Kia ora!
Well it's about three months since my last post and what a busy three months it's been!
Three months ago I was in the UK and still getting myself around my new position having gone through a transformation in July and not really knowing when our dream might come true. I had a new set of colleagues and additional aspects to my role, including local studies and delivering taster sessions. We also had a new library to plan for. It was all go.
Then suddenly, we had success! We had a buyer for our flat and we could finally start to plan our dream! So much to do and so little time to do it in... We had to respectively hand in notice at work, decide exactly where we were heading and look for jobs.
We decided to head for Wellington, and fortunately for me before Christmas a number of posts were advertised within the Wellington area. Time to make sure my CV really was up to scratch!
This is where job applications in New Zealand differ completely to those in the UK. From personal experience in the UK, I've generally had to complete an application form with limited amounts of space to really promote yourself. CVs are often an added extra and aren't really encouraged. If you do enclose a CV, woe betide you if it's longer than two sides.
In New Zealand all posts I applied for were by CV and covering letter. CVs include so much information. Mine was three sides without details of referees. There is a completely different emphasis. From templates I reviewed, you are encouraged to say who your customers are, focus on major projects and personal achievements in a position. Applying for posts in this way I have found quite an eye-opener. Tailoring a CV and covering letter really encourages you to see how your skills and experiences fit the position you are applying for. I found the whole task so much more rewarding. A company application form is only for that company and by the time the general information sections are completed, it takes me time to get enthused by the remainder of the form. I actually enjoyed the whole CV and letter experience. There is no fixed format and you're really encouraged to personalise the application and make your whole character and experiences come through in the way an application form cannot do.
Something must have worked... I'm now writing this from our new home in Wellington, NZ. We've got an amazing apartment overlooking the bay and best of all I have a job! I was interviewed the evening before we left the UK. That was an experience in itself. I've never been interviewed by phone before. I can remember sitting in the kitchen with my mobile on speaker trying to imagine the three people attached to the voices at the other end of the phone! Not to mention the fact that it was 9am in NZ and 8pm in the UK!
I'm in the process of finishing formalities now. I've had the formal offer through the post and am now waiting for my IRD (the NZ equivalent of a national insurance number or social security number) to come through the post before I can finish off the final parts of hte acceptance.
With any luck in the next couple of weeks I should be in post as a Collection Management Librarian for the National Library of New Zealand...
My next post no doubt will be about work for my new employer. I'm really looking forward to the job and can't wait to get started. In the meantime, it's giving me the chance to really get to know the capital city of New Zealand. Not to mention the fun we've had over the last weekend with the Hertz Rugby Sevens and then a family day on Monday with Waitangi Day. With the absence of family we spent the day getting to know people with a barbie on the beach!
Showing posts with label cv. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cv. Show all posts
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Friday, 18 November 2011
Life goes on...
I've not posted anything on here since I finished CPD23. I feel a bit guilty about that, since much has actually gone through my mind and I've had plenty to muse over.
So what has been happening, well work has been busy, we've had events galore - the delights of working in a public library.
In one library we've had a history event, launching a DVD of the town. We used the event to also publicise our HertsMemories sites.
We also hired some oral history booths from our local university. We can set these up with specific questions and get members of the public to talk into them. We then put these videos onto our HertsMemories sites. Nifty bits of kit, huh??
We've hosted an image roadshow for the local museum at another branch. They hired our Meetings Room and displayed photos from their collection along with our large collection of old photographs too. Then... we've also held a Family History Open Day. We have library subscriptions to Ancestry and FindMyPast, so we got a local family history group to come in and help as well. members of the public could come in for free and learn how to use the sites, amongst others such as FreeBMD, etc and our family history books.
We've also held a drawing event during the last week of October at another library. This was a combination of Family Learning Week and The Big Draw. Children were invited to draw what they thought their dream library would look like. I sat in the children's library with a lovely box of colouring pencils surrounded by children laying on the floor, sitting at the table, etc drawing pictures. It was good fun to do and gave me a chance to interact with them (believe it or not, the future of the country...)
