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?
√ A year to 18 months
Why are you job hunting?
√ I want to work at a different type of library/institution
√ Looking for remote/virtual work (or at least hybrid)
√ I’ve been threatened at my job or had to deal with hostility/danger/scary behavior from the public or coworkers
Where do you look for open positions?
all of the above
What position level are you looking for?
√ Requiring at least two years of experience
√ Supervisory
√ Department Head
√ Senior Librarian
√ Branch Manager
What type(s) of organization are you looking in?
√ Academic library
√ Library vendor/service provider
√ Public library
What part of the world are you in?
√ Other: middle east
What’s your region like?
√ Urban area
Are you willing/able to move for employment?
√ Yes, anywhere
√ Yes, as long as at least some of my moving costs are covered
What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?
salary location and possibility of promotion
How many jobs have you applied to during your current search? (Please indicate if it’s an estimate or exact)
2-15 a month
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
√ Funding professional development
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?
drivers license if no travel is required
The Process
How much time do you spend preparing an application packet?
30 min
What are the steps you follow to prepare an application packet?
match resume cover letter refernces to position
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
√ Once the position has been filled, even if it’s not me
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?
1-4 months
How do you prepare for interviews?
review information about postion library community
What are your most hated interview questions, and why?
anything agist or family related
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 √ Happened the majority of the time or always
- Asked for an accommodation for a disability √ Happened more than once
- Withdrawn an application before the offer stage √ Not Applicable
- Turned down an offer √ Not Applicable
If you’ve asked for an accommodation, what happened?
i never heard back i have also been asked about my age and experience if i tell them i never hear back
If you want to share a great, inspirational, funny, horrific or other story about an experience you have had at any stage in the hiring process, please do so here:
i am tired of questions about why want to work at my age and the belief i will be seen as a threat to younger workers i may not want to be a supervisor position due to liking current job role. i have 20 plus years in field and it is becoming a detriment
What should employers do to make the hiring process better for job hunters?
be more responsive
You and Your Well-Being
How are you doing, generally?
√ I’m somewhat depressed
√ I’m running out of money
√ I feel alone in my search
What are your job search self-care strategies?
follow routine of checking and applying networking
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?
age is a plus, experience is a plus
Do you have any comments for Emily (the survey author) or are there any other questions you think we should add to this survey?
there is still much discrimination i am legally blind and can not drive i dont self disclose as i am capable of doing my job with no accomodiation however if i cant put in a drivers license which i dont have i often dont hear back from hr even if the position requires no travel
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?)
mls 1992 phd is for 2025
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?
√ Less than six months after graduating
What kind of work was your first post-graduation professional position?
√ Full Time
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?
Not really
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about searching for or finding your first post-graduation position?
was difficult employer have no support even though i was coming in from another state
Hiring Librarians 