On January 20th, SIM held its very first Career Day. This event was planned in collaboration with SIM’s Professional-in-Residence, Cabot Yu.
This was a fantastic opportunity for students to preparing their applications for jobs ranging from summer positions, to contract work, to permanent positions post-grad! Morning sessions featured Cabot instructing on tips and tricks for resume and CV writing, interview skills, and networking on LinkedIn.
An afternoon career panel featured Information Management professionals from several fields. Donna Bourne-Tyson, past head of the Dalhousie Libraries, spoke about academic libraries and aspects of working as a university librarian, such as research and committee work. Lara Killian, Communications and Engagement Manager at CIHR, discussed the skills that Information Management professionals are uniquely equipped with and how to transfer them amongst fields. Kathleen Morris and Hannah Ching spoke to the dynamism and rapid evolution of working in public libraries and offered students insight into the day-to-day work of public library staff. Laurena Fredette from Libraries and Archives Canada discussed archival work and her work with teams across Canada. Cabot Yu rounded off a fantastic panel by illuminating government work and how important it is for information professionals to engage in continuous learning. The panel concluded with a Q&A period in which students could ask how to tailor applications to specific fields and other questions regarding working in specific fields.
Career Day was an all-day affair, with breakfast and lunch served in the Rowe building.
A follow up event will be held in March in which students can submit their resumes/CVs to be matched with IM professionals in their field of choice for relevant feedback. Mock interviews will also be held, which are both great practice and a fantastic networking opportunity.
We thank all students that attended and engaged so thoughtfully in each session. We also appreciate the participation of our panelists who offered valuable wisdom and experience for students to draw from. We are appreciative of Cabot flying in to Halifax to be with us in person, and to SIM for making this event possible. We hope everyone found it useful and informative for their professional development.
Stay tuned for more details regarding our March career event, and for our rescheduled headshot session!