The Information and Knowledge Professional’s Career Handbook: Define and Create Your Success

• When you introduce yourself, clearly say your name and your organization’s name or your area of interest.  You can take 20-30 seconds for your introduction, which will go quickly.  In order to make a smooth introduction, you should practice it.  Jill (the book’s co-author) used to practice her introduction in her car as she drove to networking events.  She wanted her introduction – or infomercial – to be stated perfectly and to roll off her tongue effortlessly, but without making her sounds like a robot.
• Although you are networking to advance your career, a successful networker makes the other person the center of the conversation.  If you show interest in others, they will likely show interest in you.  Along the way, you will learn more about those with whom you interact and build an authentic connection.
• Ask questions about what the person does, the event you are attending, or some topic you seem to have in common.  Open ended questions are wonderful conversation starters.
• If you have trouble approaching people who are standing in groups, find someone who is standing alone and talk to him or her.  The fact that an individual is standing by himself does not mean he isn’t worth knowing.

Thinking specifically about the SLA conference, here are ways of applying these tips:

• If you are job hunting, consider mentioning that in your 30 second infomercial.  For example:
  • “Hi, I’m {your name}.  I am looking for a position in the Northeast that would use my background in X and Y.”
  • “Hi., I’m {your name}.  I have a track record doing {…} and am looking for a position in an organization that would value that experience.”
• If you are keeping your eyes open for a new position, but are not openly “on the market”, then you need to make connections with people who might know about potential openings.  Figure out who those people might be (by location, subject area, etc.) and then mention that you are looking for people who meet that criteria.  For example:
  • “Hi, I’m {your name}.  Because of my interests, I’m looking to connect with librarians who are in the {  } industry.  Who would you recommend that I should meet?”
• Getting a conversation started can seem awkward, so consider these questions that will surely get someone talking:
  • “What sessions are you looking forward to attending?”
  • “What session has impressed you so far?  Why?”
  • “Is there a vendor booth that really interested you?  Why?”
  • “Which vendor has the best swag?  (The person might even do a show and tell!)”
  • “How does this conference compare with other conferences that you have attended?”
  • “This is my first SLA conference.  What pieces of advice do you have for me, so I’ll get the most out of the conference?”
• Walking up to someone you don’t know – who just happens to be standing by him/herself – can seem intimidating.  You can start with “Hi…do you mind if I join you?” and then use one of the questions above.  At some point, you may want to end the conversation and move on.  If you aren’t good at extracting yourself from a conversation, try:
  • “I have enjoyed talking with you. Thanks for your time.  I need to keep moving so I can meet more people.”  Yeah…it doesn’t natural, but it (or some variation) will work.  If you want to continue the conversation later, make sure you get the person’s business card (or Twitter name) and then follow-up later.

Speaking of business cards, while they are still very important (and you should be coming with a stack of them), more people are using Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn for remembering people.  Therefore, don’t be surprised if you are asked what your Twitter name is and then watch the person instantly follow you on Twitter as a way of staying in touch.

It is also likely that you will find some people sporting QR codes during the conference.  These two-dimensional bar codes may contain a person’s contact information or other details.  The DC/SLA Chapter has had several blog posts in this (here, here and here).

The result of your networking activities may be useful information, pointers toward  job openings, or new friends that you’ll look forward to seeing at future conference.   So go forth and network because – as the saying goes – it’s all good!

In order to enhance Laura's experience at the SLA 2009 Annual Conference, Sylvia Piggott volunteered, on behalf of LMD, to mentor and guide Laura. Thank you Sylvia, we knew would be a great. When Betty Jo presented the award at the LMD Business Luncheon in Washington, she asked only that Laura take full advantage of what the conference offers and to report back to us on her experience.

Report from SLA 2009 Conference

When I applied for the ECCA, back in December, I must admit that I didn’t really think anything would come of it. I applied with my usual philosophy of “it couldn’t hurt to try” in my mind, so when I got the email informing me that I’d been selected as one of the ECCA winners I was absolutely shocked and delighted!

The five-and-a-bit days I spent in Washington DC were a whirlwind of activity. It felt like I’d only just arrived when I was boarding the plane to fly back home! The entire experience was packed with so many opportunities for learning and networking that the time flew by. It probably took me a day or so after I’d got home to synthesise everything I’d learned and experienced while I was there: I’d started keeping a blog shortly before the conference, and I found this a really useful tool for organising my thoughts.

The opening of the conference on Sunday was a fantastic insight into the kind of work that SLA does. I was fortunate to be able to attend the Fellows meeting before the opening ceremony – my Leadership and Management Division mentor, Sylvia Piggott, very kindly invited me along – and it was fascinating to be able to observe the issues discussed around the Alignment project and the plans for next year’s conference.

