Your Successful LIS Career: Planning Your Career, CVs, Interviews and Self Promotion

Citation

Turner, R. (2001), "Your Successful LIS Career: Planning Your Career, CVs, Interviews and Self Promotion", New Library World, Vol. 102 No. 4/5, pp. 180-185. https://doi.org/10.1108/nlw.2001.102.4_5.180.5

My father, who spent his whole working life in the same job, is bewildered that I have just been offered another new position, my seventh in a 15‐year career. I explain that all of my job moves have been carefully considered positive steps in a career progress. Among the reasons I have moved have been the lack of progress for advancement in larger libraries, reorganisation, the need to move on from a one‐person information service and quite simply the desire for a more interesting and challenging job. This book was therefore of immediate interest.

The information sector has become a dynamic, pro‐active and challenging environment in which a librarian’s job is very often no longer a job for life. With factors such as new technology, contract culture and restructuring of organisations, employees need to be continually learning new skills simply to keep up to date in a particular job. However, as information workers become more highly qualified and skilled they will also become more ambitious and selective in their employment. They will also be in demand more and so will be tempted to change jobs more if they develop professionally. The image of the passive librarian passing 40 years in one job will become even more redundant.

This welcome addition to the Library Association’s Successful LIS Professional series is an essential read for the information professional who wants to prosper in the new employment environment. It is also refreshing to see a realistically priced Library Association publication.

The opening scene‐setting chapter discusses the employment market for information professionals, with the attendant need for continuous professional development. The book then proceeds to the ways of planning a career within this current employment situation.

The practical aspects of finding jobs, applying for them (including the CV) and how to deal with interviews are explored in subsequent chapters. The book also covers issues such as applying for internal promotion, changing sectors, secondments, returning to work after a break, going freelance and working from home.

Getting a new job is not really the end of the matter as it is important to look at one change as a part of a wider career plan which needs constant review. This book constantly reiterates the need to update skills to develop professionally and the need to question where your career is at present and where it needs to go.

The book has an adequate index and excellent appendices detailing useful relevant organisations, further reading and assistance with application forms and CVs.

This useful title therefore stresses the importance of professional development in the current job market. It provides a good overview of how to do this in order to become an attractive professional prospect to potential employers.