This anonymous interview is with a public librarian who has been a hiring manager and a member of hiring committees at a library with 10-50 staff members.
What are the top three things you look for in a candidate?
flexibility
comfort with technology
intelligence
…As a fourth item, I look for professional development such as conference presentations and publications even for a public librarian. This tells me that they are willing to extend themselves.
Do you have any instant dealbreakers, either in the application packet or the interview process?
indications of bad customer service
lack of flexibility
no desire to extend oneself with professional development
What are you tired of seeing on resumes/in cover letters?
vagueness, I want information
How many pages should a cover letter be?
√ Only one!
How many pages should a resume/CV be?
√ As many as it takes, I want to look at every accomplishment
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?
√ Other: At least in body of email. I don’t care if it is also an attachment.
What’s the best way to win you over in an interview?
Enthusiasm for the profession.
What are some of the most common mistakes people make in an interview?
Being unprofessional.
Hiring Librarians 
“being uprofessional.” Super helpful, because we all have the exact same idea of what “professional” means, right?
Ha ha — this is great! This person is tired of vagueness and wants information, yet his or her replies are incredibly vague, leaving me wanting more information!
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