Networking at Conferences

When I was a doctoral student at UCLA, I regularly attended the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Conference. In addition to participating in the Doctoral Student SIG and presenting my doctoral research, I also attended conference events that offered opportunities for doctoral students to interact with library school deans and directors. At one of these receptions, I had a great conversation with the Director of the University of Arizona library school. After we met at the conference, he actively recruited me to join the faculty at the University of Arizona, which I joined as an Assistant Professor. My networking activities at ALISE helped open this door for me.

Leveraging Personal Networks

After three years at the University of Arizona, my family needed to move to Palo Alto, California. Since I didn’t know anyone in Silicon Valley at the time and there were no faculty positions available in the area, I reached out to my dissertation supervisor, Christine Borgman, to see if she could introduce me to some of the people she knew in the area. She provided me with the contact information for three of her colleagues, including the Library Director at HP Labs, Eugenie Prime. Eugenie was interested in launching an R&D arm for the HP Labs Research Library. After we met, she created a new position for me to build the Information Research Program for the Research Library. Professional networking was instrumental in creating this job opportunity.

Attending Local Professional Events

After more than six years at HP Labs, I became interested in pursuing work that focused on user experience (UX) research. Since this was a shift from the work that I had been doing, I needed to expand my network in this new area. I thought a good way to do that would be to attend local UX networking events. I attended one that was focused on UX Return on Investment (ROI). When I arrived at the meeting, I didn’t know anyone but introduced myself to the first person I saw. That person was a hiring manager at Microsoft. We had a great conversation at the networking event, and I was excited when she followed up with an invitation to interview for a position to work with her on one of their consumer products UX teams. She ultimately offered me a job at Microsoft. Networking at this local professional event was the key to me getting this new role.

Engaging in Professional Activities and Associations

I enjoyed working at Microsoft, but I always knew that I wanted to go back into academia someday and that it would be important to maintain my professional connections and publication record. As a result, I continued my involvement in ASIS&T while working in industry; I found that ASIS&T was the perfect bridge between industry and academia. I also served on the San José State University’s School of Information International Advisory Board for many years. Through my service on the Advisory Board, I heard that the iSchool director was retiring. The news came at a good time as I was ready to move on to my next career opportunity. I was concerned that I didn’t have the traditional career path for the iSchool director role as I had spent the last decade-plus in industry – not academia. However, I was encouraged by other Advisory Board members and by my ASIS&T colleagues to apply. It turned out that my experience of working in Silicon Valley industry was an asset and I received a job offer to serve as the iSchool director, a position I held for ten years. I then advanced in academic administration into the Associate Dean role in the college at San José State University. My engagement in professional activities enabled me to learn about the director opportunity and to get the encouragement I needed to apply for the position.

Key Takeaways

I have never gotten a job without networking. From mingling at conferences to extending my network through my professional connections to attending local professional networking events to serving on professional and academic boards – all of these activities have unlocked career opportunities. Networking has also helped me navigate between academia and industry throughout my career. 

I always encourage people to get involved in professional associations and build their professional communities. ASIS&T has served as the one connection point for me throughout my entire career – enabling me to stay current and maintain my professional connections in the field, even when I was working in industry. Throughout my career, professional networks have created career opportunities for me. I believe that professional networks have the power to unlock career opportunities for other people too. In addition to helping people’s careers, I think the best and most satisfying part of networking is the wonderful professional community and lasting friendships that you can establish.