This anonymous interview is with a job hunter who is currently employed (even if part-time or in an unrelated field), has been hired within the last two months, and has been looking for a new position for More than 18 months. This person is looking inAcademic library, Archives, Library vendor/service provider, Public library, School library, Special library at the following levels: Entry level , Requiring at least two years of experience. Here is this person’s experience with internships/volunteering:
3 years @ Melbourne Museum – Volunteering in Customer service, Library and Digitisation 6 month internship @ Melbourne Museum – Doing research in the Humanities department 1 month internship @ the Parliamentary Library, Canberra – worked in collection management, digitisation, databases and media services, customer service and coding.
This job hunter is in a Urban area in Australia/New Zealand and is willing to move Anywhere.
What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?
A good salary, professional development opportunities and career progression.
Where do you look for open positions? (e.g. ALA Joblist, professional listserv, LinkedIn)
Networking with people, attending library related events, Linkedin, ALIA job board, libraryjobs.com.au
Do you expect to see salary range listed in a job ad?
- Yes, and it’s a red flag when it’s not
What’s your routine for preparing an application packet? How much time do you spend on it?
Anywhere from 1-2 days to a couple of hours each day through-out the week.
Have you ever stretched the truth, exaggerated, or lied on your resume, or at some other point during the hiring process?
- Other: stretched the truth
When would you like employers to contact you?(Please select all that apply)
- To acknowledge my application
- To tell me if I have or have not been selected to move on to the interview stage
- To follow-up after an interview
- Once the position has been filled, even if it’s not me
How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?
- Phone for good news, email for bad news
Which events during the interview/visit are most important to your assessment of the position (i.e. deciding if you want the job)?(Please check all that apply)
- Tour of facility
- Meeting department members/potential co-workers
What do you think employers should do to get the best candidates to apply?
Be clear in the position description about the responsibilities of the job. Be clear in the interview about the type of person/personality you are looking for the interview.
What do you think is the secret to getting hired?
It is still very much WHO you know not WHAT you know.
Do you have any comments, or are there any other questions you think we should add to this survey?
Good direct questions, easy to answer.
Hiring Librarians 