Tag Archives: Canada

by Emily@HiringLibrarians | December 2, 2014 · 7:55 am

Being a New Grad I Feel Better Applying to Jobs That Indicate They are a Place to Grow and Learn

This post originally appeared on March 10, 2013. Her year two follow up will post in just a few moments.
Neyda Gilman has a VERY recent MLIS, as her degree was conferred February 1st! Librarianship will be a second career, after working as a medical technologist for five years. She is a graduate reference assistant at the University at Buffalo’s Health Sciences Library Ms. Gilman has been looking for less than six months, in academic libraries, archives, and special libraries, at the entry level. Here is how she describes her internship/volunteering experience:

I currently work part time at a library on campus. I have also done practicums at a public library, hospital library, and in a special collection. When my part time work ends soon I plan on continuing to volunteer there until I can find a job.

She is in a city/town, in the Northeastern US, and is willing to move anywhere, although

location is important so if I don’t think I could be happy living there I probably won’t take the job.

Ms. Gilman is a 2011 ALA Spectrum Scholar (MLA/NLM Scholar). You can learn more about her by visiting her e-portfolio or LinkedIn profile.

What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?

Type of library – I am interested in Academic (especially health sciences) or hospital

Location – I am looking nationwide (and Canada), but only apply to places in locations I think I would enjoy living

Mentorship/guidance – this is not necessary, but being a new grad I feel better applying to jobs that indicate they are a place to grow and learn

Where do you look for open positions?

Mostly indeed.com and ALA joblist. I also check MLA jobs and am on numerous listservs.

Do you expect to see salary range listed in a job ad?

√ Yes, and it’s a red flag when it’s not

What’s your routine for preparing an application packet? How much time do you spend on it?

One application will take at least a day, usually more, depending on what they want. I start with my resume or CV (whichever one they specify) since that is the easiest – I use a similar resume/CV for most applications and it doesn’t usually take long to customize it for the specific job. Next I work on my cover letter and this is that part that takes the longest. Last is compiling my list of references – I have a list of about ten people who have all agreed to be references and I choose from that list depending on the job. The exception to this is if the job wants an actual letter or form filled out; in these cases the first thing I do is contact my references.

Have you ever stretched the truth, exaggerated, or lied on your resume, or at some other point during the hiring process?

√ No

When would you like employers to contact you?

√ To acknowledge my application
√ To tell me if I have or have not been selected to move on to the interview stage
√ To follow-up after an interview
√ Once the position has been filled, even if it’s not me

How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?

√ Email

Which events during the interview/visit are most important to your assessment of the position (i.e. deciding if you want the job)?

√ Tour of facility
√ Meeting department members/potential co-workers

What do you think employers should do to get the best candidates to apply?

Put the posting out in as many areas as possible. Don’t have too strict of requirements. Having a lot of preferred qualifications is good, but I get really discouraged when I don’t meet one qualification out of a long list of required qualifications. There have been jobs that I know I would be good at and would love doing, but didn’t apply because there was one or two qualifications that I didn’t fully meet.

What should employers do to make the hiring process less painful?

Keep the lines of communication open. If I am not a top choice, fine but let me know. Even if I am still being considered but not in the first batch of interviewees I want to know where I stand.

What do you think is the secret to getting hired?

I’ll let you know when I get a job. 🙂

This survey was co-authored by Naomi House from I Need A Library Job – Do you need one? Check it out!

A Professional Should Be Know How to Dress Appropriately for Their Environment

This anonymous interview is with an Academic librarian who has been a hiring manager and a member of a hiring or search committee. This librarian works at a library with 10-50 staff members in a Urban area in the Canada.

What Candidates Should Wear

Should the candidate wear a suit to the interview?

√ Yes, absolutely! It shows respect and professionalism

An outfit with a coordinated blazer and trousers:

√ Counts as a suit

Bare arms are inappropriate in an interview, even in the summer.

√ Other:arm coverage can vary throughout the activities of the interview day

If a woman wears a skirt to an interview, should she also wear pantyhose?

√ Either pantyhose or tights. Bare legs are inappropriate

Women should wear make-up to an interview:

√ I don’t care what’s on the face, it’s what’s in the brain that counts

Do you expect different levels of formality of dress, depending on the position you’re hiring for?

√ Yes, the higher the position, the more formal I expect the candidate to dress

Which jewelry may candidates wear: (Please select all that are acceptable)

√ Single, simple necklace, bracelet, and/or ring
√ A few simple necklaces, bracelets, and/or rings
√ Arty or more elaborate necklaces, bracelets, or rings
√ Nose Ring (nostril)
√ Eyebrow Ring, Monroe piercing, septum piercing, or other face piercing
√ Earrings
√ Multiple Ear Piercings
√ Large gauge ear jewelry (stretched ears)

Which hair colors are acceptable for candidates:

√ All of them, even pink

How does what a candidate wears affect your hiring decision?

A professional should be know how to dress appropriately for their environment. It’s important to dress formally for the interview even if it’s not how you’ll dress all the time when you start working somewhere.

