What to Expect
This workshop is about doing things Goal: To have every participant here leave
with at least three things you can’t wait to use to help a job seeker at your branch
Defining Resource
“1 a. a source of supply or support . . .” “1 e. a source of information or expertise.” “2 Something to which one has recourse in difficulty.” "resource." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010.
Merriam-Webster Online. 23 January 2010
Career Information We All Need
Self knowledge—who are you and how do you fit into the world of work? Interests, values, skills and personality
Occupational information Job description, working conditions, typical
employers, wages, education and training required, career progression; outlook
Employer information Location, size, culture, organizational
structure, trends/initiatives, leadership team
Where Does the Library Come In?
Information Emotional support Workspace Referrals to resources outside the library
Job Seeker Resources @ the Library
People Librarians Staff (Pages, Technical Assistants, Security,
Specialists) Volunteers and Volunteer Career Coaches Presenters
Information/Materials Databases Books Computers/Wireless Space
Bolles’ Party Exercise
Adapted from What Color is Your Parachute? Assumption: people like to work with people
like them Based on Holland personality types
Realistic Types
Practical Thrifty Genuine Enjoys the outdoors Prefers tangible to intangible/theoretical
Investigative Types
Curious Rational Analytical Critical Intellectual Enjoy research; ask a lot of questions
Artistic Types
Expressive Idealistic Original Nonconforming Includes those who appreciate art as well as
those who create it
Social Types
Helpful Cooperative Kind Patient Like to be of service to others or to provide
emotional support
Holland Hexagon
Realistic Investigative
Artistic
SocialEnterprising
Conventional
Data
People
Ideas
Things
Opposites
Overview of Career Cruising
Electronic resource Available from any computer with internet
access with an NYPL Library Card Career Matchmaker Job profiles, school search, financial aid Resume Builder
Most Effective Job Search Strategies
Networking—co-workers, previous supervisors, friends, family, etc.
Yellow pages/cold calling Classifieds in the newspaper Internet job postings
Most Heavily Used Strategies
Responding to job postings online Newspaper classifieds Networking Cold calling
Job Hunting Challenges
Job seekers with international degrees Lack of computer skills No phone/email address/computer
International Degrees
U.S. Department of Education Credential evaluation services
Usually nonprofit Reports are not free
Non-credit/non-degree evaluations Other evaluation services Cost for evaluation or exam
Computer Skills
Computer Resource Centers--NYC Department of Parks and Recreation Courses by skill level Locations throughout NYC Free courses Internet and printer access
Phone Service
Lifeline Service by SafeLink Wireless Universal Service Administrative Company
Information on options for low income families—wireless and landline
Recommended Books
Farr, Michael (2006). Seven Step Job Search: Cut Your Job Search Time in Half
Whitcomb, Susan Britton (2006). Job Search Magic: Insider Secrets from America’s Career and Life Coach
Beshara, Tony (2006). The Job Search Solution: The Ultimate System for Finding a Great Job Now
Lore, Nicholas (1998). The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success
Bolles, Richard Nelson (any edition). What Color is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job Hunters and Career Changers
Evaluating Resume Books
Target audience Presentation/format Quality of information Quality and breadth of examples
Presentation/Format
Correct grammar and spelling Professional layout Clarity of instructions Examples and worksheets
Information and Examples
Examples of good resumes Range of samples
“Typical” career path Special situations
Chronological, Functional and Combination
eNYPL Materials
Great for tech-savvy patrons Materials can’t get lost Patron may need extra guidance on reviewing the
records and using materials at first
E-Audiobooks
Search for Job Search Click on E-Audiobooks I’m drawn to The Ape in the Corner Office,
but follow your own bliss on this one
Important Information
Plays on Just because the e-audiobook plays on i-Pods
and i-Phones doesn’t mean it can be downloaded to a Mac and transferred to the device
Size Does your portable device have space?
Digital Rights Information How can it be used?
E-Audiobooks Pros and Cons
Extremely convenient option for commuters and people who love the gym
Not a great choice for techno-phobes If your iTunes or OverDrive are more than
three days old, odds are you will need to update one or both of them to get things to work
Need high comfort level with adjusting import settings on iTunes to voice only
Best Part of eNYPL Resources
They are available to anyone with a personal computer regardless
of location!
