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:
All
This librarian works at a library with 50-100 staff members in an urban area in the Northeastern US.
Approximately how many people applied for the last librarian (or other professional level) job at your workplace?
√ more than 200
Approximately what percentage of those would you say were hirable?
√ 25% or less
And how would you define “hirable”?
A person that meet all of the required qualifications
How are applications evaluated, and by whom?
A search committee is formed of those who will have direct contact with the individual. Generally 3-5. A rubric is used to assess the applicants.
What is the most common reason for disqualifying an applicant without an interview?
The applicant does not meet the basic qualifications required.
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?
Be specific with the duties that the applicant is expected to do.
I want to hire someone who is
qualified
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?
√ 2
How many permanent, full time para-professional (or other non-professional level) jobs has your workplace posted in the last year?
√ 3-4
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?
√ 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?
Yes.
Is librarianship a dying profession?
√ No
Why or why not?
Libraries and the need for librarians will always be a necessity. We have been discussing this issue for a number of years. The fact that it is still being discussed says a lot and does not change the need for librarians.
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.
Hiring Librarians 