This anonymous interview is with an Academic Librarian who has been a member of a hiring committee at a library with 0-10 staff members.
What are the top three things you look for in a candidate?
1) I’ve only hired evening librarians, so I look for someone whose life looks like they can withstand working Monday through Thursday nights every week.
2) I also look for someone who doesn’t look like they would or their references tell me that they don’t call in sick often. When the evening librarian calls in sick, covering for him/her means someone has to work more than 8 hours a day, so we like advance notice when possible.
3) I also look for someone who seems congenial. We are a small staff so we don’t want a diva.
Do you have any instant dealbreakers, either in the application packet or the interview process?
Diva behavior. We have a quite inflexible library director so if it looks like they can’t be congenial and a team player, we save everyone a lot of heartbreak and keep looking.
What are you tired of seeing on resumes/in cover letters?
Nothing.
Is there anything that people don’t put on their resumes that you wish they did?
No.
How many pages should a cover letter be?
√ Only one!
How many pages should a resume/CV be?
√ As many as it takes, but keep it short and sweet
Do you have a preferred format for application documents?
√ No preference, as long as I can open it
Should a resume/CV have an Objective statement?
√ I don’t care
If applications are emailed, how should the cover letter be submitted?
√ I don’t care
What’s the best way to win you over in an interview?
Appear congenial. Smile. Look like you can deliver excellent customer service. Act like a team player. Eye to eye contact. Injecting humor is always a good sign. Look presentable. Our evening librarian does reference, so they must look approachable to our students.
What are some of the most common mistakes people make in an interview?
Asking too many questions about benefits, time off, company perks.
How has hiring changed at your organization since you’ve been in on the process?
We now are required to do background checks on anyone we want to hire.
Anything else you’d like to let job-seekers know?
Look like you are alive. Don’t just sit there and expect us to draw out your best features and traits. Sell yourself!
