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 six months to a year. This person is looking in public libraries as a children’s librarian, at the following levels: entry level, requiring at least two years of experience, supervisory.
This job hunter is in an city/town in the Northeastern US and is willing to move within New England.
What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?
Stability, salary, ability to be in charge (not looking to be micro-managed)
Where do you look for open positions?
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?
Research town and library job opening is in, update resume, edit cover letter to fit job description and town, have a few people look it over before submitting… anywhere from 3-5 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
√ 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
What do you think employers should do to get the best candidates to apply?
Have competitive salary and benefits and be upfront about what those are, be upfront about their hiring process and how long it will take (for example, if it’s a three round process and the first round isn’t with anyone from your library, then say that in the posting or when the candidate is contacted for the first round interview)
What should employers do to make the hiring process less painful?
Be upfront about what they are looking for, there are always things they are looking for that weren’t put in the posting. Being upfront with the candidate about all their needs could save both sides time.
What do you think is the secret to getting hired?
Luck. And research. I always research the town and library before applying, I look for long range plans, I read past board of trustee minutes or town committee minutes, I look on the town’s website as well as look up the town profile on wikipedia. I look at the library’s facebook page and see if they have twitter or photobucket or any other social media presence. Information is power.
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 