Please note: this is an anonymous response to an online survey; I do not have any way of contacting the respondent or verifying responses. Their answers may reflect good, bad, or middling job searching practices. I invite you to take what’s useful and leave the rest.
Your Demographics and Search Parameters
How long have you been job hunting?
√ Six months to a year
Why are you job hunting?
√ This is the next step after finishing library/archives/other LIS graduate degree
√ I’m employed outside of the field and I’d like to be in it
Where do you look for open positions?
ArchivesGig, HigherEdJobs, LinkedIn, jobs listserv from my library school, SAA jobs board,
What position level are you looking for?
√ Entry level
√ Requiring at least two years of experience
What type(s) of organization are you looking in?
√ Academic library
√ Archives
√ Special library
√ Other: Historical Society
What part of the world are you in?
√ Midwestern US
What’s your region like?
√ Urban area
Are you willing/able to move for employment?
√ No
What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?
relevance to my career goals, livable pay, healthcare
How many jobs have you applied to during your current search? (Please indicate if it’s an estimate or exact)
18 (exact)
What steps, actions, or attributes are most important for employers to take to sell you on the job?
√ Pay well
√ Having (and describing) excellent benefits
√ Prioritizing work-life balance
Do you expect to see the salary range listed in a job ad?
√ Yes, and it’s a red flag when it’s not
Other than not listing a salary range, are there other “red flags” that would prevent you from applying to a job?
Demanding too many years of experience for entry-level pay/work, listing more job duties than any person would have time to complete in a day (e.g. you’re a librarian AND an archivist AND responsible for fundraising AND hire/train student AND complete your own scholarship AND you’re a metadata specialist…)
The Process
How much time do you spend preparing an application packet?
1-3 hours
What are the steps you follow to prepare an application packet?
Read the job listing, write a cover letter, edit my resume/CV
How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?
When would you like potential employers to contact you?
√ To acknowledge my application
√ To tell me if the search is at the interview stage, even if I have not been selected
How long do you expect an organization’s application process to take, from the point you submit your documents to the point of either an offer or rejection?
1-1.5 months
How do you prepare for interviews?
Review the job posting if it still exists, review my cover letter, review the institution’s website
During your current search, have you had any of the following experiences:
- Submitted an application and got no response √ Happened the majority of the time or always
- Had an interview and never heard back √ Happened more than once
- Interviewed for a job where an internal candidate was eventually chosen √ I don’t know
- Asked for an accommodation for a disability √ Not Applicable
- Withdrawn an application before the offer stage √ Not Applicable
- Turned down an offer √ Not Applicable
What should employers do to make the hiring process better for job hunters?
Please don’t ghost me!
You and Your Well-Being
How are you doing, generally?
√ I’m maintaining
√ I’m somewhat depressed
√ I’m frustrated
√ I feel alone in my search
What are your job search self-care strategies?
Setting up job alerts on various platforms so that I don’t feel the need to spend hours a day trawling the internet for new job postings—I apply to postings when they come to me through alerts/listservs, and try not to doomscroll on Indeed. I remind myself that my path thus far has been shaped by rejections—I ended up at my current job (which brought with it great opportunities) only because I was rejected by many others first.
Do you have any advice or words of support you’d like to share with other job hunters, is there anything you’d like to say to employers, or is there anything else you’d like to say about job hunting?
To employers: Please don’t overlook my application just because I didn’t take on unpaid/underpaid internships during library school! Know that not all LIS students are in the position to take on that kind of underpaid labor, and trust us when we lay out how our experiences outside of the field apply to the qualifications you’ve listed. Take a chance on candidates with non-traditional experiences. We might be just who you’re looking for!
Job Hunting Post Graduate School
If you have an MLIS or other graduate level degree in a LIS field, what year did you graduate? (Or what year do you anticipate graduating?)
2022
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?
√ Six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position?
√ Hasn’t happened yet – I’m still looking
What kind of work was your first post-graduation professional position?
√ N/A – hasn’t happened yet
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?
No
Hiring Librarians 