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The Library & Information Science Professional's Career Development Center |
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Meet Me at the Placement Center |
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The Placement Center at the American Library Association conference is a physical space in the convention center where employers and job seekers can meet. There are five activity spaces within the Placement Center:
To take full advantage of the Placement Center, sign up on the ALA website about a month before the conference. Peruse the database of job opportunities. Send polite messages through the Placement Center system requesting interviews for any jobs that interest you. Many employers will contact you before the conference to schedule Placement Center appointments. Others may prefer to meet with you informally at the reception the night before the Placement Center opens. A few will want you to make appointments after the conference starts—in most cases, this will still be through the Placement Center website, which is the default homepage for the computers in the Placement Center. The only employers who make interview appointments without using the Placement Center website are the ones who have booths. At the June 2005 conference, these were mostly large public library systems. One job seeker, who was looking for employment in the Midwest, noted that most of these were on the coasts. Many of these public library systems were interviewing anyone who expressed an interest. Some were making job offers at the conference. Academic libraries, on the other hand, did something more akin to a recruitment interview. It was not uncommon for the job seeker to learn more about the job than the employer learned about the job seeker. Presumably, a successful interview at the Placement Center would increase the chances of being called for an on-campus interview. Expect the unexpected. Employers who are using the Placement Center for the first time are no more knowledgeable about the process than job seekers. I waited nearly an hour for an employer who turned out to be at the wrong interview table. While I waited, I stood with another woman whose scheduled interview was delayed while the previous interview went over the time allotted. There were tables in the area near the interview room—convenient for pulling a resume or portfolio out of a bag—but the few chairs in the vicinity were always taken. Some job seekers arrived in suits appropriate for a formal interview. Most, however, wore the kind of business casual clothes and sensible shoes that work well for a hot summer day of walking at a conference. Resume Review Service Don’t miss the Resume Review Service sponsored by ALA’s New Members Round Table (NMRT). My experience was excellent. Several people had already offered helpful suggestions for my resume. My reviewer was able to confirm that my resume was in good shape and to offer a couple of suggestions for polishing it further. The reviewer was also willing and able to answer questions about the job seeking process. I could ask him questions that I wished I could ask a potential employer and he was able to give advice geared to my specific circumstances.
On the NEWLIB-L email discussion list, someone occasionally asks if it is worth going to the ALA Conference just for the Placement Center. For a librarian seeking a job in a public library system and willing to move, it may well be. Others will want to consider the Placement Center in context as one of many opportunities at the conference. Will attendance at the conference present evidence that you are committed to professional development? Would careful exploration of the exhibit hall give you an edge on familiarity with library vendors? Are there conference programs that will increase your job skills and knowledge? The experience is relatively low-key, at least compared to the typical all-day academic library interview. The interviews gave me confidence that I can indeed have an intelligent conversation with a library director. The Placement Center offers an efficient way to make initial connections with hiring libraries. The job seeker can learn about a number of different libraries and openings in just a few days. Discussing library jobs with employers at the Placement Center can be an excellent way to begin a job search. The job seeker gains some practice with interviews, learns what kind of positions are available, and hears about what employers want. Joy Weese Moll will graduate from the School of Information Science and Learning Technologies at the University of Missouri in December 2005. She wants to employ her writing, research, and technology skills in an academic library. Read her blog, Wanderings of a Student Librarian, at http://joy.mollprojects.com/myblogs/wanderings. Article published Sept 2005 Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in LIScareer articles are those of their respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the LIScareer editors.
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Page last updated
10/03/2005
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