By Neal Schaffer
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| So many social media books to read … so little time … |
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
The 20 Best Social Media Books from 2012 to Read in 2013
The 20 Best Social Media Books from 2012 to Read in 2013
By Neal Schaffer
In what has become an annual tradition for this blog, the time has come to take a look back at the incredible additions that many authors have made to our understanding of social media from a wide variety of perspectives in 2012. My initial list featured 15 best social media books of 2010, followed by increasing the number listed to 25 for my best social media books of 2011 post. While I could have easily increased this list to 30 or even 35, I wanted to instead concentrate on only those books that I feel truly add value – and therefore I have decided to actually reduce the number of recommended books to 20. The self-publishing revolution means that there is no lack of content out there to read on social media, but however subjective this list might be because it is written by a person (moi), I am hoping to steer you to books that hopefully you will consider a worthy investment of your time. Read more
By Neal Schaffer
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
The Right Resume Format to Get You Noticed | CAREEREALISM
The Right Resume Format to Get You Noticed | CAREEREALISM
By Robin Schlinger
The purpose of a resume is to get you an interview.
These days, companies screen candidates and resumes in two ways. The first is through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
All resumes (including those directly emailed to companies) are loaded into the computer, parsed and automatically searched for a match with keywords from job announcements (or keywords entered into the system by the recruiter/hiring manager). Only those resumes that have a good keyword match are selected for further review by the hiring manager. If a resume cannot be read by the Applicant Tracking Systems, it is rejected.
The second method recruiters and hiring managers use to find candidates is “sourcing” candidates by searching online resumes for possible matches using keywords. Again, if a resume cannot be read by search engines, it will not be selected.
Therefore, you should avoid using JPG and PDF files. Many Applicant Tracking Systems can reliably read only text or Word files without tables. Applicant Tracking Systems cannot read JPG files at all. If a resume is in JPG format, it will not even be seen by the hiring manager. In addition, many older Applicant Tracking Systems also cannot read PDF files, and if an applicant submits a PDF that is not readable, it will also be rejected.
You may be the most qualified candidate, but that you will not be chosen for an interview unless the Applicant Tracking System can read your resume. Read more...
By Robin Schlinger
 |
| Photo Credit: Shutterstock |
These days, companies screen candidates and resumes in two ways. The first is through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
All resumes (including those directly emailed to companies) are loaded into the computer, parsed and automatically searched for a match with keywords from job announcements (or keywords entered into the system by the recruiter/hiring manager). Only those resumes that have a good keyword match are selected for further review by the hiring manager. If a resume cannot be read by the Applicant Tracking Systems, it is rejected.
The second method recruiters and hiring managers use to find candidates is “sourcing” candidates by searching online resumes for possible matches using keywords. Again, if a resume cannot be read by search engines, it will not be selected.
Therefore, you should avoid using JPG and PDF files. Many Applicant Tracking Systems can reliably read only text or Word files without tables. Applicant Tracking Systems cannot read JPG files at all. If a resume is in JPG format, it will not even be seen by the hiring manager. In addition, many older Applicant Tracking Systems also cannot read PDF files, and if an applicant submits a PDF that is not readable, it will also be rejected.
You may be the most qualified candidate, but that you will not be chosen for an interview unless the Applicant Tracking System can read your resume. Read more...
Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki - Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki
Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki - Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki
If you've done something at your library that you consider a success, please write about it in the wiki or provide a link to outside coverage. If you have materials that would be helpful to other librarians, add them to the wiki. And if you know of a librarian or a library that is doing something great, feel free to include information or links to it. Basically, if you know of anything that might be useful to other librarians (including useful websites), this is the place to put it. I hope this wiki will be a venue where people can share ideas with one another, and where librarians can learn to replicate the successes of other libraries.
This wiki is not run by any commercial entity and does not represent any commercial interests. For those wishing to use content in the wiki, the wiki itself (and all the content contained herein) is licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike Creative Commons License. Please familiarize yourself with the license before using any of the content on your own site.
Anyone who wants to add to or edit topics on the wiki can do it. You don't need to ask before making a change -- this wiki belongs to the community of librarians who use it. If you have any technical questions about the wiki, please contact its creator, Meredith Farkas. Questions about specific content in the wiki should be directed to that individual author.
