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?
√ More than 18 months
Why are you job hunting?
√ I’m unemployed
Where do you look for open positions?
LinkedIn, professional listserv
What position level are you looking for?
√ Senior Librarian
What type(s) of organization are you looking in?
√ Special library
What part of the world are you in?
√ Other: Italy
What’s your region like?
√ Rural area
Are you willing/able to move for employment?
√ Yes, to a specific list of places
What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?
duration, payment and distance
How many jobs have you applied to during your current search? (Please indicate if it’s an estimate or exact)
I applied to 20+ jobs like librarian
What steps, actions, or attributes are most important for employers to take to sell you on the job?
√ Having a good reputation
Do you expect to see the salary range listed in a job ad?
√ No (even if I might think it *should* be)
Other than not listing a salary range, are there other “red flags” that would prevent you from applying to a job?
Yes, the type of contract
The Process
How much time do you spend preparing an application packet?
not too much, I have already written it even a presentation’s letter
What are the steps you follow to prepare an application packet?
revise and update the last things
How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?
When would you like potential employers to contact you?
√ Other: when I have been chosen to the interview stage
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?
1 month, not more
How do you prepare for interviews?
I read something about employer on the website and if I have to work in a library, about the library
What are your most hated interview questions, and why?
The questions they don’t do about my certificates and experience
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 the majority of the time or always
- Interviewed for a job where an internal candidate was eventually chosen √ I don’t know
- Asked for an accommodation for a disability √ Happened once
- Withdrawn an application before the offer stage √ Happened once
- Turned down an offer √ Happened the majority of the time or always
If you have ever withdrawn an application, why?
The type of job and they don’t speak about the contract
If you’ve turned down an offer (or offers), why?
I don’t know, because employers don’t call me
If you’ve asked for an accommodation, what happened?
The next time they hire a librarian, they write “the employ must live in proximity of the library”
If you want to share a great, inspirational, funny, horrific or other story about an experience you have had at any stage in the hiring process, please do so here:
During the hiring process all was well done, at the starting time I don’t find account to work with the library system software
What should employers do to make the hiring process better for job hunters?
Pay attention to CV and certificate
You and Your Well-Being
How are you doing, generally?
√ I’m frustrated
√ Not out of money yet, but worried
√ I feel alone in my search
What are your job search self-care strategies?
I try to use different ways to show my preparation and I try to learn something new
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?
I suggest other job hunters to expect a check of all other job hunters’ certifications
Job Hunting Post Graduate School
If you have an MLIS or other graduate level degree in a LIS field, what year did you graduate? (Or what year do you anticipate graduating?)
2004
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?
√ After graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position?
√ Two to three years after graduating
What kind of work was your first post-graduation professional position?
√ Part Time
√ Temporary/Limited Term
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?
no
Hiring Librarians 