What This Library Wears

On a scale of one (too dressed up for my workplace) to five (too casual), khakis and a polo shirt are:

What’s the dress code at your library/organization?

√ Casual

This survey was co-authored by Jill of Librarian Hire Fashion – submit your interview outfit to her blog!

Photo: Robin & Haruki (Sheila) Shopping-How about the fushia colored suit by Flickr User Robin M. Ashford. Ashford

Sadly…..being young

This anonymous interview is with a job hunter who is currently employed (even if part-time or in an unrelated field), has not been hired within the last two months, and has been looking for a new position for More than 18 months. This person is looking in Academic libraries, Library vendors/service providers, Public libraries, and Special libraries, at the following levels:Requiring at least two years of experience, Supervisory.

This job hunter is in a city/town in the Western US and is not willing to move.

What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?

1. Job satisfaction
2. Job security
3. Fair compensation

Where do you look for open positions?

INALJ
SimplyHired
Library websites
various listserves

Do you expect to see salary range listed in a job ad?

√ Yes, and it’s a red flag when it’s not

What’s your routine for preparing an application packet? How much time do you spend on it?

I modify an existing application to fit the job.
Two hours of rereading and revision.

Have you ever stretched the truth, exaggerated, or lied on your resume, or at some other point during the hiring process?

√ No

When would you like employers to contact you?

How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?

√ Email

Which events during the interview/visit are most important to your assessment of the position (i.e. deciding if you want the job)?

√ Tour of facility
√ Meeting department members/potential co-workers
√ Being able to present

What do you think employers should do to get the best candidates to apply?

Not limit hiring to inhouse or interns only.

What should employers do to make the hiring process less painful?

Have applications online.

What do you think is the secret to getting hired?

Being positive.
Doing research about the library.
Knowing someone in the organization.
Sadly…..being young

Do you have any comments, or are there any other questions you think we should add to this survey?

Being able to relocate or travel is very helpful.

This survey was co-authored by Naomi House from I Need A Library Job – Do you need one? Check it out!

A Failed Application or Interview is Much Less Painful When You Take a Learning Experience Out of It

Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto. A former student assistant at Southern Ontario Library Service, Mr. Maloney is also an ongoing volunteer at the John M. Kelly Library of St. Michael’s College. He has been job hunting for a year to 18 months, in academic libraries, library vendor/service providers, public libraries, school libraries, and special libraries, at the following levels: entry level, requiring at least two years of experience, and supervisory. Here is how he describes his experience with internships and volunteering:

I was a student assistant with Southern Ontario Library Service (SOLS) in July-August 2011. In that capacity, I provided liaison services to First Nations client libraries, took conference minutes, researched and contacted potential partners/sponsors for SOLS events (including SOLS’ annual “First Nation Communities Read” event), examined the SOLS website for technical issues/areas that could use improvement, and rewrote SOLS promotional documents for redistribution to First Nations band leaders. At one point I even got to personally assist in the move of one client library to a new location!

Before my work with SOLS, though, and while I was still in the full swing of my studies at the University of Toronto, I was a volunteer with Hart House Library in 2009-2011, where I sorted books, monitored the collection for future weeding efforts, assisted in the annual collection development process, and helped maintain the library’s LibraryThing catalogue. Though my duties at Hart House were fairly low-key most of the time, I still took a lot out of the experience. Currently, I am volunteering at John M. Kelly Library (St. Michael’s College), where I assist their Technical Services department in adding new acquisitions to their online catalogue. I also work alongside other volunteers in collecting and sorting newly-donated donated materials for the library’s annual book sale.

Mr. Maloney is in a suburban area in Canada, and is willing to move anywhere. You can learn more about him on LinkedIn.

What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?

1. Relevance to the skills that I have learned and trained for (ie, a job that I know I can do, and do well). This is not to

2. A professional environment that is both accommodating and engaging– a workplace that puts my mind at ease, but at the same time keeps me focused on the task at hand.

3. Having a job within relatively easy travel distance is a nice perk that I do often look for, but it is not a necessary one– I am not adverse to having to travel or relocate for a job.

Where do you look for open positions?

–Faculty of Information Jobsite, University of Toronto

–ALA Joblist

–Linkedin

–OLA Partnership Job Board

Do you expect to see salary range listed in a job ad?

√ No (even if I might think it *should* be)

What’s your routine for preparing an application packet? How much time do you spend on it?

My routine is as follows:

1. Examine the job posting thoroughly, often examining the company/library website further to see how I could be an asset to this organization.

2. Take an existing cover letter file and, where necessary, use it as a template to reconstruct and re-fit a new cover letter for this position. The amount of modification, of course, varies from position to position.

3. Send all relevant material, and keep my fingers crossed.

I typically spend maybe 1 hour, tops, on an application packet, though this may vary depending on how urgent the application’s due date is.

Have you ever stretched the truth, exaggerated, or lied on your resume, or at some other point during the hiring process?

√ No

When would you like employers to contact you?

√ To tell me if I have or have not been selected to move on to the interview stage

How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?

