Spring Break #Goals

Spring break is almost here! If you are not planning on traveling during the break, this can be a great time to focus some energy on the job/intern/DFW search. Here are some things you can do to be proactive in the search for employment over the break: 

Apply to Positions- Set a goal for how many openings or how much time you should spend tailoring your resumes/cover letters and applying to jobs. Make sure this goal is realistic and isn’t just a random number; you don’t want to be applying to positions just to hit a number (they should be roles you are actually interested in). Some of the usual suspects include HuskyJobs, iCareers, Monster, LinkedIn, indeed.

Other job listings I have found useful include idealist.org (non-profits and “jobs for good”), firstjob.com (entry-level and internships), internships.com (internships), INALJ.com and ALA Joblist (Library jobs).

Increase Your Network– 80% of applicants find their opportunities from their network– spring break can be a great time to increase yours. Alycia did a good write-up last week on informational interviewing. Since your schedule may be more flexible during spring break, it may be easier to set-up a coffee or informal meeting over this time.

Consider checking out a Seattle Meet-up or happy hour event relative to the industry you are interested in. You can find a calendar of Meet-up events over the break here. From a quick scan I can see Meet-ups with the following titles: “Hack Night,” “Seattle Tech Speakers Workshops,” “Tech Career Mentoring,” “Data Science Immersive Info Session,” “Business Women Networking,” “Bollywood Dance Class,” “MIW at MI Library,” and more. You can check out both professional-related events and well as ones of personal interest– it’s possible you may make a closer connection at an event of personal interest!

Update/Create a Portfolio- If you’re interested in creative work, such as web or application design and development, or user interface, you absolutely need a portfolio. If you’re in library science, a portfolio can be a great way to demonstrate your skills in ways that a resume can’t. And for anyone else, having an online collection of work samples is just a great idea. I really like this article which gives some tips on setting up a beautifully designed portfolio. Additional tips can be found here.

Plan out Some Activity for Spring Quarter- look to see upcoming recruiting events and activities that will be held spring quarter. Check out the UW Career Center’s student calendar and the HuskyJobs “InfoSessions” tab. Make sure to also check the iSchool event page and iCareers  “Workshops” tab. As mentioned above, check-out off campus events such as the Seattle Meet-ups events.

This is the last Career Newsletter for winter quarter- we hope you have a great break!

-Dean Kirkpatrick

TOP JOBS/OPPORTUNITIES:

• Learning & Assessment Librarian & Digital Pedagogy Librarian, University of Texas, Austin: apply via iCareers, ID 4251
• Teaching Assistant, Seattle Central College: apply via iCareers, ID 4256 & 4257
• Manual Rehousing & Cataloging, Museum of Flight: apply via iCareers, ID 2667
• Data Governance & Quality Intern, Kaiser Permanente: apply via iCareers, ID 4233
• Digital Asset Librarian, Philadelphia Museum of Art: apply via iCareers, ID 4240

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• 4/7, Jump-Starting Your Job Search (MLIS students only), time/location TBD
• 4/13, Online MLIS Q&A with Alycia, time/URL TBD
• 4/14, 2016 Seattle Campus Spring Career Fair, 3:00-7:00 p.m., HUB
• 4/20, Career Panel: Research, time/location TBD
• 4/20, LinkedIn for Graduate Students & Postdocs, 3:30-5:00 p.m., THO 125