Occupational Research Tools
Occupational Outlook Handbook—widely available in print and online
O*NET Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center Career Cruising
Pull Up Ferguson’s
Go to www.nypl.org Books, DVDs and More Articles & Databases Click on the Home link in the description Narrow results by the subject Jobs Click on Ferguson’s
Search for Profile
Type Ergonomist in the search box and click on the arrow button
You will see two job profiles and one industry profile
Information Available
Description of what the work is like Earnings information Employment projections Related careers Related industries Traits Education and training/licensure requirements
Resources
Directory of directories Let’s look at resources by industry
Pick an industry that interests you What do you see?
Sample Industry: Fashion
Education—list of educational institutions Periodicals and Websites—Includes
consumer and trade publications Professional Industry, Trade Associations,
and Unions
Assessments
Good for anyone making a career transition or unsure about what they want to do next
Starts with 39 questions Can answer more if they want Results can be saved in portfolio
Careers
Search by word Search by subject A-Z search (index) Search by cluster Career Selector—narrow choices by interest
area/subject, earnings, required education, etc.
Career Cruising School Information
Search for programs using specific criteria Courses of study offered Specific student services available Extra curricular activities
Easy-to-use financial aid search
Intro to Vault & Wet Feet
Vault conducts surveys of individuals currently employed at large companies and incorporates the data into profiles of those companies. They also include discussion and message boards as part of their site.
Vault’s Career Insider site includes career guides
Wet Feet is mainly focused on career guides which used to be available in print only and are now digital.
When to Recommend
Patrons who have an interview with a Fortune 500 company and need to do some research
Patrons who have a good idea of the company or industry they want to work in, but need more information on who the big players are in the industry or want a list of the top companies for a particular industry
Wet Feet and Vault Not Ideal For
Patrons who have absolutely no idea what they want to do No interest inventory Most of the information is too specific for a
patron who is beginning career exploration to use at that point
Patrons primarily concerned about coping with job loss or making a major life transition
Patrons seeking employment with small businesses
Good Guides to Keep in Mind
Wet Feet Changing Course, Changing Careers Finding the Right Career Path Careers with a Conscience Green Careers
Vault Guide to the Case Interview Advanced Finance and Quantitative Interviews Culinary Careers Nursing Fashion Careers Media, Entertainment & Journalist Careers
Tips for Using Vault & Wet Feet
Vault’s site will not work with IE 6 To use Vault---even on site---each user must
register and create a user name and password before they can access the site
Currently, Vault is only available on site at SIBL, but guides can be emailed home
Wet Feet Guides can be emailed home to patrons or downloaded to a flash drive, but will require a password to open each time
People as Resources
Librarians Technical Assistants SCORE counselors Career Coaches Friends/Family Co-workers Supervisors
Listening Does Something
If you have a problem and you talk to someone about it, do you really want their answer?
Experiment: Divide into pairs One person tells the other about a problem Switch
Challenges and Problems
Focus on listening and reflecting rather than trying to fix everything
Clarify what the patron would like assistance with
Review possible options Walk the person through as much as you can
Show the patron how to look-up materials Walk with the patron to set-up an appointment
Coach and Client
Coach Clarifies needs Establishes goals Collaborates with client
on creating an action plan for reaching goals
Assesses progress
Client Describes needs Agrees to established
goals Collaborates with
coach on creating an action plan
Acts on action plan Tracks progress and
reports to coach
Coaches are Resources For
Emotional support Guidance on selecting and using career
resources at the library Referral to other community resources, as
needed Clarification and reframing; acting as a
sounding board to help clients organize their thoughts regarding job search/career exploration
Advice-giving vs. Coaching
Nobody wants to be told what to do; patients don’t listen to their doctors. Who is going to take a coach’s word as gospel?
Coaching is about empowerment Helping people solve their problems Building skills to use for the rest of one’s
career Decision-making Gathering and using information Understanding personal strengths and
weaknesses
Reasonable/Unreasonable Expectations Reasonable
Coach critiques resume
Coach recommends tools for client to use in job search
Coach helps client clarify interests and career goals/direction
Unreasonable Coach writes resume
for patron Coach gives client a
job, list of open positions, or list of companies hiring now
Coach tells client what he or she should do
Coaches at SIBL
Approximately 19 career coaches including AARP coaches
AARP coaches see clients who are age 50 or over on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Some coaching appointments are available in the evenings as well as Saturdays
All coaches are generalists---we do not assign clients by coach “specialty”
Coach Credentials
Certificates/Certifications National Certified Counselor (NCC)
Awarded by the National Board of Certified Counselors the same organization the publishes the National Counselor Exam for Certification and Licensure (NCE)
Educational and experiential requirements Five O’Clock Club
Coach Certification Program Other Programs
Professional Background/Expertise