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Negotiation, Out of the Track for Professional Growth

Dear Sir/Madam,

A very frequently, I meets with many representatives of prestige publishers, vendors from diffident domains. We talk on different requirements, products, specification, features, quality, pricing etc. related issues. I found them, they are very sound in communication and presentation skills. We go through the competition (in terms of Economics) to bring the deal in our respective favor. I analyse there product and try to look for the requirement.   At last before ending up the our talk, I put a general but mandatory question that "I am a Library professional, can your company hire me?" they fell uneasy to answer this question. But, they says that Sir we need a person expert in marketing, communication skills, presentation techniques etc. for our company. Then I tell them, if you could get all the required calibers with the knowledge of Library and Information Science then what will be your reaction? they tells they will talk to HR and senior personnel for this issue. 

It not happens with me only, many of us meets many everyday, so we should talk 'out of track' on the professional growth and development of profession. 

Kindly share your views and incidences... 

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You are right Sir

I am also associate with publisher & book supplier to know the basics of  trade industry.

Librarians can also work n join publishing as well as book trade industry and become self employed.there are lots of opportunities for us to join this industry.moreover we also move to media houses.library professionals can work with many industries with required skills.

 

Bajaj Sir,

Thank you.

It would be mutually beneficial for both companies and candidates. I would like to mention, I have been associated with the consortium, INDEST-AICTE and NIT Consortium. There we go through the product demonstration by highly skilled professionals but somewhere, something always left to cover by them. So, if publisher hire a candidate from LIS domain for bridging that  communication gap between library and company then the result will be something else than today.

Sir, since you are associated with the suppliers and libraries both, then I think you would be the right person to negotiate for job for LIS professionals in these companies, those are specifically based on the education sector directly or indirectly related to our domain.

Thanking you...

Munesh Sir,

People general consider that librarians are not good at communication, marketing or presentation skill.

As a library professional i personally feel that these skill are less available in many of the librarians and that is why people consider not to hire librarians for this type of work. Sir i also found that, (i am not telling to the whole library community,) many of them are less concern to improve them self . So i think to remove this image from others, we should take initiatives and try to improve our self  and develop these skills. Ours and publishers relations are long lasting, if all of us start representing them in a presentable way then i think they will come to recruit us.

One software developing consultancy send me their software which is complete library automation solution,  when i asked them does your company hiring librarians to help you for this software development, he replied no mam we all are IT professionals, and we do not required librarians to do our work, so if they can learn our work, and develop complete library solution, then we can also develop good skills and can become good marketing professional.

I think good communication  and presentation skill is basic requirement in today's era.

Improve me if i am wrong anywhere

Dimple

Dear Ma'am,

Thank You for sharing your views and experience regarding this topic. I agree with your views and perspectives toward profession. We should to be known of everything and presentation skills in addition. We have to follow the professional ethics of high class while at work. I have observed that private automation firm they don't hire any technical person from LIS domain for software development team, they makes software of poor quality and they come to us with proposal/request that they have customizable software, they will customize as per librarian or library's need. It is quite often possible in ERPs. Its my personal experience, they collect knowledge from our side and learn about the things, later they sell the product made with our ideas. So, we need to be more cautious in this kind of knowledge transfer, without any acknowledgment or reference.

Even, the agents those who come to us for promotion of their products, mostly they comes with blank mind and finally they deal with us for selling their products. I personally feel that the Library Professional can work better than they do. If they come out of their bigger fears of communication and presentation. I feel that it's not a problem, It's a fear to open mouth, which is closely related with the personality disorder. I would suggest to all the professional wherever they work, kindly understand the environment and its requirements. There is no need of communicating in English or in their language, kindly communicating in your own language in which you feel easy to put your views and point better.

We need to prove it "Librarians are jack of all and master of all."  I/we are there to share burdens and to help mutually. Kindly feel free to share your views at open dissuasion platform of LIS Links for getting better suggestions and supports. 

Thanking You...

Yes Munesh Sir, Your question seems very valid. But to me it seems it will be good if we take it as part time or free lancing job. 

But the question here I would like to ask, if you want a job with a publisher or with a software company that produce Software for libraries how would you first convince them that you would be an asset for their company and not a liability?

Second question: From a publisher what do you expect as your job description and role and responsibility in the firm? How would you carve out your own niche in the company that specifically looking for marketers and sales person to boost their reach. 

Third thing: If you would want to be a marketer then how would you market yourself to a firm to hire you. This would require a good strategy in which you need to show all the pros of hiring you. 

As most (almost all) publishing firms wants to boost their sales and reach through marketing how would you help them and make them realize your true potential. 

