I need someone who is interested in MY job

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

Reference, children’s, teen, adult programming

This librarian works at a library with 200+ staff members in an urban area in the Southern US.

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

√ 75-100

Approximately what percentage of those would you say were hirable?

√ 25% or less

And how would you define “hirable”?

A bachelors degree is required with some relatable experience or a MLS

How are applications evaluated, and by whom?

Applications are initially vetted by HR based on questions answered by the applicant. HR rates the applicants. The hiring manager than can view the resumes, and select interviewees.

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

Not qualified or mistakes on the resume/cover letter (if a cover letter is included)

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?

Write a professional cover letter and resume that is tailored to the job. I need someone who is interested in MY job, and not just wanting to be hired anywhere.

I want to hire someone who is

passionate

How many staff members are at your library/organization?

√ 200+

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

√ 3-4

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?

√ I don’t know

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?

√ No

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

No, but it is desired.

Is librarianship a dying profession?

√ No

Why or why not?

Libraries are changing as the information needs of our customers change. However, there is still a role for libraries and librarians to fulfill if the libraries are willing to adjust.

Do you have any other comments, for job hunters or about the survey?

I hear a lot about newly minted MLS saying that there are no jobs available, but we do not get quality applicants. You are applying for a professional position, and the resume and cover letter should be professional and well-written. If you cannot write a resume for your own job, how will you answer questions my library users have when trying to write theirs?

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.