If you are going to link to this wiki, please use the following URL:
http://www.libsuccess.org/
Read more...http://www.libsuccess.org
 |
Meredith FarkasLibrarian, writer, teacher, techie and mother. |
Introduction
Welcome to Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki. This wiki was created to be a one-stop shop for great ideas and information for all types of librarians. All over the world, librarians are developing successful programs and doing innovative things with technology that no one outside of their library knows about. There are lots of great blogs out there sharing information about the profession, but there is no one place where all of this information is collected and organized. That's what we're trying to do.If you've done something at your library that you consider a success, please write about it in the wiki or provide a link to outside coverage. If you have materials that would be helpful to other librarians, add them to the wiki. And if you know of a librarian or a library that is doing something great, feel free to include information or links to it. Basically, if you know of anything that might be useful to other librarians (including useful websites), this is the place to put it. I hope this wiki will be a venue where people can share ideas with one another, and where librarians can learn to replicate the successes of other libraries.
This wiki is not run by any commercial entity and does not represent any commercial interests. For those wishing to use content in the wiki, the wiki itself (and all the content contained herein) is licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike Creative Commons License. Please familiarize yourself with the license before using any of the content on your own site.
Anyone who wants to add to or edit topics on the wiki can do it. You don't need to ask before making a change -- this wiki belongs to the community of librarians who use it. If you have any technical questions about the wiki, please contact its creator, Meredith Farkas. Questions about specific content in the wiki should be directed to that individual author.
If you are going to link to this wiki, please use the following URL:
http://www.libsuccess.org/
Read more...http://www.libsuccess.org
Monday, December 17, 2012
5 Ways To Make Networking Work For YOU! | CAREEREALISM
5 Ways To Make Networking Work For YOU! | CAREEREALISM
By Mandy Cooley
Everyone has been telling you to start networking in your job search, right? What exactly does that mean, though? How does talking to people about the fact you don’t have a job get you a job?
Here are five ways to make networking work for you:
By Mandy Cooley
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| Photo Credit: Shutterstock |
Everyone has been telling you to start networking in your job search, right? What exactly does that mean, though? How does talking to people about the fact you don’t have a job get you a job?
Here are five ways to make networking work for you:
1. Mix It Up
Don’t, I repeat, don’t go to the same places with the same people over and over again. It is very easy to seek a pattern or habit when you are in a new and potentially uncomfortable place. Few people like going into a room of strangers and walking up to someone and telling him you are out of work. It sucks enough to know it – you don’t like having to say it. But… get over the fear! Expand your list of contacts. Grow your circle. Increase your influence.- Network in groups of people who are looking for work.
- Network with people who are active in your industry.
- Network with people who already know you.
- Network with professionals who have companies in the same city you want to work.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Toughing It Out in a Tight Job Market | American Libraries Magazine
Toughing It Out in a Tight Job Market | American Libraries Magazine
Hands-on advice to help you stand out during a job search
Posted Mon, 12/10/2012 - 12:52
By Janice Arenofsky
You’re all alone—with thousands of other information professionals—pursuing a library job in a down economy. If not for sheer stubbornness and hard-won self-respect, you might consider a career in the fast food industry.
But don’t despair, said David Connolly, who compiles ALA’s JobLIST, a resource for career advice and job search information. The market is back to pre-2008, he said. “We may be treading water, but at least, it’s not getting worse.” In fact, according to Connolly, experienced librarians can anticipate a relatively strong job market because the first wave of baby boomers is retiring from such top-level library positions as director and department head. This trend should peak between 2015 and 2019. “There will be a trickle-down effect favoring promotions,” said Connolly, “although some libraries are not filling entry-level positions due to budgetary problems.”
So the advice for job searchers is compromise—in salary, work environment, and/or geographic location. For instance, consider academic library positions in the Midwest, where there is less competition because of fewer sought-after locations and subject-expert applicants. Read more....
Hands-on advice to help you stand out during a job search
Posted Mon, 12/10/2012 - 12:52
By Janice Arenofsky
You’re all alone—with thousands of other information professionals—pursuing a library job in a down economy. If not for sheer stubbornness and hard-won self-respect, you might consider a career in the fast food industry.
