Thing 21: Promoting yourself in job applications and at interview

After I read thing 21, I reflected on my work, positions I held and academic qualifications or skills I gained for the last 5 years. From the long list I made of things I like, interested in or good at, I managed to discover the following about myself:

I am a tidy person therefore I like to work in a tidy and clean environment. Having a tidy desk help me find my things easily and prioritise my work. I feel uncomfortable and a bit irritated when someone uses my desk and move my things out of their places. It’s a tricky situation when sharing a desk or an office with someone messy.

I enjoy helping students to use the technology in searching and finding their information needs. Generally, I like dealing with enquires rather than sitting in a back office classifying or cataloguing books. Do not get me wrong I do like cataloguing.

 Information literacy is one of the areas I’m interested in and would like to develop my skills further within the next year or so. Since the school I’m working in is fairly new, we are in the process of designing info. Lit curriculum across the three sections. It’s a chance to acquire skills in designing info. Lit curriculum from age 3 up to age 18. I believe strongly in the important role of info. Lit in teaching and learning.

Strategic planning is an area I developed recently. I am keen on setting and writing policies, introduce new services and or improve existing services and set long and short terms targets for my operation. I managed to write our libraries staff manual from scratch. Documented existing and writing new polices. We upgraded LMC to a better system that will enable our team to deliver better services in effective and efficient ways. I turned the library to a better learning and teaching environment. I involved students in the library operation by creating Student Librarians Programme. I like to incorporate technology in my daily working life and use it to promote the services my library offer. Moving to a new LMC create a chance to use the technology in designing a new website for the library.

I work in international school compromises of three sections, infant, junior and senior. Each section has a library with the senior library is the main or the hub. In school like this it’s important to have a library team its members are willing to cooperate with each other and eager to move the whole operation forward. I hate to be part of a team its members work in isolation of each other, unwilling to change or accept changes and not trying to update their ways of running their libraries and servicing their patrons.

In my current post, I’m enriching my experience by the day. I’m learning, new ideas and from mistakes. Now I know where and what I want to do in near future.

Thanks CPD 23 for referring to  What’s the key to a good interview - beyond the usual truisms we all know already? – a blog post by Ned Potter, aka The Wikiman, and various comments to it.  it’s indeed very useful.