This anonymous interview is with an academic librarian who has been a hiring manager and a member of a hiring or search committee a human resources professional. This person hires the following types of LIS professionals:
academic
This librarian works at a library in an urban area in the Western US.
Approximately how many people applied for the last librarian (or other professional level) job at your workplace?
√ 25 or fewer
Approximately what percentage of those would you say were hirable?
√ 51-75 %
And how would you define “hirable”?
Has the minimum requirements.
How are applications evaluated, and by whom?
HR checks to be sure the resume meets the minimum requirements.
What is the most common reason for disqualifying an applicant without an interview?
not having the appropriate degree
What is the most important thing for a job hunter to do in order to improve his/her/their hirability?
So much of the decision is about personal fit so really the thing to do is make their resume and cover letter show their personality enough to make me want to meet them to see if it continues in person.
I want to hire someone who is
competent
How many staff members are at your library/organization?
√ 0-10
How many permanent, full time librarian (or other professional level) jobs has your workplace posted in the last year?
√ 2
How many permanent, full time para-professional (or other non-professional level) jobs has your workplace posted in the last year?
√ Other: 0
Can you tell us how the number of permanent, full-time librarian positions at your workplace has changed over the past decade?
√ There are more positions
Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with part-time or hourly workers over the past decade?
√ Yes
Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with para-professional workers over the past decade?
√ Yes
Does your workplace require experience for entry-level professional positions? If so, is it an official requirement or just what happens in practice?
experience is preferred
Is librarianship a dying profession?
√ I don’t know
Why or why not?
People don’t appreciate the degree yet their need for an information professional is growing. I was able to increase librarian positions in my (academic) organization yet I came from a public library that has basically gotten rid of the professional.
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