What Do I Do Now? How to prepare for - and take advantage of - possible job changes

© 2012 Kim Dority & Scott Brown

Kim Dority & Scott Brown

SLA Rocky Mountain Chapter

October 18, 2012

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Yeah - it’s stressful

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Me = My job

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Me ≠ My job

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Change WILL happen

It is scary

AND

It is exciting

5 Guy Mason


The situation is NOT about you

The process IS about you

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Change WILL happen


So about that process…. Today we’ll focus on:

Step 1: Getting ready for change – taking care of administrivia

Step 2: Figuring out where you are – inventorying your professional assets

Step 3: Figuring out where you might be – assessing potential options and choices

Step 4: Learning more – researching potential options and choices

Step 5: Putting yourself in the path of opportunity

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Step 1: Getting ready for change Gather up your stuff from the office

Collect your contacts and bookmarks, RSS feeds, email newsletters, online groups, registrations and logins

Make sure that all of your accounts and contact information go to a personal, rather than employer-supplied, e-mail account

Figure out the unemployment application process before you need it

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Getting ready (con’t) Save or print

Resumes, important documents, PERSONAL material on your system

Current and last year paycheck history, stock option history and status (as applicable)

Performance reviews, training history

Health benefit elections (do medical appointments now!)

Vacation balance

(…being respectful and mindful of company physical and intellectual property)

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Make sure your resume is in order (resumes)

Make sure you’ve got a killer LinkedIn profile and you’ve joined the groups that relate to your potential areas of interest

Get the “just in case” word out discreetly

If you want to work with recruiters or staffing agencies, research the best ones now, before you need them

Detach emotionally

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Getting ready (con’t)


Shifting focus to what’s next Transitioning the

work

Responsibility vs. letting go

The freedom of clearing your plate

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Step 2: Figuring out where you are Your professional equity is a combination of:

Your skills and expertise: What do you know, and what have you done with it?

Your professional network

Your professional brand

Now is the time to inventory your assets in each of these categories

(More on leveraging your network and brand

in the third webinar of this series)

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What are all of your qualities and roles?

Where you are: Roles & Skills

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Roles & Skills (con’t) What are all of your roles?

Librarian (or

whatever your job is)

Father

Husband

Citizen

Volunteer

Leader

Manager

Mentor

Musician

Repairman (at home)

Finances

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Roles & Skills (con’t) What are the skills of those roles?

Librarian

Project management

Training

Research

Stakeholder work

Web 2.0 tools (wikis, blogs)

Etc.

Volunteer Event planning

Task force work

Research

Interviewing

Creating and administering surveys

Etc.

Mentor Managing

Teaching

Coaching

Networking

Evaluating

Etc.

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List your skills - ALL of them

List what you liked from past and current roles

List what you didn’t like from past jobs and roles

List what you don’t like about your current job

This will help you take the next step, which is to assess your potential options and choices

Building on your roles & skills

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Step 3: Figuring out where you might be

Based on your previous assessments and inventory, what do your potential options and choices look like?

Same type of job? Or….

Same type of company? Or….

Same industry? Or….

Any existing or imminent life circumstances you should take into consideration?

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Where you might be… Some questions to ask:

What other jobs/organizations are out there?

What have I found fulfilling (or not) in my current job/position?

Are there other jobs/positions available in my community or do I need to move elsewhere?

Am I willing to move for a better job, position, opportunity?

Would I prefer to move elsewhere? If so, where?

Do I need to pursue further education for the types of jobs that I want next?

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Step 4: Learning more To learn more about your potential

options and choices, you’ll probably want to

Research industries

Research companies

Research types of information work

Consider/explore alternative work structures

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Research industries and companies – and avoid pain!

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Industry information Top 10 company information sources

1. College resources

2. Directories of industry profiles

3. Industry-specific business magazines

4. Professional associations

5. Industry observers and analysts


Industry information Top 10 company information sources (con’t)

6. Internet research

7. Your network

8. Social media

9. Government resources

10. Local resources


Testing your assumptions

• Informational interviews

• Job shadowing

• Volunteering

• Part-time jobs

• Freelance/independent work


Learning more…about invisible jobs

Invisible LIS jobs are sometimes tough to “unearth,” but more and more LIS professionals are ending up in these roles

Embedded librarianship

Embedded/integrated information professionals

What are these positions called?

Sample keywords and job titles

“Off the beaten track” sources

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Yes, they’re really there

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Step 5: Putting yourself in the path of opportunity

Get visible

Monitor your environment

Be prepared to act

Take the initiative

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The path of opportunity

If your research revealed knowledge gaps you need to address, consider:

• Additional formal coursework

• Informal, non-credentialed options

• Certifications

• “Casual learning” options (e.g., HTML for Dummies)

• Opportunities in your current job to learn more or gain more experience


If your research revealed a need to build connections in your target professional community, consider:

• Joining the local chapters of professional associations

• Doing informational interviews

• Connecting through teachers, guest speakers, mentors, vendors you work with in your job




If your research revealed a need to build visibility

among your target prospects (potential

employers), consider:

• Becoming active in relevant LinkedIn groups

• Getting active in your local association chapters

• Volunteering

• Possibly (depending on current job) noting your

interest in your LinkedIn profile


So back to where we started….

Remember when we said that change is scary, but also exciting? What are some ways to find the positive in the negative?

Understand, accept and embrace change

Focus on new energy, opportunity for engagement and passion

Embrace new challenges for the renewal they provide

Reach out to new friends

Understand this as a gift of personal growth (even if it’s a gift we’d all prefer to return now and then!)

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The most important thing: take care of yourself

You can't help others if

your oxygen mask

isn't on

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Strengths and resources Use your network

Stay connected

Stay active

Keep options open

Ask for help

This is OK

Make yourself available

Training/mentoring

Consulting

Listening

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Strengths and resources

Unwind/unravel from the job

Give yourself a break

Take time off if possible

Energize yourself

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Pop quiz: key take-aways?

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Job change is inevitable, but you can prepare for it

By inventorying where you are – and your professional equity – you can get a good sense of what you might want to do next

By researching and assessing industries, companies, and your personal preferences, you’ll be able to identify potential options and best choices


Key take-aways (con’t) By putting yourself in the path of opportunity, you’re

likely to come across more opening doors

By taking care of yourself, you’re likelier to thrive, not just survive, through change

Remember, as Charles Darwin pointed out,

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."

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Upcoming webinars

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• Transferable Skills: Identifying and Marketing Your Unique Value to Non-LIS Employers, November 15, 2012, 2pm ET

• So Tell Me About Yourself: Personal and Professional

Branding for LIS Students and Professionals, December 20, 2012, 2pm ET

Sign up at http://rockymountain.sla.org/tag/virtual-programs/


Questions

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Career

What Do I Do Now? How to prepare for - and take advantage of - possible job changes