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 Academic libraries and Special libraries, at the following levels: Requiring at least two years of experience, Supervisory. This job hunter is in an urban area in the Northeastern US and is willing to to a few specific areas.
What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?
Location
Salary
Working for an institution that has its act together
Where do you look for open positions?
INALJ, tons of listservs that I access through Feedly
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?
Print out the job ad, pull relevant pieces of it into my resume and cover letter. Double check and send off. This usually takes about 2 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
√ Meeting with HR to talk about benefits/salary
What do you think employers should do to get the best candidates to apply?
Be an attractive place to work – sell yourself in the job ad. List salary, benefits, and pluses like professional development opportunities.
What should employers do to make the hiring process less painful?
I wish HR and library staff communicated more. I have been on both sides of this and the lack of communication between them and the candidate is really frustrating.
What do you think is the secret to getting hired?
Positive attitude, selling yourself as the best candidate for *that* job, not just any job, knowing the right people, and really working to get good stuff on your resume during your first professional jobs.
For some context, take a look at the most recently published summary of responses.
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 