Category Archives: Other Organization or Library Type

by | April 14, 2013 · 8:00 am

Someone Who is Not Crazy

Librarian working at the Pointe Coupee Parish Parish library in New Roads Louisiana in 1936This anonymous interview is with a person who has been a hiring manager and a member of a hiring committee. This person hires at a

business that hires archivists/librarians

with 0-10 staff members. When asked “Are you a librarian?” this person chose the “it’s complicated” option.
What are the top three things you look for in a candidate?

1)The ability to perform essential functions outlined in the job posting
2)An independent thinker
3)Someone who is not crazy

Do you have any instant dealbreakers, either in the application packet or the interview process?

The only instant deal breaker I have is the interviewee with a bad attitude. In this economy, you may wind up interviewing for jobs that you are over qualified for. This doesn’t mean you will automatically be hired; if you act like the position is beneath you, there is no chance we will hire you.

What are you tired of seeing on resumes/in cover letters?

Typos. Please read things before you submit them. It looks like you didn’t learn anything in grad school if you still don’t know the difference between “two” and “too”

Is there anything that people don’t put on their resumes that you wish they did?

I wish people would elaborate on their relevant volunteer experience. I know, it wasn’t paid, but it is usually relevant experience that can make a candidate seem much more qualified.

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?

Show the interviewers that you are capable of doing the job. Remember to bring your best self to the interview.

What are some of the most common mistakes people make in an interview?

Not asking questions. I am aware that you did research ahead of time, but there is no possible way that you could know everything about a position ahead of time. I don’t ask the typical “so tell me what you know about our organization” questions because I know you visited our website and social media before the interview. But I do ask if you have any questions because I know that we don’t post everything.

How has hiring changed at your organization since you’ve been in on the process?

We have become more selective.

Anything else you’d like to let job-seekers know?

1)Don’t ask for a significantly higher salary in the interview
2)Be aware of what type of position you are applying for. If it is entry level, don’t come in expecting to be running the organization in six months
3)Don’t insult and interviewer. If you don’t like something they have produced, the interview isn’t the time to have a debate. Don’t tell them they have done anything wrong until after you have been hired.

As crazy as it sounds, we’ve had all three of the above happen.

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by | April 10, 2013 · 8:00 am

Be Clear about the Good Stuff, But Also Honest about the Challenges

Judy AndersonJudy Anderson has a JD and is also a 2002 graduate of San Jose State University SLIS.  She volunteers at a Department of Natural Resources Geology Library, where she likes the collaborative spirit. She has been job hunting for more than 18 months, in Academic libraries, Archives, Public libraries, School libraries, Special libraries, and for Non-library work, at the following levels: Entry level, Requiring at least two years of experience, Supervisory, Department Head, Senior Librarian, Branch Manager, Director/Dean, and

Any library work, including paraprofessional.

She is in a city/town in the Western US, and is not willing to move.

What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?

I want it to be a library job or library related. (eg, working as an archivist, record keeper, etc.)
I want the chance to make use of my diverse background as a librarian and library director (mostly academic) and my medical and legal background.
I can’t relocate, so it has to be in reasonable driving distance.

Where do you look for open positions?

Publib, government sites (state and local), PNLA, career builder, college library listserv, and individual business and agency sites.

Do you expect to see salary range listed in a job ad?

√ Yes, and it’s a red flag when it’s not

What’s your routine for preparing an application packet? How much time do you spend on it?

That depends on the position and what they require. I can spend an hour to all day working on an application. It also depends on how much I really want the job.

Since I am forced to even apply for non-library entry type jobs, my efforts aren’t as intense as when I apply for positions appropriate to my background.

Have you ever stretched the truth, exaggerated, or lied on your resume, or at some other point during the hiring process?

√ Other: No. But I have left off graduate degrees if I thought it would hurt my chances.

When would you like employers to contact you?

√ To acknowledge my application
√ To tell me if I have or have not been selected to move on to the interview stage
√ To follow-up after an interview
√ Once the position has been filled, even if it’s not me

How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?

√ Phone for good news, email for bad news.

Which events during the interview/visit are most important to your assessment of the position (i.e. deciding if you want the job)?

√ Tour of facility
√ Meeting department members/potential co-workers
√ Other: An honest statement of the real challenges of the position.

What do you think employers should do to get the best candidates to apply?

Not ask people to list their salary requirements. It says they are looking for the cheapest candidates.

Be clear about what they want. Be clear about the good stuff, but also honest about the challenges. 

List preferred qualifications that are really relevant, not designed to keep people from applying. 

Have a clear job description and information about the company. If people don’t understand what the position involves, or what the company/agency does, then you get a mismatch of applicants and position. For example, I just applied for an archivist job that talks about having a biology degree and being able to go out in hazardous terrain. But the job description was about archiving legal and regulatory information and nothing to do with biology field work.

What should employers do to make the hiring process less painful?

