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A job description will either be presented to you by a recruiter or it will be in a job advertisement that you are follow up on. 

There are a number of things to be done once you’ve laid hands on a job spec. 

First steps - Research

Improve your knowledge of the firm beyond the short descriptive paragraph that is often found in the job spec. It’s important to have a more sophisticated and informed view about the company and what it stands for (including knowledge of its products, services, location, ownership, etc.). 

Seeing through the fluff

It’s important to understand that job descriptions are often the result of a template cookie-cutter system; this is in some ways understandable because it allows for greater consistency. 

However, this system can hamper really getting to the essence of what the requirements for this role are. This is where your analytical skills come into play; look carefully at the language used, highlighting and underlining the key points made that inform you exactly what the core requirements of this job are. 

A fault with many job specifications I have come across is that they have used ‘impenetrable terminology’, terms that mean something to the writer but nothing to the broader readership. Beyond the cookie-cutter template that has been filled in, you want to dissect, analyse and draw out the very essence of what they are looking for: this will probably boil down to 3-7 points.

These 3-7 points might be difficult to get out due to the use of vague generic terminology or jargon. Nonetheless, if you can pull it apart successfully, then at least you have a chance of understanding whether what you have to offer will really fit.

From this point, you are in a position to assess how closely what you have to offer matches what they are looking for. 

Most job specifications also come with a small paragraph about the company. It is thus good to do some research into what the company is all about (products, services, location, ownership, etc.) so that you can put this job spec into a more informed context. 

I wrote this on May 12, 2014. I want to post it because it is a good reminder for myself and hopefully, helpful to others.

So it’s here, six days shy of the two-year commemoration of my undergraduate graduation and I am adoring the graduation regalia again; yet now I have the addition of the “graduate hood.”  Styled in yellow for my library and information science discipline, and crimson, and crème for my university, the hood coupled with the coloring and long black robe bestow me with the appearance of a Hogwarts Gryffindor. Joyous day…

And then the hangover comes, you wake up and realize that you are 20 grand in debt. Going directly from a full-time undergraduate to a full-time graduate did save time, but was it the best decision? I wanted to actively pursue my MLIS degree so I could quickly go into the profession, but after beginning my LIS coursework, I soon realized that most of my classmates were going part-time and already working in a library. So now that my graduation is here and my diploma imminent, what I am sorely missing and needing is experience. Yea I have volunteered at the local public libraries in my rural town, but I haven’t yet put theory into practice. Does this put me at a disadvantage? Definitely. Still, I did what I did and can’t change it now.

As I sat finishing up the last assignment of my degree, an evaluation proposal, mere hours before the graduation ceremony, my prone to worry brain started to worry. I have a degree, but no real-world experience, what do I have to offer? There are numerous jobs on my “apply for radar,” and I have my degree, but wait… no experience. I have six months to begin paying for my student loans and no job and no experience… So while all these buzz kill thoughts flooded my cerebrum, God called. No, not really, but I did receive a call that was most definitely Godsent. The call was from a distant relation through marriage with a job proposal. No, it wasn’t for a “library” job, but it was for document and records management duties which are, of course, akin. Though it is not my ideal job or job setting, I am in no position for finicky expectations because where do you get experience? You can’t buy experience, take a course on experience, attend a seminar on experience, you have to earn experience. Luckily, I have taken a course on document and records management, so I feel confident in my abilities. Also, I am pleased that a business noticed the skills I acquired from my MLIS degree did not quarantine me only to have access to traditional library job settings. Plumbing businesses need librarians too!

Though this isn’t the direction I want to go, it is a direction which I needed for the present. I know my skills are applicable and beneficial to the company that offered me a job. So, for now, I will enjoy and gain experience from my new job handling the documents and records of a plumbing business and continue to prepare myself for my “ideal” job as a school library media specialist. Along with my new job and acquirement of that sought after experience, I am taking a summer course on school library administration, pursuing certification as a school library media specialist, and applying for those “ideal” jobs. Ahhh, let the relaxing summer months begin!

The takeaways… experience is vital; the experience is experience, don’t pass up an opportunity for experience, and actively seek experience!

Questions:

I decided to share my notes taken from this amazing 1 hour Youtube lecture by Marty Lobdell. i really liked him and his tips, i think they are super effective and cover a lot of situations! i highly recommend it!!!!! wow

but here are the tips and examples Marty mentions, so if you don’t have the time to go through the full hour, you can just scroll down. hope this helps somebody!

