View from the Hill

From Libraries to the Grave

I read with interest a recent article about job opportunities and dead bodies and got me thinking about transferable skills.  Companies are often closed to the idea of interviewing someone with a completely different background to the job spec and as a recruiter this often frustrates me, as the candidate often ticks all the skills required.  That said, the list of jobs here are not asking for experience of the task in hand but the skills and tenacity to do the job.  Okay not everyone wants to be a gravedigger or embalmer but you may just have the right skill set.   The one that really struck a chord with me was the Funeral Director.  Skills required - a head for business, great people skills, management, being organised, information processing and having the ability to listen - a similar set of skills required for a library manager.  So if you were looking to change careers and utilise your skills and you are fed up of getting 'does not have the sector expertise or industry knowledge', here is a career that will embrace your skills - but clearly not for the faint hearted.

- Damon Thomas, Recruitment Manager - Market Research

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;

Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
      What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
      Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
      Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
      What's in a name? that which we call a rose
      By any other name would smell as sweet;
      So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
      Retain that dear perfection which he owes
      Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
      And for that name which is no part of thee
      Take all myself.

The passion that a name commands lies dormant until such time as someone acts.  SLA (Special Libraries Association) have spent a considerable amount of time, effort and money to carefully research a potential new name to reflect the values of their vast collective store of talent and skill.  This comes under the classification (there I've used a library word) of Alignment.  Kate Arnold, SLA Board Europe member is one of the Alignment Ambassadors for SLA Europe.  She is keen to encourage debate on the suggested name.

The name put forward for a deciding vote is Association for Strategic Knowledge Professionals (ASKPro).  The blogs are overheating, (SLA blog), the SLA Europe discussion list has woken from a slumber.  It is good to see debate and feel that passion of others.  We pray a happy ending for all who care and have put such effort in.  A thankless task.  Or Not?  Go have your say.

For never was there a story of more woe

Than this of Juliet and her Romeo. 

- Sue Hill (and our Will!)

 

Commonality in Diversity - The Big Issues

We all face the same challenges. Who is “we” and what are the challenges? The latest, and very delicious, SHR Breakfast today brought together public and private sectors, knowledge, information and libraries. Despite the external challenges of financial constraints and ever increasing regulation, one of the biggest challenges facing our profession might be summed up in the word “perception”. Does your CEO know what you do? Shouldn’t it be your responsibility to change that? Looking at our guest list today you would perceive that the issues faced by each organisation and company would be wildly different but to our surprise, and pleasantly so, there was a lot of commonality and a lot to be learnt from each other.

In discussion, we learnt that one of the major impacting factors on knowledge and information services is the expectation to do more and do better with less – less funding, less time and less resources. Looking at your existing resources, the most valuable of all, your staff, there is a need to employ the very best. Would it surprise you to hear from employers that job applications have doubled, but the quality hasn’t? Sadly, I suspect not. We not only have to justify our services, but we have to justify ourselves in jobhunting. Simply sending a CV will not work!  

What struck me most about our fascinating round-table discussion was the passion to break down the silos, to share, to learn from each other and to cross-fertilise. How do we do this? By networking, joining together to find our voice. Without exception there were nodding heads when Sue Edgar raised the notion of the need for good leadership in business and that it is vital to get a mentor or a coach, it being critical to keep you moving. By getting a role model or mentor outside knowledge & information, you are already well on your way to encourage the move away from silos.  

And whilst we didn’t have time to answer the question “where is the future of the profession”, we did agree that we need people who have worked across all silos and that we urgently need to connect our "different" professions.   The thought of an Umbrella organisation providing services and a central voice for the many and diverse information groups to rally around was mooted and generally liked.

- Suzanne Wheatley, Recruitment Manager

Networking across government

Last Tuesday I attended a 'Getting to know you' day organised by NGLIS (the Network of Government Library and Information Specialists) and I wanted to report on some of the opinions and experiences which the speakers shared with the group.

First off the bat a very entertaining and interesting talk by James Denmead from the MoD whose time in government libraries has provided him the opportunity to become informed on subjects many and varied (from submarines to dwindling global resources), as well as amusing anecdotes as many and as varied.

As the morning went on we also saw talks from Tony Worron and Diane Murgatroyd, both of the FCO, reporting on recent changes undergone by the information department in order to meet changing organisation demands.  These very informative talks show us all that while organisational changes can be difficult and at times emotionally charged, the new challenges created can inspire a team to develop their potential, both as a collective and as individuals.

Between these two speakers came a talk from Janet Cockayne which captured the imagination and encouraged us all to always look for a challenge and not shy away from the unknown and the scary.  Janet also reminded us to think about how new skills can be transferred from one role to another and how seemingly unrelated roads along a career path can complement each other.

After lunch the group, full of friendly and familiar faces, took part in a panel discussion about skills and competencies in the government sector. This is an interesting and tricky subject which we were guided through by Alison Raisin of BIS (whose substantial knowledge of the subject was evident), me adding my two-pence worth and facilitated by Katharine Schopflin who organised the event. What we learned from this session; CPD is important throughout your career and you must be prepared to drive it yourself as well as seeking support from your manager, the importance of a head of profession or other mentor figure in career development, and much more.

A good day and a great example of a special interest group supporting its members.

- Jeremy Clarke

Time Out

So you have just been made redundant.  What now?  Have you thought about having a gap year?  A recent survey conducted by Travelex, the foreign exchange company, conducted a survey which showed that 78% of people who have recently been made redundant have taken the decision to take time out and travel.  In fact the 30-55 age bracket are twice as likely to travel that the 18-24 year olds.