The posters are going to be displayed in our new library when it opens.
We're now in the process of organising the next set of events and displays. We've a new library opening in one town, so we're getting ready for that. The museum in another town has received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to display a piece of furniture from the Victoria and Albert Museum, so we're tapping into events on the back of that. And that's just the start of it!
In the library world as a whole, I can't describe how brilliant the result is from the High Court ruling over Gloucestershire County Council. The full statement is on the Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries website. All I can say is well done Johanna, Demelza and all those involved in the campaign, you worked tirelessly for something you believed in to get a result. I am definitely in awe of you all. As much as I can support you from a distance, I know I could never have done so much as you all have. I feel proud to have worked with Johanna a couple of years ago and her enthusiasm is infectious!
The last thing I saw which interested me... The Times newspaper in the UK has been publishing a Graduate recruitment section on Tuesdays. On 8th November, they published an article about a graduate career in libraries and librarianship, entitled "Why life as a librarian can be an open book." The article basically described how to get into the profession through Graduate trainee schemes and studying for a Masters.
There is a description of the possible role we may take and the type of person we need to be. Annie Mauger quotes that we need to be "enthusiastic and proactive, asking 'what can we do for you'?" I do however disagree to some extent where she says "One of the big advantages of our profession is that you can move easily between sectors - public, private, education, commercial. It can be a very flexible career." From my experience this needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. I have moved between sectors and have not found it easy. Certainly you can move but don't expect to remain at an equivalent level. You will most likely go down. I came to my current post from managing a small university Learning Centre, with staffing and budgetary responsibilities. I now work for a public library with very little, if any responsibilities which I can call my own, I'm constantly checking if I can do something, have no staffing or budgetary responsibilities. When I tried to apply for an equivalent level post, I was told I didn't have enough public library knowledge... I've also moved from FE to HE, depending on the university, beware, since there is a definite pecking order and FE (and possibly where you did your Masters) does not count for some universities in the UK. If you want to change sectors, make sure you do your homework thoroughly and don't be afraid of rejection.
So possibly on the back of that, it's time to get my own CV up to date and ready following on from what I learned in CPD23...
So what has been happening, well work has been busy, we've had events galore - the delights of working in a public library.
In one library we've had a history event, launching a DVD of the town. We used the event to also publicise our HertsMemories sites.
One of our local HertsMemories volunteers demonstrating the website
We also hired some oral history booths from our local university. We can set these up with specific questions and get members of the public to talk into them. We then put these videos onto our HertsMemories sites. Nifty bits of kit, huh??
The oral history booth
We've hosted an image roadshow for the local museum at another branch. They hired our Meetings Room and displayed photos from their collection along with our large collection of old photographs too. Then... we've also held a Family History Open Day. We have library subscriptions to Ancestry and FindMyPast, so we got a local family history group to come in and help as well. members of the public could come in for free and learn how to use the sites, amongst others such as FreeBMD, etc and our family history books.
We've also held a drawing event during the last week of October at another library. This was a combination of Family Learning Week and The Big Draw. Children were invited to draw what they thought their dream library would look like. I sat in the children's library with a lovely box of colouring pencils surrounded by children laying on the floor, sitting at the table, etc drawing pictures. It was good fun to do and gave me a chance to interact with them (believe it or not, the future of the country...)
We also had some contributions from big kids (staff to you and me...)
The posters are going to be displayed in our new library when it opens.
We're now in the process of organising the next set of events and displays. We've a new library opening in one town, so we're getting ready for that. The museum in another town has received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to display a piece of furniture from the Victoria and Albert Museum, so we're tapping into events on the back of that. And that's just the start of it!
