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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

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So many social media books to read … so little time …
 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
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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

The Right Resume Format to Get You Noticed | CAREEREALISM

The Right Resume Format to Get You Noticed | CAREEREALISM

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Photo Credit: Shutterstock
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...
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Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki - Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki

Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki - Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki

Meredith Farkas

Librarian, 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
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Monday, December 17, 2012

5 Ways To Make Networking Work For YOU! | CAREEREALISM

5 Ways To Make Networking Work For YOU! | CAREEREALISM

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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.
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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....
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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
 
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

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.
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In late February I am in my basement, which is really a very nice part of my house that is not done justice by the word basement. For the purposes of this story, let’s call it the Parnassus Fulfillment Center. I have hauled 533 boxed-up hardback copies of my latest novel, State of Wonder, from Parnassus, the bookstore I co-own in Nashville, into my car; driven them across town (three trips there and three trips back); and then lugged them down here to the Parnassus Fulfillment Center. Along with the hardbacks, I have brought in countless paperback copies of my backlist books as well. I sign all these books and stack them up on one enormous and extremely sturdy table. Then I call for backup: Patrik and Niki from the store, my friend Judy, my mother. Together we form an assembly line, taking orders off the bookstore’s Web site, addressing mailing labels, writing tiny thank-you notes to tuck inside the signed copies, then bubble-wrapping, taping, and packing them up to mail. We get a rhythm going, we have a system, and it’s pretty smooth, except for removing the orders from the Web site. What I don’t understand is why, no matter how many orders I delete from the list, the list does not get shorter. We are all work and no progress, and I’m sure something serious must be going wrong. After all, we’ve had this Web site for only a week, and who’s to say we know what we’re doing? “We know what we’re doing,” Niki says, and Patrik, who set up the Web site in the first place, confirms this. They explain to me that the reason the list isn’t getting any shorter is that orders are still coming in.
Read article 
 
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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

Stephen Abram on "The Future: Digital/Print Library Hybrids" at METRO's Directors Round Table on Vimeo

Stephen Abram on "The Future: Digital/Print Library Hybrids" at METRO's Directors Round Table on Vimeo

Stephen Abram on "The Future: Digital/Print Library Hybrids" at METRO's Directors Round Table from METRO on Vimeo.
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Why Trying To Manipulate Employee Motivation Always Backfires | Fast Company

Why Trying To Manipulate Employee Motivation Always Backfires




[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...]

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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

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....