Please note: this is an anonymous response to an online survey; I do not have any way of contacting the respondent or verifying responses. Their answers may reflect good, bad, or middling job searching practices. I invite you to take what’s useful and leave the rest.
Your Demographics and Search Parameters
How long have you been job hunting?
√ A year to 18 months
Why are you job hunting?
√ My current job is temporary
√ My current job provides insufficient or no benefits (Healthcare or beyond)
√ Because I’m worried about a possible recession
Where do you look for open positions?
Government jobs.com
What position level are you looking for?
√ Entry level
What type(s) of organization are you looking in?
√ Archives
√ Public library
What part of the world are you in?
√ Western US (including Pacific Northwest)
What’s your region like?
√ Urban area
√ Suburban area
Are you willing/able to move for employment?
√ No
What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?
Full time, benefits, pay
How many jobs have you applied to during your current search? (Please indicate if it’s an estimate or exact)
58
What steps, actions, or attributes are most important for employers to take to sell you on the job?
√ Pay well
√ Having (and describing) excellent benefits
√ Funding professional development
√ Prioritizing work-life balance
Do you expect to see the salary range listed in a job ad?
√ Yes, and it’s a red flag when it’s not
Other than not listing a salary range, are there other “red flags” that would prevent you from applying to a job?
Any description of a good attitude
The Process
How much time do you spend preparing an application packet?
3 -5 hours
What are the steps you follow to prepare an application packet?
Update resume and cover letter with matching verbiage from job description, fill in inevitable extra forms and questions, review, then submit
How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?
√ Email
When would you like potential employers to contact you?
√ To acknowledge my application
√ Once the position has been filled, even if it’s not me
How long do you expect an organization’s application process to take, from the point you submit your documents to the point of either an offer or rejection?
Within a month, or specified timeline on job description
How do you prepare for interviews?
Ask colleagues what kind of questions they have had, search internet for curve ball questions that I always seem to get
What are your most hated interview questions, and why?
Describe a conflict with a co worker and how you resolved it— I haven’t been in the field that long so I always use an example from my restaurant days. Describe your self in 3 words— I never know if I should elaborate or just say the 3 words??
During your current search, have you had any of the following experiences:
Submitted an application and got no response √ Happened the majority of the time or always
Had an interview and never heard back√ Happened more than once
Interviewed for a job where an internal candidate was eventually chosen √ I don’t know
Asked for an accommodation for a disability √ Not Applicable
Withdrawn an application before the offer stage √ Not Applicable
Turned down an offer √ Happened once
If you’ve turned down an offer (or offers), why?
Yes, pay was too little and location was to far to justify working there
If you want to share a great, inspirational, funny, horrific or other story about an experience you have had at any stage in the hiring process, please do so here:
A library job called me on a Monday afternoon to interview on a Thursday morning the same week. I was working late and didn’t get to call back till Tuesday. I asked for a different or virtual interview because I had an other interview that same Thursday already and a program at my library job that afternoon. They said no, so I said no too. I’m still annoyed that they expected me to drop everything and interview with barely 3 days notice.
What should employers do to make the hiring process better for job hunters?
Communication and a notice about the percentage of how many internal hires they have done in the past.
You and Your Well-Being
How are you doing, generally?
√ I’m maintaining
√ I’m frustrated
What are your job search self-care strategies?
Pilates or watch anime or read fan fiction
Do you have any advice or words of support you’d like to share with other job hunters, is there anything you’d like to say to employers, or is there anything else you’d like to say about job hunting?
It’s the hunger games out there. May the odds be ever in your favor
Do you have any comments for Emily (the survey author) or are there any other questions you think we should add to this survey?
I think another question you can add it “how many eligibility lists are you on?” I’ve gone through a few interviews only to be told I’ve been rejected, but placed on a list for future vacancies.
Job Hunting Post Graduate School
If you have an MLIS or other graduate level degree in a LIS field, what year did you graduate? (Or what year do you anticipate graduating?)
2021
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?
√ Less than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree, but still before I graduated
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position?
√ Six months to a year after graduating
What kind of work was your first post-graduation professional position?
√ Part Time
√ Substitute/Pool position
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?
Just lots of advice
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about searching for or finding your first post-graduation position?
The interview I though went ok ended up in a hire, but the interviews that I thought went very well ended up in rejection.
