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 archives, public libraries, school libraries, and museums at the entry level. Here is this person’s experience with internships/volunteering:
I did one internship in a public library, one in an archive, and I volunteered in a museum archive.
This job hunter is in an urban area in the Western US and is willing to move almost anywhere.
What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?
I think everything I’m looking for could be summed in one phrase: a good fit.
What’s your routine for preparing an application packet? How much time do you spend on it?
I copy the list of required and desirable qualifications and then use that as a template for a cover letter–I try to cover everything on the list in my cover letter and/or resume. I also spend a certain amount of time researching the location to try to determine if I could really live there.
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
√ The interview itself–how it’s conducted, the people i meet, etc.
What do you think employers should do to get the best candidates to apply?
Specifics. Also, so many job ads sound and look the same, when I see an ad with a little personality, it catches my eye.
What should employers do to make the hiring process less painful?
Please please communicate with us! Obviously I want to hear the decision after an interview (which doesn’t always happen), but it would also be nice to know when my application will not be selected for any part of the hiring process. I often put a lot of effort into those applications and have high hopes only to wait months before concluding that I must not have made it past the first cut.
It would be nice if potential employers made us feel like people instead of numbers.
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 