√ Phone for good news, email for bad news

Which events during the interview/visit are most important to your assessment of the position (i.e. deciding if you want the job)?

√ Meeting department members/potential co-workers

What should employers do to make the hiring process less painful?

-One thing that employers should, I think, practice more frequently is sending email responses. Even if the email is just there to say tell me that haven’t gotten the job, it’s still nice to know that they examined my application.

-Whenever an applicant doesn’t get the job, employers should feel free, when asked, to tell him or her why. A failed application or interview is much less painful when you take a learning experience out of it.

-Where relevant, employers could recommend any other position or organization that they feel the applicant might be interested in, or that they know is looking for candidates with the applicant’s qualifications.

What do you think is the secret to getting hired?

If I knew, I probably wouldn’t still be searching. 😉 In all honesty, though, I think the best way to get hired is to keep one’s professional profile relevant, up to date, desirable, and made as accessible as possible. For keeping one’s profile relevant, volunteering always helps, and looks great on a resume! Job searchers should also never be afraid to ask for professional feedback from their peers. Other than that, I don’t think there is any “secret” to getting hired other than staying positive and never giving up.

Do you have any comments, or are there any other questions you think we should add to this survey?

I’m just glad that someone finally made a survey like this. It’s great to be able answer questions relevant to my own job search, and I look forward to seeing what other job hunters like myself have to say as well.

This survey was co-authored by Naomi House from I Need A Library Job – Do you need one? Check it out!

1 Comment

Filed under Job hunter's survey

Tagged as Canada, coverletter, Employment, First Nations, Job description, Job hunting, jobhunting, John M. Kelly, Librarian, libraries, LibraryThing, LinkedIn, Southern Ontario Library Service, University of Toronto

by Emily@HiringLibrarians | March 10, 2013 · 8:00 am

Being a New Grad I Feel Better Applying to Jobs That Indicate They are a Place to Grow and Learn

Neyda Gilman has a VERY recent MLIS, as her degree was conferred February 1st! Librarianship will be a second career, after working as a medical technologist for five years. She is a graduate reference assistant at the University at Buffalo’s Health Sciences Library Ms. Gilman has been looking for less than six months, in academic libraries, archives, and special libraries, at the entry level. Here is how she describes her internship/volunteering experience:

I currently work part time at a library on campus. I have also done practicums at a public library, hospital library, and in a special collection. When my part time work ends soon I plan on continuing to volunteer there until I can find a job.

She is in a city/town, in the Northeastern US, and is willing to move anywhere, although

location is important so if I don’t think I could be happy living there I probably won’t take the job.

Ms. Gilman is a 2011 ALA Spectrum Scholar (MLA/NLM Scholar). You can learn more about her by visiting her e-portfolio or LinkedIn profile.

What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?

Type of library – I am interested in Academic (especially health sciences) or hospital

Location – I am looking nationwide (and Canada), but only apply to places in locations I think I would enjoy living

Mentorship/guidance – this is not necessary, but being a new grad I feel better applying to jobs that indicate they are a place to grow and learn

Where do you look for open positions?

Mostly indeed.com and ALA joblist. I also check MLA jobs and am on numerous listservs.

Do you expect to see salary range listed in a job ad?

√ Yes, and it’s a red flag when it’s not

What’s your routine for preparing an application packet? How much time do you spend on it?

One application will take at least a day, usually more, depending on what they want. I start with my resume or CV (whichever one they specify) since that is the easiest – I use a similar resume/CV for most applications and it doesn’t usually take long to customize it for the specific job. Next I work on my cover letter and this is that part that takes the longest. Last is compiling my list of references – I have a list of about ten people who have all agreed to be references and I choose from that list depending on the job. The exception to this is if the job wants an actual letter or form filled out; in these cases the first thing I do is contact my references.

Have you ever stretched the truth, exaggerated, or lied on your resume, or at some other point during the hiring process?

√ No

When would you like employers to contact you?

How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?

√ Email

Which events during the interview/visit are most important to your assessment of the position (i.e. deciding if you want the job)?

√ Tour of facility
√ Meeting department members/potential co-workers

What do you think employers should do to get the best candidates to apply?

Put the posting out in as many areas as possible. Don’t have too strict of requirements. Having a lot of preferred qualifications is good, but I get really discouraged when I don’t meet one qualification out of a long list of required qualifications. There have been jobs that I know I would be good at and would love doing, but didn’t apply because there was one or two qualifications that I didn’t fully meet.

What should employers do to make the hiring process less painful?

Keep the lines of communication open. If I am not a top choice, fine but let me know. Even if I am still being considered but not in the first batch of interviewees I want to know where I stand.

What do you think is the secret to getting hired?

I’ll let you know when I get a job. 🙂

This survey was co-authored by Naomi House from I Need A Library Job – Do you need one? Check it out!

2 Comments

Filed under Job hunter's survey

Tagged as Academic library, Canada, Employment, jobhunting, Librarian, libraries, LinkedIn, Naomi House, Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau), Public library

by Emily@HiringLibrarians | February 8, 2013 · 8:00 am

Further Questions: Are Gaps in a Resume Really a Red Flag?

