Category Archives: Job Hunter Follow Up

Marcus Walker took the Job Hunter’s survey on May 28 2014. His responses appeared as Many of them also have library staff experience, and if there is anyone who should know how valuable that can be, it’s librarians.

Your Background

How long has it been since you got your library degree?

It’s been a little more than a year since I completed the actual work that went into the degree.

How many years of library work experience do you have?

Including my time as an undergraduate library assistant, I have over nine years of experience. Without it, seven.

How many years of work experience outside of libraries do you have?

About three and a half.

How old are you? 

I’m in my mid-30s.

Your Job Hunt

How long did it take you before you found your job?

It took about six months.

How many positions did you apply to?

Five.

How many interviews did you go on?

One.

What was your work situation while you were job hunting?

I was still employed full-time where I was before.

Were you volunteering anywhere?

No, I wasn’t.

Did you travel for interviews? If so, who paid?

I didn’t have to travel for any interviews.

Did you decline any offers?

No.

Your Job

What’s your new job?

I’m the Digital Collections Librarian at the University of Louisville Law Library.

Is your job full or part time? Permanent or temporary?

Full-time.

Did you relocate? If so, who paid?

Sure. My desk moved from the middle of the floor to the back.

How did you find the listing for your job?

I was told about the position being created, and I was encouraged to apply for it once it was.

Did you meet all of the required qualifications? How many of the desired qualifications?

It did meet the qualifications.

What was the application process like? How many interviews did you do?

It was rather humorous, frankly. Since I was applying for a position at the same place I worked, I couldn’t use the references at the library, nor could I be there when the other applicants were.

How did you prepare for the interview(s)?

I looked at the digital collections at the main campus library and at other libraries, and I went over the accomplishments I made, just as I would if it were a job somewhere else. (Want to know something odd? I felt more stressed during that interview than the one I had to get the library assistant position, despite knowing exactly what they were expecting, as it was a position they had wanted to create before I started the first time.)

Did you know anyone in the organization that hired you? If so, how?

Yes. It’s the same library. 🙂

Is your job commensurate with your skills, experience and expectations?

The job is appropriate for my skill set and experience. (It would have been without the degree, too.) And so far, it exceeds my expectations.

Is the pay scale higher or lower than you were looking for?

You know how you were told as a child that patience is a virtue? Well, so is prudence. 😉

What do you think was the biggest obstacle in your job hunt? How did you overcome it?

I cringe at this, because I know what so many of my fellow new grads and colleagues are going through, but the biggest obstacle was waiting for the position I have to be approved. I applied to other jobs in the meantime, and while I thought my colleagues did like me enough to keep me around, not knowing when the position was coming made me feel just as stressed as if there was no position crawling through university bureaucracy.

What set you apart from the other applicants? Why did they hire you?

Frankly, they knew me and my work. I was somewhat familiar with one of the applicants from school (as familiar as you can be with someone you take online courses with), and she was brilliant enough to make me worry.

State of the Job Market

What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve seen on a job announcement?

Can I change that a bit? I have seen two part-time job announcements that clearly are the same position advertised as different positions in order to keep from paying full-time benefits. Close are the part-time positions that are scheduled an hour (or even a half-hour) short of paying partial benefits. I get it, but, wow.

Has job hunting been a positive or negative experience, for the most part?

I’m sure you figured this out already, but this job hunt was about as positive of an experience as it could have been. And I still wouldn’t want to go through it again.

Would you change your answer to “what’s the secret to getting hired”?

I wouldn’t change it, necessarily, but I would add a suggestion. While I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have had a position created in the same library I worked, if I were someone that did not do good work and they did not want around, they could have just as easily given the position to someone else or not have bothered with the position at all. So my suggestion to anyone going to library school or going through library school is, if at all possible, find yourself a job in a library and let your work make a positive impression.

Anything else you want to tell us?

I was on the committee to hire my replacement for the library assistant position. There are a few things I can say, but one stands out, since it was one of my peeves as an applicant: The cover letter does make a difference. Let the committee know why your work experience fits the position, and you will likely outshine three-quarters of the applicants by doing that alone.

Sarah Brown took the Job Hunter’s survey on January 4, 2013.