In the library world as a whole, I can't describe how brilliant the result is from the High Court ruling over Gloucestershire County Council. The full statement is on the Friends of Gloucestershire Libraries website. All I can say is well done Johanna, Demelza and all those involved in the campaign, you worked tirelessly for something you believed in to get a result. I am definitely in awe of you all. As much as I can support you from a distance, I know I could never have done so much as you all have. I feel proud to have worked with Johanna a couple of years ago and her enthusiasm is infectious!
The last thing I saw which interested me... The Times newspaper in the UK has been publishing a Graduate recruitment section on Tuesdays. On 8th November, they published an article about a graduate career in libraries and librarianship, entitled "Why life as a librarian can be an open book." The article basically described how to get into the profession through Graduate trainee schemes and studying for a Masters.
There is a description of the possible role we may take and the type of person we need to be. Annie Mauger quotes that we need to be "enthusiastic and proactive, asking 'what can we do for you'?" I do however disagree to some extent where she says "One of the big advantages of our profession is that you can move easily between sectors - public, private, education, commercial. It can be a very flexible career." From my experience this needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. I have moved between sectors and have not found it easy. Certainly you can move but don't expect to remain at an equivalent level. You will most likely go down. I came to my current post from managing a small university Learning Centre, with staffing and budgetary responsibilities. I now work for a public library with very little, if any responsibilities which I can call my own, I'm constantly checking if I can do something, have no staffing or budgetary responsibilities. When I tried to apply for an equivalent level post, I was told I didn't have enough public library knowledge... I've also moved from FE to HE, depending on the university, beware, since there is a definite pecking order and FE (and possibly where you did your Masters) does not count for some universities in the UK. If you want to change sectors, make sure you do your homework thoroughly and don't be afraid of rejection.
So possibly on the back of that, it's time to get my own CV up to date and ready following on from what I learned in CPD23...
Saturday, 8 October 2011
Thing 21: Job applications and interviews
Over the years I've written so many job applications that I know what I'm doing - mm, OK, I'll believe myself!!
A couple of times recently I've been in the unfortunate position of either being made redundant or nearing the end of a fixed term contract which may or may not be continued. At these times, a list of what I've done has been invaluable.
I've got an old spreadsheet which has details of ALL the jobs I've done since I started work, including the part-time shop work while I was at school. (This may seem a tad over the top, but I learnt a lot about customer service skills and basic till use from that experience - so I dare anyone to mock it!) The only thing I haven't done with this spreadsheet is to include a brief description of my role and duties, this is still all in my head. So this may be a good time to create that database or Evernote folder with details which Maria suggests. I've also got a list of all the training I've done and conferences I've attended. My qualifications so far are mainly in my head, but I can easily check my certificates. Perhaps this is NOT the best way to record them! I have got a brief resume on LinkedIn, so I can turn to that if I get stuck too. :-)
The concrete details are the easy bit. The difficult bit is remembering my strengths. Every job application I do, I get my partner to read through. He is excellent at this and questions such as "why haven't in included that?" or "what about this" are getting less and less as I pick up skills. I read a job application, description and person spec thoroughly before starting any application, ticking off the essentials and desirables as I go, writing notes in the margins where something relates to my experience. I have at times used the exact wording in their descriptions to really plug the fact that I know what the job entails and I've got the skills to do it.
Application forms can sometimes be problematic, particularly if they have fixed word lengths on an online form and state that a covering letter will not be accepted. As you can probably tell from my posts, I can talk for England, but can I reduce the number of words by cutting out the rubbish - no I cannot!! My Masters thesis took ages to go through and cut out what was surplus to requirements!!
My downfall has always been interviews. About 18 months ago, I was applying for jobs left right and centre and I think my interview rate was about 85% or higher, but could I get a job - nope! I like Palely Loitering's comment from her friend “It’s not you, it’s them”. You can also tell if it's not been a good interview. I can't put my finger on what it is, there's just something which says it was not good. We also need to remember that going to an interview is not just about them finding out about you, but also you finding out about them. It's a two-way process and if your potential employer can't grasp that, then they are doing the process all wrong. Presentations are all very well, but I like the chance to chat to possible colleagues in a staff room or informal meeting. You can pick up a lot from faces, comments, etc in those situations.