This week we have the second in a set of reader questions. This person is preparing to leave work for an extended period of time, due to the incipient arrival of twin babies. I’m asking questions of people who hire librarians, and I’m also running companion posts with people who have returned to work after an extended leave. Last week I asked for advice on staying professionally relevant during a leave of absence (and the companion post is here). This week’s question is:

Are gaps in a resume really a red flag? Have you ever hired someone who has been unemployed for an extended period of time? If so, can you provide any details about how this person discussed his/her absence on a resume or cover letter, or in an interview?

No. We don’t even check for gaps in dates.

For those prospective employers who do, one might insert something, e.g., “Rearing children.” That too takes skill and provides experience.

To cover a prison term, perhaps “Volunteer work in an institutional library”?

– J. McRee (Mac) Elrod, Special Libraries Catalouging

Gaps in a resume are not necessarily a red flag, but it is nice to have some sort of explanation as to how that time spent. A simple mention in a cover letter about taking time off for family, travel, education suffices.What gets my attention more as a red flag is if an applicant has had many many jobs that were held for only a short time, and again in that case a short explanation usually takes care of any concern on my part. It’s not a dealbreaker outright.

– Marleah Augustine, Adult Department Librarian at Hays Public Library

Gaps are a red flag if the applicant doesn’t address them in some way in the cover letter (out of the country; position cut during budget cuts; raising a family; unemployed due to the recession). If I don’t see anything it makes me wonder whether the candidate was fired or let go for some reason. This concern is allayed if a reference from the manager at the last place of employment is included.I have hired someone with a substantial gap – she wrote in her cover letter and discussed at her interview that she was raising a family and was now ready to come back into the job market. That person was ready and she was a great addition to our staff and has gone on to an excellent career.

– Marge Loch-Wouters, Youth Services Coordinator, La Crosse (WI) Public Library

The term “red flag” has a negative connotation that doesn’t express how I react when I see an extended leave on a resume. I notice it, but it doesn’t make me question whether the person is qualified. What it does it create a space to have a conversation about the leave. In other words, it would absolutely not preclude me from wanting to interview a qualified person. That said, I think the applicant should come to the interview prepared to talk about how they stayed current in the library world while they were on leave (or how they’ve caught up since they’ve been back). Best practices in public libraries seem to change frequently and the last thing an applicant should do is talk about an outdated program, policy or practice. A leave is fine but falling behind is not.

– Manya Shorr, Senior Manager, Branch Services, Omaha Public Library

No. Unless you were fired from your last job and did absolutely nothing for the last year. I think over all experience in the fields which I need are more important than a gap in employment I have, several times, hired people who had gaps in their resume. People will usually explain a gap in some way, like that they started a family, went back to school, took care of an aging or sick family member, etc.

I have seen this addressed in the cover letters, which, I think is appropriate. I think it is not important to give too many facts about a gap, but it is important to address it in some short way. Maybe a line or two to state why there is a gap and to state how you have kept professionally relevant during that gap. If you spend too much time explaining yourself, you take up valuable page real estate that could be used to talk about your awesome skills.

I think the same goes for a resume. If you have a chronological based resume (although I would recommend you don’t), you could address the gap with its own date and a brief explanation. For example:

Nov 1994- Aug 1999 – Electronic Resources Librarian, XXX State Library

Aug 1999-Feb 2000 – Long Term Relative Home Care

Mar 2000- Present – Cashier, Barnes and Noble Book Store

Again, I don’t think it is as important to explain a gap in employment as it is to highlight your skill sets and why you are the right person for the job. Don’t lie about it, but don’t over stress something you can’t change. Focus on what is positive about you and your employment history and what you learned during that down time.

– Terry Lawler, Assistant Manager and Children’s Librarian, Palo Verde Branch, Phoenix Public Library

Thank you as always to our contributors for their time and insight.

If you’re interested in participating in this feature, please email me at hiringlibrariansATgmail.

And thanks to YOU for reading!

Alice the camel has TWO comments.

2 Comments

Filed under Extended Leaves of Absence, Further Questions, Topical Series

Tagged as Canada, coverletter, Employment, Hiring, Interview, La Crosse Wisconsin, Librarian, libraries, Library, Library and Information Science, library technology, Mac, Public library

by Emily@HiringLibrarians | February 6, 2013 · 8:00 am

Author’s Corner: The Information and Knowledge Professional’s Career Handbook

This week, Ulla de Stricker and Jill Hurst-Wahl have been kind enough to tell us the story of how they wrote their book, and to detail what’s inside the covers.

Picture two members of Special Libraries Association having a chat in a coffee shop during the annual SLA conference. The two colleagues go back a long way and enjoy meeting each other when professional events make it possible. This time, they get on the topic of how, throughout their careers, they have acted as mentors to colleagues at all stages of their careers and to students just starting out. As the conversation went on, they verbally compile a long list of the career challenges prompting those colleagues and students to seek advice … and jointly reached the conclusion “why don’t we just write it all down!”.