Her responses appeared as as If you let us know up front, you’ll get quality applicants that you can afford.

We last followed up with her on January 8, 2014.

Your Job

What’s your current work situation?

Employed full time AND part-time

Is this job the same as you had when we followed up with you last year? If not, please describe briefly how you got this new job.

Yes to the FT position. The PT is new. PT position was strictly word of mouth – someone who knows my boss was looking for a evening/weekend librarian. My boss knows I have an interest in academic libraries, and passed the info along. One short phone conversation and an email with my resume later, I was hired. This survey will focus on the FT position.

Is your job commensurate with your skills and experience?

For the most part. I feel it is a good fit with my skill level in every aspect of the job but instruction – this is something I was doing quite a bit at my first job, and something I would like to do again in the future. Unfortunately, I’m not currently gaining much experience with it. Last year I also lamented the lack of supervisor experience in this position, but I was “promoted” to the Page Supervisor eight months into the position, so I’m gaining that experience again.

Is the pay scale higher or lower than you were looking for?

Pay scale is what I would expect (lower than what I ideally think the position should command, but not outrageously so). The problem is the freeze on performance-based raises.

How is your job different from what you thought you might do, when you first embarked on your job hunt?

When I first started looking, I was only looking at museum libraries, since I focused on that type in grad school, and did my internship at a museum library. I was convinced that my strengths lay in reference, instruction and outreach to a museum community. My current job’s main duties revolve around around many of these same things – being a supervisor to paraprofessionals, reference, outreach, and creating library instruction sessions for volunteers to teach – but for the public community.

Have you had a chance to participate in hiring any LIS workers? Any lessons or observations from the experience?

I have been on the hiring committee for two paraprofessional employees. Through this, I’ve learned that competition for these positions is fierce, and that it is important to hire the person, not their experience. Personality goes a long way towards a fulfilling employer/employee relationship. Also, I more fully understand what a great cover letter can do for increasing the chances you’ll at least get an interview.

Have you had a chance to negotiate a raise and/or title change? What was that like?

Unfortunately, no. I’m in a public library, which is part of county administration where I am. There has been a freeze on performance-based raises since for several years (since 2008 I believe). I have taken on more responsibility since I’ve been here – I’ve been “promoted” to a supervisor and have the responsibility that entails (hiring, firing, in charge of building when branch manager is absent, etc), but it is not within the county’s pay structure to give me a new title or move up the pay scale.

What’s the next step for your career?

My career path is not straight. Hopefully my venture into public librarianship will not derail me, and I’ll be able to either get back into academic libraries or get my foot in the door at a museum library soon-ish. My new part-time position is at an academic library, so hopefully that experience will help me make the leap to full time in the future. I’m growing a lot and have gained more experience than I would have thought possible at this public library in the past 1 ½ years. However, I am ready to get into a position where my efforts are geared towards the needs of a more research-based community. I said last year that I planned to stay here for five years, but due to several factors that’s been shortened to three (so another year and a half from now). I plan to spend the next year or two continuing to grow where I am, including completing a state-wide library leadership institute and doing more outreach and program-building for my library system. Then, I’ll start my more focused, less frenetic job search.

Your Perspectives

Was job hunting a positive or negative experience, for the most part?

There were certainly positive aspects to the experience, but the overall was negative. So many hours spent on cover letters, resumes, and applications that disappeared into a HR black hole. It was really mentally rough to not only not get these jobs, or even interviews for these job, but to not even know what I was doing wrong so that I could take steps to fix it.

Would you change your answer to “what’s the secret to getting hired”?

I originally said you needed to be genuine and slightly aggressive. I still think that’s true, but I’ll add to it. Now that I’m not a complete “entry-level” candidate, I’m starting to realize the importance that “knowing someone” and having a good reputation will be in my next search.

Do you have any advice for job hunters and/or library school students?

Don’t block yourself in to one type of librarianship – be open to different types of positions and organizations. Remember that hardly anyone gets their dream job right away – its more important in the long run to start getting professional experience than hold out for the perfect position. That being said, its also important that you interview your interviewers and make sure you think you’ll be at least moderately happy in the position before you accept.

Do you have any advice for hiring managers?

