In January 2011, the SLIS Career Services Office will begin offering regular office hours. The goal of the Office is to offer additional support to SLIS students as they begin preparing for their job searches. SLIS graduate students are thoroughly capable of searching for jobs on their own. And, there are a number of resources already available (SLIS faculty advisors, internship program, on-campus interviews, student organizations, Director of Admissions and Placement, Beta Phi Mu, IU resources, web and library resources). But, we wanted to do more.
SLIS Career Services Office: A Place to Start
"A Place to Start" is the sub-title of the career office. Why? It helps define the goals of the office. We would like to encourage students to start thinking about the job search process early. We want them to think about their résumé, the interview process, and networking. We want them to understand how job ads are posted in this field. We want to promote professional association involvement. We want students to understand resources available at Indiana University, and in the field of library and information science. We want our students to be confident in themselves, and in their knowledge about the job search process.
New SLIS students may stop by the office for general ideas. We hope that having a peer (a fellow SLIS student) as someone to brainstorm with will help students confidently begin necessary job search preparations. Students nearing completion of their degree may want to have a practice interview. They may want to contribute ideas and time to improving the career resources at SLIS.
The office will staffed by SLIS Student Career Analysts. These students are part of a "think tank" environment designed to improve easy access to resources. They will post full-time job openings to the SLIS¬_Jobs-L Listserv (established by Associate Dean Howard Rosenbaum) and to the SLIS Website. They will work on web resources for the SLIS Website - Career Section. They will conduct Practice Interviews with students. On November 10, 2010, they hosted an Open House for the SLIS Career Services Office. 33 students attended, and suggestions were collected. They will help promote other career events offered by SLIS and IU. They will work with the SLIS Student Organizations. They will report to and work with the SLIS Director of Admissions and Placement, Rhonda Spencer.
As is the current practice, students may schedule appointments with Rhonda Spencer to talk about career questions and their résumé. Additionally, they may contact her to reserve the SLIS Career Services Office for a Phone Interview, or for a Student Group Meeting. Her office is in SLIS, Room 011-A. Her phone number is (812.855.2666), and her email address is (spencerr@indiana.edu).
We are excited about this additional resource at SLIS.
Posted December 16, 2010