I’ve finally made it though there were times I thought I might just quietly stop and hope nobody would notice.
My professional development plan reads more like a To-do list for next year and I've decided to split it into a more manageable 3 categories - Essential/Time-specific, Realistic/Achievable and Nice to do if have the opportunity.
Essential/Time-specific
Continue with revalidation
Find mentor
Realistic/Achievable
Carry on with blog - ie Revalidation and general work
Improve my blog
Continue to tweet
Improve my LinkedIn Account
Contribute to online library discussions
Contribute to a “library day in a working life project” wiki
Continue with CSG committee
Try to participate in a CPD activity each month
Nice to do if have the opportunity
Investigate online course on podcasts mentioned in one of the 23 Things
Look into Prezi and Slideshare
Get involved in advocacy work
Organise a library event
Do some voluntary work or job shadowing
Try to get involved in some project or extra activity at work
I also did a SWOT analysis and came up with the following:-
Strengths
Currently have a library job
Professional development is encouraged
I'm chartered
Don’t mind which library sector I work for
Always keen to look for opportunities to widen skills and develop professional awareness
Weaknesses
Very little opportunity to do professional work in current job
Quality and depth of my professional library experience is limited
Not skilled enough for a lot of the library jobs on offer - can stretch it to get to the interview stage but interviewers can soon find the gaps
Can’t move to a different area in the country to find work, tied to the East Midlands
Opportunities
Being made redundant may offer opportunities including voluntary work
Nearly paid off mortgage so may be able to consider part time work in the future
Threats
Job isn’t very stable
Wider economy - lack of library opportunities in general
Getting too old
Sunday 30 October 2011
Tuesday 25 October 2011
Thing 22 - Volunteering
I have volunteered in the past to get the necessary library experience before I applied to go to library school. I tried to apply for library jobs but was unsuccessful as I didn't have any relevant experience so voluntary work was the other alternative. It was quite hard finding a voluntary placement at the time and I ended up writing to several libraries in the East Midlands before I was offered an initial 6 week placement with Gedling Libraries. This gave me a good insight into not only the role of the Community Librarian but also experience across the board - from working on a busy reference desk/local history area at Arnold Library to general library duties (I had no experience whatsoever in the library so everything was a plus). I continued to volunteer at Carlton Library on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings which benefitted everybody as not only did I gain additional experience, there was an extra pair of hands helping at the busy Saturday morning counter and my quick typing skills meant that I gained the job of typing out the overdues on Tuesday evenings (it was pre-computer days).
I think this stood me in good step to gain a bursary, in addition to having a good degree. I also think I may have struggled with some aspects of the course if I hadn't done the voluntary work and not seen some of the library work in practice.
I also did voluntary work again after I finished my course to try and boost my experience as I found that I still didn't really have enough experience to get a library job straight away. This time, it was Mencap and Dial (UK). I think this experience helped me to get the job at the RNIB rather than my paid work at the FE Colleges.
I have also put on my list of things to do a small stint of volunteering next year ie perhaps 1 day a week for a month, particularly if I have enough holidays saved up to use. It's something that I'm going to look into and see what options are available as it's a way of developing new skills, making new contacts and also just getting a chance to work in a different library sector. I will certainly volunteer again if I'm made redundant from my current post.
Volunteering should be something that benefits both parties, unfortunately I've seen people being made redundant and then a few months later, volunteers are doing that same work. It's that abuse that gives volunteers (and also temporary staff) a bad name.
I think this stood me in good step to gain a bursary, in addition to having a good degree. I also think I may have struggled with some aspects of the course if I hadn't done the voluntary work and not seen some of the library work in practice.
I also did voluntary work again after I finished my course to try and boost my experience as I found that I still didn't really have enough experience to get a library job straight away. This time, it was Mencap and Dial (UK). I think this experience helped me to get the job at the RNIB rather than my paid work at the FE Colleges.
I have also put on my list of things to do a small stint of volunteering next year ie perhaps 1 day a week for a month, particularly if I have enough holidays saved up to use. It's something that I'm going to look into and see what options are available as it's a way of developing new skills, making new contacts and also just getting a chance to work in a different library sector. I will certainly volunteer again if I'm made redundant from my current post.
Volunteering should be something that benefits both parties, unfortunately I've seen people being made redundant and then a few months later, volunteers are doing that same work. It's that abuse that gives volunteers (and also temporary staff) a bad name.
Sunday 23 October 2011
Thing 21 Job applications and interviews
CVs
I have got a CV as when we went into consultation last year, we were offered a couple of hours advice on how to draw up CVs with an Employment Consultant. I've actually ended up doing 2 CV's - one that's library based and the other one for standard office jobs. The consultant also focussed on my skills that could be transferred into other jobs, mainly frontline customer services or admin rather than library work.
