The job hunter is WASTING THE TIME OF THE SEARCH COMMITTEE by applying for a job if he/she does not meet the written qualifications.

This anonymous interview is with an academic librarian who has been a member of a hiring or search committee. This person hires the following types of LIS professionals:

catalogers

This librarian works at a library with 100-200 staff members in a suburban area in the Southern US.

Approximately how many people applied for the last librarian (or other professional level) job at your workplace?

√ 25-75

Approximately what percentage of those would you say were hirable?

√ 25% or less

And how would you define “hirable”?

They meet the written qualifications for the job.

How are applications evaluated, and by whom?

Our search committee evaluates each application against the rubric.

What is the most common reason for disqualifying an applicant without an interview?

Applicants do not meet the written qualifications for the job.

Do you (or does your library) give candidates feedback about applications or interview performance?

√ No

What is the most important thing for a job hunter to do in order to improve his/her/their hirability?

The job hunter should only apply for jobs for which he/she meets the written qualifications. The job hunter is WASTING THE TIME OF THE SEARCH COMMITTEE by applying for a job if he/she does not meet the written qualifications. We are not allowed to consider the application of anyone who does not meet the written qualifications.

I want to hire someone who is

qualified

How many staff members are at your library/organization?

√ 100-200

How many permanent, full time librarian (or other professional level) jobs has your workplace posted in the last year?

√ 5-6

How many permanent, full time para-professional (or other non-professional level) jobs has your workplace posted in the last year?

√ 5-6

Can you tell us how the number of permanent, full-time librarian positions at your workplace has changed over the past decade?

√ There are more positions

Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with part-time or hourly workers over the past decade?

√ No

Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with para-professional workers over the past decade?

√ Yes

Does your workplace require experience for entry-level professional positions? If so, is it an official requirement or just what happens in practice?

Experience is preferred but not required for entry-level professional positions. Para-professional experience is valued.

Is librarianship a dying profession?

√ No

Why or why not?

Our services are still needed.

Do you hire librarians?  Take this survey: http://tinyurl.com/hiringlibjobmarketsurvey or take other Hiring Librarians surveys.

For some context, look at the most recent summary of responses.