Virtual Professional Development Presentations

Webinars, Podcasts, Chats, etc.

This page contains links to webinars which were developed specifically to help job seekers and those concerned with career development.

  • Ask HR

    Held: June 26, 2021

    Host: ALA JobLIST Placement and Career Development Service

    Session Recording

    Description: Do you have questions about what employers expect of job candidates and new staff? Do you want to know how to make yourself shine above other candidates? Do you want advice from someone who does hiring in libraries? If you responded yes to any of these questions, then join us for an informal discussion/Q&A session where you can gain an insider's perspective on what employers really look for in job candidates. Hiring managers from academic and public libraries along with Library of Congress representatives answer questions.

  • Library Career Alternatives: How to Market Your Transferable Skills

    Held: June 26, 2021

    Host: ALA JobLIST Placement and Career Development Service

    Session Recording

    Description: Are you feeling stuck in your current job and wondering what to do next? Or are you just considering your career options? If you said yes, then you will want to attend this session. The librarian or information professional skill set is highly transferable and applicable in the rapidly changing information job market. Discover opportunities across industries that allow library workers to utilize their skills in non-traditional library careers — not just in academic, public, or school libraries. Learn ways you can expand your job search and discover the variety of employment options available to you. The greatest strategy for career success may be using what you already know in an environment that perhaps you are not familiar with. You can leave the session with tools to help you feel empowered to land your next rewarding position.

  • Salary Negotiation – Ins, Outs, and In Between

    Held: May 13, 2021

    Host: ALA Allied Professional Association’s (ALA-APA) Salaries and Status of Library Workers (SSLW) Committee

    Session Recording

    Description: In order to be paid what you are worth, and what the markets dictate, you need to know how salary decisions are made, what compensation packages consist of, and how to highlight your strengths. In this session we discuss these topics and talk real numbers. We also discuss the difference and benefits of collective bargaining compared to individual salary negotiations, and how collective bargaining affects pay equity and equality. If you want to be prepared for your next job offer, or your next promotion, be sure to attend this interactive session.

  • How to Thrive in Uncertain Times

    Held: January 24, 2021

    Host: ALA JobLIST Placement and Career Development Service

    Meeting Recording

    Description: Yes, we are in the middle of really challenging times. But that does not mean you have to step back, feel helpless, or exhaust yourself with anxiety. You can move forward with purpose, no matter what is going on around you. How? By choosing to take on a mindset and a series of actions that make a difference. You can handle uncertainty by remembering what’s important to you, uncovering your best self, and committing to moving toward a future that offers possibilities. Join us for ideas in a lively, interactive session on how you can begin to shape a positive future for yourself.

  • How to Advance in Your Career in Times of Uncertainty

    Held: July 22, 2020

    Host: ALA JobLIST Placement and Career Development Service

    Meeting Recording

    Description: Are you interested in advancing your career and seeking a promotion to supervisor or manager? Are you curious about the ways in which the role of supervisor is different from your current technical and professional duties? Are you wondering if you are prepared to manage a team? How can you send the right message to prospective employers about your readiness to move up the chain of command? What do you have to do to move up? Is it even possible in this COVID-19 work environment? Join us to discuss these and other questions.

  • Action and Balance: Using Narrative and Self-Compassion on the Job Hunt

    Held: July 15, 2020

    Host: ALA JobLIST Placement and Career Development Service

    Session Recording

    Description: What’s the best way to convey to a potential employer the active approach you’ll take to your new tasks and responsibilities, if they’ll just give you the chance? What do you do when you’ve heard “no” one too many times? If you are currently job hunting, or you’re afraid you might lose the job you have, how will you contend with uncertainty in the job market? In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn how to use a specific approach to describing yourself in active terms for interview questions and cover letters, ways to actively support your job search (and your career) in times of uncertainty and explore some techniques for staying positive and balanced by showing ourselves the kindness and compassion that we often reserve for others.

  • Wellness: Managing Stress and Taking Care of Yourself

    Held: July 8, 2020

    Host: ALA JobLIST Placement and Career Development Service

    Session Recording

    Description: We discuss signs of stress and how it impacts you physically and mentally. You will walk away with stress reduction techniques that you can use immediately. Leave feeling refreshed and prepared to meet challenges in healthier, more productive ways.

  • Mid-Career: A Time to Reflect and Envision a Future that Excites You

    Held: Apr 24, 2019

    Host: ALA JobLIST Placement and Career Development Service

    Session Recording

Podcast series presented by Dr. Caitlin Williams

  1. 10 Ways to Handle Being Laid Off or Deal with Difficulty in Finding Work

    This podcast, which focuses on career and job transitions, will give the essentials you need to successfully move through a transitional time so you can take steps toward your next opportunity as a librarian or library worker.



    Podcast 1 Handout

  2. 10 Key Action Steps to Take for an Effective Job Search (approx. 16 minutes)

    In this second podcast, Dr. Williams discusses some of the questions people asked while at the ALA 2010 Midwinter Meeting in Boston. She then details key action steps to use in the job search process.

  3. 10 Key Strategies in Preparing for a Job Search (approx. 13 minutes)

    In this third podcast, Dr. Williams discusses ways to develop your personal job search strategy while giving library-related examples.

  4. Career Transitions

    In this fourth podcast, Dr. Williams discusses transitions from graduate school to your first professional position and from one career to another within the library profession.



Additional Podcasts

  • Negotiating in a tough economy (approx. 6 minutes)

    In this podcast, presented by Mary Pergander, library workers are challenged not to assume that higher salaries aren't possible. Mary gives tips for when and how to ask for a higher starting salary.



  • Top 10 Tips for a Successful Job Search (approx. 4 minutes)

    In this podcast, Elisa Topper provides 10 quick ideas to keep in mind when looking for a job.

Updated Dec. 2021