I was just browsing through Impact, the Career Development Group's journal, as well as the CILIP Gazette and discovered some interesting and even useful articles. The Impact journal was all about celebrating achievements and I found myself drawn to some of the career profiles, in particular Carol Barker's. However the most interesting article was titled "Confidence: The Key to Career Success?" by Ray Harper. It really struck a chord with me as, like a lot of people, I do have confidence issues, though I have grown very adept at covering them up, to the point of overcompensating. I have read many pieces about confidence, in professional as well as personal contexts, but the reason why this made such an impression was because it made me realise that despite my lack of self-confidence, I carry on regardless. I did as the article states, in the interview for my current job, have the confidence "to shout about [my] strengths and showcase [my] skills" even though as the article professes it "demands boldness and self-belief." This made me feel really positive, especially as I didn't have any previous library experience when I got the job... I am also good at mastering "new computer applications and adapting to different systems". It goes on to mention how proactive we must be in evolving with new technologies (very apt in relation to the Cam23 programme), in learning from mistakes, and in making the case for our libraries and information services by becoming advocates for our profession. Unfortunately, the latest issue isn't available on the
website yet. If you haven't read the article yet, I can wholeheartedly recommend it, so seek it out.
The Gazette also contains some interesting articles such as an excellent report on the conference about 24-hour opening, a MyCareer profile detailing the catch 22: you have graduated but you cannot get a job because you have no experience, and an article about live-tweeting during meetings and conferences...
For those of you worried about Calvin and Hobbes:
Interesting bit about becoming advocates for our profession. When the you-know-what hit the fan last week surrounding the KMPG report about staffing public libraries with volunteers, there was a lot of noise about how libraries and librarians are perceived, whether that perception is correct and how we can change it. I'll definitely give the article a read, so thanks for the heads up. And thanks also for the mention in your earlier post, I'm all embarrassed now. :)
ReplyDeleteI *was* worried about Hobbes. Thank you for the reassurance!
ReplyDeleteSarah - really enjoyed catching up with your blog today.
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