This 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 more than 18 months. This person is looking in academic libraries, at the following levels: senior librarian.
This job hunter is in a city/town in the Midwestern US and is not willing or able to move anywhere.
What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?
Location
Dynamic job responsibilities
Evidence of position’s autonomy in relation to overall library planning and work.
Where do you look for open positions?
Listservs
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?
Update vita
Evaluate my “fit” for the position and provide this information in resume
20 hours
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 acknowledge my application
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 do you think employers should do to get the best candidates to apply?
Be upfront with job expectations; reduce the superfluous information in advertisements
What should employers do to make the hiring process less painful?
Be honest
What do you think is the secret to getting hired?
Knowing the right person at the hiring institution;
Presenting your own experiences in the context of what is needed in the new job (selling yourself)
Are you hunting for a new LIS job? Take the survey! http://tinyurl.com/hiringlibJOBHUNTERsurvey
This survey was co-authored by Naomi House from I Need A Library Job – Do you need one? Check it out!
Hiring Librarians 