Remember that you can train someone new skills, software, etc. You cannot teach someone to get along with their co-workers, have drive and dedication to the field, etc. Be willing to be a little flexible on that required two years (or more) experience in x type of library. When writing the job announcement, try to really describe the position – some ads have lists of skills a mile long, with no information on how often or in what type of environment those skills will be used. Finally, remember that all your applicants are people that worked hard on their application – at least let them know where they stand when HR says you can.

What’s your ideal work situation?

Ideally, I’d like to work at either a research university or large museum (Smithsonian, National Gallery, Boston MFA, etc). I am pretty flexible with hours, but would really prefer to work evenings or weekends only if there is an event going on – being there just to be there is frustrating for me. Really, my ideal would be a flex schedule, where I could work 9 hour days and have three day weekends every other week, but that’s a long shot. I want to work as a part of a team, and would love to continue doing outreach. I’d like to live and work in a more urban environment – where I can either walk, bike or take public transit for most things. I’m looking at a few ideal cities that meet these requirements – hopefully some positions will become available when I’m ready to get serious about renewing the search.

Anything else you want to tell us?

Can’t think of anything. Thanks for doing this!

This post originally appeared on January 8, 2014. A year two follow up will post shortly.
Sarah Brown completed the original survey on January 4, 2013. Her responses appeared earlier today as If you let us know up front, you’ll get quality applicants that you can afford.

Your Background

How long has it been since you got your library degree?

It will be 2 years as of December 17, 2013

How many years of library work experience do you have?

FT professional: 1 year, 8 months. If you include my internship and volunteer experience (some which was part time) I’ve been working in libraries for 2 years, 10 months.

How many years of work experience outside of libraries do you have?

8 ½. I got my first job at 16 and have been working ever since.

How old are you?

28

Your Job Hunt

How long did it take you before you found your job?

I looked pretty continually for about 1 ½ years.

How many positions did you apply to?

I’m unsure. I would estimate in the 80-100 range.

How many interviews did you go on?

5 phone, 2 Skpye, 6 in-person (for 7 positions)

What was your work situation while you were job hunting?

In the 1 ½ years it took me to find this position, I was many of these at some point. I started the job search 2 months before I graduated. After I graduated, I was working part-time. I found full-time employment (that I knew wasn’t right for me, but I was broke) and continued the search.

Were you volunteering anywhere?

During the first 6 months, yes. After I started working FT, no.

Did you travel for interviews? If so, who paid?

Yes. I did for 2 in-state positions. They did for 1 out-of-state position.

Did you decline any offers?

Yes.

Your Job

What’s your new job?

Reference and Adult Programming Librarian

Is your job full or part time? Permanent or temporary?

FT, permanent

Did you relocate? If so, who paid?

Yes. I did.

How did you find the listing for your job?

GovernmentJobs.com

Did you meet all of the required qualifications? How many of the desired qualifications?

Yes. Only 1 desired qualification – I did not meet it.

What was the application process like? How many interviews did you do?

Because it is a county position, there were many forms to fill out. I did two interviews – 1 phone, 1 in-person.

How did you prepare for the interview(s)?

Read over job description and my application I submitted. Researched library system and county on web.

Did you know anyone in the organization that hired you? If so, how?

The library system I work for is a department of the county. I did not know anyone in the library system, but I have two in-laws in other departments. Their departments are in no way related to the library and they were not involved in the hiring process. I did have to disclose that I was related to them during the initial application.

Is your job commensurate with your skills, experience and expectations?

The job is commensurate with my years of experience and what I expected of this position. It unfortunately does not give me a chance to utilize and grow my instruction and supervisory skills, of which I have 1 ½ years of experience in a library setting.

Is the pay scale higher or lower than you were looking for?

It is at the low end of what I could accept.

What do you think was the biggest obstacle in your job hunt? How did you overcome it?

Myself and my unrealistic expectations. Coming to grips with the fact that my dream jobs and dream employers had A LOT of applicants for open positions was hard. As someone just starting my career, I could not compete with more established librarians for these coveted positions. I had to realize that if my second job out of grad school isn’t my dream job in my choice location, that’s ok. I decided to apply to some organizations that are large enough to give me an opportunity have mentors and (hopefully) earn a promotion or two in the next 5ish years. Then I plan to revisit my dream jobs as a more qualified applicant.

