The Information and Knowledge Professional's Career Handbook

Define and Create Your Success

Ulla de Stricker, Jill Hurst-Wahl

• Publisher: Chandos Publishing
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9781843346081
• eBook ISBN: 9781780630557
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Information Management
• Index: Psychology

The definitive guide to developing and managing a successful career in the information profession: Information Professionals and Knowledge Managers deal with significant challenges in building successful careers for a number of reasons associated with common misperceptions of their expertise and roles. In environments where they must often justify their work and value over and over again, those already in the profession need a boost and those just entering need to be prepared for a reality that may differ quite a bit from their expectations. The book is intended to give readers a set of tools and techniques with which to secure a strong career, build an effective brand, and succeed as professionals.Click Here to view the official page for this title on Facebook. - Written by opinion leaders and highly respected authorities in the field - Draws upon 50-plus years of experience in a variety of settings and roles - Offers realistic and honest pointers - no sugar-coating

1

Introduction: an invitation

Dear Reader,

We have prepared our career book for our current and future colleagues in all the professions associated with information, knowledge, and learning:

librarians or curators working in libraries, museums, archives, and similar entities focusing on collecting, protecting, and making accessible various objects through such functions as digitization, indexing, and web display

those in academic settings who identify, organize, and make available to faculty and students the content and tools they need

researchers supporting news media, publishers, and entities related to arts and culture

those in specialized roles supporting the management, protection, and accessibility of records, data, information, and knowledge in all kinds of organizations in all sectors

those holding information technology roles, working on intranets or websites or with social media

those in the information industries who support publishers, aggregators, search engine and software providers, and similar players

copyright, patent, and digital rights specialists managing ownership and access to content

independents who operate research businesses or consultancies.

Whether you are an experienced or a brand new professional, are considering entering a graduate program leading to a Master’s degree (variously named – MIS, MI, MLS are common), or are contemplating furthering your previous education with specialized certifications in, say, records management, we speak to you.

We invite you to think about your professional life in new ways, see your opportunities in new contexts, and plan now – no matter how new or advanced you may be in your career – for the next steps. So please deface the pages with your own thoughts, festoon the book with sticky notes, and be in touch with us!

In our work roles, we have had many opportunities to engage with our colleagues in discussion about the choices we make daily as well as at life-changing junctures. Looking back and around us as our profession is changing fast, we collected the key topics and arranged them in brief chapters, each intended to raise questions only you can answer for yourself. Our distillation of experience – in some cases direct, in other cases informed by the thought, ‘now that we look back, perhaps another option deserved more weight’ – is presented for you to consult as each topic becomes relevant for you. Although sequenced with a logical progression in mind, each chapter stands alone. Our topics reflect what we each ‘wish we’d known before we learned it the hard way’ as well as inspiration from watching our colleagues at work and at professional events over the years. Feel free to start where you like.

Why this book?

When you chose a profession that isn’t instantly and universally recognized for its work and value (the way, say, veterinarians’ and engineers’ professions are), you set yourself up for a fair amount of future work some professionals don’t typically have to do – justifying your value and making the case why you should be hired or your department’s budget sustained or increased. We would like to help you minimize that work so as to maximize the time you have available for demonstrating your value to remove all doubt.

Your graduate school education prepared you for a range of technical and professional undertakings… but it may not have emphasized the social and interpersonal skills you need to get along with colleagues, build relationships, create a brand for yourself, and give that brand professional visibility. You may feel unprepared to take on managerial or project management roles or to resolve conflict in the workplace, and you may wonder what is the best way to lead meetings and encourage team members and staff to do their best work. In short, you may feel very confident in your technical skills yet anything but confident in your social and interpersonal ones.

That’s why we wanted to share our experience. As the saying goes, we have ‘been there, done that’, and feel we have ‘seen it all’. At times it was deeply painful, at times exhilarating – but we learned a lot, and we’d like to pass our lessons on by commenting on topics you may not encounter at the professional conferences you attend. We trust you will understand that we are blunt and honest about some things that may be awkward to discuss – and we hope our messages may save you headaches and speed your path to success!

Overview: what is in the book

In Chapter 2, we comment on a unique characteristic of the profession you have chosen and the ensuing need you may experience – throughout your career – to explain to others why it is worthwhile investing in the functions you carry out: you will need a special ‘bag of tricks’ at work.

In Chapter 3, we point to some key insights you need about your own ‘work personality’, how you might go about getting such insights, and how they could be crucial in helping you deal with the inevitable challenges in the workplace.

Chapter 4 addresses head-on the need to develop a professional brand and to market yourself the way any product or service is. We focus in particular on the power of professional associations as career builders.

Chapter 5 gets practical with a look at job hunting, the tools of applying for a job, interviewing, and getting safely through the critical first few weeks on a new job.

Chapter 6 outlines the building blocks of a resume and comments on the conflicting advice you may receive.

In Chapter 7, we comment on the notion that ‘career planning’ may be a contradiction in terms. Of course planning and skill building are essential – but there is no accounting for chance, and it is important to be ready for it.

Chapter 8 takes a look at the reality of organizational life: success is not guaranteed to the technically proficient. Political savvy is paramount! That said, simple guidelines go a long way toward reducing stress and maximizing effectiveness within an organizational culture.

In Chapter 9, we cover the essential skill of constructing compelling proposals and business cases. Regardless of the nature of the workplace (private or public sector, large or small), advocacy and getting support for change and investment requires compelling arguments.

By Chapter 10, we want to help you as you transition to a first managerial position. You do not have to make the mistakes we did!

Chapter 11 stresses the importance of the attitude we bring to our work, and we touch on the need to be honest ...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Chapter 1: Introduction: an invitation
• Chapter 2: An opaque profession: special challenges
• Chapter 3: Knowing who you are: your ‘work personality’ and your ‘best fit’
• Chapter 4: Developing your brand: the professional image
• Chapter 5: Looking for a job: tips and tricks
• Chapter 6: Creating your story: crafting a compelling resume
• Chapter 7: Knowing where you want to go: plan… but let chance have a chance!
• Chapter 8: Navigating organizational culture: understanding politics
• Chapter 9: Winning support: ‘selling’ proposals with the business case approach
• Chapter 10: Making the leap to a managerial role: being the boss
• Chapter 11: Resilience at work: coping when things get tough
• Chapter 12: About the money
• Chapter 13: Passing it on: collegial support or mentoring
• Chapter 14: Our colleagues speak: career snapshots
• Chapter 15: Jill and Ulla speak: our professional journeys
• Epilogue
• Resources
• Index