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?
√ Six months to a year
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 a promotion/more responsibility
Where do you look for open positions?
Linked in, RAILS (Reaching Across Illinois Library Systems)
What position level are you looking for?
√ Requiring at least two years of experience
What type(s) of organization are you looking in?
√ Academic library
√ Archives
√ Public library
What part of the world are you in?
√ Midwestern US
What’s your region like?
√ Suburban area
Are you willing/able to move for employment?
√ Yes, within my state
√ Yes, within my country
What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?
Fulfillment from my work, a sense of being a part of a team
How many jobs have you applied to during your current search? (Please indicate if it’s an estimate or exact)
Somewhere between 50 and 100.
What steps, actions, or attributes are most important for employers to take to sell you on the job?
√ Pay well
√ Introducing me to staff
Do you expect to see the salary range listed in a job ad?
√ Other: It’s nice to know, but I also like to know about the hours just as much
Other than not listing a salary range, are there other “red flags” that would prevent you from applying to a job?
Lack of a description of the job. If I don’t know what’s expected of me, I don’t apply.
The Process
How much time do you spend preparing an application packet?
Usually around an hour.
What are the steps you follow to prepare an application packet?
Re-working my cover letter, and then filling out an application and various other requirements for a job.
How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?
When would you like potential employers to contact you?
√ To acknowledge my application
√ To tell me if the search is at the interview stage, even if I have not been selected
√ Once the position has been filled, even if it’s not me
What are your most hated interview questions, and why?
Why should we hire you? I can’t help but think that any other question I’ve been asked gives me such an answer.
During your current search, have you had any of the following experiences:
- Submitted an application and got no response √ Happened more than once
- 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 √ Happened once
- Turned down an offer √ Not Applicable
If you have ever withdrawn an application, why?
I didn’t think I was capable of performing job duties.
You and Your Well-Being
How are you doing, generally?
√ I’m maintaining
√ I’m frustrated
√ I feel supported in my search
What are your job search self-care strategies?
I take some time to rest after each week and do thing that have nothing to do with job hunting.
Do you have any comments for Emily (the survey author) or are there any other questions you think we should add to this survey?
Not at this time
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?)
2022
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?
√ Six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position?
√ Hasn’t happened yet – I’m still looking
What kind of work was your first post-graduation professional position?
√ N/A – hasn’t happened yet
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?
Yes, I have
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about searching for or finding your first post-graduation position?
I may not have a job yet, but I’ve had almost as many interviews in the nine months since leaving school than the eight years before entering school. [survey completed 2/8/2023]
Hiring Librarians 