This anonymous interview is with someone who hires for a:
√ Special Library
Title: Director – Library
Titles hired include: Associate Director, Digital Library; Senior Specialist, Systems Librarian
Who makes hiring decisions at your organization:
√ The position’s supervisor
√ A Committee or panel
Which of the following does your organization regularly require of candidates?
√ Online application
√ Resume
Does your organization use automated application screening?
√ Yes
Briefly describe the hiring process at your organization and your role in it:
HR filters the applications and send them on to the hiring manager
Think about the last candidate who really wowed you, on paper, in an interview, or otherwise. Why were they so impressive?
Excellent interviewing skills; they were well prepared and had taken time to learn about the company. They asked excellent questions.
Do you have any instant dealbreakers?
No knowledge of the company they’re interviewing with.
What do you wish you could know about candidates that isn’t generally revealed in the hiring process?
Gaps in resume
How many pages should each of these documents be?
Cover Letter: √ We don’t ask for this
Resume: √ As many as it takes, but keep it reasonable and relevant
CV: √ We don’t ask for this
What is the most common mistake that people make in an interview?
No eye contact
Do you conduct virtual interviews? What do job hunters need to know about shining in this setting?
Yes, we did during COVID. Just need to be fully engaged in the conversation. I don’t see much difference really between in person and virtual.
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?
The job market is still tight so I’ll take a chance on people who do have a lot of experience in one particular aspect.
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 try to have a diverse interviewing panel. We also have mandatory training on working on removing biases.
Additional Demographics
What part of the world are you in?
√ Northeastern US
What’s your region like?
√ Suburban
Is your workplace remote/virtual?
√ Some of the time and/or in some positions
How many staff members are at your organization?
√ 0-10
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