Monthly Archives: August 2014

This anonymous interview is with a job hunter who is not 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 six months to a year. This person is looking in academic and special libraries, at the following levels: entry level. Here is this person’s experience with internships/volunteering:

Work prior to MLS:
2 years, as a page
4 years, student doing reference work

Work during MLS
2 years, circulation
1 year, business reference/supervisory
1 year, archive reference
3 months, tech services – special collections/rare

Internships:
Business Reference Internship, worked with wiki’s and chat & in-person reference

Paley Center for Media, NY – worked with reference department

Small Academic Library Internship, worked across departments for 1 semester. Met with director weekly, had a series of mini projects ranging from creating & manage budgets, collection development, weeding, A/V, cataloging, archives, and reference services

This job hunter is in a city/town in the Midwestern US and is willing to move anywhere:

after summer 2013 (started looking Spring 2012).

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

Location
Fit
Long-term employment

Where do you look for open positions?

ALA JobList
si.all.open (university of michigan ischool open listserv)
newlib list serv
sla-dbf
indeed.com
glassdoor.com
lisjobs.com
libgig.com
inalj.com (& linkedin)
http://www.libraryjobpostings.org

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

√ Other: Yes, but I will apply regardless.

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

Around 4 days to 1 week on a cover letter. The more cover letters I do, the less time it takes to complete a cover letter. Overall, I do not spend more than an hour or two customizing/updating my CV. I normally finish additional forms beyond these after the fact. I absolutely hate additional sections that weren’t specifically outlined in the job description to talk about.

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 think that my overconfidence is pushing it.

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
√ Other: If I am probably not going to get an interview, but they would like to keep me in mind in case everyone else drops out!

How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?

√ Email

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
√ Being taken out to meal
√ Meeting department members/potential co-workers
√ Other: Informal talks with new librarians

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

Give a due date for applications.

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

More communication for applicants, even in knowing internal deadlines/schedules would be helpful. Waiting for a rejection that comes 8 months later is dreadful!

What do you think is the secret to getting hired?

Already having a job as as a full-time librarian.

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

I think it would be good to know if people are still looking for employment, if unemployed in a library field. And if they are employed in another field in the meantime. And if that field is relevant to their future career.

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!

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, archives, library vendors/service providers, public, school, and corporate libraries, at the following levels: supervisory, department head, senior librarian, branch manager, director/dean.

This job hunter is in a city/town in the Midwestern US and is willing to move anywhere.

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

Salary, Responsibility, Challenge

Where do you look for open positions?

MAME MI, ALA Joblist, listservs, and Linkedin

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?

All of my materials are gathered so I spend 30-60 minutes tailoring things to the specific job.

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
√ 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

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 honest and clear about compensation and responsibilities.

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

Minimize written requirements unless they are key to the position.

What do you think is the secret to getting hired?

Having a vision that exceeds expectations of the employer.

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!

This anonymous interview is with a job hunter who is not 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 six months to a year. This person is looking in academic libraries, library vendor/service providers, special libraries, at the following levels: entry level; requiring at least two years of experience.

This job hunter is in a city/town in the Midwestern US and is not willing to move.

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

Is the position worthy of my degree or can anyone do it?
Salary
Hours

Where do you look for open positions?

listservs
joblists
web sites of well known companies in my area

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

√ Only for certain kinds of employers

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

I read the description a few times and note the keywords. I have a template for a cover letter that I’ll change based on the job description. My resume typically stays the same for every application. I change my references based on the job description.

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
√ 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

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!