What set you apart from the other applicants? Why did they hire you?

I actually have no idea. My 6 month review is coming up though, so I’ll ask.

State of the Job Market

What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve seen on a job announcement?

I saw a full time professional position in Manhattan (NYC, not Kansas) with a $30k salary listed about a year ago. This equates to less than $15/hr – what NYC fast food workers say they need as a minimum wage.

What was your favorite interview question? What was the worst?

Favorite: a very blunt, “Why should I hire you?”
Worst: “If I asked your last supervisor, what would s/he say you need to improve?” (I hate this one because you either have to sound conceited and say “nothing to improve”, or try to be self-depreciating and find a flaw that’s not a flaw to expound upon.)

Any good horror stories for us?

I received a form email from a government agency informing me I was disqualified for a position I had applied to because I didn’t have the required degree (MLS/ MLIS). I did have the degree. When I emailed to find out if this email was sent mistakenly, as my unofficial graduate transcript showing MLIS and date awarded was submitted with the application, they said HR couldn’t find the statement of degree awarded on it. Even though I walked HR through and showed them exactly where it did indeed give them that information, I was not able to be moved to the eligible pool of applicants, as no one had the authority to reverse the original disqualification. Ah, bureaucracy….

Has job hunting been a positive or negative experience, for the most part?

Negative.

Would you change your answer to “what’s the secret to getting hired”?

No.

If you took the Job Hunter’s Survey some time in the last year and are interested in doing a follow-up, even anonymously, please contact me at hiringlibrarians AT gmail.

R.C. Miessler took the Job Hunter’s survey on January 13, 2013.

His responses appeared as Check Out the Library/Institution (and the City) on Wikipedia.

Your Background

How long has it been since you got your library degree?

I graduated in December 2012, so 2 years.

How many years of library work experience do you have?

Less than 2, I didn’t start working in a library until my last year of school.

How many years of work experience outside of libraries do you have?

14

How old are you? 

35

Your Job Hunt

How long did it take you before you found your job?

I applying for librarian jobs in April 2012, so pretty much 2 years on the nose.

How many positions did you apply to?

Over 100.

How many interviews did you go on?

14 first round, 8 second round.

What was your work situation while you were job hunting?

In school for 6 months of the job hunt, and also working 60 hours a week between 2 jobs.

Were you volunteering anywhere?

Yes, in an academic library where I got my first master’s degree. That led to a part-time position there. I also volunteered for INALJ.

Did you travel for interviews? If so, who paid?

Yes. When I had to stay overnight, my rooms were taken care of by each institution, but only two institutions reimbursed me for travel expenses (and for one of those institutions, I had 3 on-site interviews for 2 different positions and only got reimbursed for 1 trip, so go figure).

Did you decline any offers?

I declined one part-time position as it wasn’t a good fit and didn’t pay enough.

Your Job

What’s your new job?

Systems Librarian at Gettysburg College.

Is your job full or part time? Permanent or temporary?

Full time, permanent.

Did you relocate? If so, who paid?

Yes, from Indiana to Pennsylvania. The college reimbursed me for most of my expenses.

How did you find the listing for your job?

I’m pretty sure I found it via a listserv posting, it might have been on my radar via the ALA JobLIST as well. I wasn’t looking to relocate to PA so I wasn’t actively looking on PA job sites.

Did you meet all of the required qualifications? How many of the desired qualifications?

All of the required, 3 of the desired.

What was the application process like? How many interviews did you do?

It was an online application system, which I normally despise, but it was better than most of them. I had one phone interview, one on-campus interview.

How did you prepare for the interview(s)?

I studied the library’s strategic plan, as well as the college’s curriculum, and spent a lot of time reading up on digital humanities. I also read Engard & Gordon’s The Accidental Systems Librarian (2nd ed.) and Krug’s Don’t Make Me Think (Revisited), and reread The Killer Angels since I was getting the chance to visit Gettysburg.

Did you know anyone in the organization that hired you? If so, how?

No.

Is your job commensurate with your skills, experience and expectations?

