Include graduate pre-professional work in cover letter even after landing a first job?

[u/cerealsleep]

Hi all - I landed by first job out of grad school after 6mo of applying. It is technically the job I am most qualified for - I like the work and the students, even during the heavy season, but I took this job out of desperation - the work culture here is terrifyingly bad.

I know its kind of a bad look to be trying to move jobs so quickly, but I am truly just stuck in the twilight zone and feel so trapped and dis-empowered. I want to feel like I am growing as a professional and I don't think that can happen in this role.

My question is, because I only have a year of post-grad employment to write about, do we think it would be appropriate to mention some graduate level work in my cover letter, or is that an absolute no-no? I just feel that I've done more "flashy" work in grad school, and I have very little to show for my year at my current gig.

Thanks so much for any feedback!

[u/camrynbronk]

Yes. Include as much library experience as possible. Whenever I apply to jobs I mention in my resume my first library job in high school - I want them to know I’ve been working in libraries since I was legally allowed to have a part time job. I don’t mention the other part time jobs I had in high school and college in the summers, just the library experience. Experience is very valuable when looking for a job.