Thus, The Information and Knowledge Professional’s Career Handbook: Define and Create Your Success was conceived. Here’s how we articulated its purpose:

Information Professionals and Knowledge Managers deal with significant career challenges for a number of reasons associated (for example) with common misperceptions of their expertise and roles. In environments where they must often justify their work and value over and over, those already in the profession and those just entering need to prepare for a reality that may differ from expectations. Based on the authors’ own extensive experience, the book is intended to give readers a set of tools and techniques with which to secure a strong career, build an effective brand, and succeed as professionals.

Here’s how we went about organizing the messages we wanted to share:

We discuss how the information profession involves an enduring need to others why it is worthwhile investing in its practitioners.

We outline the need to know one’s own “work personality” and show how insight into it could be crucial in helping to deal with the inevitable challenges in the workplace.

For those who may have had a previous career, we talk about how to translate earlier expertise into a new professional role.

We address head-on the need to develop a professional brand and to market oneself the way any product or service is promoted. In particular, we stress on the power of professional associations as career builders.

We get practical with a look at job hunting, the strategies for applying for jobs, handling the job interview, and succeeding in the critical first few weeks on a new job.

The notion that “career planning” may be a contradiction in terms is next: “Give chance a chance”.

We take a look at the reality of organizational life: Technical proficiency does not guarantee success! Political savvy is paramount for navigating organizational culture.

The essential skill of constructing compelling proposals and business cases is the focus of attention as we stress how advocacy and getting support for change and investment requires compelling arguments – regarding of the sector or industry.

Our readers do not have to make the mistakes we did! We share candidly the lessons from our own careers and show how important emotional resilience and strength are. Work occupies a huge role in our lives, and it would be unrealistic to expect a clinical, detached attitude toward it. We focus on strategies for coping … and on knowing when to quit.

Of course, money must be discussed. We look at salary and other aspects of compensation and suggest resources to prepare for negotiation.

Finally, we advocate for a life long mentoring orientation in encouraging our colleagues to take advantage of the wisdom of more experienced colleagues and pay it back.

We hope the book will be a constant companion for our colleagues. At different career stages, different chapters will be relevant. More than anything else, we hope our colleagues will join us in our never ending efforts to support our fellow professionals.

Availability and Reviews:

Publisher: Woodhead (Chandos) Publishing

To rent the book online at a much lower cost than the list price, go to http://bit.ly/Iv0Fkz; click on the PDF link below the image of the book. Under “Offerings”, click the desired “Add to Basket” option (72 hours or 14 days). Click “Purchase” and then at the Log In page, register under the Individual Registration option in order to complete the transaction.

Amazon / Neal-Schuman / In Canada

Reviews: Kim Dority / Robyn Stockand / Carol Stahlberg, SLA /

Interviews: Dennie Heye, SLA Europe (one more here ) / Henrik de Gyor / Neal-Schuman

And you can join the conversation, or get in touch, via Facebook

Jill Hurst-Wahl, MLS, is a digitization consultant and owner of Hurst Associates, Ltd. She also an Associate Professor of Practice in Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies and the director of the iSchool’s Library and Information Science Program. Jill’s interests include digitization, digital libraries, copyright, web 2.0 and social media.

Ulla de Stricker is a knowledge management consultant whose practice (www.destricker.com) focuses on addressing a wide range of challenges and opportunities in the area of information management including strategies for information support to knowledge workers. She has been an active contributor to the library profession and a mentor to colleagues since the late 1970s and is a familiar figure at information related conferences.

Ulla and Jill currently serve on the Board of Directors of SLA.

2 Comments

Filed under Author's Corner

Tagged as Academia, Academic library, Canada, Career, Collegiality, coverletter, Employment, Librarian, Organizational culture, Professional Association, Search Committee, Special Libraries Association

by Emily@HiringLibrarians | February 1, 2013 · 8:00 am

Further Questions: How Can Someone on an Extended Leave of Absence Stay Professionally Relevant?

This week we have a new set of reader questions. This person is preparing to leave work for an extended period of time, due to the incipient arrival of twin babies. We’re going to talk about leaves of absence for the next three weeks – I’ll be asking questions of people who hire librarians, and then I’m going to also run companion posts with people who have returned to work after an extended leave. This week’s question is:

What do you recommend that a person on an extended leave of absence do in order to stay professionally relevant?

We had a staff member from our cataloguing department start an extended leave (maternity leave) at the beginning of this year and before she left she expressed concern about “staying in the loop”, professionally as well as being connected to our organization. Her supervisor gave her homework to do while she is on leave (exercises from the cataloguing course) and will invite her to participate in any professional development activities we might be offering during the year. Of course her participation will be voluntary, but it will be a great opportunity for her to stay connected to the profession and continue her connection to staff as well.

I recommend staff who are planning a leave speak to their supervisors about what the expectations are and what the supervisor would recommend in order to stay professionally connected and relevant while away from their job.