I believe so. What I don’t know, I’ve been willing and able to learn. It’s been a great fit for me.

Is the pay scale higher or lower than you were looking for?

A little higher than I expected, and very thankful for that.

What do you think was the biggest obstacle in your job hunt? How did you overcome it?

Relocating was one of the bigger obstacles. I didn’t really want to relocate, and if I did, it had to be somewhere that I really wanted to be and vice versa. The lousy job market didn’t help either.

What set you apart from the other applicants? Why did they hire you?

I think my strong general background in technology, IT support and intellectual curiosity were big factors. As much as I hated doing retail and call center work at times, I did get a lot of useful experience. I would say they had pity on me … but I think overall they hired me because I was a good fit for the position, library and college.

State of the Job Market

What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve seen on a job announcement?

Any announcement that asks for letters of reference up front is ridiculous. There were a couple of jobs I didn’t apply for because of that requirement, not because I couldn’t get them, but it puts a burden on my references to have to create a generic letter and send it out, when an email or phone call after the fact is more effective and tailored towards a candidate. Overall, I think that most job announcements are too jargon-y and full of buzzwords, and need to be written like a human is reading them.

What was your favorite interview question? What was the worst?

Nothing stands out as a favorite, but I enjoy questions that let me tell a story why I am passionate about doing something and invite follow-up from the interviewers. I think a conversation works a lot better than a canned list of questions, and I was able to have real conversations in some cases (including the interviews for my current job). As for worst, super-generic questions that get asked at most interviews are awful. I think this post from The Oatmeal sums up my feelings: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/interview_questions

Any good horror stories for us?

One on-site interview involved several group interviews throughout the day, I think I met about 100 people and it was incredibly overwhelming. After my presentation one of the faculty at the presentation was very aggressive in their questioning and I kind of just deflated, and they weren’t involved with the hiring committee in any way, so it was kind of pointless to be putting me through the wringer like that. Another on-site interview tried to keep me away from the person I would have been replacing, but they found me anyway, and it was a rather odd and uncomfortable moment of my day.

Has job hunting been a positive or negative experience, for the most part?

I was fortunate enough to have jobs during my job hunt, and managers who knew my career path and were willing to let me take time off for interviews and even serve as a reference. There were a few hiring committee chairs who also took some time to talk to me about the interview, after I didn’t get the job, to encourage me to keep looking and to not settle for anything less than a professional librarian position. But it’s an incredibly discouraging process overall.

Would you change your answer to “what’s the secret to getting hired”?

I really think it’s right place, right time, along with hundreds of other intangibles that can’t be quantified, so I guess the secret is, there is no one secret to getting hired, and if there were, it would constantly change. Ask 10 employed librarians how to get a librarian job, you get 20 answers, and none of them are right for everyone. They might have worked for them, but like all job seeking advice, take it with a grain of salt. You get lucky with the right opportunity, right hiring managers, and how you present yourself. As I found, even knowing the people involved in the hiring process doesn’t guarantee anything. I really hate to say that willingness to relocate is important, since not everyone can for various reasons, but it does open up options. Casting a wider net just helps statistically, it doesn’t say anything about your work ethic or personality. It’s really easy to get discouraged, angry, cynical, etc. about finding a job as a librarian, and that’s ok. Persistence, a sense of humor, and a good support group are vital.

Anything else you want to tell us?

If you work for a non-profit and have federal student loans, see if you qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

This post originally appeared on December 18, 2013. A year two follow up with Mr. Wang will post shortly.
Raymond Wang took the Job Hunter’s survey on February 27, 2013. His responses appeared as This Should Be a Profession That Cares and Has Empathy, Not a Profession That Reinforces a “Dog Eat Dog World.”

Your Background and Situation

How long has it been since you got your library degree?

3 years

How many years of library work experience do you have?

2 years part time off and on

How many years of work experience outside of libraries do you have?

2 years as a middle school math teacher

How old are you?

33

What’s your current work situation?

driving for a private car service ( Uber) and freelance tutor

Are you volunteering anywhere?

Not right now, I have in the past.

Your Job Hunt

How long have you been job hunting at this point?

over 2 + years

What kinds of jobs are you currently applying for?

entry level librarian position

Approximately how many positions have you applied to?

