This document discusses climbing the career ladder in libraries. It provides examples of career trajectories from librarian to director and alternative paths involving leadership roles. It recommends researching open positions, connecting with people in roles you want, gaining skills through training, volunteering, and reading. Developing mentoring relationships and positioning yourself as an expert can help advancement. Highlighting your work, supporting others, and getting good evaluations also contribute to moving up.

1. CLIMBING THE CAREER LADDER
NJLA Emerging Leaders | November 10, 2016
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2. CLIMBING THE CAREER LADDER
➤ Career Trajectory
➤ Getting to the Next
Step
➤ Research
➤ Developing the
Skills You Need
➤ Positioning Yourself
for Advancement
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3. Geneva Public Library genevapubliclibrary.net
Countee Cullen Branch of The New York Public Library http://urbanareas.net/info/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/37318_Countee-Cullen-Library2.jpg
Piscataway Public Library, MiY Launch, 2012

4. Librarian
Senior Librarian
Supervising Librarian
Assistant Director
Director
SAMPLE LIBRARY CAREER TRAJECTORY

5. Junior Librarian
Senior Librarian
Head of User Services
Branch Manager
Associate Director
MY CAREER TRAJECTORY

6. Librarian
ALTERNATIVE CAREER TRAJECTORY
(President, NJLA Children’s Services Section)
(Chair, Youth Services Forum
(Fiction Reviewer, School Library Journal)
(Member-at-large, NJLA
Executive Board)
Planning Committee)

7. GETTING TO THE NEXT STEP
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8. RESEARCH
➤ Position announcements
➤ Connect with people in
that position
➤ Join conversations on
social media
➤ Awards and recognition
➤ Hard skills vs. soft skills

9. POSITION ANNOUNCEMENTS
➤ Make it a habit to read job announcements related to the
work you want to do
➤ Join library listservs for the geographic areas where you want
to work
➤ Check web sites that post job announcements regularly
➤ Ask people to forward you announcements for specific types
of positions
➤ Don’t hesitate to reach out to people you trust who might
have more information about a position
➤ Be on the lookout for red flags

10. READING JOB ADS
➤ The time to research a
position is before you’re ready
to make a move
➤ Identify hard skills (degree,
certification, language,
software, etc)
➤ Identify soft skills (team-
building, communication,
time management, facilitating
change, etc)
➤ Make a list of what skills and
experience you’re missing
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11. CONNECT WITH PEOPLE
➤ Identify the respected people
in the position you want
➤ Reach out to them, and ask
thoughtful questions
➤ Find opportunities to
familiarize them with your
work (volunteering, serving
on committees, etc)
➤ These people will make
excellent references
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12. facebook.com/mcginley
@allenmcginley
linkedin.com/in/allenmcginley

13. NJLA Honors and Awards
Library Journal Movers and Shakers
I Love My Librarian Award

14. DEVELOPING SKILLS
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15. PEOPLE
➤ Be proactive in developing
mentor/mentee relationships
➤ Always be networking
➤ Show up
➤ Smile
➤ Ask questions
➤ Follow-up
➤ Develop a personal learning
network
➤ Be strategic
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16. CAREER-RELATED READING & LISTENING
➤ The First-Time Manager by Loren B. Belker, Jim McCormick and
Gary Topchik
➤ Reframing Organizations: Artistry, choice & leadership by Lee G.
Bolman and Terrence E. Deal
➤ Rise: How to be really successful at work and like your life by Patty
Azzarello
➤ Tribes: We need your to lead us by Seth Godin
➤ Harvard Business Review hbr.org
➤ HBR IdeaCast soundcloud.com/hbrideacast

17. TRAININGS
➤ Look for free and low-cost
webinars from NJLA,
LibraryLinkNJ, etc.
➤ Identify trainings that
match your current
responsibilities but will
help you develop new skills
➤ If possible, attend trainings
that fit the job you want
➤ Keep a list of all trainings
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18. VOLUNTEERING
➤ Libraries
➤ Professional
Organizations
➤ Non-Library Leadership
Organizations (Rotary,
Toastmasters, etc)
➤ Charitable Organizations
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19. POSITIONING YOURSELF FOR
ADVANCEMENT
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20. BE EXCEPTIONAL
➤ Be really good at what you’re
doing right now
➤ Position yourself as an expert
➤ Write about your work
➤ Volunteer to be a book
reviewer for review journals
➤ Look for speaking
opportunities
➤ (Facebook Group: Library
Conference Call for
Speakers)
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21. EVALUATION
➤ Take evaluation seriously
➤ Be candid with your
supervisor about career goals
➤ Make self-evaluation a part of
your routine
➤ Have a copy of your job
description
➤ Be strategical with working
outside of your job
description
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22. SUPPORT OTHER PEOPLE
pay it forward
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23. HIGHLIGHT YOUR WORK
utilize a portfolio
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24. WRAPPING THINGS UP
➤ Be thoughtful and candid
about what you want from
your career
➤ Plan for tomorrow while
you’re still happy with today
➤ Build relationships with
people you respect
➤ Volunteer to do stuff, and
then do it
➤ Be patient, but be decisive
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