Don’t have people come for an interview if they already know who they want to hire. If they need to interview a certain number of people by law or policy, then just do it by phone. It’s frustrating to spend time and money going to an interview only to realize when you get there that they have no intention of hiring you.

Don’t have people do supplemental questions that have nothing to do with the job. Make them relevant.

Let people know what’s going on. It’s very frustrating to apply for jobs and never hear anything. Let people know if they don’t get it. If there is a delay in hiring, tell them. Be honest in the job description about the timeline or if their is still a question of funding for the position.

What do you think is the secret to getting hired?

If I knew that, I would have a job.

I think age is a big factor. The younger the better.

This survey was co-authored by Naomi House from I Need A Library Job – Do you need one?  Check it out!

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by | March 27, 2013 · 8:00 am

A Failed Application or Interview is Much Less Painful When You Take a Learning Experience Out of It

Kevin MaloneyFaculty of Information at the University of Toronto. A former student assistant at Southern Ontario Library Service, Mr. Maloney is also an ongoing volunteer at the John M. Kelly Library of St. Michael’s College.  He has been job hunting for a year to 18 months, in academic libraries, library vendor/service providers, public libraries, school libraries, and special libraries, at the following levels: entry level, requiring at least two years of experience, and supervisory. Here is how he describes his experience with internships and volunteering:

I was a student assistant with Southern Ontario Library Service (SOLS) in July-August 2011. In that capacity, I provided liaison services to First Nations client libraries, took conference minutes, researched and contacted potential partners/sponsors for SOLS events (including SOLS’ annual “First Nation Communities Read” event), examined the SOLS website for technical issues/areas that could use improvement, and rewrote SOLS promotional documents for redistribution to First Nations band leaders. At one point I even got to personally assist in the move of one client library to a new location!

Before my work with SOLS, though, and while I was still in the full swing of my studies at the University of Toronto, I was a volunteer with Hart House Library in 2009-2011, where I sorted books, monitored the collection for future weeding efforts, assisted in the annual collection development process, and helped maintain the library’s LibraryThing catalogue. Though my duties at Hart House were fairly low-key most of the time, I still took a lot out of the experience. Currently, I am volunteering at John M. Kelly Library (St. Michael’s College), where I assist their Technical Services department in adding new acquisitions to their online catalogue. I also work alongside other volunteers in collecting and sorting newly-donated donated materials for the library’s annual book sale.

Mr. Maloney is in a suburban area in Canada, and is willing to move anywhere. You can learn more about him on LinkedIn.

What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?

1. Relevance to the skills that I have learned and trained for (ie, a job that I know I can do, and do well). This is not to

2. A professional environment that is both accommodating and engaging– a workplace that puts my mind at ease, but at the same time keeps me focused on the task at hand.

3. Having a job within relatively easy travel distance is a nice perk that I do often look for, but it is not a necessary one– I am not adverse to having to travel or relocate for a job.

Where do you look for open positions?

-Faculty of Information Jobsite, University of Toronto

-ALA Joblist

-Linkedin

-OLA Partnership Job Board

Do you expect to see salary range listed in a job ad?

√ No (even if I might think it *should* be)

What’s your routine for preparing an application packet? How much time do you spend on it?

My routine is as follows:

1. Examine the job posting thoroughly, often examining the company/library website further to see how I could be an asset to this organization.

2. Take an existing cover letter file and, where necessary, use it as a template to reconstruct and re-fit a new cover letter for this position. The amount of modification, of course, varies from position to position.

3. Send all relevant material, and keep my fingers crossed. 

I typically spend maybe 1 hour, tops, on an application packet, though this may vary depending on how urgent the application’s due date is.

Have you ever stretched the truth, exaggerated, or lied on your resume, or at some other point during the hiring process?

√ No

When would you like employers to contact you?

√ To tell me if I have or have not been selected to move on to the interview stage

How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?

√ Phone for good news, email for bad news

Which events during the interview/visit are most important to your assessment of the position (i.e. deciding if you want the job)?

√ Meeting department members/potential co-workers

What should employers do to make the hiring process less painful?

-One thing that employers should, I think, practice more frequently is sending email responses. Even if the email is just there to say tell me that haven’t gotten the job, it’s still nice to know that they examined my application.

-Whenever an applicant doesn’t get the job, employers should feel free, when asked, to tell him or her why. A failed application or interview is much less painful when you take a learning experience out of it.

-Where relevant, employers could recommend any other position or organization that they feel the applicant might be interested in, or that they know is looking for candidates with the applicant’s qualifications.

What do you think is the secret to getting hired?

If I knew, I probably wouldn’t still be searching. ;) In all honesty, though, I think the best way to get hired is to keep one’s professional profile relevant, up to date, desirable, and made as accessible as possible. For keeping one’s profile relevant, volunteering always helps, and looks great on a resume! Job searchers should also never be afraid to ask for professional feedback from their peers. Other than that, I don’t think there is any “secret” to getting hired other than staying positive and never giving up.

