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 less than six months. This person is looking in academic libraries, archives, library vendors/service providers, public, school, and special libraries, at the following levels: entry level and requiring at least two years of experience. Here is this person’s experience with internships/volunteering:
Rutgers University, plus several other special, public and academic libraries.
This job hunter is in a suburban area in the Northeastern US and is willing to move anywhere.
What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?
1. Opportunity to use library training
2. Salary
3. Location
Where do you look for open positions?
Indeed.com
Idealist.com
ALA
SLA
Listservs (NJLA, NYLA, BCALA, etc.)
Nj.gov
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?
Usually an hour on the cover letter and resume
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
√ 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?
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?
Place specific responsibilities and salary expectations in the ad.
What should employers do to make the hiring process less painful?
Respond to candidates in a timely manner
What do you think is the secret to getting hired?
The secret is that jobs need to be available for job seekers
Do you have any comments, or are there any other questions you think we should add to this survey?
More questions pertaining to the lack of jobs available in the library field.
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 