Please note: this is an anonymous response to an online survey; I do not have any way of contacting the respondent or verifying responses. Their answers may reflect good, bad, or middling job searching practices. I invite you to take what’s useful and leave the rest.
Your Demographics and Search Parameters
How long have you been job hunting?
√ Less than six months
Why are you job hunting?
√ This is the next step after finishing library/archives/other LIS graduate degree
√ I’m underemployed (not enough hours or overqualified for current position)
√ Looking for more money
√ Looking for a promotion/more responsibility
√ I want to work at a different type of library/institution
√ My current job is boring
Where do you look for open positions?
Indeed, LinkedIn, INALJ, metro.org/jobs, SLANY, LLAGNY, LILRC jobline, NYLA jobline
What position level are you looking for?
√ Entry level
√ Requiring at least two years of experience
What type(s) of organization are you looking in?
√ Academic library
√ Public library
√ Special library
What part of the world are you in?
√ Northeastern US
What’s your region like?
√ Urban area
√ Suburban area
Are you willing/able to move for employment?
√ Yes, within my state
What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?
Advancement, flexible scheduling, fair salary
How many jobs have you applied to during your current search? (Please indicate if it’s an estimate or exact)
4
What steps, actions, or attributes are most important for employers to take to sell you on the job?
√ Pay well
√ Having (and describing) excellent benefits
√ Funding professional development
√ Prioritizing work-life balance
Do you expect to see the salary range listed in a job ad?
√ Yes, and it’s a red flag when it’s not
Other than not listing a salary range, are there other “red flags” that would prevent you from applying to a job?
Contradicting job description, short job description, lack of expected work hours, the phrase “competitive salary and benefits”
The Process
How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?
When would you like potential employers to contact you?
√ Once the position has been filled, even if it’s not me
How long do you expect an organization’s application process to take, from the point you submit your documents to the point of either an offer or rejection?
A month
During your current search, have you had any of the following experiences:
- Submitted an application and got no response √ Happened the majority of the time or always
- Had an interview and never heard back √ Happened once
- Interviewed for a job where an internal candidate was eventually chosen √ I don’t know
- Asked for an accommodation for a disability √ Not Applicable
- Withdrawn an application before the offer stage √ Not Applicable
- Turned down an offer √ Not Applicable
If you’ve turned down an offer (or offers), why?
The library would not negotiate pay and refused to discuss hybrid work options during the interview.
What should employers do to make the hiring process better for job hunters?
Stop “ghosting” applicants, especially if a candidate has interviewed for you. Personally, after being ignored after one interview, I no longer wait for any reply from employers. That being said, a short thanks, but no thanks email goes a long way to show respect for the process. Also, if you ask for a DEAI statement, please make sure it’s relevant to the job and not just an expected performance on the part of the candidate.
You and Your Well-Being
How are you doing, generally?
√ I’m maintaining
√ I’m frustrated
√ I feel alone in my search
What are your job search self-care strategies?
As I currently have a library job, I try to focus on the skills I can work on in my current environment. Outside of that, I spend all of my free time doing things I enjoy.
Do you have any advice or words of support you’d like to share with other job hunters, is there anything you’d like to say to employers, or is there anything else you’d like to say about job hunting?
Job hunting sucks, especially for soon to be grads who are ready to get out there and prove themselves. It’s a tough market but keep looking for the right fit for you. Don’t settle!
Hiring Librarians 