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 hiring practices. I invite you to take what’s useful and leave the rest. If you are someone who hires Library, Archives or other LIS workers, please consider giving your own opinion by filling out the survey here.
Current Hiring Practices and Organizational Needs
These questions are about your current hiring practices in general – the way things have been run the last year or two (or three).
Where do you advertise your job listings?
Our job website, SAA, Archivesgig, our regional organization listserv, other organizations if appropriate for the position
Do you notice a difference in application quality based on where the applicant saw the job ad?
We don’t track that specifically but we do seem to get applications from unqualified people from aggregate sites that pull from our jobsite
Do you include salary in the job ad?
√ Yes
Do you use keyword matching or any automation tools to reduce the number of applications a human reads while considering candidates?
√ No
Do you consider candidates who don’t meet all the requirements listed in the job ad?
√ No
Does your workplace require experience for entry-level librarian positions? (Officially or unofficially…)
√ No
What is the current most common reason for disqualifying an applicant without an interview?
Not having the required degree. We require a MLS for all professional positions
Does your organization use one-way interviews? (Sometimes also called asynchronous or recorded interviews)
√ No
Do you provide interview questions before the interview?
√ Yes
If you provide interview questions before the interview, how far in advance?
24 hours
Does your interview process include taking the candidate out for a meal?
√ No, and I don’t think we ever have
How much of your interview process is virtual?
√ Other: Generally the first round is virtual and we do some final interviews virtually based on the applicants location:
Do you (or does your organization) give candidates feedback about applications or interview performance?
√ Other: If requested
What is the most important thing for a job hunter to do in order to improve their hirability?
Write a cover letter for the position and prepare for the interview with the provided questions
I want to hire someone who is:
Curious
Your Last Recruitment
These are questions about the last person you hired (or the last position you attempted to fill). This person may not have been a librarian, and that’s ok.
Think about the most recent time you participated in hiring someone (or an attempt to hire someone) at your organization. What was the title of the position you were trying to fill?
Public services supervisor
When was this position hired?
√ Between three to six months ago
Approximately how many people applied for this position?
√ 25 or fewer
Approximately what percentage of those would you say were hirable?
√ 26-50%
And how would you define “hirable”?
Appropriate education and experience
How did the recruitment for this position compare with recruitments in previous years?
Fewer applicants
Your Workplace
This section asks for information about your workplace, including if you have lost positions in the last decade.
How many staff members are at your library/organization?
√ 200+
Are you unionized?
√ No
How many permanent, full time job openings has your workplace posted in the last year?
√ 7 or more
How many permanent, full time librarian (or other “professional” level) jobs has your workplace posted in the last year?
√ 7 or more
Can you tell us how the number of permanent, full-time positions at your workplace has changed over the past decade?
√ There are more positions
Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with part-time or hourly workers over the past decade?
√ No
Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with non-librarian, lower paid staff positions over the past decade?
√ No
Is librarianship a dying profession?
√ No
Why or why not?
We continue to upgrade our positions
Demographics
This section asks for information about you specifically.
What part of the world are you in?
√ Western US (including Alaska, Hawaii and Pacific Northwest)
What’s your region like?
√ Urban area
What type of institution do you hire for (check all that apply):
√ Public Library
What type(s) of LIS professionals do you hire?
Archivists, reference librarians, catalgers, genealogists
Are you a librarian?
√ Yes
Are you now or have you ever been:
√ A hiring manager (you are hiring people that you will directly or indirectly supervise), A member of a hiring or search committee
Do you have any other comments, for job hunters, other people who hire, about the survey, or for Emily (the survey author)?
I’m always happy to talk to applicants about our positions. I’m not sure people appreciate what a good employment opportunity there can be at a strong, vibrant public library.
Hiring Librarians 