Q&A: Moy McIntosh, Pratt Grad, Corporate Librarian

Moy McIntosh is one of the lucky ones: she found a dream job in the worst job market in recent memory. A graduate of the Pratt LIS program, which she finished in just 3 semesters, Moy wasted no time in taking steps to make sure her post-grad time "on the dole" was well-spent and short. After just 3 interviews, this New Yorker landed a job -- on Wall Street. It goes to show you, hard work, perseverance and making tons of connections goes a long way, and this job market, while dysfunctional, has job openings for those who prepare and execute in an organized fashion.

LibGig: First off, tell me about Pratt.

Moy McIntosh: Well, I come from an anthropology/art history background, and was working at museums, and not loving the work. Someone had turned me onto the idea of going back to school, so I moved to New York and enrolled at Pratt with the idea I was going to get my degree in an accelerated fashion. It was tough, 3 semesters, but I knew that I didn't want to be an archivist or a school or public librarian, so I focused on corporate librarianship.

LG: Why Pratt?

MM: Specifically, for a professor I knew and wanted to learn from. And Pratt afforded me the ability to take a number of different corporate librarian classes, from a law class to business database to medical. I wanted to see if I wanted to go the specialized route. Also, New York.

LG: What did you do in school to maximize your ability to land a job?

MM: I was President of the Special Libraries Group at Pratt and this was very important in making connections with both recruiters at SLA and other networking contacts. I got to know people in the industry, and they got to know me. So in just my second semester, I was laying the groundwork to getting a job by meeting people. As a student, you have easy access to professionals. When you say "Hey, I'm a student, do you have a few minutes," people will ususally respond favorably. In addition, as President of the Special Libraries Group, I was able to organize events and trips that would bring me closer to different angles of the industry, and many more contacts than I would have had. I also interned while in school and began reading books on how to interview months before I graduated.

LG: Tell me about the job hunting process, and how the economy hindered you.

MM: Well, I wasn't really hindered. I got lucky. (laughs) While I was at Pratt, I was diligent about meeting as many people as I could meet. Recruiters, professors I had bonded with, friends of people. I networked. I kept in touch with fellow students, coworkers. They had information from listservs, for example, that I didn't. And they knew what would fit me. I even picked the brain of my dean. it never hurts to ask. My first interview came about through a friend who told me about a job. And on my second interview I was hired.

LG: You knew you wanted to not be an archivist...

MM: Right, and I wanted to be a librarian in a corporation, so I got very fortunate and, through a recruiter, interviewed at a financial ratings agency, and got the job.

LG: What do you do at the ratings agency?

MM: I archive financial files, reorganize and broaden our services to provide more research and due to SEC compliance, all of the files need to be updated. I'm the solo librarian there; my boss works in Chicago....

LG: So you have a degree of autonomy.

MM: Right. It's a great job.

LG: What would you say to a jobhunter in today's market?

MM: Network with everyone. Anyone can be the person that brings you closer to your dream job. Word of mouth is the most important facet of jobhunting. Dress well in interviews. No jeans. Keep in touch with recruiters who know you. And always send thank you notes or emails.

LG: Any comment or insight into the state of libraries today?

MM: My observation is that the field is changing and changing rapidly. We as librarians must stay open minded, welcome to change. We have to prove our worth more than ever, so don't take anything for granted, and embrace the changes that are happening in the industry.