Do you have any comments, or are there any other questions you think we should add to this survey?

I’m just glad that someone finally made a survey like this. It’s great to be able answer questions relevant to my own job search, and I look forward to seeing what other job hunters like myself have to say as well.

This survey was co-authored by Naomi House from I Need A Library Job – Do you need one?  Check it out!

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by | March 15, 2013 · 8:00 am

Further Questions: What can recent grads do to make themselves more appealing to employers?

This question is from the reader who asked a series of six questions back in December/January, beginning with Further Questions: How Does the Initial Selection Work?

This week I asked people who hire librarians:

What can recent grads do to make themselves more appealing to employers? What is the most productive way to spend your pre-employment unemployment?

Volunteering in a local library.  It provides a needed service, gives experience, and provides a source of recommendations.Subscribe to e-lists, e.g., Autocat if a cataloguer.
- J. McRee (Mac) Elrod, Special Libraries Catalouging

Marleah AugustineIf you can track down a volunteer position in a library (any library), that helps. From my experience hiring support staff, it’s nice to see regular patrons apply for jobs within the library. For that time between graduation and employment, it helps also to stay up with current events in the library field. Sometimes questions like that come up in an interview, or you can name-drop something relelvant in the field. Read blogs, Library Journal, etc. If it fits within your budget, go to a library conference (state, regional) and network with folks there. My director always says that the most valuable part of any conference he’s been to is the connections he makes with other people and the conversations that happen between the planned sessions.

- Marleah Augustine, Adult Department Librarian at Hays Public Library

Christine Hage - Dark backgroundThe most productive thing a person can do before they graduate is to get some experience.  Work as a substitute librarian if you can get a position.  Work at a library circ desk.  Volunteer at the library to do anything.  What you want is to be able to say you have library experience when you interview.

Frankly, when I’m interviewing for Librarian I’s I prefer if they are fresh out of school.  I can train them “my way”.  Also new grads have fresher skills (web user interface, web design, natives to mobile devices, etc.).  New grads can be helpful in training more experienced  staff about new techniques in information technology.

At the job interview make sure you can show the relevance of your work experience and schooling to the job at hand.  Don’t be afraid to say things like “I can’t wait to be a real librarian and to put into practice my fresh degree and recent experience.”  Your enthusiasm can be a real plus in the job interview situation.

- Christine Hage, Director, Rochester Hills Public Library
Join the local chapter of your Library Association, e.g. SLA and become involved. Attend meetings, join a committee. ACT AS IF you were working. Become a contributing member of the local library community. You have to show up and let people see your face. They will be more likely to hire you if they know you.
- Jaye Lapachet, Manager of Library Services, Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass LLP

Thank you as always to our contributors for their time and insight.  If you’re someone who hires librarians and are interested in participating in this feature, please contact me.

Thank YOU for reading!  If you can comment here, you can comment anywhere.

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by | March 14, 2013 · 8:00 am

I Think to Myself That This Could be Someone’s Dream Job

Ashley Stevens is a 2011 graduate of the joint M.A./M.L.I.S. program at the University of South Carolina.  Currently, she works as an Archives Technician for the National Archives in Philadelphia as a part of the Reference and Education departments. Upon graduation, she worked as a contract Archives Technician for one year at Death Valley National Park. Prior to being hired at NARA (within the last two months), she had been looking for a new position for six months to a year, in Academic libraries, Archives, Library vendors/service providers, Public libraries, and Special libraries, at the following levels: entry level and requiring at least two years of experience. Here is how she describes her internship/volunteering experience:

I interned at the National Archives and Records Administration for a summer.  And, I volunteered for a couple of months after graduating and I had not job.  I volunteered in order to remain active in the field and make connections.

Prior to being hired, Ms. Stevens was in a city/town in the Southern US and was willing to move anywhere. To learn more about her, check out her website at http://www.ashleydstevens.com.

What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?

I ask myself a series of questions when looking at job announcements.
1.) Do I have the skills to do this job?
2.) Would I like to do this job?
3.) How much does this job pay?

These aren’t ranked in the order that I ask myself these questions. But, question #2 is VERY important to me. Unlike most archivists, I like doing reference as well as any educational and outreach stuff. If a job includes some aspect of that I’m more likely to apply to the job. I do my research on the institution to get a sense of the environment. If they support it and do frequent activities or events I’ll definitely apply.

The other part to this question is I don’t waste my time applying for jobs that, if they called me, I would not take or I would begrudgingly take if I had no other options. It only increases the challenge for me to really sell that I want the job in the cover letter. And, do the same song and dance if I got an interview. More importantly, I think to myself that this could be someone’s dream job. It could be exactly what they want to do and, if I got the job, I would deign to take it.

Where do you look for open positions?

ALA Joblist
Graduate School listservs
Professional listerv (SAA)
Archives Gig
INALJ.com
USAJobs.gov

Do you expect to see salary range listed in a job ad?

