Learn about the Library job and system before applying

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 Librarians, both YA & YS Librarians

This librarian works at a library with 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”?

ALA accredited Master’s Degree
Core competencies
Customer service oriented

How are applications evaluated, and by whom?

If a candidate does not meet the required facets of the job description then HR weeds the application.

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

Lack of skill set and qualifying required parameters

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?

Learn about the Library job and system before applying and ensure that the minimum qualifications are met.

I want to hire someone who is

Responsible

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?

√ 7 or more

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

√ 7 or more

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

√ There are fewer positions

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

√ Yes

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

√ Yes

Is librarianship a dying profession?

√ No

Why or why not?

People need help bridging the digital divide and even more help with understanding what constitutes a valid resource

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.