CLA Government Library Network Interview With Tanya Snook, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

The CLA Government Library and Information Management Professionals Network, part of the Canadian Library Association (CLA), has launched 13 Questions With..., a new series on its website that profiles a member of the Canadian library and IM community every week.

This week's interview is with Tanya Snook, Senior Project Officer, Information Management, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Excerpt:

"Career advice – what’s your top tip?
Developing an online presence can establish your authority and help build your reputation related to skills that may not be entirely relevant to your degree or even to your first job. By researching and writing about topics that interest you or in which you may be knowledgeable, you can demonstrate how multifaceted your skill set really is (vs. how it might appear on your resume). Case in point: my LinkedIn profile is full of endorsements for social media, but my work history includes far more web management, analytics and e-marketing. The social media rep has grown from my involvement in the medium and the community, especially ranting away on my blog and Twitter accounts. Those have led to pro bono projects and speaking engagements that, at the time, were entirely unrelated to my day job — another great way to build skills and reputation to further my knowledge base, and in turn my career. It’s important to remember that your current (or first job is not going to define your career; it’s a stepping stone. Whether you blog your obsession with video games or you offer insightful critiques of world events, you are developing a persona and a voice (and probably skills) that can make you even more attractive to future employers. Branching out and demonstrating your capacity beyond the job, through social media and especially blogging, can open up your network and potential future career opportunities."