Getting Started in the Profession: New Info Pros Share Their Best Career Advice

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Stephanie L. Gross, Librarian, Electronic Reserves & Scholarly Communication | Leave a comment

By Ellen Mehling, Career Development Consultant, METRO

Usually I am the one answering job search and career-related questions; this time I’m the one posing a question to some recent graduates in the first few years of their information professional careers. Here are their responses to “What is the best career advice you’ve received?” Some answers are brief, others are longer, all are excellent.

The best career advice I received was from Pam Rollo, my Pratt [Institute] instructor and SLA-NY Board President at the time. She said, “Your education in this profession does not end at with a graduate diploma from Library School. Technology and the field of Information are continuously evolving. Stay in step of what is happening and aware of what is to come in the future.”

– Clara Cabrera, Research & Reference Specialist – Team Lead, WilmerHale

Conversation by Dmitry Baranovskiy from The Noun Project The best career advice I received was the importance of gaining hands-on experience in a library, even if that means doing volunteer work. This was mentioned to me by several people, but I was helped the most by Dr. Westermann, a former professor of mine from [LIU] Post, who pointed me in the right direction when I reached out to her for advice on where to volunteer. The summer before graduation, I was concerned that, since I was in the Archives and Records Management program and my internship would be taking place in an archive as opposed to a library, I would be missing out on the hands-on experience in a public library that many of my fellow graduates would be getting.

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7 Tips For Becoming A Leader At Work March 4, 2014 by Yun Siang Long

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Stephanie L. Gross, Librarian, Electronic Reserves & Scholarly Communication | Leave a comment

Workplace

Becoming a leader at work can be a challenge. You want to be a leader but you do not carry the title. So, how do you go about positioning yourself as a leader at work?

There are many ways, but listed below are some that comes to mind. You can use these actions that will inevitably position yourself as a leader at work without being too obvious about your ambitions.

15 Surprising Tips For Standing Out At Work by Alison Griswold

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Stephanie L. Gross, Librarian, Electronic Reserves & Scholarly Communication | Leave a comment

The Next Web/Flickr

We’d all like to shine at work and land that promotion we feel we deserve.

But when it comes to standing out, we’ve heard the same advice over and over: take initiative, help others, get involved.

It’s time to freshen up that list. We uncovered 15 surprising and unconventional strategies you can use to take your reputation from lackluster to brilliant:

1. Be productive, not busy. Understanding the difference between these two things is crucial to any employee’s success at work. Productivity guru Tim Ferriss emphasizes that long hours aren’t a good barometer of effort. Results are.

Trouble at the office: When to go to HR, and when not

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Stephanie L. Gross, Librarian, Electronic Reserves & Scholarly Communication | Leave a comment

By Suzanne Lucas MoneyWatch February 3, 2014, 8:28 AM

I get a number of emails from people who have problems at work, go to HR and end up worse off than they were previously. Why is that? Shouldn’t HR step in and fix problems?

Yes, and no. There are times you should absolutely ask and expect HR to help you out, but there are other times when going to HR may not be your best move. Here are some guidelines to help you decide:

When you must go to HR

If there is illegal conduct with respect to how you are being treated in the workplace. If your manager is discriminating against you because of your race or national origin or some other protected area — you should go to HR and file an official complaint. HR is legally bound to investigate the situation. If your complaint is found to be valid, they are required to act. If you do have such a complaint to make, don’t do it casually. Write it up and send it in an email, copying your home email address, with the subject line “Formal Complaint of Sexual Harassment,” (or whatever your complaint is).
If you want to take advantage of a government protection. For example, if you’ve just been diagnosed with cancer, you’ll want protection from the Family Medical Leave Act, and you should go to HR to take care of the paperwork. If you have a disability and need accommodations, you need to formally request the accommodation from your Human Resources department. Your manager will be involved, but HR will know what to do and how to do it.
If you notice anything else illegal going on. Health and safety violations? Regulatory violations? HR isn’t necessarily the right place to go, but they will know what you should do. They will also know how to document and get your complaint pushed to the top. Lots of companies have anonymous hotlines for things like this, but if your company doesn’t, and you don’t know who to speak to, come to HR.
You have a problem with or question about your company-provided health insurance. HR manages those plans. We have contacts and can sometimes fix things. Come, we’ll help. Read more…