Dear Sir,

Ramanand Ji,

It's all depends on a candidate, how he/she feels about him/herself. It may be you or me or any one. Liabilities and assets these terms are not much realistic in terms Human. It's my personal views generally, I tries to link the things of my environment with the other environment. I have tried to answer of your questions asked by you... please check it

1. Convening to anyone or qualifying an interview is equal. If you are convening to firm for job the result may be in your favor or may not be, but you will get the list of competencies required to work in that particular firm or similar company. An assets always gives some reward/interest to its owner, if your work could lead to the profit index higher of company then you are asset else you know is next... and what to do for it.

2. Personally/truly speaking, I would like to hold the position of Chairman with all the given role and responsibilities, but people may not digest it. So its my suggestion that before approaching to any firm try to explore some weaker links of that firm/company with your valid solutions in advance.  Let me remind you that marketing a bigger field in management, that is purely and closely related with the success of a company. Generally, company pays higher salary to its marketing employees. It's very good, if a library professional can get a such beautiful job.  

3. The questions has already been covered in above explanations and you have also clarified it in your second sentence. 

Last, answer, let  get the opportunity to work I/you can show it. 

Thanking You...

Munesh Sir,

You are right there, they are taking knowledge from us.

you are saying that they come to us blank minded and deal with us and sell their product, why they are that confident, if we are better then them. i feel that because their blank mind start communicating with us in English, and almost of us can not answer them in that language. They is very true that in this era if you can not communicate in english they you will be dumb that is the scenario  and this is the mentality of human being today, that is why we can give them proper response and try to end the conversation with the words like (o.k., will let you know, i have to ask etc.)

Sir i feel that in current time librarians should learn to communicate in english,If this will be improved no one can be better than librarians in an information world, not only publishers or sellers but also professors because they are also ultimately coming to us to get their required information material.

Right Ma'am,

It's true and also necessary to keep communication continue in English or any globally known language. But, I also feel that if a person is not fluent in English then there is no need to suffer, better to communicate in your own language, it may be Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil Telugu, etc. But meanwhile also try to remove this problem by learning and attending the lectures of English language. 

Someone has said truly, "ज्ञान भाषा का मोहताज़ नहीं है " or "knowledge is not dependent on language". But we should need to learn the languages which are important for our environment. Actually, in India  we emphasized much more on English by ignoring our assets, languages and culture. If we see the scenario at global level then we find that each and every small or big country reserve/protect their language and they bound to communicate in their own language those who want to do business with them. Then why we can't? It is customer's right and to be protected in its choice. 

Thanking You... 

Munesh Sir

Completely agree and appreciating statement,   "ज्ञान भाषा का मोहताज़ नहीं है " or "knowledge is not dependent on language".

Sir your this point is also true that

"Actually, in India  we emphasized much more on English by ignoring our assets, languages and culture. If we see the scenario at global level then we find that each and every small or big country reserve/protect their language and they bound to communicate in their own language"

those who want to do business with them. Then why we can't? It is customer's right and to be protected in its choice.

This is not working here because of one strong reason, we are not following one language, although our national language is Hindi, every state and religion is following their own language where as other countries are stick to their National language, like UK, US following English, Portugal - Portugize and so on. If one national language Indian start speaking then we can also force other people who want to work with us has to speak in Hindi.

Thanking You...

Ma'am it's right

I was expecting this point from counter side, that there is no unique language in India. Though Hindi is national language but we have many flavor in each states. We are fighting for our state identity. I don't have much right to state those thing here. This is only a solid reason that a foreigners language is more popular in our country than any of our own language. Now it has become a social status and symbol. Now a kid is starting its voice in English rather than the language of its nation. On the name of revitalization of society, English has completely divided to all the Indians. The situation has become like a foreign country in our own country, same as we are roaming in India without passport and visa. Those who speaks in English they feel as elite among other social classes, even among individuals. Indian citizens should learn Hindi, from their root to make India to capture the market. I do support for local languages but they should be secondary and tertiary in order. 

Thanking you... 

Dear Sir,

Good Morning,

I think many flavor of languages is the strong reason behind this. I am not against the local language, i also love Gujarati and i admit that i am poor in speaking or writing Hindi. But unless and until these local language exist we can not adopt our national language. And this is matter of changing each and every peoples mind and its a difficult task. If every citizen from their end take initiative and start communicating in Hindi then this can be possible. But i think discussion is going out of way.

The main thing is librarians should be more presentable, more communicative and adopt the marketing skills for disseminating their services. Many people says that ours is service industry and we can not market our services, but to aware users who cutoff them self from library due to information available on internet we have to market our product and services, and because of that librarians should be extrovert and start communicating.

And lastly until the scenario change and Hindi becomes one language in India, we have to go with the flow, and learn to communicate in English along with our local language.

Thank you very much Sir

Regards,

Dimple

Thank You Ma'am

Your experience and guidance will work for our personal and professional growth. Yes we need to be firm on our choice of all, need, requirement, and language. Being an Indian, we need to represent our country not like a local, in National parameters only. The summer in short that librarian should be master of all...

Thanking you...  

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