√ Yes, and it’s a red flag when it’s not

What’s your routine for preparing an application packet? How much time do you spend on it?

First, I print the job announcement, read it closely, and make general notes about what skills apply to jobs I have had previously. Then, with my detailed long resume, I look over all the jobs I have and determine which ones could apply to this job. Next, I edit each bullet point to reflect the appropriate experience and to use the job announcement’s key words. That can take anywhere from 30 mins to 60 mins on the resume alone.

After the resume, I work on the cover letter. If I have some time before the announcement closes, I will do a two-day session on the cover letter. I’ll start drafting it (not big in outlining that’s a personal preference). I could spend anywhere from 45 mins to an hour. Then on day two, I’ll review what I wrote and then fine tune it, edit it, polish it, in some cases completely redo it. Sometimes, this step can take a little longer than the first session but never longer than 1 1/2 hrs.

Before I send the resume and cover letter, I review it one final time. Making sure to read the text out loud. Sometimes, I find that hearing it read out loud can help me determine any grammatical errors.

Then I submit it.

Have you ever stretched the truth, exaggerated, or lied on your resume, or at some other point during the hiring process?

√ No

When would you like employers to contact you?

√ To tell me if I have or have not been selected to move on to the interview stage
√ Once the position has been filled, even if it’s not me

How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?

√ Phone for good news, email for bad news

Which events during the interview/visit are most important to your assessment of the position (i.e. deciding if you want the job)?

√ Tour of facility
√ Meeting department members/potential co-workers

What do you think employers should do to get the best candidates to apply?

Offering incentives would help. I know that archives/library jobs aren’t the highest paying jobs in the world. If the salary is kind of crappy, add some incentives like professional development. If there is a local organization that doesn’t have extremely high membership fees, an employer could offer to pay the membership fees. Show that you have other things to offer if the salary isn’t the highest.

As a side note, get a sense of the field. Marketing a job as entry-level but requiring 5 years of experience is a huge slap in the face and an insult to job hunters. It discourages potential candidates who may not have that many years of experience AND an insult to potential candidates who may have the required years of experience but can’t afford to take such a cut in pay. Be realistic with your expectations.

What should employers do to make the hiring process less painful?

Either on the job announcement or during the online application process (if there is one) a estimated time line of what will happen next.

For example:

Job Announcement closes on September 1, 2012 at 5 p.m.
Review of Applications begins immediately
Selections will be made and Candidates notified 2 weeks after close of job announcement
Interview of candidates: 1-2 weeks
Follow up interview, if needed
Final Selection: 6 weeks after close of of job announcement.

I’m sure this could be better worded but this would give a potential job hunter an idea of the process and how long HR/the hiring department estimates the process should take. I know some HR/hiring departments would be hesitant to do such a thing but I think adding a disclaimer that its an estimate could alleviate that as well as call from job hunters wanting to know what happen to their application.

What do you think is the secret to getting hired?

Be flexible (in terms of geographical location and the type of job) For example, I took a full-time 1 year contract archives position that was great for getting experience and getting my foot in the door. I landed my first permanent position about 2 months after that ended. And, it was due by and large to that contract position.

Be creative (think broadly about your skill sets) The perfect job for you may or may not be labeled “archivist” or “librarian” but require the skills that you have and, more importantly, that you enjoy doing.

Be smart (in terms of making future plans) This is especially geared toward current students or individuals considering going to library school. Save, save, save! The economy is tough and there are a lot of people vying for the same pool of jobs. If you can, save money if you can and while you can in school. I entered grad school right when the economy was starting to go down. That’s when I decided to start saving my money. Lucky for me, I had a nice cushion when I graduated. So, I wasn’t immediately in panic mode of “I need a job now to pay my bills.”

Do you have any comments, or are there any other questions you think we should add to this survey?

Nope, glad that you guys are doing this!

This survey was co-authored by Naomi House from I Need A Library Job – Do you need one?  Check it out!

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by | March 8, 2013 · 8:00 am

Further Questions: Does Where You Go to School Matter?

This question is from a reader who considering a second Master’s. For more information on this topic, please take a look at these two posts:

Further Questions: When Should Library Students Start Applying

Researcher’s Corner: Does Choice of School Matter? Becoming an Academic Law Librarian

This week I asked people who hire librarians:

Does where you go to school matter?  Would attending a for-profit school count against a candidate? Do you hire for any positions that require a second Masters? If so, do you give more weight to candidates from prestigious schools?

Laurie Phillips

On if where you go to school matters: – yes and no. We have found that certain library schools tend to produce more marketable candidates. Their curriculum is more up-to-date and their students are more polished and ready for a library faculty position. So, in a way, yes. No, in that if you are an excellent candidate and have all of the skills we’re looking for (hard and soft) and can express yourself well about those skills, then the name of the school on the diploma has no bearing. In our case, the MLS must be from an ALA-accredited program and there are no exceptions to that rule.

