christiana dobrzynski grippe - marac: beyond the resume
DESCRIPTION
Presentation of original research entitled, "Beyond the Resume: Examining Interpersonal Skils as Intangible 'Credentials' Influencing the Hiring Process of Entry-Level Archivists," given during panel "An Eye to the Future: Student Research Paper Session" at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference on May 6, 2011 in Alexandria, Virginia.TRANSCRIPT
ACRL Rare Books and Manuscripts Section Task Force on Core Competencies for Special Collections Professionals. (2008). RBMS competencies for special collections professionals. College and Research Library News, 69(10), 622 – 629.
Gabehart, A. D. (1992). Qualifications desired by employers for entry-level archivists in the United States. American Archivist, 55(2), 420 – 439.
Miller, D. (2009). Professional Sustainability: The Elephant in the Archives – SAA Session #106. Annual Conference of the Society of American Archivists. www.archivists.org/conference/austin2009/docs/Session106_Miller.ppt
Promís, P. (2008). Are employers asking for the right competencies? A case for emotional intelligence. Library Administration and Management, 22 (1), 24-30.
Walch, V.I., Beaumont, N.P., Yakel, E., Bastian, J., Zimmelmn, N., Davis, S.E., & Diffendal, A. (2006). A*CENSUS (Archival Census and Education Needs Survey in the United States). American Archivist, 69(2), 291 – 419.
Job description analysis January 1, 2011 to May 1, 2011
Defined nine categories of interpersonal / soft skills; examined postings for inclusion of these
Online active job postings for full-time, professional, entry-level archivist positions Temporary and permanent positions
Must have “archivist” as part of job title
SAA Career website, various email lists and listservs (A&A, EXLIBRIS, SHARP, DVAG, DUSAA), ALA JobList, Indeed, Drexel and UTexas iSchool websites, ArchivesGig
Inherently “student”-related jobs = internships, practica, volunteer, unpaid, part-time (less than 37.5 hours per week), etc.
Jobs situated outside the United States (Alaska/Hawaii were included, Canada was not)
Paraprofessional positions
Jobs requiring more than four years of experience
Positions listed as “archivist” but did not require an advanced or related degree
Positions that did not list the employer
Work well with others (patrons, donors, and colleagues)
Oral communication skills
Self-management / Self-motivation
Proactivity
Creativity
Enthusiasm
Patience / Flexibility
General (literally “interpersonal skills”)
Other
Soft skills listed that did not fit in any other category
Academic: University
For Profit: Corporate
Government: State
Historical Society
Museum
Non-profit: Other
46 total job postings found fitting the criteria so far.
27 permanent; 19 temporary
(10 additional jobs did not mention soft skills.)
New York: 7; Texas: 5; Illinois: 4; Maryland: 3;
Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina: 2;
States in light yellow: 1; States in grey: 0
Illinois, New York: 3; Maryland, Michigan, Montana: 2;
States in light yellow: 1; States in grey: 0
New York, Texas: 4; Connecticut, Georgia: 2;
All others in light yellow: 1; Others in grey: 0
Category Instances
Work well with others 36
Oral communication skills
34
Self-management / self-motivation
23
Other 16
“Interpersonal skills” 12
Patience / flexibility 9
Proactivity 8
Creativity 3
Enthusiasm 1
Permanent Temporary
Final thoughts
Continue job description capturing and analysis
Refine and distribute survey
Compare results of survey with job description trends
…ways to develop the research further…