Career Q & A: Resumes

Where should the Education section be placed on my résumé?
Meredith Lavine, Artfulresumes.com:
If you have been out in the workforce for over two years in the same field, the Education section should typically fall at the bottom of the résumé. The reason for this is that the résumé is a selling tool. There are stats out there that show employers need to see everything about you in the top third of the resume. The top space should be used to provide employers with a snapshot of your capabilities - the summary of qualifications, career highlights, core competencies and the like. Consider that space is at a premium on the résumé and employers are getting flooded with hundreds of them in a give week.

If you are a new or recent graduate, then it is expected to place the Education section at the top under the Objective or Summary statement. Exceptions are sometimes made for career changers. We strongly suggest adding in your GPA (if over a B+ ) and your accomplishments, honors, scholarships and even thesis topics if directly relevant to the position.

I have a lot of interests – but they are personal and may not translate to the job at hand. For instance, I am an actor in my spare time, but that won’t help me landing a job as a part-time cataloger. Should I include my interests on my resume? Does this make me more diverse or am I kidding myself?

Meredith Lavine, Artfulresumes.com:
This is a very common question. Coming from an arts background is a great asset to any role in the “regular” work world. On a less tangible level, a performer is intuitive about reading a situation and the players, relating to the public, and they are creative thinkers because they can imagine a variety of scenarios or approaches to a problem. Performers especially tend to be tenacious, detail-oriented, disciplined and diligent to make sure their final product is thoroughly complete and meets the deadline. It’s not very often you can delay opening night, right? Lots of employers also relate the old music to math analogy. These are all positive aspects that you can speak to when presenting yourself in the cover letter and in the interview.

In library settings, interests can be a good icebreaker, and they might see your subject matter knowledge of fine/theater arts as a distinct advantage. In my opinion, the ability to excel at an outside discipline (be it performing arts or a sport) demonstrates how well you cultivate quality work and relationships in the workplace, and illustrates your focus and discipline. It’s more about how you draw the parallels from acting to how you would approach your cataloging job. Employers just want to make sure that a prospective employee won’t flake out. We artists sometimes have to surmount that reputation. Those positives being said, I would be more apt to add “other interests” more so in an academic or public library setting than I would in an accounting firm library or other conservative environment. It really is a case-by-case basis on the resume, because some corporate cultures also welcome and encourage artists for the above-mentioned reasons. I suggest having one version of the resume with interests and one without, and evaluating each opportunity as to appropriateness.

I'm not enrolled in a school as of yet for Library Science. I plan to apply for entrance in the Spring of 2009. I am very intersted and would like to get my foot in the door of a library as soon as possible. Which kind of position would you suggest that I apply for at this stage in the game? I believe Library assistant is not possible since I am not currently enrolled or accepted into any program of study as of yet. I do however already have a bachelor's in Sociology, but I have no library experience.

Kathleen Schmidt, Recruiter, LAC:
Great question! It is great that you see the importance of working in a library and gaining experience prior to enrolling in a graduate program. The more experience you have prior to receiving your MLIS, the easier and less stressful it will be for you to find gainful employment after graduation. Since your goal at this point is to get library experience, you would do well to look at Library Clerk or Library Assistant positions in a special library. These jobs generally require a BA. Employment with a law library, biotech or another type of special corporate library would provide the strongest experience, upon which you can easily build, with a better salary than a public or academic library, in the least amount of time. Employment in a special library will will enhance your application to a graduate program in Library and Information Science, provide excellent networking opportunities with information professionals and an opportunity to work as part of a team with information professionals, see the type of research tools they use, the internal clients they serve as well as overall library operations.

If you are serious about pursuing a career as an information professional, I'd encourage you to join professional associations and start attending programs in your area without delay. The library world is actually quite small and the sooner you can start meeting your future colleagues, participating in professional associations, conferences, etc., the better.

Always remember that when applying to any position, you must carefully read the job description and address the requirements and responsibilities of that position accurately with relevant work experience. It is a mistake to think that addressing the needs of a potential employer in a detailed cover letter is enough-it is not.

All the best!

I am concerned about ageism and want to take some years off of my resume. Is it alright to do so?
Meredith Lavine, Artfulresumes.com:
This question is coming up more and more. The first thing I suggest is removing the years of graduation from the résumé. Many people are also limiting their work experience to 15 years. It is important to show employers that you are willing to learn, flexible and that you are keeping your technical skills up to date.

I am new to librarianship. How do I identify and reflect my transferable skills on my resume?
Meredith Lavine, Artfulresumes.com:
We suggest making a skills matrix of sorts. This is a technique I use on most of my clients when eliciting their transferable skill sets. Start by making a chart with the following headings: Skill, description of skill, how it is applied, level of proficiency and priority (high, med, low) in the context of the position you are seeking. For my technical clients, we make a more granular set of skills labeled by sub-categories, such as hardware, software, operating systems, etc. For librarians, you may want to use such categories like management, ILS packages, technical and subject matter expertise. These skills get turned into fragments under your Summary of Qualifications or bullets on a core competencies list, or, if appropriate, a separate section detailing your technical competencies.

Which is more effective, an objective or a summary of qualifications?
Meredith Lavine, Artfulresumes.com:
If you have experience in the field, it is always better to offer a snapshot of your strengths and industry knowledge. It is more typical for a student or a career changer to offer an objective statement.