I’m a lurker over at r/libraries (that’s on the Reddit, if you’re not a Reddit person). Recently I came across a highly useful resource created by u/allchickpeas. I asked them if I could share and they said yes.
So you know when people are trying to figure out which MLIS program to attend and you want to give them advice like, “whichever one is cheaper?” Wouldn’t it be great if you could look at program costs for all the accredited online schools, sorted cheapest to most expensive?
Or maybe you yourself are considering getting your MLIS and you have a number of criteria that include how many units you’re planning to take each semester and what you want to pick as your special area of study? Wouldn’t you find it super helpful if someone had already ferreted out all that information and put it together on a spreadsheet?
WELL, THIS IS THE HIGHLY USEFUL RESOURCE I WAS TALKING ABOUT. The incredibly generous and helpful u/allchickpeas has created a
The 2023 Job Hunter’s Survey collects information from LIS workers who are currently looking for work, crossing multiple experience levels, specializations, and library types. There are 37 questions, including a special section that asks for information about the length of time taken to find the first post-grad school position (which for some respondents was quite a few years ago). The survey opened on February 2nd, 2023. It will remain open indefinitely, but as of March 16, there were 420 responses. Most chose to fill it out anonymously, but 30 people did leave contact information. I am posting both individual responses and statistics, as I can get them written up. Given the number of responses, it will most likely take more than a year for me to share them all.
This is the fourth 2023 Job Hunter’s Survey statistics post! Please note I don’t use representative sampling, so it would be inappropriate to draw conclusions about the larger population of LIS Workers as a whole.
In this post, I’m looking at some general characteristics of who has responded to the survey. The questions are:
How long have you been job hunting?
What position level are you looking for? (check all that apply)
What type(s) of organization are you looking in? (check all that apply)
How many jobs have you applied to during your current search? (Please indicate if it’s an estimate or exact)
The first three questions were closed ended, the last was open. At this point (as of March 30, 2023), 427 people have responded to the survey.
How long have you been job hunting?
The largest group of respondents had been job hunting for the shortest amount of time. 158 chose less than six months. Several of these revealed in responding to another question that they’d just started looking. That being said, a significant portion were long-haul job hunters, 18.74% had been looking for more than 18 months, and additional other answers revealed some respondents had been searching for five or six years.
Less than six months
158
37.00%
Six months to a year
96
22.48%
A year to 18 months
62
14.52%
More than 18 months
80
18.74%
Other
29
6.79%
no reply
2
0.47%
29 people chose the Other option. Some indicated they were long term job hunters, or used this option to characterize an “off and on” search. Some used this option to indicate precarity in their current employment, a desire for better pay or promotion, or just described themselves as “always on the look-out.” Other answers included:
5 Years
6 years
6 years
6 years (had temp positions for 3 o
About five years
always on the lookout
Casually for a few years
currently employed in the LIS field, but have been applying to jobs sporadically if they interest me.
I am always looking at what opportunities are available even if I am gainfully employed.
I am employed, but always look at other opportunities.
I have been consistently reviewing postings for about two years, however I have FTE currently so it has been on a more casual basis
I have four library jobs but I need full time work.
I would say I am not actively searching, but I have been applying to promotion/more pay opportunities off and on for about a year
I’m always looking because every position I’ve had since 2016 when I entered the field has been contract
I’ve been underemployed throughout my LIS career
I’m always on the lookout for new opportunities
Job hunted for 2 years, took position outside LIS fields and now looking to return
Just finished job hunting- total time was around 6 months
looking continually but applying selectively since fall semester 2019
Not really looking
off and on for several years
Off and on since 2019
Off and on, over four years.
on and off for a year, picking up easy manual labour when I need to earn money
on and off for several years
ongoing while working a library job
Over 2.5 years
Since 2013- almost 10 years.
Since December 2019
What position level are you looking for? (check all that apply)
People could choose more than one answer for this question. Four people chose seven different options, the rest chose fewer. 108 chose only one option. The most frequently picked answer (62.3%) was “Requiring at least two years of experience.” In the first iteration of running Hiring Librarians, I had a (perhaps erroneous) sense that my job hunting audience were all new librarians. This time around it is not the case.
