Oh hey! This is the sixth post in this new feature on Hiring Librarians. I’ve long been curious about what it’s like to work with someone who provides career services or coaching. How does it work? How can you tell if it’s right for you? How much does it cost?
In this feature, I interview different folks about the career services they provide. Please note I’m not necessarily vetting or recommending anyone – my only requirement is that they specifically focus on the library or LIS field. My hope is that by gathering information here in one place, you’ll be able to decide whether or not you want to engage these services – and if you do, make better decisions about finding the right person or organization for your needs.
All that being said, I’m pleased to present this interview with Jade Koekoe. Jade is an Australian coach. I found her through her website, which is lively, well-designed, and popped up in my top three results when I searched “librarian career coach.” It’s no surprise that one of her specialties is marketing.
Tell us a little bit about your own career path. What did you do before you were a coach (or what do you do in addition to coaching)? How are you connected to libraries or LIS?
One thing you should know about me is I’d rather be busy than bored (a saying from my Grandma). I’m a Graphic Designer, Coach, and Librarian and I do Library Marketing. I started as a Graphic Designer but found the cutthroat nature of that industry so demoralising. So when I had my 1st child, I went back to University and did a Bachelor of the Arts in Librarianship and Corporate Information Management. I remember hours of reading my lecture notes to my then-newborn to help me study.
Fast forward a few years when I got work in the industry, I realised each workplace was excited to learn I had design, web, and marketing skills. Over the years I also learnt about the particulars of the job application process for GLAMR (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums, and Records Management) roles, how to teach people and organisations the importance of having a good online presence, refined my knowledge of communication policies, and constantly dived into the analytics of any and all marketing software.
About 8 years ago, a colleague suggested I create a business and sell the skills I was already giving to the industry. When they suggested that, it was like a light bulb moment, if I had an actual brand it would be easier for people to find me and I could help MORE PEOPLE! So Misskoko the Librarian was born. I don’t make nearly enough money to live off of my business, but for me, it has always been about helping someone get that next job or helping a small organisation get their footing when it came to social media and marketing.
And I’ve helped many do that, which is worth the world to me.
Why did you decide to become a coach?
Suppose I could help someone cut their time in half reaching a goal with their next job, or in marketing their organisation. Then that is time well spent.
How long have you been coaching?
About 8 years and a good 8 years it has been too.
What’s your coaching philosophy? Or give us your elevator speech!
/opens a tab to her website because I like the elevator pitch I have there 😛
A good online presence is everything and I’m here to help you make the best impression you can with yours.
When you are seen, you get more job offers and you get more loyal clients. I use my library and marketing knowledge to effectively get you on people’s radars and help you develop lasting connections.
Because let’s face it, once you’ve connected with someone, they remember you and that’s always good for business! If you want to get a kick start on your ultimate goals, get in touch and let’s find out how I can help you become GLAMRous.
Do you have a specific demographic or specialty?
Well, looking at the GLAMR acronym, I have helped more librarians, libraries and museums than I have anyone else. But when it comes to applying for jobs in galleries, archives and record management there are so many cross-over skills with libraries and museums. A lot of the same language is used in job applications too. There is a reason why we are all usually placed together under the “Information Management” umbrella.
When it comes to marketing each organisation in the GLAMR acronym, some have it easier than others. Galleries have physical items to sell and Museums and Public libraries have such a wide events program that there is something for everyone. Archives, Records and Libraries that aren’t public libraries don’t have it so easy.
I currently work part-time in an awesome library, called the PMI Victorian History Library. I do their Communications and Marketing and they are what you’d call a special library that’s a bit of a hidden gem (I’m working on making it not so hidden!). I am in a position to constantly learn what works and what doesn’t for an organisation that doesn’t have it so easy. And I’m more than happy to share those learnings in a workshop or coaching session for anyone else who does marketing in the GLAMR industry too!
But in saying all that, if you work in GLAMR and need to become GLAMRous, hit me up.
How does it work? What are your services, how do you meet with clients, and how much does it cost?