On if a for-profit school would count against a candidate: – I don’t know. Would this be for a second master’s degree? I don’t think we’ve ever had someone apply who fit this category so we’ve never had the conversation. It might, but since we don’t require a second master’s degree for any library faculty position, it may have no bearing at all.

On if she hires for any positions that require a second Masters: No, we do not. Several of us have a second master’s degree, but for three of us, it’s in the same field (music), so obviously we can’t all be working with the School of Music. People end up with liaison responsibilities that sometimes have little or no relationship to their educational background.

- Laurie Phillips, Associate Dean for Technical Services, J. Edgar & Louise S. Monroe Library, Loyola University New Orleans

Times may have changed since my days hiring cataloguers for an academic library (professional staff of ten).  Western Ontario was the first one year MLS program in Canada.  We found their graduates less versed in practicalities than library tech graduates.   We tended to favour two year programs.
We valued second degrees, e.g., nursing for the medical cataloguer, music for the music cataloguer, and second languages for all.  We were not that concerned with institutions attended for the subject degree.
- J. McRee (Mac) Elrod, Special Libraries Catalouging

Marleah AugustineI think as long as you stick with an accredited program, you are good to go. I think it also may be a good idea to choose a school that folks who are going to possibly hire you in the future are familiar with. For example, for a while my husband and I planned to move out to the Bay Area, so I chose San Jose State’s online MLIS program. I could complete that while still working my current job, and in the event that we moved there, folks in the library world would likely be familiar with the faculty and the program itself. I ended up not following that path, so I don’t know if it would’ve given me the edge or not.

I do not hire for any positions that require a second Master’s degree.

- Marleah Augustine, Adult Department Librarian at Hays Public Library

Christine Hage - Dark backgroundIt depends on the type of job I’ve posted.  All of our librarians are required to have a degree from an ALA accredited program.  Here in Michigan we are fortunate two have two ALA accredited programs, but one offers more practical public library type classes, while the other is a bit more theoretical.  I tend to hire from the closer school that is a bit more practical even though the other school is more prestigious and my alma mater.  The accreditation is important to me.

I recently got burned when I hired an IT Manager from a for profit school.  Three months after he was on the job I actually called to verify he graduated, because he truly didn’t have the knowledge or skill I expected from a person with a BA in IT Management.  Many of the courses were online and frankly I’d never consider a candidate from that school again.  I figured if he successfully graduated from the school they must be selling the degrees.  I’m less impressed with online degrees.  I feel that the face-to-face interaction with other students and faculty is important.

A second master’s is not important to me, but I have hired people who got their library degree after another masters and that is important.  It seems to me that an attorney, teacher, accountant, public administrator that went back to get a library degree really wants to be a librarian.  The first masters may be helpful, but the library degree is more important to me.  I’ve had two attorneys work as children’s librarians and they were good, but not because they formerly were attorneys.  They were just good librarians.

What really impacts my decision more than anything is the candidates attitude and personally.  Library science isn’t brain surgery and we can teach someone one the job what they need to know about our library.  I can’t change a person’s personality or attitude.  If they don’t sparkle at the interview, when I assume they are presenting themselves at their very best, they aren’t going to sparkle on the job.  The public library is an institution of people serving people and people skills rule.

- Christine Hage, Director, Rochester Hills Public Library
Petra MauerhoffIt doesn’t matter to me at all where you went to school. I have heard colleagues say that they prefer hiring candidates from certain schools, but this is not at all the case in our situation. I have never encountered the situation of having an applicant from a for-profit school, but I don’t THINK it would matter, either.
We currently do not have any positions that require a second Masters degree. I would probably have an unconscious bias towards someone from a more prestigious school…
- Petra Mauerhoff, CEO, Shortgrass Library System

Thank you as always to our contributors for their time and insight.  If you’re someone who hires librarians and are interested in participating in this feature, please contact me.

Thank YOU for reading!  If this is that once in a lifetime, this is the thrill divine, go ahead and leave a comment.

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by | March 7, 2013 · 8:00 am

Fewer “Must Have” Requirements and More “Desired” Qualifications

Man and Hunting Dog: Tallahasee FloridaThis anonymous interview is with a job hunter who is currently employed (even if part-time or in an unrelated field), has not been hired within the last two months, and has been looking for a new position for A year to 18 months. This person is looking in Library vendors/service providers and Special libraries, at the following levels:Requiring at least two years of experience, Supervisory, Senior Librarian.

This job hunter is in an urban area in the Midwestern US and is not willing to move.

What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?

1. Salary at least on par with the area.
2. Benefits at a decent cost and decently generous (e.g. more than 2 weeks PTO, health premiums less than 10% of salary)
3. Flexible time and/or work location.

Where do you look for open positions?

LinkedIn, Indeed, INALJ, SLA Job Board,

Do you expect to see salary range listed in a job ad?

√ No (even if I might think it *should* be)

What’s your routine for preparing an application packet? How much time do you spend on it?