– Petra Mauerhoff, CEO, Shortgrass Library System

Read the appropriate e-lists, e.g., cataloguers should read Autocat, RDA-L, and Bibframe

– J. McRee (Mac) Elrod, Special Libraries Catalouging

This question is close to home, because I recently took maternity leave. I expected to be gone during the months of August and September, planning to take 6 weeks off and then work the next 2 weeks on half-time basis, using vacation time as needed (our policy follows FMLA, and employees are expected to use their sick and vacation time). However, my daughter arrived 8 weeks early, so I ended up being gone in June and July instead. This threw quite a monkey wrench into my work plans, as the day I gave birth was the same day that I had planned to orient my assistant department head to my files and where everything was.

My recommendation to others is, if you are taking an extended leave of absence from a job that you currently hold and will be holding upon your return, stay in touch with those folks that you work with. Make yourself available via email or phone if possible. Even if you aren’t doing the actual work, just staying in touch and keeping up with issues that happen means that you will have less catching up to do when you do return.

If you are working with your supervisor to try to find the best solution for both you and your work, and you have an idea about the time off that you want, just ask. A friend of mine was unsure about whether she was going to go back to work after the birth of her daughter, and she told her supervisor that. Her supervisor worked with her and just hired someone on an interim basis so that my friend could have a year off and her position would be held in the event that she came back to work. You never know unless you ask!

If you are between jobs but are taking an extended leave of absence, keep up with professional developments as much as you can. Read blogs, keep browsing Library Journal.

All of this being said — take time for yourself and focus on the reason you are taking that extended leave in the first place. If you are on sabbatical to work on a dissertation, do that work first before you check in with your job. If you have a baby, that is your first priority and no one should discourage you from recognizing that.

– Marleah Augustine, Adult Department Librarian at Hays Public Library

Keep up on blogs, twitter feeds and, if you don’t already, ask to have remote access to your institutions email system. Ask a willing colleague to forward meeting notes or policy changes or news that are posted on internal communication networks – wikis; blogs; etc – just so you stay slightly in the loop. Ten-twenty minutes a day spent perusing what’s up will make it feel like you are aware of what’s happening without needing to stress over it. And again, if you have a willing colleague who would drop off professional print journals after they’ve been routed to the rest of the staff so you can keep up (kind of like homework being dropped off!), that is a way to stay connected.

– Marge Loch-Wouters, Youth Services Coordinator, La Crosse (WI) Public Library

I really believe that whenever possible, the person on leave stay in touch with their library, either through listservs and other email methods, occasional phone conversations, conference calls for committees or other pertinent professional events that the person would have attended or in which they would have been involved. Offer to have those at work call you at home when something of importance is about to happen–more of an FYI or courtesy than actually asking for input or opinions. I say all of this, because it the person is truly planning to return to their jobs, it is best to keep abreast of what is going on, rather than have to play major catch up upon one’s return. The person should also read the literature also, just to make sure that you don’t completely remove yourself from the profession in your absence. ALA members receive American Libraries, and others may subscribe to that or Library Journal, etc. And of course there is the web.

Some colleges or universities may frown upon, or just plain not allow active participation in committee work or conference calling. If that is the case, then I would recommend doing the other things I mentioned above–staying abreast of things on listservs, webpages, occasional phone calls to friends/colleagues just be kept up to speed. Some people like to just “unplug” when they are away from their jobs, but if one is only on leave, and plans to return at some point, I don’t think that is a good idea for more than a couple of weeks. In addition to the person on leave remaining informed, it is good for he/she to be remembered by colleagues, not out of sight out of mind.

– Sharon Britton, Library Director, BGSU – Firelands

I have some personal experience from 2 short term maternity leaves. So here are a few suggestions that I have:
*Keep up as best as you can with the professional literature, either via online or in print publications
*Become involved or stay involved in any professional association committees at the local or national level
*Take advantage of any professional development opportunities, either face-to-face in your local area or online through webinars
*Continue to keep in touch and network with colleagues
*Look for opportunities to contribute through writing for a blog or a professional publication, if that’s of interest to youSome of these suggestions will depend upon how much time and resources/funding you have available to you, but they should help to you keep you involved and stay professional relevant.

– Samantha Thompson-Franklin, Associate Professor/Collections & Acquisitions Librarian, Lewis-Clark State College Library

Thank you as always to our contributors for their time and insight.

If you’re interested in participating in this feature, please email me at hiringlibrariansATgmail.

And thanks to YOU for reading!

Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer, by your comments.

*Edited 2/3/2013 to add in answer by Samantha Thompson-Franklin

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Filed under Extended Leaves of Absence, Further Questions, Topical Series

Tagged as AUTOCAT, Canada, coverletter, Employment, Hiring, Interview, La Crosse Wisconsin, Librarian, libraries, Library, Library and Information Science, Library Journal, library technology, Mac, Public library, Skype, Special library

by Emily@HiringLibrarians | January 25, 2013 · 8:00 am

Further Questions: Any Tips for Out-of-Area Applicants?

