This anonymous interview is with someone who hires for an:
√ Academic Library
Title: Head of Content Curation
Titles hired: Library Director; Head of Research Services; Electronic Resources & Serials Librarian; Discovery & Systems Administrator, etc.
Who makes hiring decisions at your organization:
√ Library Administration
√ The position’s supervisor
√ A Committee or panel
√ Employees at the position’s same level (on a panel or otherwise)
Which of the following does your organization regularly require of candidates?
√ Online application
√ Cover letter
√ CV
√ References
√ Supplemental Questions
√ Demonstration (teaching, storytime, etc)
√ More than one round of interviews
√ A whole day of interviews
√ A meal with hiring personnel
Does your organization use automated application screening?
√ No
Briefly describe the hiring process at your organization and your role in it:
As a supervisor, I generally chair the search committee for positions within my own department; and serve on other search committees as well.
Think about the last candidate who really wowed you, on paper, in an interview, or otherwise. Why were they so impressive?
They modeled kindness, respect, and diplomacy in their interactions.
Do you have any instant dealbreakers?
Disrespect; talking over everyone else at a meal and not letting the search committee members get a word in edgewise; smoking while with members of the search committee.
What do you wish you could know about candidates that isn’t generally revealed in the hiring process?
How well they get along with people in the workplace from day to day, not only in terms of respect, but also in terms of how they might continually burden others with their own anxieties.
How many pages should each of these documents be?
Cover Letter: √ As many as it takes, but keep it reasonable and relevant
Resume: √ As many as it takes, but keep it reasonable and relevant
CV: √ As many as it takes, but keep it reasonable and relevant
What is the most common mistake that people make in an interview?
Trying to perform, even while in casual conversation, instead of communicating like an authentic human being.
Do you conduct virtual interviews? What do job hunters need to know about shining in this setting?
Yes. They should be familiar with virtual presentation software and how to best situate their camera, lighting, etc., as well as having a strong connection (dialing in by phone for audio, for example, if their home network has bandwidth issues).
How can candidates looking to transition from paraprofessional work, from non-library work, or between library types convince you that their experience is relevant? Or do you have other advice for folks in this kind of situation?
Show that they’ve done their homework in researching the new library. Demonstrate that they understand the responsibilities, the environment, and the people, and what attracts them to this new role.
When does your organization *first* mention salary information?
√ We only discuss after we’ve made an offer
What does your organization do to reduce bias in hiring? What are the contexts in which discrimination still exists in this process?
We have required online training in anti-bias hiring techniques from HR.
What questions should candidates ask you? What is important for them to know about your organization and the position you are hiring for?
Ask us what we find fulfilling for ourselves here, and what we hope to see from the new person in this role in the short term. They should be familiar with our library’s mission, and our institution’s mission and values. And they should know the responsibilities and the organizational structure as described in the position ad.
Additional Demographics
What part of the world are you in?
√ Southeastern US
What’s your region like?
√ Suburban
Is your workplace remote/virtual?
√ Never or not anymore
How many staff members are at your organization?
√ 11-50
Is there anything else you’d like to say, either to job hunters or to me, the survey author? Or are there any questions you think we should add?
Our main challenge for the past 2 years has been getting approval to post positions. Like many other libraries, we are short-staffed due to normal attrition and not being permitted to hire replacements. The resulting double/triple workloads cause ripple effects, with the remaining people seeking other jobs due to burnout and little hope for improvement; thus exacerbating the situation. This is not limited to libraries; it’s pervasive across academia lately.
Hiring Librarians 