Depends on the size of the packet and the type of firm. For a special library I spend an hour or two on the cover letter crafting to fit the ad specifications. For government jobs more time spent on KPIs and showing where my qualifications fit each position point.
Generally would say I spend 3-4 hours on an application.

Have you ever stretched the truth, exaggerated, or lied on your resume, or at some other point during the hiring process?

√ Yes

When would you like employers to contact you?

√ To tell me if I have or have not been selected to move on to the interview stage
√ Once the position has been filled, even if it’s not me

How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?

√ Phone for good news, email for bad news

Which events during the interview/visit are most important to your assessment of the position (i.e. deciding if you want the job)?

√ Meeting department members/potential co-workers
√ Meeting with HR to talk about benefits/salary

What do you think employers should do to get the best candidates to apply?

Fewer “must have” requirements and more “desired” qualifications. This way people who have say 2 years instead of 5 years but every other desired qualification may apply.

What should employers do to make the hiring process less painful?

Contact us when we’re not getting a shot. Most firms now have emails into their contact databases, it would be easy to send out thanks but not at this time letters en masse.
Acknowledge when things don’t go forward. Sometimes I have had a great interview, the recruiter is very positive, but something happens and I’m not the candidate. I simple, we’ve gone another direction is very useful at that point.

What do you think is the secret to getting hired?

I don’t think there is one, I think it is more of a match. I got my recent job because they needed someone they didn’t have to train much to stabilize a situation. I had worked at the firm in the past, left on good terms, and was trusted by the project head.
If your personality doesn’t match the firm’s culture it simply won’t work and that is really one of the most important pieces in today’s workplace.

This survey was co-authored by Naomi House from I Need A Library Job – Do you need one? Check it out!

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by | March 1, 2013 · 8:00 am

Further Questions: Do You Google Job Candidates?

I seem to finally have gotten rid of it, but for a while whenever I Googled my own name I’d get Emily Weak – Who Pooped? (a “science for kids and grown-ups too” type blog I wrote for a former workplace).  I know I’m not the only person who wonders if overwhelmed hiring managers are really taking some of their precious time to investigate candidates on the internet, so this week I asked people who hire librarians:

Do you Google job candidates?  Or look for them on social media, or do any other sort of online sleuthing/informal background check/personal curiosity assuaging?

Terry Ann Lawler

I have never done that, but expect that others do.

- Terry Lawler, Assistant Manager and Children’s Librarian, Palo Verde Branch, Phoenix Public Library
Not in the past, but now that you have given us the idea :-{)}
One should never post or send anything via e-mail one does not wish known.
- J. McRee (Mac) Elrod, Special Libraries Catalouging

I just about never Google job candidates. I like to rely on their resume, cover letter, and usually a phone interview these days. The only time I think I ever would sleuth out outside information about a candidate is if I had a nagging feeling or question about the person after examining all the above mentioned tradition sources. I think I have only done this twice ever, and I have been on many search committees.
It isn’t that I am old fashioned, and certainly we as employers have a right to know what we are getting. But it’s more that really strange things can pop up in Google, including getting a different person with the same name. Also, I think that we put a lot of ,maybe innocent, but personal things on our Facebook pages that really have nothing to do with our professional lives. Someone might “like” a particular political candidate on Facebook, or discuss a club or religious affiliation. Is this something that could be held against a candidate unfairly? I believe so. I think that would should rely on the candidate’s veracity on his/her resume, and definitely check references.
If one can Google someone completely out of curiosity and not let it affect their professional judgement about the person’s candidacy, then go for it. But I’m afraid that that isn’t always possible, so I think it is best to err on the side of sticking with the professional.

- Sharon Britton, Library Director, BGSU – Firelands

I only look at a candidate’s social media if it is an integral part of their application process, or if they mention it frequently. I will only Google a candidate if something comes up in the interview that makes me think it might be useful. I use an agency to screen applicants, so I might do more background checking if we didn’t have that safeguard in place.

- Jaye Lapachet, Manager of Library Services, Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass LLP

Dusty Snipes GresWell, yes. I Google, look on social media, check newspapers from the area, I am a librarian. I research. And, if I find surprises, I ask for further info. Everyone has a bad day, or a bad boss sometime — just be up front. I have found that I appreciate and value the honesty and candor of the applicant much more than the questionable letter to the editor about the candidate’s habit of Friday night karaoke at the Dew Drop Inn!

- Dusty Gres, Director, Ohoopee Regional Library System

Marge Loch-WoutersI don’t investigate candidates through social media or google although I know lots of my younger colleagues – and even co-workers – do. I want candidates to sell me on their bona fides. We have a rigorous interview process that includes essay questions and a pre-skype interview that really narrows our field and reveals who has the smarts, stamina and skills and talents that best match our position.

In terms of social media, if they don’t list blogs or tumblrs, I figure it’s their business. People need a place to let their hair down.  I find that a strong social media presense or google hit list reveals far more about a person’s ability to “float to the top of attention” rather than be an awesome day-to-day co-worker and savvy librarian.