Here’s final question in a series of six from the reader who asked when candidates shouldn’t apply, if current employment status matters, how the initial selection of candidate works, for some cover letter hooks that worked, and if knowledge of specific tools was important. This week I asked people who hire librarians:

How much does the geographic location of the applicant matter to you? Any tips for out-of-area applicants?

The geographic location doesn’t matter when we are trying to find the best candidate for the job. As long as the applicant is legally permitted to work in Canada and has the proper qualifications, we want to hear from you.

Since our organization is located in a medium sized town, all the folks with library related education tend to know each other or at least know of each other. When we post a position requiring library related qualifications, we can generally guess whether or not we will have local applicants.

The most important thing for applicants who are not located within driving distance to our office is that they need to be comfortable interviewing either via phone, skype or video conference. When I’m trying to set up an interview via distance an answer such as “but I don’t own a webcam” doesn’t show a lot of flexibility. The onus is on the candidate to make this happen.

Also, don’t have the interview situation be the first time you are actually using this technology. An improperly positioned camera can be distracting and the focus should be on the interview, not on the technology.

If the candidate is from out of the province, it is important that they not only try to gain some understanding about our organization before the interview, but also try to familiarize themselves with the structure of public library services in Alberta in general.

The basics for interview preparation remain the same, no matter what your geographic location: do your homework and show in the interview that you have taken the time to learn as much as you can about our organization, its context and the position for which you are applying.

– Petra Mauerhoff, CEO, Shortgrass Library System

In the case of SLC, location is totally irrelevant, since our cataloguers work from home. It is important to have a bank willing to accept deposits of out of country checks without a large fee.

I know of a case where an American applying for a Canadian job failed to mention that as a result of marrying a Canadian, he was immigrating. He was not considered since the employer did not wish to deal with the increasing difficulties of immigration.

It would be wise to mention, I think, a willingness to move, and to be interviewed by Skype prior to the move.

– J. McRee (Mac) Elrod, Special Libraries Catalouging

As a recruiter one of the things I find frustrating is that my clients can sometimes put their own convenience above their search for the best candidate for the job. Given two equally qualified, experienced, etc applicants, they will almost always chose to interview the one who already lives locally to the one from further away who says they are willing to relocate.This statement is generally (although not exclusively) more true in the private sector, and less so in the public/government sector (where their equal opportunity guidelines may insist that they interview all applicants who meet a certain minimum standard, irrespective of where they are located).I guess this selection makes it easier to arrange interviews, avoids the need to pay expenses (or explain why they don’t do this), and there is also the thought of someone asking for relocation expenses and/or not being immediately available to start. Hiring a new member of staff is generally a risky process (a lot is invested in time and money in the initial search, and then in induction and training, and in lost productivity until the new person gets up to speed), and employers always worry that a new hire won’t stay long enough to ‘pay back’ that investment. Anything that reduces that risk or avoids risk factors is something hirers are generally keen on, therefore.If you are applying for jobs located outside reasonable commuting distance (that could be anything from 30 miles away to out of State or in a different country), then you need to reduce or avoid these perceived problems as much as possible. Include information in your application pack or cover letter to reassure hirers, For example, tell them you have relatives locally you can move in with immediately, while you look for somewhere to live. Tell them you have Skype and are open to having a video interview as a first stage.

State up front that you are keen to relocate to the area at your own expense (and preferably that you know people there). Employers are always worried that someone who moved just for the job may find it too lonely without friends and family, and leave again quickly.Don’t forget to include all the usual information to demonstrate what a great match you are to all the essential (and as many desirable as possible) characteristics they have put in the job specification. Most employers will only go to the lengths of arranging telephone or skype interviews or calling someone to travel a long distance for a candidate they are sure is a pretty good fit on paper.

– Nicola Franklin, Director, The Library Career Centre Ltd.

We are academic, tenure-track, faculty, so we intentionally do national searches and geographic location has little or no bearing at all. In our most recent search, we Skype-interviewed someone who was out of the country and, if it had come to an on-campus interview, we would have had a discussion with the provost’s office about it. We pay all of the expenses for candidates to visit campus and the university pays a good portion of the hiree’s moving expenses.

– Laurie Phillips, Associate Dean for Technical Services, J. Edgar & Louise S. Monroe Library, Loyola University New Orleans

With part-time staff, it is not as much of a concern unless we hire university students who plan to go home for extended periods. For full-time positions, we are always willing to consider applicants who plan to move to our area but are not currently here. Phone interviews are the norm in that situation, although we LOVE seeing an applicant travel here for an in-person interview. It’s much easier to get an idea of who the applicant is in person.

As for tips, do as much research about the area as you can. Show that you’ve looked into what the library offers. Of course this goes for anyone applying, but when you’re in the area you tend to learn a lot by osmosis; when you’re at a distance, it takes a bit more work to do that.

– Marleah Augustine, Adult Department Librarian at Hays Public Library

We do not, generally, pay for relocation, so the location of the applicant doesn’t matter to us, if the applicant doesn’t expect to be reimbursed for moving expenses.

