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AFSNews Careers Column April 1996 |
Careers
Career educators routinely stress that job seekers need to set specific career goals and devise plans for attaining them. As one such educator, I am the personification of the admonition, "Do as I say, not as I do." I have been more fortunate than most by letting my career happen without such a plan.
Moira Smith, assistant head of reference for instructional services at the University of Miami's Richter Library, is another folklorist who postponed career planning. She says, "I NEVER planned on being a librarian. In fact, I never thought seriously about a career path at all until very recently."
Moira recently agreed to answer a few questions about her background and her career for this column.
Why did you choose to study folklore? What was the focus of your studies and research?
I came into folklore from German and classics; one of the professors I worked closely with during my studies for an M.A. in Latin was doing research on ancient Roman folklore, and I did a mini thesis on the witch figure in ancient folklore and in the Grimms' tales and legends.
When it came time to choose a graduate specialization, folklore seemed a lot more interesting than ancient literature. I specialized in folk narrative and ritual and festival. My other main research interests are the history of the witch hunts and humor studies.
I found the academic life congenial, and I was essentially moving into the professorial ranks by inertia (or so I thought). Unfortunately, when I began applying for positions, I discovered that to land a position as an academic folklorist requires a more aggressive approach.
How did you arrive at your current position?
Early in my graduate career, I started work in the Indiana University libraries as a student assistant to the folklore librarian, Polly Grimshaw. What began as merely a way to pay the bills gradually became a career. After several years as a library assistant, I was persuaded to consider librarianship as a career, and when I saw how much better the academic job market was for librarians than for folklorists or anthropologists, I decided to pursue a master of library science degree (which took one and a half years).
In the six months after completing the M.L.S., I sent out 65 resumes. I also submitted my resume to the job-search services of the annual meetings of the major library associations (ALA and ACRL). These efforts netted 4 on campus interviews, 12 conference interviews, and 2 job offers. When I accepted this position I had 2 more invitations for campus interviews pending. I also received invitations from 4 other libraries to apply for positions.
In comparison, I had no call backs or interviews for any of the academic positions I applied for; in one case, I was told that there had been 900 applications for a single position (in an English department).
I got this job (which I am very happy in) because of my teaching experience, my library experience, and my computer skills.
What does your work entail? How do you use your skills as a folklorist in your job?
My main duties are working at the reference desk at the library and coordinating the library's instruction program. I find the skills I learned in folklore fieldwork are very useful--namely, how to ask questions, and how to listen to people. My ability to do research on topics that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries has also proved valuable. In addition, as a graduate student, I learned how to do specialized and in-depth library research and how to use the reference tools of the library. As an instructor, I gained on-the-job experience as a college teacher. (I took advantage of the support services offered by IU's Teaching Resource Center when I was an instructor, and from them I learned invaluable lessons in how to design a syllabus and use a variety of methods and formats in teaching.)
When I worked in the library at Indiana, we had to cope with computer equipment. Partly out of interest and partly because the job demanded it, I taught myself a variety of computer skills such as word processing, using electronic mail, and getting around on the Internet. I believe that these skills may have been most important in my being hired for my current job. Thus it turned out that some of the most valuable skills were ones that I "picked up" as an aside to my graduate school studies, either on the job or following purely personal interests.
Have you experienced any criticism from other folklorists for "selling out"?
On the contrary. I received nothing but encouragement when I decided to pursue an M.L.S., and I have heard nothing but congratulations since landing this job.
As an academic librarian I have faculty status, and I receive support to enable me to continue to do research and publish in folklore. Andrew Lang, I believe, held a full-time job and still managed to write and publish prolifically.
What advice would you give a folklorist who is looking for work?
Looking for work is practically a full-time occupation. You need to invest time--at least a couple of hours a day, every day, to track down positions, write carefully tailored applications , and follow up. It also takes money--to buy attractive resume and letter paper and to make phone calls during business hours either to follow up on applications or to get information before you apply. Money spent on going to the appropriate professional meetings and on the perfect outfit is an excellent investment. This is stuff that any job hunting guide will tell you ad nauseam. They're right!
Before you begin sending applications out, take a personal inventory. You will find the best things you have to offer an employer are not necessarily your degree, your theoretical contributions, or what you learned in your classes. But if you take stock of all the skills you have used and developed in getting through school, you will find you have a lot to offer that is highly sought after. For example, conceiving, researching, organizing, and completing extended pieces of writing are skills many employers value.
Look beyond what's on your transcript. Did you organize cultural events (even on a small scale)? Volunteer at a radio station? Hold offices in student organizations? Serve on committees? Consider all the jobs you have held and determine which skills you used there can be applied to other situations. (For people who are still in school: if you are not doing any of these kinds of things, find the time to do them. Don't spend all your time on your classes. The extracurricular activities will pay off.)
You will also need to make a conceptual shift. That is, do not limit yourself to the things you have done before. Many people look at a job description and say, "I can do this and this thing that they ask for, but I've never done this other thing before, and I don't have all the skills and qualifications they list, so I won't apply." (I know, I used to do exactly the same thing.) Every job worth having involves a mix of familiar tasks and others that are partially new or even totally unfamiliar. For example, perhaps you have never put a newsletter together before. Although the job description includes this task, you will not necessarily be automatically disqualified. You can stretch the experience and skills you already have to accomplish new tasks.
You should also take advantage of any opportunities you have to acquire computer skills and familiarity with the Internet. Even though an academic can get by without these skills, in the world at large people who are comfortable with them are highly sought after. You DO NOT need to be an "expert" in computers or have a computer science background. Things are happening so fast in this area today that very few people can claim to be experts, and no one is expert in everything. The most important requirements are a certain level of comfort with computers, a willingness to learn new things, and a willingness to show others. Folklorists, with their humanistic background and their "people orientation," are well qualified to do this.
If you have suggestions for future columns, please contact me at Career Services, Lucina Hall, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306 (tel: 765/285-2430; fax: 765/285-3757; e-mail: 00jpgoodwin@bsuvc.bsu.edu).
Joseph P. Goodwin Ball State University