Try not to put boring stuff in the job duties to stretch it out.

This anonymous interview is with a public librarian. This person hires the following types of LIS professionals:

reference

This librarian works at a library with 50-100 staff members in a suburban area in the Northeastern US.

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

√ 25 or fewer

Approximately what percentage of those would you say were hirable?

√ Other: All were technically hireable

And how would you define “hirable”?

That they met the basic requirements for employment.

How are applications evaluated, and by whom?

They are received by our HR person and then forwarded to me. The HR person weeds out anyone who doesn’t meet the basics for the job. I look at the resume for their last two positions. I rarely look at the cover letter.

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

Long distance. We are on the east coast so midwest/west coast hires are not likely unless they are exceptional.

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

√ Other: Only on request

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

Try not to put boring stuff in the job duties to stretch it out. I really don’t give a fuck if you know how to use an ILS system. I can train a monkey can use an ILS system. What I need is a human being who shows critical thinking abilities.

I want to hire someone who is

has initiative

How many staff members are at your library/organization?

√ 50-100

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?

√ 2

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 helps.

Is librarianship a dying profession?

√ Other: What kind of fucking stupid question is this?

Why or why not?

People will always someone to help them with their questions. The library fills that role in society. Librarianship is evolving. The only thing dying is the current model which is always in a state of decay.

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

Good luck and keep at it.

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.