– Jaye Lapachet, Manager of Library Services, Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass LLP

We do national searches for our open positions with the understanding that if the candidate moves forward to a final four-five interview, we cannot help with the cost of a trip (wish we could, but we can’t). We have hired a number of out-of-state; out-of-region candidates. I do always look to make sure throughout the process that they understand that while this is an amazing opportunity professionally, it is in a location that is slightly isolated (2-3 hours to a large metropolitan area) – and it’s WI so it is likely to be cold and snowy and dark for significant chunks of the year. Many candidates, in their cover letter, make the case why they want to move into our area (family; want to be in the Midwest; love nature and the outdoors) that give us clues to the fact that they can happily work here and reach their potential.

– Marge Loch-Wouters, Youth Services Coordinator, La Crosse (WI) Public Library

The most important question for an out-of-area candidate is, “How much do you want the job?” It is important to bear in the mind that most libraries are operating with limited and reduced budgets. Travel and moving reimbursements are usually the first to go the way of cuts. Most libraries are well aware of the expense of looking for a job and offer alternatives: telephone interviews, web cast interviews, Skype, and similar tools. But – sooner or later – there will be the need for a face-to-face interview and there may be a good chance that the applicant will have to pay some or part of the travel.

I am more than willing to spend the time and effort on the preliminaries, and to offer what financial assistance the library can afford, if I know that the person is willing to pay all or part to come for the interview. I am more than willing to offer the position to someone who is prepared to move. I do need to know there is commitment. And, part of the commitment is knowing whether the candidate really understands the area. Several times we have had final interviews where the person really didn’t know what rural meant, until he drove through miles of farm land and saw no malls or shopping centers. That was the deal breaker and not on our side.

Looking for a job is frustrating and time-consuming. Now, more than ever, the candidate needs to be open-minded about where the job is and what the job entails. The smaller the library the broader the job description. Bear in mind that the hiring library is also frequently in a position where the library desperately needs help, has a very limited budget, a limited time-frame to fill the position, and locally a limited or nonexistent candidate pool. Willingness to travel and willingness to move and expand horizons may get you a job.

– Dusty Gres, Director, Ohoopee Regional Library System

In an ideal world I would only hire staff who live within easy walking distance or a short bus ride from our office. However life is not that simple.

A reality check is essential for both the hirer and the applicant at all stages of the process.

As a recruitment agency I would advise candidates to think carefully about the ramifications of a move before making their application. It is disappointing for both the hirer and the candidate if a job is offered and then rejected because it did not make sense to make that move. Equally a long commute can be disruptive to your personal life affecting family relationships and friendships too. Life in a new city can be lonely. There should be more to life than work and a very long commute although there are times when it is necessary.

When making your application you need to show that you are prepared to move. I often advise using the address of a friend or family member in the city where the job is located as some hirers have a policy of not looking at applicants who live outside a certain mileage range. If you say you already live there it may mean you won’t get travel expenses when you are invited to interview so you could just indicate that you have accommodation pre-arranged at that address. If a clear plan to move is indicated within the application then as a hirer I would take that candidate more seriously than one who said ‘I am prepared to move anywhere.’ Invariably those who say that are not.

If planning a move or a long commute then you will need to give careful thought to the effect that either of these may have on your nearest and dearest. Child or dependent care need to be considered as does the career of your partner. Not all jobs are replicated globally and so you may need to research the possibilities of appropriate work for them in the new location. Another consideration is property rental and purchase costs. These often vary between cities and you need to be sure that you can afford to live in the new location. An alternative is to work Monday to Friday and return home on the weekends. That can mean two sets of living expenses as well as the travel costs so it makes sense to take a sound look at the economics and the availability of Monday to Friday bed and board.

For more senior roles relocation expenses are sometimes offered by the hirer. If these are essential to your ability to make a move then you should clarify their availability at the outset of the application process. If you are planning to move abroad be realistic about your language skills. Perhaps the working language of the company is English, but when you need a plumber at 2:00 am you can be sure you will need to speak the local language!

– Sue Hill, Managing Director, Sue Hill Recruitment

We don’t discriminate against out-of-area applicants. That said, my personal experience is that the more the person is tied to the area the more likely they are to work out as a candidate as well as an employee. The last two times that we’ve called out-of-area candidates for our professional positions there was about an 65% chance they’d either turn the interview down immediately or bow out later.

Recently, I hired an out-of-area candidate who worked for about three months before heading back to their home area.

Here is my tip: Use that cover letter to give a sentence or two with very specific reasons you are interested in the particular job for which you’re applying.

I have also seen candidates successfully use personal reasons to show interest. In these cases though the candidates were highly qualified for the positions they were seeking.

– Melanie Lightbody, Director of Libraries, Butte County

Thank you as always to our contributors for their time and insight.

If you’re interested in participating in this feature, please email me at hiringlibrariansATgmail.

And thanks to YOU for reading!

Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware That jaups in luggies; But, if ye wish her gratefu’ prayer Gie her a Comment!

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Filed under Further Questions

Tagged as Canada, coverletter, Employment, Hiring, Interview, Librarian, libraries, Library, Library and Information Science, library technology, Public library, Skype, Special library

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