SLIS CAREER DEVELOPMENT PLAN The SLIS Career Development

SLIS CAREER DEVELOPMENT PLAN

The SLIS Career Development Portfolio No more pencils, no more books…

Hand in: 2 resumes 2 cover letters 1 professional development plan A copy of the jobs advertisements you are applying to

Position advertisements These should be two positions of interest. These are the basis for your cover letter and resume. Regardless of whether you choose similar or very different positions, you must justify your choice in your career development plan.

Resumes Two resumes are required. These should be tailored directly to your two positions of interest. These will contain your education, work experience, professional organizations, and other accomplishments. While they may be similar, each resume should show signs of having been crafted to the requirements of the position that you are applying forincluding mirroring the language of the advertisement.

Cover letters Two cover letters are required and should be tailored directly to your two positions of interest. A cover letter is written according to professional letter standards. A cover letter is one page unless otherwise stated in the job advertisement. A cover letter has a specific style including an introduction, explanation of your desire for the job, description of your qualifying skills, and a conclusion. A cover letter demonstrates careful consideration of the position qualifications and institutional culture. Your letters must evidence that you have researched the position and organization beyond the job advertisement. Your cover letters should mirror the language in the job advertisement.

Professional development plan The plan should justify your selection of the advertisements in your portfolio: Why did you select these positions? What skills do you have that they want? What skills do you need to develop? Consider the next 2 -5 years: What career development opportunities must you seek out in order to advance or become the best professional possible at your chosen job? Consider your long-term goals: How will you develop into the professional you want to be later in your career? What do you need to do now in order to progress? Consider this plan a map of the skills you have, those that you need to acquire, and a written trajectory of what this process will entail.

You will be evaluated on: Your ability to create two different clean, well-formatted resumes tailored to the positions you choose. Your ability to write clear, tailored, and engaging professional cover letters. Your ability to articulate your professional goals over the next five years and the career development opportunities available to you.

Making Your Resume Pop The following is meant to be informative, only. These are helpful suggestions, not requirements for the assignment. The next slides are adapted from a presentation by the UTC Career & Student Employment Center and Purdue Owl

Pop Quiz! q What is the initial amount of time an employer takes to review an applicant’s resume? q Answer: q 15 – 20 seconds minimum q 45 seconds maximum

Why do you need a resume? q A marketing tool q To obtain an interview, not a job q Requirement of many organizations

Resume- hidden messages Resume You q Neat q Well-organized q Error free q Attention to detail Professional appearance q Careful & Competent q

Sections of a Resume

The Header q q What should be included? q Name q Physical address q E-mail address q Telephone number Where should contact information go? q Top of the page

However, despite these examples it is best practice to remove the hyperlink from your email address!

Education q Name of Institution q Include q city and state if not part of the title Name of your degree and major q Bachelor of _____ in ______ q Bachelor of Science in Business Administration: Accounting q List degrees in reverse chronological order q Most recent degree is listed first

Education q Date or expected date of graduation q Graduation Date: May 2014 q Expected Graduation Date: May 2015 q GPA- Maybe…* q Major or overall at least 3. 0 q Round down to the nearest tenth q 3. 0 not 3. 062 q GPA: 4. 0, Summa Cum Laude * Most professionals no longer recommend including your GPAespecially for applicants with graduate degrees.

Experience q Use the term "experience" q What is considered experience? q. Full and part-time jobs q. Self-employment q. Volunteer work q. Practicum, field, and cooperative education q Information q. Job to include Title q. Dates of employment q. Company name q. City & State

Listing Responsibilities q Use bullet points q Start of each line with an action verb q Present tense if currently employed q Past tense if no longer employed q Vary your choice of verbs q q Tailor skills and experiences to the position for which you are applying Be concise while providing enough detail

Honors & Awards q q Order by dates q Reverse chronological Rank order by importance to the career objective

Professional Affiliations & Activities Order by date q Reverse chronological q Rank order by importance to the career objective q Do not say Member of … q Emphasize your leadership roles q Spell out the organization’s name: q Do not use abbreviations or acronyms q

Resume Dos q Use action verbs q Use short, concise sentences q Use #, %, $ amounts q Keep resume easy to read q Keep resume to one page!

Resume Don’ts q Do not use the pronouns such as I, me, my, etc. q Do not include references q Do not clutter your resume with nonessential information Do not make any misrepresentations q Do not include personal information q q SSN, age, sex, height, weight, marital status, photograph, etc.

On to Cover Letters!

What is a cover letter? • • • A cover letter expresses interest and qualifications for a particular position Personal but professional Tailored to position/company Explains how you fit with the organization and how your experience will benefit them Expands main points from your resume “Sells” qualifications to the prospective employer

Explore the background of the position and company - - Make sure you know: General job information Desired qualifications and skills Key values and words Research helps you tailor your cover letter Look for mission statements, organizational “vision, ” goals, etc.

Header Address the letter to a specific person if possible (preferably the interviewer)

First Paragraph Purpose: Get the reader’s attention Introduce yourself Explain purpose of letter Explain why interested in the position or the company Culture? Approach? Explain how you will benefit the organization Preview the rest of the letter

Why I am interested. Mentions position in first line. I am writing as an articulation of my interest in the position of Assistant Professor of Library and Information Science with The University of Iowa, requisition number 70364. As a doctoral candidate searching for an opportunity to teach library and information science while focusing on literacies and how they affect information-seeking, I am delighted that this position is being offered at The University of Iowa. My passion is the application of information science research to the needs of disadvantaged populations. This encompasses a thorough understanding information literacy of these groups, as well as how they interact with digital interfaces. In addition to this primary research interest, I also have a background that includes experience with the digital humanities and a Masters in information systems. Because of my diversity in experience I was incredibly excited to learn of this position at The University of Iowa. Why I am interested continued, then segues into specific language tailored to the job description. Last line sets up rest of application letter. No UI te: I. L an do n gu ag ot st e i art sk ep usin g tf orm al.

Middle Paragraphs- 2 max Highlight skills and benefits to the company Emphasize interest in the company Provide concrete evidence Include specific, credible examples of qualifications for the position Consider a bulleted list if appropriate. And, again, tailored to the job description. Replicate the language if possible.

Direct language from job description. Organizational knowledge!

Conclusion • • Conclude with next step Reiterate your enthusiasm Keep it short No pushy language • Ex-I look forward to your call at your earliest convenience…

Only if job ad specifies it. I have included a copy of my resume and references. I look forward to the opportunity to further discuss this position. Thank you so much for your consideration of my application. Simple.

Final thoughts Professional language Length Letter Strongest and most relevant qualifications should be highlighted Limit should only be one page to a few qualifications Easy to read Begin with topic sentences

Thank you!