Requiring at least two years of experience
266
62.30%
Entry level
211
49.41%
Supervisory
136
31.85%
Senior Librarian
87
20.37%
Department Head
77
18.03%
Other/no reply
75
17.56%
Clerk/Library Assistant
61
14.29%
Director/Dean
29
6.79%
Branch Manager
25
5.85%
For other answers, 28 out of 75 (just over 33%) wrote in “Archivist” or something to do with archives. Seven wrote “Anything” or anything plus a parameter such as “not customer facing” or “FT.” Five wrote “Librarian,” three wrote “intern,” and four wanted something that was not supervisory but still used their sometimes substantial experience. Other answers include:
1 Year Experience
a position that wouldn’t require years of experience if I already have the master’s degree
also looking for LIS program teaching positions
anything mid-level or slightly above
anything not customer-facing
Assistant Director
communications/marketing/adult education
Customer “Experience” Librarian without MLS yet spent almost 18 years in a Special Collection department of a Public Library.
Digital Archivist
Digitization Librarian
Electronic Records Archivist
expert in grant writing
faculty (Associate Professor range)
fellowship
I currently work as support staff but really want to move into a faculty role.
I’m currently a dept. head and I hate it… I want higher pay, but more contained projects.
I’m switching careers so although I am very educated (PhD), I do not have a MLIS
Independent contributor
maybe something like project manager? feeling necessary to look outside libraries
Middle School librarian
museum assistant/registrar
museum curator
Outreach Archivist
Part time archivist
prefer not to manage a department, but seems like that is what is available, given my qualifications
Prior to leaving my role due to the pandemic, I managed a technical services department and was the cataloger/metadata librarian for a law library. There are so few truly remote listings, so I am fine with any library-adjacent role.
Processing Archivist
records manager
returning librarian
School librarian since I’m getting the certification.
Something that pays better than librarianship
Special Collections Librarian with tenure
Subject Specialist
Technical services: cataloging
Senior technician
What type(s) of organization are you looking in? (check all that apply)
A surprising number of archivists (or aspiring archivists) answered this survey! They were second only to people interested in working in Academic libraries.
Academic library
312
73.07%
Archives
287
67.21%
Special library
231
54.10%
Public library
172
40.28%
Other
109
25.53%
Library vendor/service provider
86
20.14%
School library
28
6.56%
The Other answers could again be grouped into several categories. The most number of people (24) wrote in “Museum.” Others wrote in Government (12), Corporate (7), some version of Outside of libraries/GLAM (5), Historical societies (5), Non-profits (5), Special collections (5), and Cultural Heritage Organizations (3). Other answers included:
Any — I am curious about outside of the library but using the librarian skills.
apple
Artist Studios
arts orgs
community archives
community college (but not other academic)
digital archives
Digital asset management
external organizations related to technology/equity
Federal Agencies
Film Studios
Galleries
gaming industry
general metadata/data management
It doesn’t even have to be a library, just somewhere/something I can use my skills for that I don’t hate.
Law firms
Manuscript archives
Maybe higher ed (but not a library) or an organization or company or work from home
media companies
microsoft
National Park Service
Nonprofit (Public Service Loan Forgiveness)
online archives…
Orchestras
Other higher education roles
Public Radio
rare books departments at museums or historical societies
Rare Books/Special Collections in Cultural Heritage Institutions eg museums
Record Labels
Records management
religious orgs
Remote work positions requiring an MLIS
science collections
SLIS programs
State Archives
state park service
Tech
Wherever I can work remote
Would take special collections
How many jobs have you applied to during your current search? (Please indicate if it’s an estimate or exact)
This was an open response question. I analyzed replies to come up with some appropriate groupings.
Less than 10
174
40.75%
10 or more
75
17.56%
20 or more
45
10.54%
30 or more
23
5.39%
40 or more
18
4.22%
50 or more
22
5.15%
60 or more
2
0.47%
70 or more
7
1.64%
100 or more
19
4.45%
200 or more
10
2.34%
300 or more
2
0.47%
450 or more
3
0.70%
2000 or more
1
0.23%
no reply
22
5.15%
unknown/lost count
4
0.94%
I also did some analyzing comparing the number of applications with how long the respondent had been looking. No matter the length of search, the most frequently occurring number of applications was less than ten. However, it was only a majority choice for people who had been job hunting for six months or less (63.29%). In the other categories (six months to a year, a year to 18 months, more than 18 months) responses were spread more evenly across the groupings. The person who said they had applied to more than 2000 jobs also said they had been job hunting for more than 18 months.
