It’s Staturday!
Have you been enjoying the follow ups with individual job hunters?
Last time we checked in, we had 428 responses. Now we’ve got 543! Here are the year-end
Results!
(As always, please forgive the cut off labels on the charts – this is how Google forms deals with verbosity)
Do you expect to see salary range listed in a job ad?
| Yes, and it’s a red flag when it’s not | 216 | 40% |
| Only for certain kinds of employers | 73 | 13% |
| No (even if I might think it *should* be) | 188 | 35% |
| Other | 59 | 11% |
Have you ever stretched the truth, exaggerated, or lied on your resume, or at some other point during the hiring process?
| Yes | 57 | 10% |
| No | 420 | 77% |
| Other | 56 | 10% |
When would you like employers to contact you?
| To acknowledge my application | 405 | 75% |
| To tell me if I have or have not been selected to move on to the interview stage | 489 | 90% |
| To follow-up after an interview | 353 | 65% |
| Once the position has been filled, even if it’s not me | 480 | 88% |
| Other | 67 | 12% |
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.
How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?
| Phone | 47 | 9% |
| 231 | 43% | |
| 1 | 0% | |
| Phone for good news, email for bad news | 222 | 41% |
| Other | 37 | 7% |
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 | 374 | 69% |
| Being taken out to meal | 18 | 3% |
| Meeting department members/potential co-workers | 491 | 90% |
| Meeting with HR to talk about benefits/salary | 202 | 37% |
| Being able to present | 68 | 13% |
| Other | 121 | 22% |
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.
Demographics
Are you currently employed, even if part time or in an unrelated field?
| Yes | 438 | 81% |
| No | 102 | 19% |
Have you been hired in the last two months, even if part time or in an unrelated field?
| Yes | 123 | 23% |
| No | 411 | 76% |
How long have you been job hunting (or if recently hired, how long did you look before that)?
| Less than six months | 171 | 31% |
| Six months to a year | 146 | 27% |
| A year to 18 months | 82 | 15% |
| More than 18 months | 139 | 26% |
What type(s) of organization are you looking in?
| Academic library | 445 | 82% |
| Archives | 188 | 35% |
| Library vendor/service provider | 155 | 29% |
| Public library | 361 | 66% |
| School library | 90 | 17% |
| Special library | 291 | 54% |
| Other | 129 | 24% |
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.
What position level are you looking for?
| Entry level | 362 | 67% |
| Requiring at least two years of experience | 326 | 60% |
| Supervisory | 139 | 26% |
| Department Head | 75 | 14% |
| Senior Librarian | 82 | 15% |
| Branch Manager | 57 | 10% |
| Director/Dean | 33 | 6% |
| Other | 49 | 9% |
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.
Where are you?
| Australia/New Zealand | 0 | 0% |
| Canada | 19 | 3% |
| Midwestern US | 146 | 27% |
| Northeastern US | 154 | 28% |
| Southern US | 100 | 18% |
| UK | 1 | 0% |
| Western US | 106 | 20% |
| Other | 16 | 3% |
Where are you?
| Urban area | 199 | 37% |
| City/Town | 171 | 31% |
| Suburban area | 111 | 20% |
| Rural area | 53 | 10% |
| Other | 7 | 1% |
Are you willing/able to move for employment?
| No | 145 | 27% |
| Yes, anywhere | 200 | 37% |
| Other | 194 | 36% |
Would you like to include a short bio with your answers?
| No | 415 | 76% |
| Yes | 108 | 20% |
| Other | 15 | 3% |
Number of daily responses
This survey was co-written by Naomi House, of I Need A Library Job. If you’re job hunting, INALJ is a wealth of information and it has job ads up the wazoo.
Also if you’re job hunting, and haven’t taken the survey yet, please do! If you’ve got friends, please share the link:
http://tinyurl.com/hiringlibJOBHUNTERsurvey
Finally, if you have questions, comments or concerns, we’d love to hear them.
You can either comment below, or email hiringlibrariansATgmail.
Hiring Librarians 
Pingback: There is so much you can do with an MLIS that you don’t realize | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: If you state less than two years of experience, give a newbie like me a chance to prove myself! | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: I dislike filling out applications that just repeats information on my resume | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: Positive environment for patrons and library employees | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: Don’t expect too much. | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: Let your personality shine. | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: Be a little bit friendly | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: really working to get good stuff on your resume during your first professional jobs | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: The survey is very biased and makes a lot of assumptions. | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: If I can find out from someone’s Facebook page that we have some interests in common … I will try and fit it in to my letter if appropriate. | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: I did not meet certain qualifications (though these were not originally in the job posting) | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: I used to get hired easily. Last 2 years, not so much | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: the two librarians behind the counter just laughed at me (that one left me crying in my car) | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: Fun coworkers! | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: I don’t want to move | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: Having skills that match the position, being confident, and it never hurts to know someone involved with the hiring process. | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: Please, for the love of Pete, do NOT call a position entry level if it requires X amount of experience. | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: I’ve held more than one position where the requirements in the ad and what I do every day don’t resemble each other at all. | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: Don’t plan to only hire MLIS students for shelving positions and leave no intermediate positions for students | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: Be willing to compromise on things that may not be absolutely essential, like a driver’s license | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: Being a unicorn | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: where I’m excited about coming to work every day | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: if you are paying less than say, $50,000 for a full time librarian position | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: Updates help. | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: I’m primarily looking for jobs on the East Coast, and it’s not going very well | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: Most of us have big chunks of student debt | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: Personally communicate with potential candidates. | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: More library school graduates are going straight from undergraduate into a library program, and might not have three-five years experience coming out. | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: They need to COMMUNICATE. | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: Print the application, think about it for a few days, apply at last minute (sad, but true). | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: I think it’s more important to get the best candidates to accept the job | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: Further Questions: What advice do you have for long-term job seekers? | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: 2013 Archival Program Graduates and the Entry-Level Job Market | SNAP roundtable
Pingback: Further Questions Questions | Hiring Librarians
Pingback: Return to Further Questions Questions | Hiring Librarians