Transferable Competencies:
Opportunities for LIS Graduates in
Non-Librarian Positions
Melissa Fraser-Arnott
CLA 2013 National Conference and Trade Show
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Overview
• Introduction
▫ Research Questions
▫ Investigative Method
• Competencies
▫ Competencies from LIS job
advertisements
▫ Competencies from Government job
advertisements
• Job Eligibility
▫ Eligibility for jobs (general)
▫ Examples of eligible job titles
• Survey of HR Professionals
▫ Response to the word “library”
▫ Advise on applying for Government
of Canada job postings
▫ Transitioning into a new profession
▫ Current “in demand” jobs
Research Questions
• What non-traditional job
opportunities are
available for LIS
graduates?
• What kinds of job
positions would be a good
match?
• How can LIS
competencies be
communicated to nonlibrarian employers?
Investigative Method
• Literature review (LIS
opportunities &
competencies)
• Job advertisement
analysis (comparison of
posting from library job
boards and Government of
Canada internal job
postings)
• Informal survey of
Government of Canada
Human Resources
professionals
Competencies were pulled from two
sets of job advertisements: one set
taken from LIS job boards (aimed at
librarians and LIS students) and
Government of Canada job boards
(not specifically aimed towards LIS
professionals or students)
[A1]Tables
must have names and numbers, and be referenced in the text. Table names go above the tables.
Competencies from Library Job Ads
Library Job Board Advertisements: Competency Groups
Competency Group
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Knowledge and Experience
Communication*
Personal Qualities*
Information Technology*
Management and Supervision*
Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills*
Organizational Skills*
Teaching, Training and Instruction*
Cataloguing and Metadata
Research and Reference*
Problem-Solving and Analysis*
Customer Service*
Program Delivery and Management*
Collection Management
Professional Development
Library Marketing and Promotion
Count
(n=1336)
%
194
164
156
147
120
114
82
63
60
59
52
46
30
27
17
5
14.5%
12.3%
11.7%
11%
9%
8.5%
6.1%
4.7%
4.5%
4.4%
3.9%
3.4%
0.2%
2%
0.13%
0.04%
[A1]Table
3 needs a title.
Competencies from Library Job Ads
Top 10 Most Commonly Requested Individual Competencies from
Library Job Advertisements
Competency
Count
111
%
8.3%
52
3.9%
Knowledge of metadata schemes or standards (17
different examples given)
Delivering Training, Instruction or Teaching
(Instructional Skills)*
Innovative technologies, applications and social media*
46
3.4%
42
3.1%
36
2.7%
Time Management / Multi-Tasking / Meeting Deadlines /
Managing Workloads*
Business software (Microsoft Office)*
General Qualifications (No criminal record, ability to
travel, driver's license, etc.)*
Research Skills*
Interpersonal Skills*
35
2.6%
34
2.5%
34
2.5%
31
2.3%
30
2.2%
Communication Skills*
Analytical, Problem Solving & Critical Thinking Skills*
[A1]Please
add title to table.
Competencies from GoC Job Ads
Governm ent of Canada Job Advertisements: Competency Groups
Competency Group
Count
(n=1522)
%
244
178
172
16%
11.7%
11.3%
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Knowledge and Experience
Communications*
Information Technology / Information Management / Records
Management*
Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills*
Personal Qualities*
Research, Analysis and Problem Solving*
Management and Supervision*
Financial and Resource Management*
Policies and Procedures*
Project or Program Implementation, Coordination and Administration*
141
131
111
84
79
65
65
9.3%
8.6%
7.3%
5.5%
5.2%
4.3%
4.3%
11
12
13
14
15
16
Providing Advice and Recommendations*
Human Resource Management*
Business Planning and Reporting*
Training*
Customer Service*
Planning and Organizational Skills*
64
46
40
38
35
29
4.2%
3.0%
2.6%
2.5%
2.3%
1.9%
1
2
3
[A1]Table
3 needs a title.
Competencies from GoC Job Ads
Top 10 Most Commonly Requested Individual Competencies from Government
of Canada Job Advertisements
Competency
Count
%
Knowledge of subject areas or job tasks
86
5.6%
73
4.8%
Preparing / Producing Documents (Briefing Materials,
Correspondence, Reports, Memoranda, etc.)*
Providing Strategic Advice, Guidance & Recommendations*
64
4.2%
Experience with particular skills or tasks
55
3.6%
Analytical Ability / Skills / Thinking*
54
3.5%
Project or Program Implementation, Coordination &
Administration*
Finance, Budget & Resource Management*
Liaising, Consulting & Negotiating*
51
3.3%
43
36
2.8%
2.4%
Management / Management Excellence & Leadership*
Business Planning & Reporting (inc. Strategic Planning)*
35
35
2.3%
2.3%
189 internal job advertisements
for Government of Canada
positions were examined to see
how many an LIS graduate /
practitioner would be eligible for
based on the required
competencies.
LIS Eligibility for Non-LIS Jobs
• The average LIS professional
would be eligible for 51 (or
25.8%) of the job
advertisements on the
Government of Canada job
board
• An LIS professional may be
able to apply for an additional
40 (or 21.2%) of these jobs if
they had certain competencies
or knowledge that could be
obtained through prior
experience working in the
Government of Canada
LIS Eligibility for Non-LIS Jobs
• Eligible job titles included:
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
Officer – Human Resources
Threat Management Analyst
Webmaster
Analyst – Corporate Risk, Performance Management and Evaluation
Information Management Administrator
Systems and Project Administrator
Program Analyst
Data Analyst – Directorate of Technology
Business Analyst
Developer
Manager
IT Team Leader
Information Management / Information Technology Operations
Officer
▫ Manager, Application Development
▫ Business Analyst
Results of an informal
email-based consultation
with Government of Canada
human resources
professionals
Survey Email
Hello [NAME],
I am emailing because I am preparing a conference presentation for the
Canadian Library Association's 2013 Conference on opportunities for
library and information science graduates (people with either Library
Technician college diplomas or Master's degrees in Library and Information
Science) outside of traditional library settings.
