Slides from workshop delivered at CILIP's New Professionals Day 2012. Updated slides to include videos shown. Aim was to provide an insight into information roles in UK careers services. Also featured a quiz - not included here!

1. CILIP New Professionals Day 2012

2. WORKSHOP AIMS
• Insight into information roles in careers services
• How careers information compares to other library roles
• Why work in careers information?
• Who do we hire?

3. MY PERSPECTIVE
• Worked in University of Bristol Careers Service since 2009
• Previous library assistant experience (British
Library, King’s College London, University of Bristol)
• Information and Library Management MSc, UWE (2010)

5. ARE CAREERS SERVICES ALL ABOUT
ADVICE AND GUIDANCE?
flickr.com/photos/cushinglibrary/4790463166/

6. WHAT DO YOU THINK WE DO?
flickr.com/photos/uncut/16926192

7. STRUCTURE OF MY SERVICE
Director of Student Services and
Employability
Head of Guidance Services Head of Employer Services Head of Information Services
Internship Graduate
Manager Destinations
2 Information
8 Careers Advisers Specialists and Statistics
Manager
JobShop Officer
Information
Information Assistant
Assistant - Graduate
Graduate Destinations
Bristol PLuS Recruitment Officer CILIP
Trainee and
Coordinator
Statistics
Officer
2 Graduate Recruitment Casual
Assistants Information
Assistants Graduate
(Students) Destinations and
3 Careers Admin
Officers Information
Graduate Recruitment Intern Assistant

8. CAREERS INFORMATION JOB TITLES

9. WHAT DO I DO?
• Enquiry desk work
• Information management
 Developing stock / acquisitions / weeding
 Cataloguing and classification
 Web authoring
• User training – information literacy
• Cross-team activity / current awareness
• Staff management

10. AREAS OF STOCK
Occupational information Employer information
Free publications, print Recruitment brochures, job
folders, reference books, journals descriptions, company reports

11. OTHER RESOURCES
Applications / interviews / assessment centres
psychometric tests / diversity issues / funding
further study / postgraduate research / international work
local employers / internships and work experience

12. RESOURCES HELP DESK

13. ENQUIRIES
Examples from Autumn Term 2010

14. DIFFERENCES [compared to academic libraries]
• User group and their perceptions
• Amount of frontline work
• Library Management System (unusual)
• Physical stock vs. website
• Cross-team working
• Employers / careers advisers
• Professional identity

15. POSITIVES
The thing I value, over
• Variety of work library work, is
• Autonomy independence + ability
to try things out.
• Ability to manage own time
@darrenmjones
• Responsibility
• Close working with non-librarians
• Ability to make changes
• Collaborative working in small team
• Subject matter

16. WHO DO WE HIRE?
• Team work must have GSOH, be ready to embrace
change, love technology and chatting, be
• IT skills
able to write and be an information geek.
• Flexible @MallenSarah
• Ability to determine requirements / priorities
• Organisational and time management skills
• Admin skills and attention to detail
• Busy customer service experience
• Communication / interpersonal skills

17. TIPS* [* my personal opinion]
• Meet criteria + keep to point Research! I met with a
careers info guy, and I asked
• Know where you are applying
you some questions.
• Research via contacts Also, show you can use info
• STAR technique skills in your own job hunt.
• Engage with everyone @DreamingEntity
• Think about questions
• Use a careers service if you
can, or website e.g.
bristol.ac.uk/careers/advice
• Get feedback

18. GET IN TOUCH
megan.wiley@bristol.ac.uk
Twitter: @wiley9000
flickr.com/photos/crabchick/2779425682/