I was really impressed by the obvious talent and commitment to the profession displayed by the many award winners honoured during the opening session, and it was wonderful to see their hard work being recognised by SLA. General Colin Powell’s keynote speech was quite an eye-opener: I hadn’t expected him to be such an entertaining speaker. He spoke about the value of information and information professionals, and his own dedication to ensuring that his staff had the tools they needed to remain effective in the information age (for example, buying 44,251 new computers for the State Department).

Over the next few days, I attended a number of informative and inspiring sessions. Of particular interest to me were several sessions on effective communicating and presenting –I am aware this is a weak point of mine, so I learned some very valuable techniques from these sessions. I found Sharol Parish’s session, “Speak as if Your Career Depends On It”, especially useful – I took away a lot of very practical tips on body language, articulation, posture, etc. that I was able to put into practice straight away.

I also very much enjoyed Mary Ellen Bates’ presentation on “Creating Groupies: How to Add Value, Make Yourself Indispensable and Beat the Pants off Google” (with a title like that, how could any librarian resist?). The talk was filled with good, practical advice, backed up with some interesting statistics from the SLA Alignment research (for example, the information professional’s role of conducting research on behalf of users is much less valued by clients than info pros believed it to be: our clients actually place more value on making information available to the desktop and creating a culture of knowledge sharing).

The various receptions and networking events throughout the conference were a great way to get chatting to people I probably wouldn’t have spoken to otherwise. The First-Timers event was a fantastic ice-breaker, and it was wonderful to talk to some other non-North American SLA members at the International Reception on the Monday. I made some great contacts at all of the Division Open Houses I went to – I had to learn very quickly to get over my British reserve and just introduce myself to people I didn’t know! It was terrifying at first, but well worth the effort.

This has been an incredible experience: I cannot thank SLA Europe and the Leadership and Management Division enough for making this possible. I returned from the conference feeling inspired by all of the interesting, committed, talented information professionals I had met, and enthusiastic about beginning my career in information. I am so glad to have seen all of the work that SLA does for its members, and look forward to a long and rewarding association with the organisation.

I am so grateful to have discovered the Leadership and Management Division, and am sure that it will be a resource I can continue to turn to throughout my career. I would advise anyone with an interest in leadership and management issues in library and information services to join LMD – I was so inspired by the ideas that came out of the LMD-run sessions I attended, as well as the LMD business meeting luncheon. I have been following the LMD division’s blog for some time, and always find the thoughts of the blog contributors to be thought-provoking. I am looking forward to seeing how this blog develops, as well as how it integrates with the other social networking tools the division is using (such as the Facebook group).

Laura Woods

1. Choose the right groups. Not only those groups that share common interests, but branch out to groups where your target customers participate. In addition, there are networking groups solely formed to refer business to each other.
2. Set goals. Have a realistic goal for the number of new contacts to make at each meeting/event. Most importantly, set goals for the follow-up to any contact made. This could include setting an appointment or lunch date, a follow-up call or email, or sending out some appropriate information. 
3. Create an intriguing introduction. It should be no longer than 30 seconds, tell what you do and how that benefits the listener. You would have to modify that introduction depending on the contact. 
4. Make a good impression. This is not the time for a sales pitch, or a “life of the party” act, but being you and showing interest will have the most value. 
5. Gather good information. Listen carefully for clue’s regarding the life and interests of the person you are talking with. The real goal is developing a relationship that can have future value.

Originally posted in the SSECP blog.

My favorite networking event of the year is just around the corner, and LMD has two conference social events perfect for networking, building relationships, and catching up with friends.

Sunday, 9pm-12am – LMD Open House – Sheraton Grand B
Good food, good drinks, good friends! Mingle with colleagues and enjoy refreshments during our traditional open house.

Tuesday, 9pm-12am – LMD, IT & Physics-Astronomy-Math Joint Open House – Sheraton Grand C
Under the sea, come dance with me! Promises to be a great time.

# 1              (If you don’t know the company)  Tell me about your business?  (Or, if you do know the vendor)  So, what’s new?  (This is a great ice breaker as you’re wandering the floor faced with hundreds of booths and looking for a place to start.)

# 2                Looking back, how have you seen the industry and your business change over the past few years?

# 3              Coming back to today, who do you see as your main competitors currently?

# 4              What separates you from the other vendors in the industry?

# 5              Who’s your target market?

# 6              How does what you do help your clients to solve their business / organizational problems?

# 7              What is the one greatest benefit my organization will realize from using your services?

# 8              Thinking of the future, how do you think your value proposition will change over the next 12 months?

# 9              Where do you think the information industry is going and how will that impact us as your clients and you as a business?

# 10          How can we partner to realize this future?

So … what questions do YOU like to ask?