50 +

Approximately how many interviews have you gone on?

10+

How do you prepare for interviews?

look over the job description, pull some sample interview questions from a website or commonly asked interview questions for librarians. Write the responses out and rehearse them with a friend or mentor.

Have you traveled for interviews? If so, who paid?

Yes, I have paid all expenses

Have you declined any offers?

Yes I have declined interview offers, not job offers.

What do you think is the biggest obstacle in your job hunt? How are you working to overcome it?

The interview process, getting the interview, and then delivering your responses perfectly. Some of the interviewers are stone faced and almost robotic. It makes you feel even more anxious, so you have to just smile and keep smiling even if they don’t smile back.

Have there been any major changes in your job hunting strategy? Are you doing anything differently than from when we last heard from you?

I got a mentor to look over my application before I submit, resume, cover letter, and answers to supplemental responses Also, I try to do a mock interview practice before the real thing.

State of the Job Market

Has job hunting been a positive or negative experience, for the most part?

pretty negative because I was never prepared to deal with such a competitive job market

Would you change your answer to “what’s the secret to getting hired”?

networking, timing, and answering the same old interview questions that make you stand out from the rest.

Anything else you want to tell us?

Thank you for letting us participate and I hope this will be useful to everyone in the library profession including (library employers)

If you took the Job Hunter’s Survey some time in the last year and are interested in doing a follow-up, even anonymously, please contact me at hiringlibrarians AT gmail.

Raymond Wang took the Job Hunter’s survey on February 27, 2013. His responses appeared as This Should Be a Profession That Cares and Has Empathy, Not a Profession That Reinforces a Dog Eat Dog World. We followed up with him last year on December 18, 2013.

Your Job

What’s your current work situation? 

I work as a full-time community services librarian at Millbrae Library. I finally get full time benefits that include retirement and health insurance.

Did you relocate for your job? If so, who paid?

I did relocate for my job and I paid for all of it.

How did you find the listing for your job?

I found it on the CALIX list serv, BayNet list-serv and APALA list-ser

Did you meet all of the required qualifications? How many of the desired qualifications?

I did meet all the required qualifications. I also met all the desired qualifications

What was the application process like? How many interviews did you do?

The application process was very long. Prior to the in-person interview, I had to submit a two-three minute video presentation of myself reading a children’s story. I also did a in-person panel interview and a follow-up telephone interview with a Chinese mandarin speaker.

How did you prepare for the interview(s)?

I studied up on all the required job qualifications, read the job announcement many times, checked the library’s websites, and looked over my cover letter and resume that I submitted. I also looked at sample interview questions from multiple library blogs including Hiring Librarians.

Did you know anyone in the organization that hired you? If so, how?

Yes, I knew two people on the panel interview. One person was in my professional library organization and the other one was in a non-profit library fundraiser organization.

Is your job commensurate with your skills, experience and expectations?

I would say that my job does commensurate with my skills and experience. I did not really know what to expect with my until I met with my manager and staff.

Is the pay scale higher or lower than you were looking for?

The pay scale was just about right for a librarian job anywhere else in the country, but due to the ever so increasingly high cost of living in the Bay Area it should be a little more.

What do you think was the biggest obstacle in your job hunt? How did you overcome it?

I would say getting the interview and beating the application pool.

What set you apart from the other applicants? Why did they hire you?

I think having knowledge of a foreign language really helped me and knowing people that are on the panel interview definitely did not hurt.

Your Job Hunt

How long did it take to find your job?

I finished library school in December 2010 so I would say almost 4 years

How many positions did you apply to?

I would say at least over 100.

How many interviews did you go on?

I would say I went to about 10-15 interviews

What was your work situation while you were job hunting?

I was unemployed, volunteering, and freelancing as a tutor

Were you volunteering anywhere?

Yes, I volunteered at KPFK in Los Angeles and East Los Angeles Community College Library

Did you travel for interviews? If so, who paid?

Yes I traveled quite a bit and I was not paid.

Did you decline any offers?

No I did not

State of the Job Market

What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve seen on a job announcement?

I don’t remember because it was so ridiculous I must have blocked it out of my most recent memory.

What was your favorite interview question? What was the worst?

