I have been encouraged by both my Chartership mentor and my manager to reflect and blog about my current job title/description situation. I am somewhat reluctant about doing this.
I completed my MSc in September 2009 and began looking for qualified jobs a few months before completing the course. The job market was pretty flat at the time. I interviewed for a Library Manager role but didn't get it as I didn't have enough experience. However, they offered me an LRC Assistant role which I accepted.
I've been extremely lucky in this role because my manager has been a mentor to me. She always looks for ways to expand my role, allows me to develop my own ideas and champions CPD. I'm so grateful for this as it's allowed me to improve my skills and to learn about effective management styles. My day to day work resembles that of an Assistant Librarian/Deputy Manager. In a lot of respects I am very happy in my role. Our students are great, the organisation as a whole is great, my manager is great, I feel appreciated and valued... thus my reticence to blog about this as I certainly don't want to seem ungrateful!
However, the cold hard fact remains that on my CV I am in effectively the same role (LRC Assistant) that I have been in since 2005. Almost a year after qualifying this is not ideal for me.
Regrading me in my current role would be difficult. Firstly the climate of cutbacks at the moment has affected our institute, secondly it would leave a top heavy team structure of Manager - Assistant Manager - LRC Assistant. Also, I'm not sure if regrading would be just to improve my own situation rather than reflect what the organisation needs which is why I'm not keen to ask for it as I don't want to be selfish!
Speaking to other librarians, some have said that it doesn't really matter what you are called rather it is what you do and that this shouldn't affect my chances of getting a professional role in the future. The fact that I am chartering at the moment also supports the fact that I am doing professional work in a para-professional role. Having completed the MSc there is certainly a pressure to find a qualified job to justify the time, sweat and expense of the course. But that said, we all see management jobs that don't require a LIS qualification anyway and wonder if this is the future?
I know what you mean, I'm in a similar situation at the moment. I do have quite a bit of responsibility within my job for the level I'm at, but the fact is that I am still an information assistant, and don't have much scope to expand the role I have within the firm. I like my job, and I don't really want to leave, but I'm increasingly worried about how it'll look on my CV if I'm still here in, say, another year. Difficult one. One of the things I'm trying to do is make sure I pick up as much experience as I can by volunteering for stuff outside of work - e.g. I'm on committees with BIALL and SLA Europe, and I'm presenting a paper at the CILIP New Professionals Conference this year. Hopefully if I do go for another job, that'll give me a bit more to talk about if they seem concerned that I haven't held a professional post!
ReplyDeleteIt is a really difficult one.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying the same approach as you: I've got involved in projects at work outside of the library, I'm on the UC&R London committee and I'm chartering.
I really wanted to go to the New Professionals conference but I'm going on a two day CILIP course in July and can't have many days leave at that time of year. I'll follow the tweets!
Interesting and reflective post! I don't think either of you have anything to worry about. You are active and involved in your organisation as well as the wider library world and punching well above the weight of your job title. As long as you have the opportunity to convey this in any application or interview you'll be fine. Plus with the economic situation the way it is I think it's much more acceptable for people to sit tight and ride things out as far as possible. I wanted to go to New Professionals as well but am going to HLG instead as it's more relevant to my job....boo.
ReplyDelete