are looking beyond academia, you could refer to Human Rights Campaign's annual Best Places to Work, DiversityInc, Pride at Work, and Out&Equal Workplace Advocates.
If you're worried about where to settle (Tennessee, anyone?), Who's Your City also has a brief list of possible best cities for gays and lesbians, though as GayProf pointed out, finding a job in academia could mean moving outside of a major city.
There is also the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Round Table of the American Library Association but the RT's blog appears to be more active than the pages within ALA main.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Free resume writing course
Louise Fletcher, an editor and blogger with Career Hub, is offering a free online resume writing course. You do have to sign up to have access to the course materials, but if you are struggling with your resume or just want some advice at 4AM, this online course may be an option.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Pfizer offers to support some existing prescriptions
Though the news story focuses on Viagra, people who have lost their jobs and have already received a prescription for a Pfizer drug and have been on it for at least 3 months, could receive a sort of supplement from Pfizer allowing them access to the drug for up to a year.
Since the article mentioned Viagra specifically, I was about to get all upset that it didn't cover contraceptives, but if you read farther down, some contraceptives and smoking cessation products are covered under this deal.
There's more about it on the Pfizer website. Offer good in the US only.
Since the article mentioned Viagra specifically, I was about to get all upset that it didn't cover contraceptives, but if you read farther down, some contraceptives and smoking cessation products are covered under this deal.
There's more about it on the Pfizer website. Offer good in the US only.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
ACRL and CUPA HR update academic library descriptions
ACRL and CUPA-HR have updated the librarian job descriptions within an academic library. What is this good for? Well, it helps with the designation of job duties, the assessment of salaries (so it can help you with negotiation) and can give you an idea of a career path/course within academia. At your home institution, your home team HR will probably use it in job needs assessment and to consult if your position is reclassified, or if you are in a new position and they aren't sure how to describe your work.
There is some attached salary information, but without looking at the results, I can't tell you how many libraries responded with salary data (and it isn't all the ACRL members) and you would also have to adjust that data for college size and geographic location, so supplement it with some research into the collective agreement of the institution and the salary survey of the local professional library association.
There is some attached salary information, but without looking at the results, I can't tell you how many libraries responded with salary data (and it isn't all the ACRL members) and you would also have to adjust that data for college size and geographic location, so supplement it with some research into the collective agreement of the institution and the salary survey of the local professional library association.
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