Best Practices

Making Your Library a Better Online Career Resource

Glassdoor.com

Based on the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, there are five people competing for every job opening. And, according to International Business Times, the average length of unemployment is now 7+ months. This means job seekers in today’s market need to be as informed and prepared as possible for any interview. This is where libraries play a key role for any job seeker.

Whether job seekers need to do research on a potential employer, want detail on industry networking events, are looking for insights on salary or need help improving their resume, libraries are full of vital resources. But in a world with increasing pressure around budget, how can libraries be a better resource for jobs and careers while not breaking the bank? Where can libraries turn to make sure their resources and career centers stay fresh?

Here are a few tips from Glassdoor.com, a website that offers job seekers and employees a free inside look at jobs and companies:

Connect and join conversations with your patrons when they’re not in the library: With more than 400 million active users on Facebook and 75 million Twitter users, you can take advantage of these free communication channels to keep your patrons and your community informed of new and/or useful career resources that are accessible from your library. It takes only a moment to post a status update or send out a tweet.

Take advantage of free online career resources: For example, with Glassdoor’s Library Partnership Program, library patrons and students get free access to more than one million company reviews, salary reports, and interview questions for more than 80,000 companies! So when job seekers come into your library, they can get an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at jobs and companies in the location that matters to them.

Be a reliable ‘how to’ resource: By compiling and granting your patrons access to a wide selection of career resources in one location, you become a valuable destination and partner. As soon as you find an online job resource that offers information your job seeking community needs, contact the online job resource to see if they have a ‘how to’ handout about their site. Websites want users to know how to best use their site and will often provide free informational sheets guiding users through their services or resources. All libraries have to do is ask – let the online resources do the work for you.

Solicit feedback and two-way communication from your community: Take a moment to ask your patrons what would be helpful to them in either their job search or career. The answers to these questions will help you determine where to invest your resources. For example, should you rally for more computers or invite a local author of a book on career advice to be a speaker. Don’t wait for your city’s budget meeting to find out then what your community really needed.

Introduce patrons to online career professionals available to help. Every job seeker is different due to area of specialty, years of experience, education or skill level. So looking for a job is not a one size fits all situation; people can be at different places in life and have different questions about their career. By expanding online access and resources, libraries can help job seekers connect with qualified career experts without having to step out the door.

Glassdoor.com is a free career resource for your library that's helping job seekers, employees and students get an inside look at more than 80,000 companies — including salary reports, company reviews, and interview questions posted anonymously by employees and job seekers. Normally, Glassdoor requires users to post their own anonymous information to gain free access, but through Glassdoor’s Library Partnership Program, library patrons and students are granted free access without having to post anything! If you would like to be part of this Program, please visit.