Leigh Hallingby, SLA NY Chapter President 2010 | lhallingby@sorosny.org
SLA-NY has sponsored many terrific large and small programs during the great recession for job seekers, career changers, and colleagues in transition. This is thanks to the hard work of the SLA-NY President Elect/Program Chair Pam Rollo, the Professional Development Chair Janet Peros, and the Employment Task Force, chaired by Donna Severino. From these sessions I have picked up some great tips that were actually new to me. I wanted to make sure that all our SLA-NY members have access to these, whether or not they attended the events in person. So here are the "top tips" that I have compiled from a variety of SLA-NY programs:
1. Wear a clearly-written name badge at both large and small meetings and conferences. Wear it on or near your right shoulder, so that it will be easily visible when people shake your hand.
2. Be ready with a story for every line of your resume.
3. In the environment of electronic applications a great cover letter can make you stand out from the crowd. If you are so inclined, start your cover letter with an attention-grabbing sentence.
4. A potential employer may use your cover letter to see if you can follow directions as to what was requested in the cover letter. If you do not follow directions, you may be eliminated from consideration.
5. Consider following up your electronic resume submission with a paper submission of your cover letter, resume, and business card to the hiring manager for the job in which you are interested.
6. If you can, invest in attendance at the right conference in the field in which you wish to be employed. The higher the conference registration fee, the higher the level of people in the organizational hierarchy you will have access to.
7. Keep your professional network up to date in person and online at all times, even when you are employed, as you never know when you might need it.
8. And, of course, keep an eye on the SLA-NY Joblog http://slanyjobs.blogspot.com/. It may lead to the right job for you. Or it may lead you to recruiters with whom you have not previously been in touch.
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