On the positive side, my CV is nicely set out with bullet-points making it easy to read. Unfortunately, I struggled with the listing of achievements and strengths etc as I'm just no good at self-promoting myself and identifying anything I can boast about (Probably something to do with the English psyche).
I did however come up with an irrelvelant list of positives which include:-
I'm never ill, bugs avoid me.
I have a knack of being able to get to work daily despite living over 40 miles away and not being able to drive.
I make very good chocolate truffles.
I'm a good waitress.
I have a photographic audio memory for voices and conversations which means that I have an uncanny knack of remembering customers and can impress them greatly (or scare them slightly!) by recalling conversations ie books they've ordered from months or sometimes years gone by! I'm not sure how I can translate this skill to other jobs!
As I'm out the house for 12 hours a day, I'm good at squashing in as many things as possible in the few hours I have free.
Also, probably also to do with that British psyche, my work colleagues aren't forthcoming with positive comments either so it's hard to judge yourself. However going on customer comments, I usually get the following:-
"Oh good.....a cheery voice" or "You sound nice and cheery".
"You're very patient to deal/cope with me".
"How did you remember that?" or "You know me don't you".
"I didn't think you're find that" or "you know your books/stuff".
And my favourite which was said only last week by an ex-Librarian "You're a good librarian".
Maybe I should just put their comments on my CV instead.
Job applications and Interviews
I haven't applied for any jobs lately but in the past, I'm not too bad in getting to the interview stage. I tend to write too much in applications though and tend to go over the top in giving evidence for essentials and desirables. Unfortuantely, I tend to blow it in the interview - I either fluff a question or say something inane and talk myself out the job. I did also used to think that I was just there to make up the numbers until I did a spot of recruiting and interviewing myself and realised that you have to meet the criteria before you're interviewed and are quite happy to interview just 2 people if people haven't scored the necessary points.
However I did go for an interview once where the interviewer confessed that I was called to the interview because he was curious to see who was behind the handwriting. When I write neatly in capital letters, my applciations tend to resemble more like ancient Greek manuscripts. I think he was expecting some Plato figure coming through the door dressed in white robes and with long hair and a beard!
I have got a CV as when we went into consultation last year, we were offered a couple of hours advice on how to draw up CVs with an Employment Consultant. I've actually ended up doing 2 CV's - one that's library based and the other one for standard office jobs. The consultant also focussed on my skills that could be transferred into other jobs, mainly frontline customer services or admin rather than library work.
On the positive side, my CV is nicely set out with bullet-points making it easy to read. Unfortunately, I struggled with the listing of achievements and strengths etc as I'm just no good at self-promoting myself and identifying anything I can boast about (Probably something to do with the English psyche).
I did however come up with an irrelvelant list of positives which include:-
I'm never ill, bugs avoid me.
I have a knack of being able to get to work daily despite living over 40 miles away and not being able to drive.
I make very good chocolate truffles.
I'm a good waitress.
I have a photographic audio memory for voices and conversations which means that I have an uncanny knack of remembering customers and can impress them greatly (or scare them slightly!) by recalling conversations ie books they've ordered from months or sometimes years gone by! I'm not sure how I can translate this skill to other jobs!
As I'm out the house for 12 hours a day, I'm good at squashing in as many things as possible in the few hours I have free.
Also, probably also to do with that British psyche, my work colleagues aren't forthcoming with positive comments either so it's hard to judge yourself. However going on customer comments, I usually get the following:-
"Oh good.....a cheery voice" or "You sound nice and cheery".
"You're very patient to deal/cope with me".
"How did you remember that?" or "You know me don't you".
"I didn't think you're find that" or "you know your books/stuff".
And my favourite which was said only last week by an ex-Librarian "You're a good librarian".
Maybe I should just put their comments on my CV instead.
Job applications and Interviews
I haven't applied for any jobs lately but in the past, I'm not too bad in getting to the interview stage. I tend to write too much in applications though and tend to go over the top in giving evidence for essentials and desirables. Unfortuantely, I tend to blow it in the interview - I either fluff a question or say something inane and talk myself out the job. I did also used to think that I was just there to make up the numbers until I did a spot of recruiting and interviewing myself and realised that you have to meet the criteria before you're interviewed and are quite happy to interview just 2 people if people haven't scored the necessary points.
However I did go for an interview once where the interviewer confessed that I was called to the interview because he was curious to see who was behind the handwriting. When I write neatly in capital letters, my applciations tend to resemble more like ancient Greek manuscripts. I think he was expecting some Plato figure coming through the door dressed in white robes and with long hair and a beard!
Saturday 15 October 2011
Return of Holly and Cat and Thing 17 - Prezi and Slideshare
It seems like an age when I last posted something on my blog. The new school term has meant the start of governors meetings again along with various bugs coming home from school with both of the not so fairer sex going down with man flu and having to be nursed for 2 weeks and counting, it seems like an eternity.
