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 Less than six months. This person is looking in Academic libraries, Public libraries, Special libraries and Government libraries, at the following levels: Entry level, Requiring at least two years of experience. This new grad/entry level applicant has internship/volunteering experience
I did an 8-month paid internship while doing my MLIS and they kept me on for an additional 3 months. To be honest, it wasn’t the best experience, because my supervisor treated me like a personal assistant/gopher and the projects she told me I would be working on were actually assigned to contractors! But it was good to have a job in the field on my résumé and I made some good contacts there so it wasn’t all a waste of time.
This job hunter is in an city/town in Canada and is not willing to move anywhere.
What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?
– Potential to learn new skills and move up within the organization
– Stable/long-term jobs (most of the library jobs in my area are contract positions that are 12 months maximum… it gets exhausting jumping from job to job)
– Location/short commute
Where do you look for open positions?
Professional listservs
INALJ
jobs.gc.ca (for the Canadian federal public service)
Do you expect to see salary range listed in a job ad?
√ Yes, and it’s a red flag when it’s not
What’s your routine for preparing an application packet? How much time do you spend on it?
About 3-5 hours. I have a “master” version of my résumé and I tailor it based on the specific requirements in the job posting. That doesn’t take long, but I always struggle with cover letters.
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
√ 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
√ 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?
Stop hiring temp after temp when the organization has money for a full-time permanent job! The best candidates aren’t going to apply for short-term contract work unless they have absolutely no other choice.
Improve communication with candidates. If an interviewer tells me “I’ll get back to you by the end of the week” and a month later I haven’t heard back from them, I will be hesitant to apply for a job with that organization in the future. It’s just common courtesy!
What should employers do to make the hiring process less painful?
Similar to my last point – communicate better with candidates.
What do you think is the secret to getting hired?
Knowing how to market yourself and demonstrating that you have the skills and competencies for the position.
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 