I am willing to meet clients online and in person, however, in this post-COVID world I’ve found that more people prefer to do online things. This also gives the option of our session being recorded for people to refer back to later. I have separated my services into three sections: for Librarians, for Libraries and Speaking.
For Librarians, I focus on helping you make your job application and/or Online Presence rock.
For Libraries, I focus on helping you build your Online Presence from the ground up or I upskill current staff so you can pivot your content marketing strategies to use social media, video and email marketing better.
Speaking…. Well, it speaks for itself, yes?
Pricing reflects the activity and hours I’ll be working with my clients to achieve their goals. But my hourly rate is $170 AUD.
If someone is interested in being coached, what should they ask in order to find the right person to coach them?
Firstly, I ask people to reflect on what sort of guidance are they looking for: someone who will tell them step by step what is next or someone who will help them creatively achieve their goals? How a person answers that question usually guides them to the type of coach they need.
It’s also important to know a coach’s qualifications and/or experience, what their coaching philosophy is and if it’ll vibe with them.
How can you tell coaching is working?
Whenever I start with a new client we set some goals together. I also encourage people who are looking for a coach to have two or three things they want to achieve with the experience. But overall, if you feel an increased self-awareness, you are changing how you do things at work and you have increased energy at work, those are indicators to me that you have reconnected with your career and are benefiting from coaching.
What are some indicators that the coaching relationship might not be working?
Self-doubt, that is a big one. If you find you are negatively questioning your actions or abilities after a coaching session. You should kindly thank your coach for their time and then discontinue any future work with them.
Do you want to share any success stories?
I had one client who was really struggling to put their value down on paper. They had worked for the same company for twenty five years, and worked their way up within it. In that time, they had not needed a resume to get to the next position or project they worked on within that company.
So basically we have someone who had done a massive amount of really interesting work, but no experience in qualifying it for an job application or interview process.
My client could talk circles around me when it came to the technical side of the work they did. But we needed to work on their confidence in other aspects like showing and not telling about their amazing work ethic and interpersonal skills that made them so likable and so good to work with. After a few sessions with me, they finally understood the idea of writing an application to show the hiring company how each of their skills and talents would be of direct benefit to them.
We were doing all this work on a time limit too. My client had gone for a couple of jobs already and not heard anything back, but they had one more in their sights that they wanted to apply for. They realised they needed help and employed me. With my help, they applied for the job they really really wanted…and got an interview.
They did their interview, came back from it feeling really positive but unfortunately didn’t get the job. However, my client was over the moon. They felt, with my help, it had finally clicked and they had cracked the code of the job application process. They’d been applying for roles they KNEW they had the experience for but couldn’t understand why they weren’t even getting an interview call.
Do you have any top-level advice for job hunters?
Learn to network. It’s really just making professional friends. No matter where you are in the world, in the GLAMR space, especially in libraries, everyone seems to know everyone else. We are a small industry so networking gives you a chance to:
- control the narrative that your colleagues know of you,
- learn from people within your industry
- find people who get just as excited as you about… the abundance of community shaped classification systems that are popping up recently that are much more relevant than Dewey! (yes, this might be something I’m watching with fascination and excitement).
You don’t need to go to networking events to network, it is something that can be done anywhere, anytime. Honestly, just think of it as making a new friend.
Introduce yourself, talk about something you learned recently, ask them about their professional journey, find some common ground. The most important thing however is to follow up, make the connection and keep it thriving.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about coaching, job searching, or life in general?
I usually say the same thing every time to this type of question, I learned it from Hank and John Green and by being a nerdfighter. This saying is something I remind myself of often, because it pushes me to bring my best self to the table. And when I do that, I know I’ve done the best I can, even if things don’t quite go as planned.
DFTBA – Don’t Forget to be Awesome.
Are there any links you’d like to share? (For example your website or other work, or career resources you particularly like. Please try to keep it to around 3)
Sure! Here are a couple links to my:
Products (practical guide for job hunters coming soon!): https://misskokothecuriouslibrarian.com/shop/
Website: https://misskokothecuriouslibrarian.com/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Misskokolib
Redbubble Shop: https://www.redbubble.com/people/misskoko/shop
And LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/misskokolib/
Hiring Librarians 