Tag Archives: advice

6 Steps To Building A Killer LinkedIn Profile Infographic | Fast Company

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There are undeniable benefits to networking with professionals on linkedin, but you’re not the only person who thinks so. Here’s how to compete with the other 277+ million people looking for opportunities.

Read about all six steps here: 6 Steps To Building A Killer LinkedIn Profile Infographic | Fast Company | Business + Innovation.

Full infographic from LinkHumans below.

6 Steps To Building A Killer LinkedIn Profile Infographic | Fast Company | Business + Innovation

 

Which Programming Language Should I Learn First? | LifeHacker

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Dear Lifehacker,

With all the buzz about learning to code, I’ve decided to give it a try. The problem is, I’m not sure where to start. What’s the best programming language for a beginner like me?

Signed,
Could-Be Coder

Dear Could-Be,

That’s probably one of the most popular questions from first-time learners, and it’s something that educators debate as well. The thing is, you can ask ten programmers what the best language is to get your feet wet with and you could get ten different answers—there are thousands of options. Which language you start with depends not only on how beginner-friendly it is, though, but also the kind of projects you want to work on, why you’re interested in coding in the first place, and perhaps also whether you’re thinking of doing this for a living. Here are some considerations and suggestions to help you decide.

Read the answer: Which Programming Language Should I Learn First? | LifeHacker?

8 Questions To Ask Your Boss That Can Make Or Break Your Career | Fast Company

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Feedback from your supervisor is what you crave, unless you’re happy flying under the radar, which certainly won’t help you advance. Getting honest input from your supervisor is crucial to your relationship with your boss–and, like it or not, your relationship with your boss can make or break your career. A solid rapport makes deadlines a breeze and the workday go by in a flash; but a shaky one can render even a short elevator ride interminable.

Plus, having a good relationship with your boss may even reduce stress at work. In aworkplace study by the American Psychological Association, up to 75% of respondents said the most stressful aspect of their job is their immediate boss.

Here, we asked an expert to share a few key questions you can ask that will help you and your supervisor get on (or stay on) the right track.

Read: 8 Questions To Ask Your Boss That Can Make Or Break Your Career | Fast Company

35 Surefire Ways to Stand Out During Your Job Search | Mashable

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When you’re applying for a job, you don’t just want to get noticed, you want to stand out as the best applicant the hiring committee has ever seen. You know you’re the perfect person for the job — and you want them to know that, too.

But how, exactly, do you do that? We pulled together a roundup of our all-time best job search advice, from getting noticed before you apply to acing the interview, plus tips from our favorite career experts — to bring you 35 ways to put yourself ahead of the pack.

See the list: 35 Surefire Ways to Stand Out During Your Job Search | Mashable.

Leaders Needed at Rural Libraries, by Natalie Binder | Letters to a Young Librarian

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Leaders Needed at Rural Libraries, by Natalie Binder | Letters to a Young Librarian

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You’ve always wanted to work in a public library. You believe in service, citizenship, and community. You value relationships; when you imagined being a librarian, you imagined participating in local government and getting to know your patrons by name. You want to make a big impact—not just in your career, but in people’s lives. You want to be a generalist, not a specialist. You want to have a great quality of life on a librarian’s salary. And when you started library school, you wanted to be a traditional, book-based, community librarian, but it seems like those jobs are either disappearing or impossible to get.
If that sounds like you, you may be a rural librarian at heart—which is great news, because rural libraries need you. These jobs rarely appear on listservs or job boards, but the “graying” of the profession is very real in rural libraries. Many rural libraries have a long-serving librarian (or staff) who will be retiring soon. And since rural libraries are often quite small, you can quickly rise to an influential leadership role and have a strong say in how these small libraries meet the challenges of the future.
I’ve worked in a rural library since before library school—four years this month—and I love my job. Every day I go to work knowing that I will make an impact on someone’s life. Every day something terrific, exciting, or funny happens at my library, and though I am not in administration, I always feel like my contributions and ideas are appreciated and valued. There are many other benefits to rural librarianship. While salaries are generally low, a dollar goes much further in rural communities than it does in urban or academic communities, and affordable housing is rarely an issue. You can probably afford to live much closer to a beach, farm, or lovely national park than you imagine. If the library is adequately staffed, working conditions are also good. Rural libraries enjoy strong community support, and small staffs often work together to ensure flex time is available for things like childcare and family events. Rural libraries are usually quite safe—while no public library is conflict-free, your patrons are more likely to bring you homegrown vegetables than complaints.
Best of all, rural libraries serve as true community centers, where far-flung and diverse groups can come together. A rural library often serves as a small town’s largest meeting room, its only Internet hotspot, the only local, affordable entertainment for adults and children, and an access point for badly needed social services. My library serves as the physical “office” for employment services, child welfare and legal aid.
Of course, no type of library is for everyone. Rural libraries are generalist libraries. As a rural librarian you will frequently be called to do things your master’s degree never prepared you for, from running a farmer’s market to repairing a child’s shoe. If you’re interested in doing something quite specialized or academic, it’s probably best to begin your job search elsewhere. If you need to be surrounded by other young academics, or enjoy a lot of social activities, then you probably won’t enjoy the quiet and isolation of a rural community. If you’re married, it can be a challenge for your spouse to find work in town.
Finally, in small towns there is little division between your personal life and your work life. Your patrons, co-workers, Friends group, Board of Directors, and government leaders are also your friends and neighbors. Sometimes it feels like you’re never off the job! For this reason, it’s very important to move slowly, get community buy-in, and be prepared to backtrack on big changes. That can be a challenge if you’re fresh out of library school and eager to change the world.
I have seen too many “new directors” leave or lose their rural jobs because of avoidable conflicts among stakeholders. It’s great to have vision and ambition, but if you’re more combative than cooperative, you’ll have a hard time achieving your goals in a small town. Even if your library seems like a mess that you were hired to fix (or “bring up to date”), plan to spend a full year or more listening and learning before you try to change the system. When you become a librarian at a rural library, you’re also joining small, stable team of prominent citizens and community leaders whose support you’ll need for years or even decades. Make those relationships a priority, and always take the long view in any conflict.
If that sounds like a challenge you’re up to, then you can begin your rural job hunt locally. No matter where you live, you’re probably not far from a small library system. Check county job boards, or see if there’s a volunteer position available. Ask if you can shadow a librarian or staff member for a day or two. These jobs are not usually widely advertised. Take your time and get to know the rural libraries and communities around you. Even if you decide to look elsewhere for a permanent job, you’ll be in for a fun, rewarding and educational experience.
Natalie Binder is a librarian at a small library in rural Florida. She is a graduate of Florida State University’s College of Communication and Information. She is also the founder and moderator of #libchat, a Twitter chat for librarians and library school students. She can be found on Twitter @nvbinder.

How to Get Your Resume Past the System and Into Human Hands | Mashable

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Landing an interview for a position in a giant organization can feel impossible if you don’t have any personal connections. People often blame the sheer volume of resumes that are submitted — HR simply can’t review them all with enough detail to see what a perfect candidate you are.

And this is partially true — one study suggests that recruiters spend only six seconds looking at each resume. However, many resumes are trashed before they’re even seen by human eyes. How is that possible?

Here’s how: Many large organizations rely on applicant tracking systems (ATS) to help pre-filter resumes. The systems work by scanning resumes for contextual keywords and key phrases, mathematically scoring them for relevance, and sending only the most qualified ones through for human review. [C]heck out these tips for writing a resume that an ATS will approve — and a hiring manager will love.

The article suggests 4 tips.

Read: How to Get Your Resume Past the System and Into Human Hands | Mashable