But what about skills and continuing professional development?  Well you can take the opportunity to volunteer, whether overseas or closer to home.  Freepint have produced some helpful information on how to keep your skills up and how to stay in touch with the information world. 

Whether you have taken a self-imposed time out or you had no choice in the matter, you have options.  All doesn't have to be lost.  It can be an opportunity and the advice and guidance is out there and available.  And we, being information professionals, will be able to find it.

 - Katharine Liu 

 

Ce n'est pas sur mon CV?

I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record but it's so important to ensure that your salable commodities (excellent skills if you will) feature on your CV.

Last time I was banging on about niche IT skills, well now I'm on languages.  Rarely am I more impressed than when I ask someone in an interview whether they have any foreign language skills and they reply, 'only French, German and Dutch' - is that all? I struggle with the one and there are people out there with two, three, four (house!).

However these skills are only useful if other people know about them, and in this case those people are potential employers.

Yesterday I was asked by a client to find a Hebrew and Russian speaking researcher for a home-working job with flexible hours.  The only thing drowning out the joyful whoops of Hebrew/Russian speaking Librarian I called was the little voice in my own head shouting 'why didn't you take that Russian exchange trip?'

This lucky individual had the foresight to include her wide ranging skills on her CV. Can we all say the same thing? 

Let's put it to the test, if you can read the following, ask yourself, does it say so on your CV?

Ce n'est pas sur mon CV?

No esta sobre mi CV?

- Jeremy Clarke

Feeling litigious?

Is it the responsibility of your university to find you a job as well as to educate you? Trina Thompson certainly thinks so. She is a graduate of Monroe College in New York state and has sued the college for not making enough effort to find her a job.

Thinking back to my university days, I took it upon myself to visit the careers centre, to talk to the careers officer and generally to do my own research into potential career options. It was/is my life, after all and I've always been of the opinion that you have to make your own way. I found my own job after graduating. As it has been noted in the article, a college degree does not guarantee you employment.

Is it right to expect someone else to plan your career for you? Or should you take a proactive approach to secure employment and, ultimately, happiness and satisfaction in your life?

- Suzanne Wheatley

Credit Crunching

Last week saw the closing session in the recent series of Credit Crunch lunches, although there was less sandwich munching and more idea scribbling to be heard.

The topic, an old favourite, Filling in that wretched application form / application letters.  Everyone had experiences and opinions to share and as usual the session turned into free-flowing exchange of ideas, so a big thank you to all who attended.

Now the holiday season is fully upon us and the CC sessions are taking some time off too, to return later in the year.  If you have any burning topics which you would like to find out more about or subjects which you feel could produce interesting discussion, why not drop us a line at jobs@suehill.com.

For now though ‘bonnes vacances’ and good vacancy hunting.

- Jeremy Clarke

Umbrella brings the sun and an honour

Up at sparrows' and off to Hatfield on what a previous colleague famously called 'a big train' to exhibit the Sue Hill Recruitment services offering and to speak for my wonderful friends CDG.  A good turnout of 721 delegates - not all of whom made it to our stand, but judging by the disappearing quantities of our famous jellybeans, many did.

Conversations at the stand covered the spectrum of recruitment issues, job hunting and much about professionalism - the latter generated in no small measure by reports of the Borough Market Twelve breakfast meeting. John Feather coincidentally spoke on The Information Society: Does it need the information professions?  John is always controversial and fun so it was good to catch up with him. Lizzie Russell, one of our newest team members, was kept busy talking to prospective and existing candidates and clients as indeed was I, and I am sure Cameron Best will be busy today. 

Despite the numbers of people concerned about their jobs or lack of them the overall atmostphere was positive, showing to me the benefits of professional networking and keeping up to date with current issues.

At 2.15pm precisley I headed off to compete against Paul Sturges speaking on Why is Poo Brown?  Luckily a good number of those eager to change sectors came along to listen to me.  As each person arrived they were challenged to sit next to someone they did not know and who was not from the same sector. Within five minutes the noise was deafening. The power of networking is not to be dismissed! 

I was moved to tears at the end of my session when the lively and vibrant Maria Cotera, current President of CDG awarded me with an Honorary Fellowship of CDG and read the citation in full.  Thank you CDG.  This is an honour I am very proud to accept.  Within this very special group I feel are our future leaders which is why I support them.  We MUST invest in our future.

 - Sue Hill

Isn't it on my CV? ... Oh

When writing CVs, we know there is a fine line between writing a personal memoir and presenting a snapshot of your experience that is so short it doesn't give much more information than may be found on your telephone voice mail.  The difficulty is always knowing what to include and what not to include.

We are seeing a lot of CVs at present from people with varied and interesting skills gained across the information sector, but we are always wary of the fact that a CV may not be giving an employer the full impression of someones relevant experience.

How easy it is to claim familiarity with a 'range of legal databases' but without showing Westlaw, Lawtel, Lexis, and the rest of the usual suspects on your CV it is possible that the lack of detail in this bland statement may not get you through the door.

The importance of including the details of your experience is never more true than when you have gained some really valuable niche skills which employers find difficult to source and are therefore very saleable commodities.  For instance, at the moment I am searching for someone with experience of using a CMS called 'RightNow' which was a new one to me and is proving rather scarce.

To paraphrase AJ Kiesling, where have all the RightNow-CMS-Content-Editors gone?

- Jeremy Clarke