From the President: Building Your Professional Toolkit

Abstract

As RUSA president I’m often asked for career advice. How can I get my first professional job? How can I succeed in it and build my career? How do I make the next move to a higher level position? The job market for librarians isn’t as extensive and robust as we’d like it to be, but at the same time, good jobs are out there—jobs that have the potential for growth and offer possibilities for meaningful work. As someone who has been the hiring manager for many librarian positions throughout my career, including many entry-level positions, I can tell you that there is competition for the best jobs and that our needs as employers are becoming more complex. How can you position yourself to compete in this job market? How can you build a successful, rewarding career?