Why should we hire you? Why did you leave your last position?

Any good horror stories for us?

Nope

Has job hunting been a positive or negative experience, for the most part?

It has been a very difficult experience for the most part that allowed me to learn a lot of life’s many challenges.

Would you change your answer to “what’s the secret to getting hired”?

No

What’s your ideal work situation? (hours, location, library type, etc.)

I did want to work in an academic library with more intellectually stimulated reference questions or in a historical archive, however without much experience coming out of library school I would say I am very satisfied with my current work situation.

Anything else you want to tell us?

Thank you for keeping this website up! It has been so helpful for me and I strongly believe your questions and my answers can definitely help the new library graduates as well

Cathy Parham took the Job Hunter’s survey on January 5, 2013.

Her responses appeared as Stop Wasting Applicants’ Time.

Your Background and Situation
How long has it been since you got your library degree?

Going on 17 years (December 1998)

How many years of library work experience do you have?

16 years

How many years of work experience outside of libraries do you have?

14 months

How old are you?

50 and loving it!

What’s your current work situation?

High school librarian/babysitter

Are you volunteering anywhere?

No

Your Job Hunt
How long have you been job hunting at this point?

Literally years

What kinds of jobs are you currently applying for?

Almost any library jobs outside education

Approximately how many positions have you applied to?

Not sure, but I can say it’s been well over 50

Approximately how many interviews have you gone on?

About three via Skype

How do you prepare for interviews?

I don’t

Have you traveled for interviews? If so, who paid?

No

Have you declined any offers?

Yes

What do you think is the biggest obstacle in your job hunt? How are you working to overcome it?

Not having a lot of experience outside the education system. Trying to get feedback from colleagues about my resume. However, people don’t/won’t get back with me.

Have there been any major changes in your job hunting strategy? Are you doing anything differently than from when we last heard from you?

Nothing different. I was thinking of hiring a resume writing specialist.

State of the Job Market

What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve seen on a job announcement?

The salary for what they want you do do.

What was your favorite interview question? What was the worst?

Favorite: Do you have any questions for us? Worst: What is your worse (insert anything here)

Any good horror stories for us?

Went on an interview and the person interviewing applicants just left….didn’t interview me, just left the building.

Has job hunting been a positive or negative experience, for the most part?

Both

Would you change your answer to “what’s the secret to getting hired”?

Not sure. Mainly because I don’t remember what I wrote.

Anything else you want to tell us?

I just wish I could be happy in my job. I LOVE being a librarian, but working with children is not what I’m cut out to do. I would really like to get a chance to work in a librarian in a radio or television or almost any kind of business. I don’t want to end my career being locking in a school. School librarians do (literally) everything from acquisitions to weeding.

JJ Pionke took the Job Hunter’s survey on January 4, 2013.

It appeared on March 25, 2013 as Be Specific …and Be Honest.

Your Background

How long has it been since you got your library degree?

About a year and a half.

How many years of library work experience do you have?

1.5 years.

How many years of work experience outside of libraries do you have?

10 years.

How old are you? 

36

Your Job Hunt

How long did it take you before you found your job?

This is a complicated question. I actually did get a job very quickly out of grad school, did a year there, and then found a better fit job at the end of that year. For the first job, I searched for about 3 months. For the second job, about 2 months.

How many positions did you apply to?

The first job was about 50, my second job was 4.

How many interviews did you go on?

The first job was 4 including skype interviews. The second job was 3.

What was your work situation while you were job hunting?

The first time around I was still adjuncting at a community college and had moved in with Mom and Dad (Thank you!). The second time around, I was still employed while looking.

Were you volunteering anywhere?

No.

Did you travel for interviews? If so, who paid?

Yes, I traveled for all interviews that were face to face. Either the university paid outright or I was reimbursed.

Did you decline any offers?

No.

Your Job

What’s your new job?

I am an academic librarian at a large research institution.

Is your job full or part time? Permanent or temporary?

Full time, permanent

Did you relocate? If so, who paid?

Yes, I did relocate and they paid.

How did you find the listing for your job?

ALA Joblist

Did you meet all of the required qualifications? How many of the desired qualifications?

Most and most. The parts that I didn’t have, I sold as a learning opportunity for me.