What advice would you, as an HR professional, provide to someone who
was attempting to transition to a new type of role and highlight their
transferrable competencies?
In my presentation I will be providing some analysis of the competencies in
Government of Canada job advertisements compared to Library job
advertisements found on Librarian job boards. I would like to include some
advice from Government of Canada HR professions to give some insight on
how resumes are vetted and what types of information is helpful in
applicants' resumes and cover letters. All advice that I receive will be
presented anonymously.
Thank you,
Melissa
Response Overview
Email Question Response Rate
19%
Response Received
No Response
81%
Response Overview
• 13 / 23 responses were redirects or non-responses:
▫ 7 redirects (usually to the Public Service Commission)
▫ 8 focused on Librarian or “LS Group” jobs
• “I have not been involved in the staffing of the librarian
position ...”
• “Unfortunately, I am not in a position to give you any
advice as I only staffed once an LS position and it was
temporarily, therefore I think you would get more
accurate information probably from Library and
Archives and also from the Library of the Parliament.”
• “I'm not too sure if any of our positions would be of
interest for graduates with the education noted below”
Address the Statement of Merit
Criteria
• “I would say the most important
thing to know is that you need to
match your resume/cover letter
to the Statement of Merit
Criteria (SOMC) that is provided
with the job advertisement. The
first stage of a government
hiring process is the screening of
the resumes and if the resume
does not indicate clearly that
they meet the Essential
Qualifications the individual will
be screened out and not given
further consideration.”
Be Detailed and Specific
• “Because all appointments must be based on merit, the
manager cannot hire someone unless that individual has
demonstrated that they meet all the criteria. Providing a
detailed and clear application can help make screening
easier as the manager does not have to go searching
through every line of an application to find the
information.”
• “Also provide durations (including year and month) for
how long a particular experience was done – sometimes
experience criteria are further defined by depth and
breadth (ie at least 2 years performing a certain
function) so it helps the manager if an applicant gives
exact time periods for how long they did a particular
job.”
Role of the Cover Letter
• “For the cover letter, this document is very
important as manager will verify the details on the
education and the experience therefore applicants
must clearly demonstrate on their application that
they meet all the essential criteria and are within the
area of selection.”
• “Cover letters are not necessary unless specified in
the "Poster" on the web (www.jobs.gc.ca) which is
the media we use for all external posting.(You will
find tools there which help candidates with their
application). The reason many managers do not ask
for a cover letter, is because, unlike the private
sector we must consider every candidate who has
submitted a résumé which can be tedious.”
Public Sector / Private Sector
Differences
• “With regards to competencies the government
puts more emphasis on the experience factor as
government employment differs from the private
sector. As you will see many competencies that
apply to private sector jobs, these are not similar
in government jobs. When talking about
competencies these are more prevalent in more
management positions as they are evaluated on
specific competencies.”
Understand the Public Sector
Recruitment Process
• Apply for the position following the instructions (often an
online form on the jobs.gc.ca website)
• Initial screening based on essential qualifications
• Additional screening based on asset qualifications (depending
on number of applications received)
• Invitation to testing, exams, interviews, language testing
• Reference checks
• Alternative recruitment procedures: “Bridging” (http://jobsemplois.gc.ca/stud-etud/jobs-postes-eng.htm)
Transitioning into a New Profession
• “Regarding advice for someone
transitioning: before I moved over to
HR, I did find it hard to get a job
outside of my previous profession. I
had to really examine all of my skills
and experiences to find the
transferable competencies. An
individual wanting to change careers
should be prepared to work at a lower
level for awhile as they will need to
work their way back up in the new
profession.”
Current “In Demand” Jobs
• Current "in demand" position within the Public
Service mostly refer to "information
management". Positions within the Federal
Government for Librarian are within the LS
group and are rare, Information Management
positions are either from the CR, AS or PM
group. I've enclosed the link to their definitions
below.
▫ EB: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/cla/def/LSeng.asp
▫ CR: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/cla/def/CReng.asp
▫ AS: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/cla/def/ASeng.asp
▫ PM: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/cla/def/PMeng.asp
Further Information
• Article “Library and
Information Science (LIS)
Transferrable
Competencies”
forthcoming in
Partnership: The
Canadian Journal of
Library and Information
Practice and Research
Pictures
•
Newmann’s Famous Road Show. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1994001627/PP/
•
Newmann the Great. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1993000275/PP/
•
Charles Frohman presents William Gillette in his new four act drama, Sherlock Holmes. Retrieved from
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1994000869/PP/
•
Kellar. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1993000266/PP/
•
Champagne and oysters. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1994001781/PP/
•
Chas. H. Kabrich, the only bike-chute aeronaut novel and thrilling, bicycle parachute act in mid-air. Retrieved from
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1994000869/PP/
•
David Belasco’s comedy, Naughty Anthony. Retrieved from
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1994001349/PP/
•
Secret service by Wm. Gillette. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1994000869/PP/
•
The human canon ball. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1993000564/PP/
•
Alexander, crystal seer knows, sees, tells all. Retrieved from
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1994001567/PP/
•
Hypnotist and blindfolded woman with angels on stage. Retrieved from
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/var/item/var1994001555/PP/