Career Day Recap

On January 20th, SIM held its very first Career Day. This event was planned in collaboration with SIM’s Professional-in-Residence, Cabot Yu

This was a fantastic opportunity for students to preparing their applications for jobs ranging from summer positions, to contract work, to permanent positions post-grad! Morning sessions featured Cabot instructing on tips and tricks for resume and CV writing, interview skills, and networking on LinkedIn. 

An afternoon career panel featured Information Management professionals from several fields. Donna Bourne-Tyson, past head of the Dalhousie Libraries, spoke about academic libraries and aspects of working as a university librarian, such as research and committee work. Lara Killian, Communications and Engagement Manager at CIHR, discussed the skills that Information Management professionals are uniquely equipped with and how to transfer them amongst fields. Kathleen Morris and Hannah Ching spoke to the dynamism and rapid evolution of working in public libraries and offered students insight into the day-to-day work of public library staff. Laurena Fredette from Libraries and Archives Canada discussed archival work and her work with teams across Canada. Cabot Yu rounded off a fantastic panel by illuminating government work and how important it is for information professionals to engage in continuous learning. The panel concluded with a Q&A period in which students could ask how to tailor applications to specific fields and other questions regarding working in specific fields.

Career Day was an all-day affair, with breakfast and lunch served in the Rowe building. 

A follow up event will be held in March in which students can submit their resumes/CVs to be matched with IM professionals in their field of choice for relevant feedback. Mock interviews will also be held, which are both great practice and a fantastic networking opportunity.

We thank all students that attended and engaged so thoughtfully in each session. We also appreciate the participation of our panelists who offered valuable wisdom and experience for students to draw from. We are appreciative of Cabot flying in to Halifax to be with us in person, and to SIM for making this event possible. We hope everyone found it useful and informative for their professional development.

Stay tuned for more details regarding our March career event, and for our rescheduled headshot session!

A Wondrous Winter Semester

Now that the winter term is in full swing, we’ve already had some great events and look forward to an exciting rest of semester!

  • We kicked off the term with a beloved tradition, Waffle Wednesday! Hot cocoa, coffee, and homemade waffles were enjoyed by all. Thanks to everyone for such a great turnout, it was wonderful to reunite after the holiday break. 
  • Our holiday fundraising initiative for Books Beyond Bars was a great success! Together we collected 31 children’s books, 19 novels, 4 blank notebooks, giftcards, and donations made directly to the organization. We received contributions from students, faculty, alumni, and the Dalhousie English Department. Thank you to all who supported this effort. If you would still like to make a donation to the organization, the Loaded Ladle located in the Dalhousie Student Union building is a drop off point for donations, or you find more information about donating directly to Books Beyond Bars here: https://booksbeyondbars.wordpress.com/most-requested-donations/
  • SIMSA’s first social event of the term was held on January 16th. Fun was had by all at Bingo at the Forum!
  • SIMSA’s very first Career Day is taking place today, January 20th! This is a fantastic opportunity for students to learn tips and tricks for resume and CV building, networking, and professional development. This event is a collaborative day put on by SIMSA and SIM’s Professional-in-Residence, Cabot Yu. A second part to Career Day will be hosted in March; we’ll come back together for a resume review session where students will be paired with practitioners in the field who will offer feedback on CVs/resumes. There will also be an opportunity to network with a variety of information professionals.
  • SIMSA’s next book club meeting will be held on January 30th. Our book club pick this month is “Elatsoe”. A sign-out sheet for this month’s book pick will be available in the SIM common room.
  • In exciting news, the highly anticipated Information Without Borders Conference is right around the corner! SIM is very much looking forward to the return of IWB and learning from an incredible line up of speakers and panelists. Registration is free for MI students and is open here: https://iwbconference.informationmanagement.dal.ca/registration/
  • Finally, DJIM has also returned this year! The Dalhousie Journal of Interdisciplinary Management is currently accepting submissions. The deadline is January 31st and more information can be requested at djim@dal.ca

That’s all for now- stay tuned for more SIMSA updates and stay cozy!