What was the application process like? How many interviews did you do?

Academic hiring takes a long time, even when it is on the fast track. I sent in all my documentation then waited to hear. Most places do a Skype interview and then fly you out. My current position skipped the Skype and flew me out directly.

How did you prepare for the interview(s)?

Researched everything! I read up on the people that were on the interview team, the university, the library, the students. I wanted to be able to ask insightful questions and not ones that I could have easily found the answer to on Wikipedia.

Did you know anyone in the organization that hired you? If so, how?

Yes, we were grad students together. They were not on the hiring committee and in a completely different department. It was a good connection to have because it gave me some idea of the overall culture of the place.

Is your job commensurate with your skills, experience and expectations?

Yes.

Is the pay scale higher or lower than you were looking for?

Higher.

What do you think was the biggest obstacle in your job hunt? How did you overcome it?

Selling myself/putting myself out there. It’s tough, especially when I am not used to singing my own praises but in the job hunt you have to acknowledge, in a concise and quick way, all the cool things you have done and why they are cool. It’s not easy. To overcome it, I wrote out multiple drafts of my cover letters, had friends read them, and had discussions about my skills with neutral parties in an effort to really own my accomplishments.

What set you apart from the other applicants? Why did they hire you?

From what I know, my teaching skills were what got me hired among other things.

State of the Job Market

Any good horror stories for us?

Going out for a meal with some of the search committee and they spent the entire time talking to each other.

Has job hunting been a positive or negative experience, for the most part?

Mostly positive however, I have seen it as a way to reflect and learn about myself.

Would you change your answer to “what’s the secret to getting hired”?

I wouldn’t actually. For academic librarianship, it is about fit in large part because should you get tenure, you could be there for a very long time.

Anything else you want to tell us?

Make yourself stand out! After having been on a hiring committee, cover letters that didn’t just repeat what was in the resume and that stood out for some reason in a positive way were the cover letters that got a second look.

Ta-Shiré Tribbett took the Job Hunter’s survey on January 31, 2013. Her responses appeared as A Positive Work Environment. We last followed up with her on December 16, 2013.

Your Job

What’s your current work situation?

I’ve just accepted a position as a Knowledge Solutions Analyst with an international law firm.

Is this job the same as you had when we followed up with you last year? If not, please describe briefly how you got this new job.

No. When you spoke with me last year I was a federal contractor, and this position is a direct hire. I was invited to apply by someone within the company who knew I had an MLS degree.

How your job different from what you thought you might do, when you first embarked on your job hunt?

When I started my graduate program, I assumed that I would work in an academic setting because that’s where I have the most experience. I kept my options open, because I know that this is a very tough job market. The Analyst position requires more technical experience as opposed to the soft skills I’m used to using.

Have you had a chance to participate in hiring any LIS workers? Any lessons or observations from the experience?

Yes. Most recently I was looking to hire an (unpaid) intern for my federal library . I really thought we’d be flooded with applications due to the number of people I see online that bemoan their lack of opportunities, are looking for experience, etc. We didn’t get a single application. It just reiterated something I’ve been noticing a lot which is there is a large group of students that think their degree will be all it takes to get a job-which is wholly untrue. You need experience, even for part-time library work. I wouldn’t hire a person for a paid position who has never done practical library experience, period. Most people will never have the opportunity to set foot in a federal library, so why wouldn’t you jump at the chance to intern at one? A lot of internships turn into full-time jobs.

Have you had a chance to negotiate a raise and/or title change? What was that like?

Yes, and it benefitted me greatly. All they can do is say “no”.

Your Perspectives

Was job hunting a positive or negative experience, for the most part?

I was stuck for a while, and was really anxious about landing a job while I was in graduate school, but I’ve been really fortunate to find positions.

Do you have any advice for job hunters and/or library school students?

Be enthusiastic. Show willingness to learn on the job. Be on the lookout all the time for opportunities to enhance your career. You are single-handedly your biggest advocate.

Anything else you want to tell us?

A lot of people are hung up with having the word “librarian” in the job title. Don’t let that word define you. You may end up denying yourself an opportunity to use your skillset in a non-traditional role that’s equally fulfilling.