The 2023 Job Hunter’s Survey collects information from LIS workers who are currently looking for work, crossing multiple experience levels, specializations, and library types. There are 37 questions, including a special section that asks for information about the length of time taken to find the first post-grad school position (which for some respondents was quite a few years ago). The survey opened on February 2nd, 2023. It will remain open indefinitely, but as of March 16, there were 420 responses. Most chose to fill it out anonymously, but 30 people did leave contact information. I am posting both individual responses and statistics, as I can get them written up. Given the number of responses, it will most likely take more than a year for me to share them all.
This is the third 2023 Job Hunter’s Survey statistics post! Please note I don’t use representative sampling, so it would be inappropriate to draw conclusions about the larger population of LIS Workers as a whole.
In this post, I’m looking at an entire section of responses, one that examines our experiences finding that first “professional” job after graduating with an MLIS or graduate-level degree in a LIS field.
I first want to acknowledge the problems with using the term “professional.” It is divisive and can undermine the value of work done by folks in “paraprofessional” positions. Why did I use it? I was attempting to distinguish jobs which required the Masters from jobs that did not. Calling these “professional” is a common convention in many systems. I’m currently feeling regret about using this term, because of both the harm it can do and the lack of clarity on what “professional” actually refers to (one respondent explicitly stated, “Not sure what “professional” means.”)
This section is really an area of our field that deserves further study. While Library Journal conducts an annual Placements & Salaries survey that provides great data about the first year for new MLIS grads, longer term data is missing. What is life like for new grads whose first post-MLIS position takes longer than a year to find? For those who start with temporary or pool work, how long does it take to find something full time (or are they even interested in full time)? My findings here are interesting, but this topic really deserves more rigorous research.
Of the 420 people who responded to my survey, 391 chose to fill out at least some of this section. It is titled Job Hunting Post Graduate School and includes the instruction (skip if N/A). The instructions read, “Questions for folks who have or are pursuing an MLIS or other graduate level degree in a LIS field, no matter how recent or long ago this may have been. If this doesn’t apply to you, please scroll to the bottom of the page and hit submit. Thank you!” None of the questions or sections on my survey are required so of the 29 respondents who did not fill out this section, it is possible that some folks with grad degrees just chose not to fill it out.
If you have a MLIS or other graduate level degree in a LIS field, what year did you graduate? (Or what year do you anticipate graduating?)
I was really interested to see the range of years represented! While there were certainly more recent grads, there were a not insignificant number of respondents with more established careers.
Year of Graduation
Number of Respondents
Percent of Total
1987
2
0.48%
1992
3
0.71%
1995
2
0.48%
1997
4
0.95%
1998
1
0.24%
1999
1
0.24%
2000
1
0.24%
2001
3
0.71%
2003
1
0.24%
2004
3
0.71%
2005
2
0.48%
2006
7
1.67%
2007
7
1.67%
2008
7
1.67%
2009
4
0.95%
2010
5
1.19%
2011
9
2.14%
2012
8
1.90%
2013
8
1.90%
2014
11
2.62%
2015
10
2.38%
2016
12
2.86%
2017
15
3.57%
2018
20
4.76%
2019
20
4.76%
2020
31
7.38%
2021
47
11.19%
2022
62
14.76%
2023
55
13.10%
2024
12
2.86%
2025
1
0.24%
2026
1
0.24%
No reply
29
6.90%
No reply (answered some Qs)
9
2.14%
Other
7
1.67%
Total
420
100.00%
Total minus No Reply
391
93.10%
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?
I have often seen it recommended that MLIS students begin their job search six months before graduating. In this survey, nearly a third of the 391 respondents started searching even earlier than that. However, when you look at the combined replies for people who said they started searching less than six months before graduating, or even after graduating, that number is even larger – nearly 40%.
More than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree
120
30.61%
Six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree
90
22.96%
Less than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree, but still before I graduated
96
24.49%
After graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree
60
15.31%
No reply
4
1.02%
Other
21
5.36%
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position?
This question becomes a bit meaningless when considering all the answers, because it includes very recent graduates and even some folks who are still in school. Of the 109 people who said they were still looking, 94 had graduation years of 2020 or later. At the end of the post, I’ll break down the most popular answers within smaller date ranges.
More than three years after graduating
10
2.56%
Two to three years after graduating
5
1.28%
18 months to two years after graduating
9
2.30%
A year to 18 months after graduating
16
4.09%
Six months to a year after graduating
33
8.44%
Less than six months after graduating
78
19.95%
I was actually hired before I graduated
91
23.27%
Hasn’t happened yet – I’m still looking
109
27.88%
No reply
10
2.56%
Other
30
7.67%
What kind of work was your first post-graduation “professional” position? (check all that apply)
This was a surprising result. My assumption has been that most first post-graduation positions are pool or part-time positions. But more than 40% chose full time.