- Marge Loch-Wouters, Youth Services Coordinator, La Crosse (WI) Public Library

Marleah AugustineI hire part-time support staff, for the most part. I do not do any online sleuthing; however, I do typically check if the person has a library card with us. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means if they do not have a card, or if they have bills, but it gives me an idea about if the person has been to the library at least prior to applying. It sometimes helps actually if they don’t have a card with us, because then one of their first on-the-job training experiences can be making their own card!

- Marleah Augustine, Adult Department Librarian at Hays Public Library

 

Nicola FranklinAs a recruiter I often search for prospective candidates online – most often on LinkedIn, Twitter and also on the library listserves and other library-specific forums.  I only rarely do a general Google search on someone.  My reasons for looking are twofold:

1) to see whether the person has been professionally active (starting LinkedIn discussions, membership of library groups on LInkedIn, contribution to library-related conversations on Twitter or on the discussion lists, etc)

2) to see how the person communicates and puts their views forward in their profesional life and outside of an interview situation (in a reasoned, professional way or with evidence of bitterness or unprofessional behaviour (such as personal attacks))

Employers have to be careful about how they carry out online searches of potential candidates and how they use the information they find out.  It is very easy to get led into making hiring decisions based on unverified, biased or discriminatory information.

Having said that, people also have to be careful of what they post online.  I recently interviewed someone who had been fired from her position for posting on Facebook that she didn’t like her boss and wanted to change jobs – one of her ‘friends’ told her boss about the posting.

These days what you say about yourself, your profession and your ideas, in all of the online fora taken together, creates a major part of your reputation.  This is very important in how (or whether) you get hired.  Even deciding not to participate makes a certain kind of statement and could lead some employers to be less keen to interview you (or visa versa, of course).

Whether each individual wants to be a part of the digital communication world is of course up to them, but I believe it’s important to be aware of the impression that decision makes on others, so that you can make an informed choice of whether, and how, to participate.

- Nicola Franklin, Director, The Library Career Centre Ltd.

Thank you as always to our contributors for their time and insight.  If you’re someone who hires librarians and are interested in participating in this feature, please email me at hiringlibrariansATgmail.

Thank YOU for reading!  As always, your comments are amber waves of grain.

*edited 3/4/2013 to add in Nicola Franklin’s answer

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by | February 28, 2013 · 8:00 am

Job Hunter’s Web Guide: Infonista

Tired of getting kicked around by libraries? Are you intrigued by the myriad of possibilities for using your degree? Want an alternative LIS career?  Today we are featuring the site for you!  Kim Dority was kind enough to talk to us about her blog, Infonista.

Infonista

What is it? Please give us your elevator speech!

Infonista is a blog that focuses on all the different ways LIS professionals can deploy their information skills, in both traditional and nontraditional environments. In addition, I try to bring in information from outside the profession that may be relevant to building a resilient LIS career.

When was it started? Why was it started?

It was started in June 2010 as a way to extend the reach of a course I’d been teaching in the University of Denver MLIS program – I wanted more students (and LIS practitioners) to understand how incredibly valuable their skill sets could be if they took a broader approach to information work.

Who runs it?

I (Kim Dority) run it, but I have to admit (with embarrassment) that I’ve been somewhat neglectful of my blog recently due to other commitments, e.g., creating and managing the LinkedIn LIS Career Options group and finishing off a recently published book, LIS Career Sourcebook: Managing and Maximizing Every Step of Your Career (Libraries Unlimited, 2013). My goal for this year is to be a much more diligent blogger!

Are you a “career expert”? What are your qualifications?

I don’t necessarily consider myself a “career expert,” but more of someone who’s done nearly every type of LIS work in her career and who has researched and taught courses, webinars, and workshops on this topic for 13 years. During that time I’ve had the extreme good fortune to learn from hundreds of colleagues, students, friends, and even mentors, so I consider myself more of a conduit for and aggregator of all the stuff we’re learning from each other.

Who is your target audience?

LIS students and professionals, especially those trying to explore or navigate into broader career opportunities that will use their information skills.

What’s the best way to use your site? Should users consult it daily? Or as needed? Should they already know what they need help with, or can they just noodle around?

I’d say noodle around. All of the posts are tagged by a specific category, so if users are interested in a specific topic, they should be able find all the posts on that topic. My goal is to post weekly, although as I mentioned, that’s currently aspirational rather than reality!

Does your site provide:

√ Interviews   √ Answers to reader questions
√ Articles/literature    √ Links
√ Research   √ Coaching
√ The opportunity for interaction

Advice on:
√ Networking

√ Other: emerging types of LIS career paths and how to explore/position for them

Should readers also look for you on social media? Or is your content available in other formats?

√ Book(s): Rethinking Information Work (Libraries Unlimited, 2006), LIS Career Sourcebook (Libraries Unlimited, 2012)
√  Other: LIS career webinars and workshops for MLIS programs and LIS associations, divisions, and chapters

Do you charge for anything on your site?

