This anonymous interview is with a job hunter who is not 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 Less than six months. This person is looking in Academic libraries, at the following levels: Requiring at least two years of experience. This job hunter is in an urban area, in the Southern US, and is willing to move within reason.
What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?
Continued professional learning
Importance of library to institutional effectiveness
location
Where do you look for open positions?
Academic lists specific to states I’m interested in
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?
Read it over to see if I meet qualifications. Start filling it out and tailoring my answers to the position description. I spend hours on each one. At least 3-5.
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
√ Being taken out to meal
√ 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?
Offer some idea of a salary range. Tell me why working at your library is awesome.
What should employers do to make the hiring process less painful?
Stop making me fill out the same forms over and over. The redundancy is wasting my time.
What do you think is the secret to getting hired?
Who you know that can vouch for you. No question.
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 