But don’t despair, said David Connolly, who compiles ALA’s JobLIST, a resource for career advice and job search information. The market is back to pre-2008, he said. “We may be treading water, but at least, it’s not getting worse.” In fact, according to Connolly, experienced librarians can anticipate a relatively strong job market because the first wave of baby boomers is retiring from such top-level library positions as director and department head. This trend should peak between 2015 and 2019. “There will be a trickle-down effect favoring promotions,” said Connolly, “although some libraries are not filling entry-level positions due to budgetary problems.”
So the advice for job searchers is compromise—in salary, work environment, and/or geographic location. For instance, consider academic library positions in the Midwest, where there is less competition because of fewer sought-after locations and subject-expert applicants. Read more....
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Making Libraries Cool? If you say so.
Amy Toombs is the resident go-to techie where she works-- but her job is far from what you'd expect.
Making Libraries Cool? If you say so.
by Doug Magditch
Librarians aren’t known for their exciting personalities. Much of the thanks goes to TV and movies. For many kids, that can make libraries a pretty scary place.
“I usually just thought it was full of books. Like, boring books,” said Malia Chivers, a student at TA Howard Middle School in Mansfield, Texas.
But Chivers’ librarian, Amy Toombs, is breaking that stereotype.
“Our librarian isn’t some mean lady with her hair in a bun and glasses yelling at you every time you talk,” said Chivers.
Related articles
Read whole article
- The Liberations of Librarians: Breaking the Stereotypes in Film and Pop Culture (coolspotters.com)
- What are the Real Librarian Stereotypes? (blog.libraryjournal.com/annoyedlibrarian)
- Tattooed librarian calendar fights stuffy stereotype (www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/)
Thursday, December 6, 2012
The Bookstore Strikes Back
The Bookstore Strikes Back
Two years ago, when
Nashville lost its only in-town bookstores, the novelist Ann Patchett
decided to step into the breach. Parnassus Books, which Patchett and two
veteran booksellers envisioned, designed, financed, and manage, is now
open for business and enjoying the ride.
By
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Creating a Culture of Learning - YouTube
Creating a Culture of Learning - YouTube: Published on Nov 15, 2012 by ALAWashingtonOffice
"Creating a Culture of Learning" explores how information professions can stay ahead of or on the learning curve with our students, colleagues and patrons as new devices, software and Internet-enabled services emerge. It is part of a series that began at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference and will continue in December with a discussion on assessing digital literacy.
Read the comments from the live conversation here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV4quyuu0SM and add your own in the comment box below.
To stay in touch, RSS or subscribe to our blog at districtdispatch.org.
Category:
Education
License:
Standard YouTube License
"Creating a Culture of Learning" explores how information professions can stay ahead of or on the learning curve with our students, colleagues and patrons as new devices, software and Internet-enabled services emerge. It is part of a series that began at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference and will continue in December with a discussion on assessing digital literacy.
Read the comments from the live conversation here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV4quyuu0SM and add your own in the comment box below.
To stay in touch, RSS or subscribe to our blog at districtdispatch.org.
Category:
Education
License:
Standard YouTube License
Stephen Abram on "The Future: Digital/Print Library Hybrids" at METRO's Directors Round Table on Vimeo
Why Trying To Manipulate Employee Motivation Always Backfires | Fast Company
Why Trying To Manipulate Employee Motivation Always Backfires
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| [Image: Flickr user Andrew Miller] |
CEOs have two levers they pull on a regular basis to influence their organizations. The first lever adds to, or takes away from, strategic intentions. The second one controls the hiring of key talent to ensure that the right people are in the right seats.
Levers work well for many of the factors that impact business success; but one area--employee engagement--resists “leveraging.” Even after a decade of trying, organizations as a whole have made little progress on improving employee engagement. Disengagement still stands at about 70 percent, the same as when Gallup first started publishing data on the topic in the late '90s.
Why the struggle with improving this particular area? In short, it’s because you can’t control motivation. While traditional carrot-and-stick levers can influence behavior in the short term, they do not create the intentions to apply discretionary effort and work collaboratively that are required in today’s more sophisticated work environments.
It’s time for a change [Read the whole article...]
