Job Hunter Follow Up: Ta-Shiré Tribbett

This post originally appeared on December 16, 2013.  A year two follow up with Ms. Tribbett will post shortly.

Ta-Shiré Tribbett took the Job Hunter’s survey on January 31, 2013.  Her responses appeared as A Positive Work Environment.

Your Background

How long has it been since you got your library degree?

It’s been one year.

How many years of library work experience do you have?

over 8

How many years of work experience outside of libraries do you have?

over 4.

Your Job Hunt

How long did it take you before you found your job?

About 9 months.

How many positions did you apply to?

More than 20!

What was your work situation while you were job hunting?

I was employed.

Were you volunteering anywhere?

Yes, for inalj.com and as an Information Literacy Mentor for iDiversity at UMD.

Did you decline any offers?

I declined the offer to interview for an interlibrary loan position because I didn’t think it would be a good fit.

Your Job

What’s your new job?

I’m the Acquisitions, Marketing and Reference Librarian for the U.S. Census Bureau.

Is your job full or part time? Permanent or temporary?

A 5 year contract, hopefully it will become permanent!

How did you find the listing for your job?

I came across it on my Twitter feed.

What set you apart from the other applicants? Why did they hire you?

I really think my work experience, along with my cover letter that stated how willing I was to learn clinched the deal. I was really enthusiastic and confident, and I think that helped.

State of the Job Market

What was your favorite interview question? What was the worst?

My favorite is “where do you see yourself in 5 years”, and the worst is…..I really don’t have a worst.

Anything else you want to tell us? It’s really hard, but you have to be your biggest advocate. No one is going to fill out applications for you, no one is going to do your networking, and no one is going to say you’re the best for the job like you will. Be honest about your skills and your limitations, and show enthusiasm!

If you took the Job Hunter’s Survey some time in the last year and are interested in doing a follow-up, even anonymously, please contact me at hiringlibrarians AT gmail.