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 More than 18 months. This person is looking in Archives and Special libraries, at the following levels: Entry level, Requiring at least two years of experience. This new grad/entry level applicant has internship/volunteering experience:
Five years experience in a technical library. Received MS in Library Science in 2013.
This job hunter is in a city/town in the Western US and is not willing to move.
Where do you look for open positions?
Library and other job boards, SLA, private company websites, government sites.
Do you expect to see salary range listed in a job ad?
√ Only for certain kinds of employers
What’s your routine for preparing an application packet? How much time do you spend on it?
Some packets may only require a basic resume, others require a highly detailed application process. Some require online formatted resume builders. In essence it could take 30 minutes or three hours, depending on the requirements.
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 tell me if I have or have not been selected to move on to the interview stage
√ To follow-up after an interview
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?
Provide detailed descriptions of duties and requirements
What should employers do to make the hiring process less painful?
Timely follow up
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 
You need to be able to move to take advantage of the job opportunities. Unless you live in Los Angeles or San Francisco I don’t see opportunities popping up in our field next door. Good luck!
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If you have a spouse, children, elderly parents, or countless other limitations this is not always an option. I’m sure their aware it limits them, but at least they’re honest.
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