Monday, December 3, 2012
10 Common Sense Success Strategies For 2013 | CAREEREALISM
10 Common Sense Success Strategies For 2013 | CAREEREALISM: 10 Common Sense Success Strategies For 2013 and Beyond
Feel like you’re not as successful as you should be? Take a breath! Here are 10 common sense success strategies for the future:
1. S l o w it down. Don’t permit 24/7 access to you. (Just because it’s possible, doesn’t mean it has to be!) To be your best, you need sleep, take vacations, and keep doctor’s appointments to stay healthy and sharp. Create reasonable boundaries with your employer, co-workers, and family to protect your health and your energy.
Read article....
 |
| Photo Credit: Shutterstock |
Feel like you’re not as successful as you should be? Take a breath! Here are 10 common sense success strategies for the future:
1. S l o w it down. Don’t permit 24/7 access to you. (Just because it’s possible, doesn’t mean it has to be!) To be your best, you need sleep, take vacations, and keep doctor’s appointments to stay healthy and sharp. Create reasonable boundaries with your employer, co-workers, and family to protect your health and your energy.
Read article....
Friday, November 30, 2012
The Google Job Experiment - YouTube
The Google Job Experiment - YouTube
Uploaded by Alec Brownstein on May 3, 2010
When top advertising creative directors Googled themselves, they got a message from me asking for a job.
Download a high res Quicktime of the experiment here: http://alec.at/gqqR2T
More of my work here: http://www.alecbrownstein.com
My tweets here: http://twitter.com/jusfonzin
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Google Taking Its Fight for Internet Freedom to the Public
As governments worldwide prepare to meet Dec. 3 to discuss the future of the Internet, Google is reminding citizens to make their own views known.
Google is using its power, influence and online might to sound the alarm for Internet openness and freedom to individual users around the world as leaders of many nations prepare to meet to discuss how the Internet should be regulated in the years to come."Starting Dec. 3, the world’s governments meet behind closed doors to discuss the future of the Internet," wrote Google in a post on Google+. "This meeting of the International Telecommunication Union, or ITU, will take place in Dubai. Some governments want to use this meeting in Dubai to increase censorship and regulate the Internet." Read more...
Monday, November 26, 2012
After Storm Destruction, Rockaway Libraries Help Keep Community Afloat - NYTimes.com
After Storm Destruction, Rockaway Libraries Help Keep Community Afloat - NYTimes.com
It was the little things, the sudden absence of everyday fixtures, that disoriented residents in the Rockaways in the days after the storm, as much as the loss of house and home. The traffic lights had gone dark. Where was one to get a prescription filled? And oh, what about books due at the library? Read more....
By VIVIAN YEE
Published: November 25, 2012
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| A library bus parked outside the original branch in the Rockaways has become a place for warmth and useful information. |
It was the little things, the sudden absence of everyday fixtures, that disoriented residents in the Rockaways in the days after the storm, as much as the loss of house and home. The traffic lights had gone dark. Where was one to get a prescription filled? And oh, what about books due at the library? Read more....
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Book People Unite - YouTube
Book People Unite - YouTube
Reading lovers are coming together to help us get books into the hands of kids who need them the most. Remember visiting Narnia, playing Jumanji, and eating Green Eggs and Ham? Books can have an incredible effect on children’s lives, yet there’s only one book for every 300 kids living in underserved communities in the U.S. So we’ve brought together some of our most beloved literary characters to help make this film and rally Book People for the cause.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Act Like a Business Owner to Advance Your Career | CAREEREALISM
Act Like a Business Owner to Advance Your Career | CAREEREALISM
Whether you work for a global corporation, a small business, or for yourself, it is absolutely essential you THINK and ACT like an “owner” — “own” your job, own your role as a leader or manager, own your roles and responsibilities — put yourself in the shoes of a business owner, and think and behave as any owner would do.
This is not new career advice; many of us have heard this before, and many of us have probably given this advice to others. But what does it actually MEAN to think and act like a business owner?
Standing in the shoes of a business owner is a mind-set shift and in my opinion includes fully embracing the following as part of HOW you DO your job and how you THINK about your job:
Think about it, can any business survive, long-term, if the owner is NOT truly passionate and enthusiastic about what he or she does? Read more.
 | ||
| Photo Credit: Shutterstock |
Whether you work for a global corporation, a small business, or for yourself, it is absolutely essential you THINK and ACT like an “owner” — “own” your job, own your role as a leader or manager, own your roles and responsibilities — put yourself in the shoes of a business owner, and think and behave as any owner would do.
