How to use Scopus to prepare for a job interview
Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at 2:28PM As a University of Michigan student (not after April 30!) I'm lucky to have access to hundreds of incredibly powerful online resources such as Elsevier's Scopus. I will show you how to use Scopus to research the scholarly output of a particular library, so that you can use that research to improve your performance at a job interview.
Scopus is probably my favorite literature searching database for the following reasons:
- It indexes 42.5 million articles. All of MEDLINE is indexed. Most library journals are indexed. Any non-grey literature you could find indexed on Google Scholar, you will probably find indexed in Scopus.
- Unlike Google Scholar, you have complete control over your search. Proximity searches, boolean, truncation, etc.
- Citation indexing and analysis.
- Affiliation searching in Scopus actually works.
That final feature will be the key to scoring points in the job interview. You need to be prepared to talk about their institution. Whether it's a formal question during the "do you have any questions for us?" stage, or something you incorporate into conversation, knowing the institution will do wonders to demonstrate your preparation for and interest in the position.
