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Presentation delivered at the BIALL conference in June 2014, on using transferable skills outside of the legal information sector.
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MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF THE EVER-CHANGING WORKPLACE: how to future-proof your skills
Laura Woods, Research & Information Officer, Brake
@woodsiegirl#biall2014
I am an imposter!I am not...A law librarianA librarianA knowledge managerAn information manager
...or am I?
Who am I?Former law librarian– Gray’s Inn 2007-08– Davies Arnold Cooper 2009-11– Addleshaw Goddard 2011-2012
Currently research and information officer for a small charity
About BrakeCampaigning road safety charitySupporting the victimsCampaigning for safer roadsEngaging with fleet and road safety
professionals
What I do at BrakeA bit of everything!Keep on top of road safety researchBuild a network of expert speakers/writers and
organisation case studiesResearch, write and edit guidance for employers,
police, and support literatureTalk to the media – written quotes and TV/radio
interviews
Am I a librarian?No! No resources to manage (print or
electronic), no information service either internally or externally.
Yes! I am an information professional – I produce and disseminate information and connect others with the knowledge they need.
What “traditional” jobs do I do?Abstracting and summarisingEvaluating information sources (CRAAP test)Tracking down open access publicationsReference interviewingWeb content managementOrganising and presenting information
How did I get here?Wanted to move to the charity sectorTraditional librarian jobs in charities are few and
far betweenLooked for jobs that would use my skills but
weren’t considered librarian jobs
Looking for jobsIdentified where to look– Charityjob.co.uk, Guardian jobs page, notifications
from individual organisationsIdentified keywords for the jobs I wanted– Information, communication, research, content,
editor, knowledge
Explaining myself at interviewMy interviewers weren’t librarians......hadn’t hired librarians......and weren’t looking to hire a librarian!I had to explain my skills and experience without
any of the shorthand I was used to.
Exercise: Taboo!Explain your job without using these words...
Library
Journals
Databases
SubscriptionsCurrent
awareness
Legislation
Case law
Enquiries
Research
What skills can you bring?The first step is knowing what you can doHow do your skills/experience match up to the
jobs you want to do?Skills audit – look at what you do and what skills
your job involves
Exercise: skills auditJob role Skills Where developed?
Build a network of expert speakers/writers
NetworkingKnowledge managementWritten and verbal communication
Attending law firm practice group meetingsProfessional qualificationProfessional networking
Research, write and edit guidance for fleets and support literature
Writing and editingSummarising complex infoLocating info from various sourcesEvaluating sources of info
Professional qualificationSummarising legal and business researchDeveloping practice group specialisation
Talk to the media Written and verbal communicationPresentation skillsMarketing
Running training sessionsSpeaking at professional eventsVolunteering with professional bodies
Exercise: skills auditWhat do you do in your job?– E.g. Tracking legislation progress
What skills does this involve?– E.g. Information literacy, knowledge of relevant
sources, summarising and presenting informationHow did you develop these skills?– E.g. In work, in volunteering roles, from
professional qualifications
Developing your skillsWhat do you want to do vs what can you do– What skills will you need for your next move?
Avenues for development– Can you develop within your current role?– Opportunities/funding for development?
Soft skills vs hard skills– Do you need to know how to do specific tasks? (e.g.
cataloguing)– Or do you need specific skills? (e.g. delivering training)
Finding your dream jobDifferent circumstances
– Are you actively looking?– or just lost your job and need a new one quickly?
What do you really want to do? What are your priorities?
– Job type– Organisation type– Hours– Location– Pay– Compromise?
In the job – proving yourselfHow do you introduce yourself to colleagues?– By your job title?– By what you do?
How do you explain what you do?
Exercise: Elevator pitchCome up with a one-sentence “pitch” to explain
your role and your skillsThink about the Taboo game from earlier – try
and avoid the same buzzwords!
My elevator pitchesI’m an expert in finding and evaluating
information, so we have the most accurate, robust evidence on which to base our work.
I connect the people who know things with the people who need to know them.
I’m immersed in road safety information so I know what information and developments we will need to act on.
In the job: finding new opportunitiesAlways look for where you can add valueWhat could be improved?– E.g. Is your intranet organised and structured
efficiently? – Is knowledge capture happening? – Are information laws being followed?
Don’t assume people will know to ask for your help – be nosey!
Sum upInformation professionals have a wide range of
skills...but not everyone knows this!Learn the organisation’s language and explain
what you do in their wordsAnalyse your skills – you can do more than you
think!Always look for opportunities to develop
Any questions?
Laura [email protected]@gmail.comhttp://www.slideshare.net/WoodsieGirl