MLA Career Center Prepares for Conference

MLA is doing something new this year by offering a Career Center at Annual Conference! Kelly Woodside, Career Resource Librarian at Simmons College, will coordinate the Center and provide career resources, and provide resume checking services and mock interview practice. Representatives from the Central MA Regional Library System will be on hand to let people know about BiblioTEMPS, a regional service to help place out-of-work librarians into temporary jobs. Libraries of all types will also be invited to post jobs and conduct actual interview while on site at the Conference. To that end, Kelly sent an e-mail message asking libraries to post their jobs on the MLA website. Here is the text of Kelly's message:

Greetings on behalf of the Massachusetts Library Association (MLA), which has invited me to coordinate a Career Center for its Annual Conference this May 2-4 in Sturbridge. If you looking for an easy way to let Massachusetts library professionals know about positions available at your organization, we can help! The MLA Conference Career Center is pleased to offer the following free services to library employers:

1. Position Listings:

Advertise your library positions for free online and at the Conference Career Center. We will accept listings for professional, paraprofessional, internship, and volunteer opportunities. We recommend you submit your listings by 5pm on Friday, April 26, but we will continue to accept submissions through the final day of the Conference (Friday, May 4). To submit a listing, please visit: http://www.masslib.org/conference/2007Conference/CareerCenterEmployers.htm.

2. Resume Collection Service:

During the Conference, the Career Center will collect resumes from attendees interested in listed positions and hold them for library employers to review. Stop by the Career Center to pick up resumes as often as you wish during the Conference. Career Center hours will be Wednesday 12:30-2:30pm, Thursday 10am-12pm and 1:30-4pm, and Friday 9:30am-12pm. If you are unable to attend the Conference but would still
like to take advantage of our resume collection service, we can make special arrangements. Of course, candidates are still free to contact you directly, and we encourage them to do so in advance of the Conference, if possible. (If you would prefer not to participate in the resume collection service, just send me a message at
woodside@simmons.edu.)

3. On-site Interview Room:

The Career Center will include an interview room where you can meet with candidates during the Conference. Use of the interview room will be booked on a first come, first serve basis. To schedule the room, employers should contact me at woodside@simmons.edu or simply stop by the Career Center during the Conference. Please note that employers are responsible for contacting candidates directly to arrange interviews. (Resumes collected at the Career Center will include a cell number or room extension where candidates can be reached during the Conference.)

I look forward to seeing you in Sturbridge next month. In the meantime, if you have any questions about the MLA Conference Career Center or our services for employers, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Kelly Jo Woodside
Coordinater, MLA Conference Career Center
Career Resource Librarian
Simmons College
300 The Fenway
Boston, MA 02115-5898
woodside@simmons.edu
(617) 521-2510