Career Preparation Before the Job Hunt

Reflection on your values, preferences, and strengths helps frame potential career paths.

Assessments

• Work Values Matcher
• Preference Filters self-assessment
• Meaningful Work Kit (stanford.edu)
• Top 5 Clifton Strengths

Readings

• Rethinking Information Work (Chapters 2-5)
• Designing Your Life: How to Build A Well-Lived, Joyful Life
• Who are you? What do you want?: 4 Questions that Will Change Your Life

Video Tutorials

• Realizing Career Goals Sizzle reel (linkedin.com)

What career paths and job titles are available for graduates with information-related degrees?

Career Paths

• CareerOneStop: Explore different types of careers and find out what’s in demand.
• LIS Skills at Work: A Snapshot of Job Postings
• Infonista: LIS Career Options
• Special Libraries doesn’t just  mean more special libraries–more on non-traditional LIS paths
• I Need a Library Job
• The Librarian Linkover

Job Market

• Occupational Outlook Handbook
  • Archivists, Curators and Museum Workers
  • Computer and Information System Managers 
  • Database Administrators, Librarians and Library Media Specialists 
  • Market Research Analyst
  • Operations Research Analyst 
  • Web Developers

Step By Step Guide

1. Learn how to network

• SuccessWorks’ extensive guide to networking

2. Schedule informational interviews

• A Step-by-Step Guide for Your First Informational Interview
• Tips for a Successful Informational Interview

3. Attend training and events to build skills and develop a networking plan

• DiscoverPD events and trainings
• LinkedIn Learning tutorials

4. Join student and professional associations

• iSchool Student Organizations
• UW Student Organizations
• Select LIS-Related Professional Associations

5. Use networking platforms

• LinkedIn
  How do I create a good LinkedIn profile?
  LinkedIn Profile Checklist
• Badger Bridge
  Badger Bridge (UW-Madison’s version of LinkedIn)
  Getting Started with Badger Bridge

6. Business Cards

Be sure you have your business cards ready before you attend career fairs and other in-person networking events.

• Digital Publishing & Printing Services
• Student Print
• Vista Print

Student Organizations

iSchool Student Organizations
New student-led orgs are welcome!

UW-Madison Student Organizations

Professional Associations

Attend professional conferences and events hosted by professional associations. Check out our curated list below.

Select LIS-Related Professional Associations by Area

Developing Practical Skills Through Job Posts

Internships

See Searching for a Job — Internships

Field Experiences/Practicums

MA students complete a practicum as part of the program.  For additional opportunities, contact your program manager and visit the Internships section of the toolkit.

Additional Experiences

• Volunteering
• Professional Organizations
• Class Projects
• Individual/Personal Projects

Books, Articles, Videos

Available through the iSchool Library

Additional career related books can be found through the iSchool Laboratory Library

• The International Advantage: get noticed, get hired
• Rethinking information work: a career guide for librarians and other information professionals
• Designing Your Life: How to Build A Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Willam Burnett
• Who are you? What do you want?: 4 Questions that Will Change Your Life
• UX for Developers : How to Integrate User-Centered Design Principles into Your Day-To-Day Development Work

Librarianship

• So you want to be a librarian?
• Hack Library School

User Experience (UX)

• The 8 competencies of user experience: A tool for assessing and developing UX practitioners
• What a UX Career Looks Like Today
• How to land your first job in UX design: 11 common questions answered

Next Section

Internship & Professional Job Search