I did manage to have a Friday off and I suppose I should have caught up then but the time I took the dog out for an extra long walk (over 2 hours) as he had lost out on his walks due to the man flu and then I spent about 3 hours catching up with my revalidation as this had fallen behind, my day had practically gone. I treated my revalidation to a box file and some nice plastic folders so sorting out all my bits for my portfolio will be my next job.
This last week saw an epic brandy chocolate truffle making venture most evenings for our cake stall which formed the part of a Read for RNIB fund-raising week. "Mr Darcy Delights" - creamy and smooth and melts in your mouth - turned out to be not as popular as "Heathcliff's Heavens" - dark and delicious and a bit rough and ready. (owing in part to the odd bumpy shape as 85% dark chocolate doesn't roll very well!)
We also had a week-long book sale, quiz, guess the first lines and raffle while one of our Team did some readings about love Friday dinner. We managed to raise nearly £220 altogether.
I was going to take part in the cpd23 online chat but I didn't get home until after 7.00 and then we had some unexpected visitors so had to do a "superman" job on the house to make it look respectable as it looks a bit rough by the end of the week.
So what can I say about Prezi. I haven't come across this before and I don't think it will be something that I would ever use in my job. I had a look at the various presentations but I haven't attempted to do one myself. It's effective to a point but it got irritating at the end with the continuous homing in and out. I lost the will to live. It's good to know that it exists and it's something that I might have a go with at a later date though I think it's something that had to be used with care.
Slideshare is another thing that I've not come across before and again, I can't see that I will be using it at the moment. I did Powerpoint in my ECDL which covered doing slide shows but that's the nearest thing. Again, I may relook at this at a later date.
I did manage to have a Friday off and I suppose I should have caught up then but the time I took the dog out for an extra long walk (over 2 hours) as he had lost out on his walks due to the man flu and then I spent about 3 hours catching up with my revalidation as this had fallen behind, my day had practically gone. I treated my revalidation to a box file and some nice plastic folders so sorting out all my bits for my portfolio will be my next job.
This last week saw an epic brandy chocolate truffle making venture most evenings for our cake stall which formed the part of a Read for RNIB fund-raising week. "Mr Darcy Delights" - creamy and smooth and melts in your mouth - turned out to be not as popular as "Heathcliff's Heavens" - dark and delicious and a bit rough and ready. (owing in part to the odd bumpy shape as 85% dark chocolate doesn't roll very well!)
We also had a week-long book sale, quiz, guess the first lines and raffle while one of our Team did some readings about love Friday dinner. We managed to raise nearly £220 altogether.
I was going to take part in the cpd23 online chat but I didn't get home until after 7.00 and then we had some unexpected visitors so had to do a "superman" job on the house to make it look respectable as it looks a bit rough by the end of the week.
So what can I say about Prezi. I haven't come across this before and I don't think it will be something that I would ever use in my job. I had a look at the various presentations but I haven't attempted to do one myself. It's effective to a point but it got irritating at the end with the continuous homing in and out. I lost the will to live. It's good to know that it exists and it's something that I might have a go with at a later date though I think it's something that had to be used with care.
Slideshare is another thing that I've not come across before and again, I can't see that I will be using it at the moment. I did Powerpoint in my ECDL which covered doing slide shows but that's the nearest thing. Again, I may relook at this at a later date.
Monday 3 October 2011
Thing 20 - The Library Routes Project
I know I'm trying to avoid doing Thing 17 as it looks complicated and Thing 20 looks the easier option, partly because I blogged my route in Thing 10. I took the plunge of adding my link to the wiki though took several minutes in deciding whether to use my own name or a pseudo name, then several more minutes in working out how to edit the wiki as my page view was different to the instructions! Found a useful tip on the page - to just copy and paste the previous entry and typing your details instead and then lost my entry when trying to preview my handiwork and again when I missed the question you had to answer to avoid spam (not the pink meat variety I hope). Maybe I should had tackled Prezi after all.
Looking at the other links, half of the blogs seem to be the same as me - started late (took my dog) in life and fell into Librarianship after doing Degrees that lead to nowhere and ended up doing voluntary work to gain experience. The other half seem to know exactly what they wanted to do when they were still at school, got a library job at a very early age or some kind of experience while still at school and then went on to study part-time or via distance learning.
Looking at the other links, half of the blogs seem to be the same as me - started late (took my dog) in life and fell into Librarianship after doing Degrees that lead to nowhere and ended up doing voluntary work to gain experience. The other half seem to know exactly what they wanted to do when they were still at school, got a library job at a very early age or some kind of experience while still at school and then went on to study part-time or via distance learning.
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