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Writing your Resume to the Job Announcement

Notes from an LSO-sponsored resume-writing workshop with Bob Diaz

On November 7, 2000, Librarian Bob Diaz spoke SIRLS students about the hiring process at a large academic library and what this means to job applicants as they prepare their resumes and cover letters.

THE HIRING PROCESS
The resume and cover letter are used for the first two steps of the hiring process: The 1st cut: people who meet the minimum requirements. The 2nd cut: the hiring committee compares the resumes (including the cover letter) against a matrix of the items listed for the job as being "preferred qualifications" (picture a grid with applicant's names on one axis and the qualifications on the other). Applicants are given a quantitative score for each qualification they meet. This second sorting process determines who will be interviewed, so the "preferred qualifications" are what you want to be sure to address in your resume and cover letter. Don't worry about repeating the announcement's language. Spelling matters too.

THE RESUME
There is a difference between a resume and a CV. Most entry-level jobs (unless teaching is involved) only require a resume. Bob ranked the most important components: Personal info (name, address, etc.), work experience, education, publications and presentations. You can also include professional memberships, skills/accomplishments, pertinent workshops, languages, grants, coursework, and honors and awards. If you have been working a long time, limit your work experience to a 10-year time span.

• Use active, outcome-related language: "Selected, ordered and processed all new library books," or "Scanned material in different formats and edited them using Adobe Photoshop or Omni-Page Pro."
• Don't be shy about selling yourself. This is your primary communication tool!
• Be detailed, especially when it is pertinent to the job's qualifications
• If your work experience is in a non-LIS field, tailor your corollary work/internship/volunteer experience to the goal: emphasize public contact, problem-solving, supervision experience, etc.

THE COVER LETTER
The cover letter is more important than your resume! This is your chance to sell the fact that you are perfect for this specific job and organization. You can go further here in explicitly demonstrating how you match those "preferred qualifications" listed (in order of importance) in the job announcement.

• Read the announcement carefully and pick up on buzz words (i.e.: "team-based," "risk-taking," "continuous learning," etc.). If you're not sure what they mean, research them. Think about how your experiences might fit the concept (and whether or not that kind of work environment is right for you).
• Address the qualifications.
• Do your homework! Look up the director's name in Library Literature (via Sabio) and find out what he/she has published. Read some of it. Visit the organization's Website and poke around.
• Write a 1-2 page cover letter that focuses on how well you fit what they require (without merely repeating the contents of the resume).
• Check your spelling.

Enthusiasm and humor can help, but don't overdo it. Bob stressed over and over that a hiring team can tell when someone has simply mass-mailed a generic cover letter and resume.

WHAT MATTERS

• You have addressed the preferred qualifications
• Spelling spelling spelling
• Clear interest in working for that specific organization
• Evidence that you did your homework
• Active language (use outcome-related words like "solved," "managed," facilitated," lead," and "build")
• If they ask for references, provide them
• Accentuate the positive

WHAT DOESN'T MATTER

• The paper you print it on. The resume will be photocopied for dissemination anyway
• The fact that you want to move to Tucson (or wherever)

WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW TO UPGRADE YOUR RESUME

• Join Toastmasters or get experience speaking in public
• Join ALA and other professional organizations, especially if you're interested in working in an academic library
• Show leadership [run for LSO Office!]
• Get experience working in groups or on teams
• Get experience working with the public
• Volunteer or intern at a library near you
• Do some self-assessment; think about what you want
• Cultivate relationships with people who can write you references