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 Academic libraries, Public libraries, 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:
Internship experience: six months at a public library, two years in a supervisory (volunteer) position in a small community library.
This job hunter is in an urban area, in the Northeastern US and is not willing to move anywhere.
What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?
Location (I don’t want to move)
Job tasks relevant to my interests
Rapport with coworkers
Where do you look for open positions?
professional listservs, INALJ, state job website, university webpage, occasionally LinkedIn
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?
I spend way more time (and energy) fretting over the cover letter than I do on the resume, which barely changes from one position to another. A few hours per application?
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)?
√ Meeting department members/potential co-workers
√ Other: Meeting the supervisor and judging my rapport with them
What should employers do to make the hiring process less painful?
Don’t leave us hanging! I hate when I spend time and energy on an application and it goes off into the void, and I never hear back from them. I’d rather hear the bad news than hear nothing at all.
What do you think is the secret to getting hired?
Good timing, and knowing the right people.
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 