I would be interested if there's anyone reading this about the length of a CV... In the UK here two sides of A4 is the maximum and then you bulk it out with a covering letter. I've recently been given a CV template for jobs in New Zealand and 2 sides just won't fill it. It goes on for pages and pages! Are there any Kiwis here who can help me??
My final word goes back to the detail and keeping a record. There are so many tools online to help us keep out details up to date for that moment in time, we really have no excuse. You may be ecstatically happy in your job, but they could come back to you tomorrow and say sorry we're closing down and you'll be made redundant. We all hope it won't happen to us, but sorry, it can, believe me, it can, so I recommend you keep that CV and database ready for that possible moment in time. Our job includes organising information in a way that it can be easily retrieved, so we should be excellent at organising our own information...
A couple of times recently I've been in the unfortunate position of either being made redundant or nearing the end of a fixed term contract which may or may not be continued. At these times, a list of what I've done has been invaluable.
I've got an old spreadsheet which has details of ALL the jobs I've done since I started work, including the part-time shop work while I was at school. (This may seem a tad over the top, but I learnt a lot about customer service skills and basic till use from that experience - so I dare anyone to mock it!) The only thing I haven't done with this spreadsheet is to include a brief description of my role and duties, this is still all in my head. So this may be a good time to create that database or Evernote folder with details which Maria suggests. I've also got a list of all the training I've done and conferences I've attended. My qualifications so far are mainly in my head, but I can easily check my certificates. Perhaps this is NOT the best way to record them! I have got a brief resume on LinkedIn, so I can turn to that if I get stuck too. :-)
The concrete details are the easy bit. The difficult bit is remembering my strengths. Every job application I do, I get my partner to read through. He is excellent at this and questions such as "why haven't in included that?" or "what about this" are getting less and less as I pick up skills. I read a job application, description and person spec thoroughly before starting any application, ticking off the essentials and desirables as I go, writing notes in the margins where something relates to my experience. I have at times used the exact wording in their descriptions to really plug the fact that I know what the job entails and I've got the skills to do it.
Application forms can sometimes be problematic, particularly if they have fixed word lengths on an online form and state that a covering letter will not be accepted. As you can probably tell from my posts, I can talk for England, but can I reduce the number of words by cutting out the rubbish - no I cannot!! My Masters thesis took ages to go through and cut out what was surplus to requirements!!
My downfall has always been interviews. About 18 months ago, I was applying for jobs left right and centre and I think my interview rate was about 85% or higher, but could I get a job - nope! I like Palely Loitering's comment from her friend “It’s not you, it’s them”. You can also tell if it's not been a good interview. I can't put my finger on what it is, there's just something which says it was not good. We also need to remember that going to an interview is not just about them finding out about you, but also you finding out about them. It's a two-way process and if your potential employer can't grasp that, then they are doing the process all wrong. Presentations are all very well, but I like the chance to chat to possible colleagues in a staff room or informal meeting. You can pick up a lot from faces, comments, etc in those situations.
I would be interested if there's anyone reading this about the length of a CV... In the UK here two sides of A4 is the maximum and then you bulk it out with a covering letter. I've recently been given a CV template for jobs in New Zealand and 2 sides just won't fill it. It goes on for pages and pages! Are there any Kiwis here who can help me??
My final word goes back to the detail and keeping a record. There are so many tools online to help us keep out details up to date for that moment in time, we really have no excuse. You may be ecstatically happy in your job, but they could come back to you tomorrow and say sorry we're closing down and you'll be made redundant. We all hope it won't happen to us, but sorry, it can, believe me, it can, so I recommend you keep that CV and database ready for that possible moment in time. Our job includes organising information in a way that it can be easily retrieved, so we should be excellent at organising our own information...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)