"Job snob". I first heard the term a few months ago when apparently some politicians urged Gen Y to stop being Job Snobs and face the fact that in this current financial crisis, they should settle for whatever job they can get.
Whilst this seems to be yet another example of assuming Gen Y of being lazy, over-privileged brats, this "advice" from our nation's leaders seems to go completely against every piece of career advice I've gotten. Mostly along the lines of never taking a "backward step" in one's career, and always knowing what you're worth. And no, I've never actually gotten career advice form a Gen Y'er.
Anyway, this evening, I went along to an event run by the ALIA New Graduates Group, on Job Interview techniques - mostly because I'm the Convenor of the group, but also because I was curious to see if there was anything particularly outlandish that jobseekers were being told these days.
And there were certainly a few recurring themes, and a few interesting ideas that stuck.
1. Know what you want and, more importantly, why you want the job that you're being interviewed for. "Because I really need a job!" isn't really good enough. If you don't see yourself staying there for more than six months, then you probably don't really want it, and you're just wasting your own time and theirs.
However, 2. Be honest. If the only reason you want the job is because you need a source of income, then it's better to say that, rather than lie and say that you love working with pre-school children when, in fact, you hate it. You might not get the job, but it's better than getting the job and having to do pre-school storytime when you really hate small children.
3. Don't be afraid to withdraw your application. Even if it's halfway through an interview. Employers will respect your honesty and professionalism and, more importantly, your desire not to waste their time, or your own.
4. Ask intelligent questions. Find out the history of the position, whether it's been newly created, an amalgam of previous positions, and why it was created, or why the previous person left the position. Find out about the kind of people you'll be working with - colleagues, superiors, stakeholders. Ask about the organisation's strategic direction, and get a sense of their vision and how you might be able to contribute to it.
These kinds of questions will help you answer the real question - Do you really want to work here? - and, again, don't be afraid to walk away if the answer turns out to be a resounding NO.
5. Have some creative answers. A textbook answer is not impressive enough to get you a job. Employers want to see if you can think outside the square. You also need to demonstrate your personality, as employers want to get an idea of your cultural fit within the workplace. Things like enthusiasm, positivity and open-mindedness are essential in making an impression. Of course, central to all of this is actually caring about the job that you're applying for and, again, knowing why you want to work there, in order that you can actually provide a thoughtful answer.
This has all been invaluable advice for jobseeking in general, and I thought it was interesting to hear from library-related employers that they value the importance of being a discerning jobseeker, and knowing what you want from your career. And I guess it's as much in the library's interests as the employee's to recruit somebody who knows what they want, rather than somebody who has the right answers. And that the interview is not so much about getting the "right" or "wrong" answers, but rather seeing how the applicant responds to a question, and getting a sense of how they think.
And on an interesting note, one of the speakers did a quick hand survey of what library jobs people were looking to get into. When he mentioned academic libraries, most hands shot up. When he mentioned publics - not so much. This intrigued me a little - I have to say that I've gotten far more job satisfaction working in public and state libraries than I ever did in an academic library. Then again, perhaps I haven't worked in the right academic library yet.
So, should we be "job snobs" when it comes to our career? Well, I think the label is a bit of a misnomer. I don't think anybody really expects their "dream job" to fall in their lap. But, certainly, they need to identify that dream job, and have a realistic plan to get there, whether it be by finding an entry level position with one's "dream employer" and moving up internally, or getting enough relative experience through other jobs, in order to move sideways into said "dream job".
There's nothing "snobby" about being strategic with one's career, and Gen Y are certainly not the first generation to be career-focused.