This is not new career advice; many of us have heard this before, and many of us have probably given this advice to others. But what does it actually MEAN to think and act like a business owner?
Standing in the shoes of a business owner is a mind-set shift and in my opinion includes fully embracing the following as part of HOW you DO your job and how you THINK about your job:
1. Show Passion and Enthusiasm
Both your head and your heart need to be “in the game.” Your clients and customers need to see and “feel” your enthusiasm for what you do. Your colleagues, team mates and direct reports need to sense your passion for what you do. Passion and enthusiasm are the fuel for the energy that flows into your job. Others are drawn to you and inspired by you in direct correlation to level of sincere passion and enthusiasm you exhibit.Think about it, can any business survive, long-term, if the owner is NOT truly passionate and enthusiastic about what he or she does? Read more.
Txtr beagle e-reader - review | Technology | guardian.co.uk
Txtr beagle e-reader - review | Technology | guardian.co.uk
An e-reader available next year is small, light and costs just £8 - we look at how a prototype measures up against the Kindle
An e-reader available next year is small, light and costs just £8 - we look at how a prototype measures up against the Kindle
Library in a Disaster Zone - Boing Boing
Library in a Disaster Zone - Boing Boing
Hurricane Sandy devastated some sections of New York City and did massive damage to numerous libraries in Queens. Undaunted, the amazing Queens Library sent a mobile book bus with a rapid response team of librarians, led by Matthew Allison, into the area as soon as roads were opened again.
Maybe it's hard to imagine what a librarian can do when people have no power, no heat, and no food. People in the Rockaways, in Queens, live in crowded conditions, crashing with friends and families, seeing homes where everything was destroyed by flooding. What can a library do when people are cold, tired, hungry, and scared? Read more...
Hurricane Sandy devastated some sections of New York City and did massive damage to numerous libraries in Queens. Undaunted, the amazing Queens Library sent a mobile book bus with a rapid response team of librarians, led by Matthew Allison, into the area as soon as roads were opened again.
Maybe it's hard to imagine what a librarian can do when people have no power, no heat, and no food. People in the Rockaways, in Queens, live in crowded conditions, crashing with friends and families, seeing homes where everything was destroyed by flooding. What can a library do when people are cold, tired, hungry, and scared? Read more...
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Scenes from a Crisis: Volunteers Bond with Occupiers for Sandy Relief
Scenes from a Crisis: Volunteers Bond with Occupiers for Sandy Relief
Wednesday, 14 November 2012 00:00 By John Knefel, Truthout | News Analysis
With Occupy Sandy relief workers at sites in New York, writer observes volunteers from disparate organizations and backgrounds coming together and bonding under Occupy's banner for a common cause.
As the full extent of Superstorm Sandy's destruction begins to set in, Occupy Sandy continues to expand its effort to provide relief to ravaged areas in Staten Island, Coney Island, Red Hook, and the Rockaways. The work can roughly be divided into two categories: the primary distribution hubs at St. Jacobi Church on Fourth Avenue and 520 Clinton Ave., and the field, where organizers often go intersection by intersection, sometimes door to door to assess needs of the community. What I've found, observing these efforts and increasingly participating in them, is that Occupy Sandy has provided the public with a concrete example of the virtue of Occupy's sometimes abstract ideals. Read read more...
Wednesday, 14 November 2012 00:00 By John Knefel, Truthout | News Analysis
 |
| (Photo: Brennan Cavanaugh / Flickr) |
As the full extent of Superstorm Sandy's destruction begins to set in, Occupy Sandy continues to expand its effort to provide relief to ravaged areas in Staten Island, Coney Island, Red Hook, and the Rockaways. The work can roughly be divided into two categories: the primary distribution hubs at St. Jacobi Church on Fourth Avenue and 520 Clinton Ave., and the field, where organizers often go intersection by intersection, sometimes door to door to assess needs of the community. What I've found, observing these efforts and increasingly participating in them, is that Occupy Sandy has provided the public with a concrete example of the virtue of Occupy's sometimes abstract ideals. Read read more...
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