No

Can you share any stories about job hunters that found positions after using your site?

I’ve actually never tracked this information so have no idea!

meredith loweAnything else you’d like to share with my readers about your site in particular, or about library hiring/job hunting in general?

Hmmm…. I think I’d encourage your readers to think as broadly and creatively about the application of their LIS skills as possible in order to find jobs, and then continue to keep an eye out for “alternative uses” even after landing those jobs. Given this economy, I believe it’s really important to operate as if we’re all self-employed, regardless of where we happen to be working at any given point in our careers. My goal is to help LIS students and professional create resilient careers, which often means rethinking what we do, how we do it, and who we do it for.

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by | February 8, 2013 · 8:00 am

Further Questions: Are Gaps in a Resume Really a Red Flag?

This week we have the second in a set of reader questions. This person is preparing to leave work for an extended period of time, due to the incipient arrival of twin babies. I’m asking questions of people who hire librarians, and I’m also running companion posts with people who have returned to work after an extended leave. Last week I asked for advice on staying professionally relevant during a leave of absence (and the companion post is here). This week’s question is: 

Are gaps in a resume really a red flag? Have you ever hired someone who has been unemployed for an extended period of time? If so, can you provide any details about how this person discussed his/her absence on a resume or cover letter, or in an interview?

J. McRee Elrod

No.  We don’t even check for gaps in dates.
For those prospective employers who do, one might insert something, e.g., “Rearing children.” That too takes skill and provides experience.
To cover a prison term, perhaps “Volunteer work in an institutional library”?
- J. McRee (Mac) Elrod, Special Libraries Catalouging

Marleah Augustine

Gaps in a resume are not necessarily a red flag, but it is nice to have some sort of explanation as to how that time spent. A simple mention in a cover letter about taking time off for family, travel, education suffices.What gets my attention more as a red flag is if an applicant has had many many jobs that were held for only a short time, and again in that case a short explanation usually takes care of any concern on my part. It’s not a dealbreaker outright.
- Marleah Augustine, Adult Department Librarian at Hays Public Library

Marge Loch-Wouters

Gaps are a red flag if the applicant doesn’t address them in some way in the cover letter (out of the country; position cut during budget cuts; raising a family; unemployed due to the recession). If I don’t see anything it makes me wonder whether the candidate was fired or let go for some reason. This concern is allayed if a reference from the manager at the last place of employment is included.I have hired someone with a substantial gap – she wrote in her cover letter and discussed at her interview that she was raising a family and was now ready to come back into the job market. That person was ready and she was a great addition to our staff and has gone on to an excellent career.
- Marge Loch-Wouters, Youth Services Coordinator, La Crosse (WI) Public Library
Manya ShorrThe term “red flag” has a negative connotation that doesn’t express how I react when I see an extended leave on a resume. I notice it, but it doesn’t make me question whether the person is qualified. What it does it create a space to have a conversation about the leave. In other words, it would absolutely not preclude me from wanting to interview a qualified person. That said, I think the applicant should come to the interview prepared to talk about how they stayed current in the library world while they were on leave (or how they’ve caught up since they’ve been back). Best practices in public libraries seem to change frequently and the last thing an applicant should do is talk about an outdated program, policy or practice. A leave is fine but falling behind is not.
- Manya Shorr, Senior Manager, Branch Services, Omaha Public Library

Terry Ann LawlerNo.  Unless you were fired from your last job and did absolutely nothing for the last year.  I think over all experience in the fields which I need are more important than a gap in employment   I have, several times, hired people who had gaps in their resume.  People will usually explain a gap in some way, like that they started a family, went back to school, took care of an aging or sick family member, etc.

I  have seen this addressed in the cover letters, which, I think is appropriate.  I think it is not important to give too many facts about a gap, but it is important to address it in some short way.  Maybe a line or two to state why there is a gap and to state how you have kept professionally relevant during that gap. If you spend too much time explaining yourself, you take up valuable page real estate that could be used to talk about your awesome skills.
I think the same goes for a resume.  If you have a chronological based resume (although I would recommend you don’t), you could address the gap with its own date and a brief explanation.  For example:
Nov 1994- Aug 1999 – Electronic Resources Librarian, XXX State Library
Aug 1999-Feb 2000 – Long Term Relative Home Care
Mar 2000- Present – Cashier, Barnes and Noble Book Store
Again, I don’t think it is as important to explain a gap in employment as it is to highlight your skill sets and why you are the right person for the job.  Don’t lie about it, but don’t over stress something you can’t change. Focus on what is positive about you and your employment history and what you learned during that down time.
- Terry Lawler, Assistant Manager and Children’s Librarian, Palo Verde Branch, Phoenix Public Library
Thank you as always to our contributors for their time and insight.

If you’re interested in participating in this feature, please email me at hiringlibrariansATgmail.

And thanks to YOU for reading! 

Alice the camel has TWO comments.

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