On the Importance of Asking Questions

Twice in the past two weeks, I received compliments on questions I asked. The settings were very different, but in both, I raised my hand and asked a question. This doesn’t sound all that earth shattering as I write this, and to be honest, I tend to ask a lot of questions. However, I have to admit I was rather astonished to receive compliments for asking questions. This has led me to reflect on the asking of questions a little more deeply.

For me, reflecting usually involves asking – yes – more questions. It also usually involves a quick Google search, too. What follows are some of the thoughts I’ve had about asking questions. I used to subscribe to the view that there are no stupid questions. Now, I believe there are few stupid questions.

First, I considered why questions are important. Asking questions allow me to gather more information. This is important because without enough information, I don’t have a complete understanding of what I am hearing.

Second, questions also demonstrate that I am listening to the person who is speaking, and am actively processing what they are saying to me. This is a necessary component of effective communication.

Third, questions allow me to guide the speaker to spend more time on topics in which I am interested. I try to use this one very carefully. Sometimes it is not appropriate for me to be guiding or directing the conversation. However, in situations where it is appropriate, I find it a valuable way of focusing conversations that might otherwise be too wide-ranging to be useful.

Fourth, questions allow me to check my understanding of what the speaker has said. Sometimes what I’m hearing is not what the other person is saying.

There are all kinds of situations you will be in where it is not only appropriate to ask questions, but expected. Many of you are searching for jobs. Asking good questions within the interview show those interviewing you that you have given the position serious thought and have done enough research to come up with some questions. Not only that, questions show you are engaged in the process and curious about what might well be your new workplace. Some questions you can prepare ahead of time, i.e. “What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing?” Others will arise from the specific content of each interview.

It is also important to ask questions once you start your new job. Some will be very informal and others will be in situations that you might find a bit daunting, such as your first staff meeting. I came across a Chinese proverb that states “He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.” Please don’t let your fear stand in the way of asking questions – you’ll hone your ability to ask better questions as you ask more questions.

Use your critical thinking skills to ask intelligent, thoughtful questions. Be curious. Ask the types of questions that help move a process forward. Ask open ended questions rather than closed questions. Other places where asking questions is expected are at professional presentations, faculty association meetings, university-wide meetings, inter-departmental meetings, meeting with your supervisor, in the coffee room with your colleagues, and in blogs (no surprise there, I hope).

The timing of asking questions is somewhat less important than most people think. If you are anything like me, you will have the experience of leaving the interview, or the session, or the conversation only to have a great question pop into your mind. If it is appropriate (and most times it is) take the time to email your question to the interviewer, or the presenter, or the person you were just talking with and simply say “I enjoyed talking with you and this question came to mind.” People will be justifiably flattered that you were continuing to think about what they said after you left them.

There are two small cautions I would like to add with respect to asking questions. Don’t ask questions just for the sake of asking questions. People can sense if you are just trying to score debating points or if your question is not asked genuinely and sincerely. Also, always leave room for others to ask questions. Many people are afraid to be the first to ask a question. These same people, however, often have very good questions they are willing to ask as long as they aren’t the first. Accept the challenge to be the first person to ask a question. You might be surprised what a positive influence this can be. However, please don’t misuse your ability to ask questions to dominate a session unfairly.

No one has all the answers. No one expects you to have all the answers. Eric Raymond, Open Source software advocate, said “good questions are a stimulus and a gift.” So I will close with a question: Are you offering enough good questions as gifts?

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Cold Calling - Neccessary or Annoying?

It's me again - the resident library student - must be time to ask for more advice!

Recently, a professor at our library school 'recommended' we start cold calling libraries as part of our job search. Actually, it was more like "What?! Why haven't you started cold calling? You need to do that now!". Regardless of how the message was delivered, it certainly has instigated a lot of discussion among all of the soon-to-be-graduating students.

And when I say discussion, I really mean fear.

Here are a few exclamations I've heard around the student lounge after the cold calling announcement:

• We're supposed to show up unannounced at random libraries and handout resumes?
• Doesn't this make us seem needy and overly keen?
• Do we visit or call or email resumes?
• Do we have to do this? Or is it just a recommendation?
• Isn't applying to a job ad enough?
• But I'm shy!

Another professor mentioned libraries tend to keep cold call resumes on file for three to six months before discarding them. They then encouraged us to submit our resumes over and over again. However, even after being told to cold call by two professors, some of us are still dubious about how effective it is, or even how to do it properly.

Christina's recent post on Job Search Strategies yielded some fantastic resources, but none that really mentioned cold calling. The Toronto Public Library has a page about cold calling, but it is not tailored to library jobs.

So I'm just wondering:

• Is cold calling necessary, or annoying?
• Does your library have a policy for dealing with cold calls?
• Would your library prefer an in-person visit or an email or a phone call?

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Library School Burnout

I have one term left of library school. We are all gearing up for "the big job search" and trying to get back into the swing of things after a long holiday off. The key word of that sentence is 'trying'. Maybe it's just me, but I'm losing the motivation to 'try'.

Burnout. That's what I've decided is my problem. A year and a half of solid grad school - I'm not sure my poor brain will hold any more knowledge or do any more learning.

