Transferable Competencies: Opportunities for LIS Graduates in Non-Librarian Positions

1. Transferable Competencies: Opportunities for LIS Graduates in Non-Librarian Positions Melissa Fraser-Arnott CLA 2013 National Conference and Trade Show Winnipeg, Manitoba

2. Overview • Introduction • Research Questions • Investigative Method • Competencies • Competencies from LIS job advertisements • Competencies from Government job advertisements • Job Eligibility • Eligibility for jobs (general) • Examples of eligible job titles • Survey of HR Professionals • Response to the word “library” • Advise on applying for Government of Canada job postings • Transitioning into a new profession • Current “in demand” jobs

3. Research Questions • What non-traditional job opportunities are available for LIS graduates? • What kinds of job positions would be a good match? • How can LIS competencies be communicated to non-librarian employers?

4. Investigative Method • Literature review (LIS opportunities & competencies) • Job advertisement analysis (comparison of posting from library job boards and Government of Canada internal job postings) • Informal survey of Government of Canada Human Resources professionals

5. Competencies Competencies were pulled from two sets of job advertisements: one set taken from LIS job boards (aimed at librarians and LIS students) and Government of Canada job boards (not specifically aimed towards LIS professionals or students)

6. [A1]Tables must have names and numbers, and be referenced in the text. Table names go above the tables. Competencies from Library Job Ads

7. [A1]Table 3 needs a title. Competencies from Library Job Ads

8. [A1]Please add title to table. Competencies from GoC Job Ads

9. [A1]Table 3 needs a title. Competencies from GoC Job Ads

10. Job Eligibility 189 internal job advertisements for Government of Canada positions were examined to see how many an LIS graduate / practitioner would be eligible for based on the required competencies.

11. LIS Eligibility for Non-LIS Jobs • The average LIS professional would be eligible for 51 (or 25.8%) of the job advertisements on the Government of Canada job board • An LIS professional may be able to apply for an additional 40 (or 21.2%) of these jobs if they had certain competencies or knowledge that could be obtained through prior experience working in the Government of Canada

12. LIS Eligibility for Non-LIS Jobs • Eligible job titles included: • Officer – Human Resources • Threat Management Analyst • Webmaster • Analyst – Corporate Risk, Performance Management and Evaluation • Information Management Administrator • Systems and Project Administrator • Program Analyst • Data Analyst – Directorate of Technology • Business Analyst • Developer • Manager • IT Team Leader • Information Management / Information Technology Operations Officer • Manager, Application Development • Business Analyst

13. Survey of HR Professionals Results of an informal email-based consultation with Government of Canada human resources professionals

14. Survey Email Hello [NAME],I am emailing because I am preparing a conference presentation for the Canadian Library Association's 2013 Conference on opportunities for library and information science graduates (people with either Library Technician college diplomas or Master's degrees in Library and Information Science) outside of traditional library settings.What advice would you, as an HR professional, provide to someone who was attempting to transition to a new type of role and highlight their transferrable competencies?In my presentation I will be providing some analysis of the competencies in Government of Canada job advertisements compared to Library job advertisements found on Librarian job boards. I would like to include some advice from Government of Canada HR professions to give some insight on how resumes are vetted and what types of information is helpful in applicants' resumes and cover letters. All advice that I receive will be presented anonymously.Thank you,Melissa

15. Response Overview

16. Response Overview • 13 / 23 responses were redirects or non-responses: • 7 redirects (usually to the Public Service Commission) • 8 focused on Librarian or “LS Group” jobs • “I have not been involved in the staffing of the librarian position ...” • “Unfortunately, I am not in a position to give you any advice as I only staffed once an LS position and it was temporarily, therefore I think you would get more accurate information probably from Library and Archives and also from the Library of the Parliament.” • “I'm not too sure if any of our positions would be of interest for graduates with the education noted below”

17. Address the Statement of Merit Criteria • “I would say the most important thing to know is that you need to match your resume/cover letter to the Statement of Merit Criteria (SOMC) that is provided with the job advertisement. The first stage of a government hiring process is the screening of the resumes and if the resume does not indicate clearly that they meet the Essential Qualifications the individual will be screened out and not given further consideration.”

18. Be Detailed and Specific • “Because all appointments must be based on merit, the manager cannot hire someone unless that individual has demonstrated that they meet all the criteria. Providing a detailed and clear application can help make screening easier as the manager does not have to go searching through every line of an application to find the information.” • “Also provide durations (including year and month) for how long a particular experience was done – sometimes experience criteria are further defined by depth and breadth (ie at least 2 years performing a certain function) so it helps the manager if an applicant gives exact time periods for how long they did a particular job.”

19. Role of the Cover Letter • “For the cover letter, this document is very important as manager will verify the details on the education and the experience therefore applicants must clearly demonstrate on their application that they meet all the essential criteria and are within the area of selection.” • “Cover letters are not necessary unless specified in the "Poster" on the web (www.jobs.gc.ca) which is the media we use for all external posting.(You will find tools there which help candidates with their application). The reason many managers do not ask for a cover letter, is because, unlike the private sector we must consider every candidate who has submitted a résumé which can be tedious.”

20. Public Sector / Private Sector Differences • “With regards to competencies the government puts more emphasis on the experience factor as government employment differs from the private sector. As you will see many competencies that apply to private sector jobs, these are not similar in government jobs. When talking about competencies these are more prevalent in more management positions as they are evaluated on specific competencies.”

21. Understand the Public Sector Recruitment Process • Apply for the position following the instructions (often an online form on the jobs.gc.ca website) • Initial screening based on essential qualifications • Additional screening based on asset qualifications (depending on number of applications received) • Invitation to testing, exams, interviews, language testing • Reference checks • Alternative recruitment procedures: “Bridging” (http://jobs-emplois.gc.ca/stud-etud/jobs-postes-eng.htm)

22. Transitioning into a New Profession • “Regarding advice for someone transitioning: before I moved over to HR, I did find it hard to get a job outside of my previous profession. I had to really examine all of my skills and experiences to find the transferable competencies. An individual wanting to change careers should be prepared to work at a lower level for awhile as they will need to work their way back up in the new profession.”

23. Current “In Demand” Jobs • Current "in demand" position within the Public Service mostly refer to "information management". Positions within the Federal Government for Librarian are within the LS group and are rare, Information Management positions are either from the CR, AS or PM group. I've enclosed the link to their definitions below. • EB: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/cla/def/LS-eng.asp • CR: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/cla/def/CR-eng.asp • AS: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/cla/def/AS-eng.asp • PM: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/cla/def/PM-eng.asp

24. Further Information • Article “Library and Information Science (LIS) Transferrable Competencies” forthcoming in Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research

25. Pictures • Newmann’s Famous Road Show. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1994001627/PP/ • Newmann the Great. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1993000275/PP/ • Charles Frohman presents William Gillette in his new four act drama, Sherlock Holmes. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1994000869/PP/ • Kellar. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1993000266/PP/ • Champagne and oysters. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1994001781/PP/ • Chas. H. Kabrich, the only bike-chute aeronaut novel and thrilling, bicycle parachute act in mid-air. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1994000869/PP/ • David Belasco’s comedy, Naughty Anthony. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1994001349/PP/ • Secret service by Wm. Gillette. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1994000869/PP/ • The human canon ball. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1993000564/PP/ • Alexander, crystal seer knows, sees, tells all. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1994001567/PP/ • Hypnotist and blindfolded woman with angels on stage. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1994001555/PP/