This anonymous interview is with a job hunter who is currently employed (even if part-time or in an unrelated field), has 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, at the following levels: Entry level. This new grad/entry level applicant has internship/volunteering experience:
Internship at an Academic library 2 nights a week for one semester.
This job hunter is in an suburban 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?
Within my field/something that will help me learn skills that are applicable moving forward
Location
Salary/Benefits
Where do you look for open positions?
ALA Joblist, Chronicle of Higher Ed website, individual college or library websites
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?
I would say that I spend about an hour. My resume is mostly the same for every job I apply for so I just take some time to read the job description and write my cover letter to highlight some of the activities I’ve done previously that would overlap with the job responsibilities for the job I’m applying for.
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)?
√ Tour of facility
√ Meeting department members/potential co-workers
What do you think employers should do to get the best candidates to apply?
Write detailed job descriptions so those reading it are clear as to whether or not they’re capable of doing the job.
What should employers do to make the hiring process less painful?
Be more communicative.
What do you think is the secret to getting hired?
Having skills that match the position, being confident, and it never hurts to know someone involved with the hiring process.
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 