"Burnout is alienation from work, i.e., physical, emotional and psychological exhaustion. Burnout can be defined as a disabling reaction to an overload of stress on the job [during library school]."

'Running on Empty: Dealing with Burnout in the Library Setting', an article by Tim and Zahra M. Baird, note the symptoms of burnout, and relate why it can be present among library workers. The authors also give the following tips for dealing and overcoming with burnout:

• set and maintain realistic boundaires
• reorganize and reevaluate your priorities
• reorganize and reevaluate your schedule
• know your strengths weaknesses and limitations
• learn how to manage stress (Megan wrote a great post about that here)
• listen to your body and maintain your health
• refrain from being a perfectionist
• don't take things personally
• maintain a positive attitude
• choose your battles and know when to cut your losses
• make time for activities that are relaxing and/or enjoyable
• maintain healthy connections with friends/family
• ask for and accept help from friends and colleagues
• know when to seek professional help

Sounds easy, right? Some of those tips are hard to do when you have to juggle assignments and work and family and personal commitments. However, I do believe taking care of yourself and taking action to remedy the situation are vital steps on the road back from burnout.

A wise woman once gave me the following advice, and now I'm passing it on to you: "Trust your abilities. Not everything has to be done to perfection. You are better than you think."

Of one thing I am certain: library people always stick together and help each other through tough times. I'm sure library school burnout is a bit different from librarian burnout, but I'd welcome any tips/advice/comments from library students and librarians alike about dealing with burnout and work related stress in general.

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Job interview preparation techniques

On Friday, all of my colleagues wanted to know why I was wearing a tie to work. Although I always try to dress professionally (see my previous post), I do not usually wear a tie to work. The reason I was doing so on Friday was that I had a job interview.

Today I'd like to talk about job interview preparation. I'm certainly no expert on the matter - in fact, I haven't even been interviewed all that many times. But while it's fresh in my mind, I'd like to tell you how I psyched myself up for it, and I'd like you to leave a comment with your own preparation techniques.

I did not have much time to prepare; I only found out about the interview about 24 hours in advance. I'm sure this situation would cause some people to panic, but I found it reassuring for two reasons. First of all, it meant the Selection Committee wasn't expecting me to have spent weeks preparing (and I didn't have to worry that the other applicants had put more effort into their preparations, since we all had the same amount of time). And secondly, it saved me a week or more of obsessing over which stories I should plan to tell, which of my qualities I should attempt to highlight, and how many times I should rehearse my 5 minute presentation. So my advice here is to make the most of whatever time you have, and look on the bright side if it's not much.

I was given a topic in advance and asked to give a 5 minute presentation at the interview, so this is where I started. I worked all the way through it, until I had something resembling a finished first draft. Then I put it aside (being careful to hit "save") and started thinking about my recent accomplishments. I've been keeping a list in Google Docs of all the projects I've been involved with since starting my current position, so I went over this list while thinking of common interview questions. Which of these projects involved teamwork? (That was an easy one; the answer was "almost all of them") Which were examples of times I've demonstrated leadership? Which ones involved innovation? When have I gone above and beyond while serving clients?

Once I'd taken stock of my recent accomplishments, I returned to my presentation and found that the break had given me some new ideas. I finalized the presentation and began rehearsing. I kept an eye on the clock as I went through it, then went back and made a few slight modifications to ensure I wouldn't go over the time limit. Once I was happy with the presentation, I spent a few minutes going over previous interviews in my mind, and thinking about what went well and what I'd like to do differently this time.

That was pretty much the extent of it, though I made a point of doing two other things as well: I got a good night's sleep the night before and I had a snack before the interview. Since it was scheduled for late in the afternoon, I knew I wouldn't be in the best frame of mind unless I was well rested and had a full stomach (but not *too* full - I wouldn't want to suddenly become queasy!).

I'll have to wait to find out whether my approach paid off (though obviously there are many factors involved in a hiring decision), but I feel I did a good job of preparing. Of course, there's always room for improvement, so please share any tips you might have in the comments. And wish me luck!

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Seeking Project Management Advice

As a library student (one term and a bit and counting...), I've tried to learn a little about a lot.

Since you can never be sure where you'll end up, I think this class-selection strategy has helped me become aware of numerous issues in the field, and will help me be flexible in the workplace.

I have also been exposed to areas of the profession I never realized I liked. Much like research, management is an area I never intended to get into, but library school has definitely piqued my interest!

Recently I took a short course on project management. As someone with numerous student library jobs, I have certainly done my fair share of project work that "no one else wants to do". Thus, it was interesting to see how projects grow from the start, and how they can be planned, managed and evaluated to ensure success.

What struck me was that project management can be, and maybe should be, a formal process. In my limited student library jobs experience, I have never noticed any formality surrounding project work.

So it's time for the student to ask for advice...

How does your library deal with projects? Does your library employ a formal process for project management? How does this work? What types of training do you provide to librarians working with projects?

What project management skills do you expect library students to graduate with? How can library students and new librarians acquire these management skills?

What advice can you offer library students, or new librarians, who may find themselves managing projects?

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