Break your study time in chunks with breaks

most students lose focus at 25 minutes

it’s a mistake to keep going once you do, since you won’t actually learn anything and you’ll hate every minute of it

so when you start losing focus take a 5 minute break

do something nice like talking to someone or listening to music

it’s something you practice so with time you’ll be able to work for more time without losing focus

in the end of the study session have a big reward you look forward to

Create a study area

environment highly affects the way you act. Bedrooms are for sleeping, kitchens for eating: you’ll feel sleepy in your bedroom and hungry in the kitchen. So if you have a study area, it’ll be easier to start studying and staying focused.

study in a specific room like an office or school library if you can

if you have to study in your bedroom use a specific object you only use for studying: a lamp/desk. Make it a no-distraction, away from your bed, blank walls area.

 The more active the learning, the better

80% active learning 20% passive

ask yourself: is it a concept or a fact?

learning a concept: understand/grasp/know it

put it into your own words

really think about the meaning of it

relate it with something you already know

teach somebody else. Recapitulate what you’ve learned. Talk out loud even if you don’t have anyone to teach - talk alone. Or at anyone that listens.

learning a fact: memorize it

use mnemonics

Acronyms (e.g. colours of the rainbow RoyGBiv – red orange yellow green blue indigo violet)

 Coined sayings - anything popular or sayings you’ve heard since you were a child.

Interacting images – work even better if they’re weird. Creative associations make you never forget specific details. (e.g. 1 gram of fat has 9 calories: picture a fat cat – each cat has 9 lives)

any time 2 things are highly similar but not the same you will get maximal interference!! USE mnemonics!! (e.g. afferent vs efferent neurons: SAME - Sensory Afferent Motor Efferent)

Be a part of  study groups

others can help you in ways you never thought before

Recognizing VS remembering

never confuse the two

while reviewing a chapter you may recognize concepts but not actually know them

and when you get to the test you won’t be able to remember any of it

so quiz yourself without looking at it

or stop in a page of your notes/textbook and ask yourself what is the concept immediately after and before it

Get your REM Sleep 

get ~8 hours so you don’t undo your studying

this is how your brain stores permanent memories

without it you’re ability to remember seriously decreases

most people don’t even begin to take the advice but it’s simple: sleep better. Do better.

There’s 162 hours in a week. There is time.

reflect on what you are doing with your time and what activities you have to prioritize to succed as a student

Taking notes is vital.

right after the class take 5 minutes to expand everything you’ve jotted down, give it depth.

NOT hours later. You won’t remember half the things you wrote down.

Ask your questions to class mates and teachers.

teachers want you to succeed and it’s more than ok to ask your question in the teacher’s office or in the next class

How to use a textbook: SQ3R technique

Survey Question Read Recite Review

Survey: skim through the entire chapter in a couple of minutes.

Raise questions: e.g. what is osmosis? What is this graphic about? What is a prototype?

it causes you to look for answers and you’ll find the information better once you actually study it after. If you intend to find something you learn it better.

Start studying for tests early.

don’t undo yourself. You should only be reviewing the days before the test. don’t leave it till the last minute!

Shannon Harris (via forbes)

If you go to school/uni and have friends, this post is for you. Here are seven tips to help you balance school and social life. Read on.

Use social events as alarm clocks or deadlines for you to finish your homework, or any school work. If you’re going out with friends on a certain time, do everything you have to do before that certain time.

Know when you can actually do what you have to do. Don’t force yourself to finish everything because that can lead to frustrations that will mess up your work, leading to more work, which is counterproductive.

Use social events as rewards. It could be after you’ve finished exams, or if you have reached a goal. This is what me and my friends do. Even the simple act of getting ice cream after exams is a gift when done with friends.

Never go out a week before any exam. Dedicate that time to studying and reviewing. Nuh-uh. Gotta stay firm on this. You’ll thank yourself.

Use social events as a challenge to yourself. This is something I made up. I study before going out, and make flashcards or type questions. When I arrive home, I question/test myself. If I got at least 80% of the questions right, I reward myself. The reward depends on my current mood, really, but I usually reward myself with reading a certain number of pages of a book (not academic books, please, I need a break).

Make flashcards. You can review these flashcards even when going out. Just don’t overdo it. Your friends might think it’s inconsiderate. I mean, hey, you came there to have fun, put down those flashcards and actually have fun and relax. You had your time, and you’ll have more time for that later. Tip: don’t go out unless you’re done or unless you still have a lot of time on your hands. Be honest to yourself.