Full Time
161
41.18%
N/A – hasn’t happened yet
111
28.39%
Part Time
66
16.88%
Temporary/Limited Term
65
16.62%
Contract
40
10.23%
Other
22
5.63%
No reply
10
2.56%
Substitute/Pool position
9
2.30%
Residency
5
1.28%
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?
This was another surprising result. I generally think that library schools should offer assistance in finding at least that first full time job. But many answers indicated that this is not the case. Some were bitter and scathing, for example, “Lol no” and “No. My school was useless.” Others qualified that while some employment was facilitated, they had to do a lot on their own: “sort of…I interned at the place I ended up for my first post-MLIS job, but I made the connections and applied on my own.” Others said that the help that was offered was…not very helpful, such as “All of the “support” meetings offered were only available at strange times, like 2pm on a Thursday. I could not attend them.”
No
166
42.46%
Some
85
21.74%
no reply
61
15.60%
yes
59
15.09%
Unknown/not applicable
20
5.12%
Grouping Responses by Dates
Now I want to first look at the most selected responses in different decades (or portions of decades). Let’s start with the oldest first.
1987-1999
Initially there were 13 replies in this date range, but I ended up removing responses from a person who had received their MLIS in 1992 but seemed to be replying in relation to the certificate program they were currently attending. No one who replied indicated that it took them more than a year to find their first position, and all but one took 6 months or less. In the table below I indicate the question I asked, and the answer that was chosen by the largest number of people in this date range.
Question
Answer
Number Who Chose
Percent Who Chose
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?
Less than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree, but still before I graduated
4
33.33%
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position? (Two tied top answers)
I was actually hired before I graduated
5
41.67%
Less than six months after graduating
5
41.67%
What kind of work was your first post-graduation “professional” position?
Full Time
8
66.67%
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?
No
7
58.33%
2000-2009
There were 35 total replies in this date range, 11 of which graduated in 2008 or 2009 (the Great Recession). However, folks who graduated these two years do not seem to show additional difficulty in finding that first post-graduate job, when compared to others in this decade.
In the table below I show the question I asked and the answer that was chosen by the largest number of people in this date range. Then I added an extra row for responses to the question “In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position?” This row gathers together all the answers indicating it took a year or longer.
As the table indicates, the majority of folks said that their first position was full time. This question was a “Check all that apply” question, and two of the people who chose full time also indicated that this position was Temporary or Limited Term.
In response to the question about getting support for the job search from the graduate school, only one out of 35 people indicated that they did receive support.
Question
Answer
Number Who Chose
Percent Who Chose
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?
More than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree
12
34.29%
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position?
I was actually hired before I graduated
16
45.71%
Combined replies – took a year or longer to find first “professional” position
10
28.57%
What kind of work was your first post-graduation “professional” position?
Full Time
21
60.00%
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?
No
23
65.71%
2010-2014
There were 41 total replies in this date range. I would also fall in this category, and my experience does not echo the most frequently selected responses. I graduated while in a paraprofessional position I really liked, so I didn’t start looking for my first job until I got laid off about six months later. It took me the next 6 months to find my first very part time “on-call” librarian position, and a little over a year to get into a (nearly) full time gig. But enough about me.
Initially this decade seemed suspiciously rosy – the most popular choice was “I was actually hired before I graduated.” However, when I combined all the choices that indicated it took a year or more to get their first job, I found that was a slightly larger group.
Out of the 28 people who said that their first job was full time, 4 said that it was also Temporary or Limited Term.
Question
Answer
Number Who Chose
Percent Who Chose
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?
More than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree
13
31.71%
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position?
I was actually hired before I graduated
12
29.27%
Combined replies – took a year or longer to find first “professional” position
13
31.71%
What kind of work was your first post-graduation “professional” position?
Full Time
28
68.29%
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?
No
25
60.98%
2015-2019
There were 78 replies in this date range. Of the 43 people who said their first position was full time, 4 were Temporary/Limited Term, 1 was substitute/pool, and 1 was a Residency.
Question
Top Answer
Number Who Chose
Percent Who Chose
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?
Less than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree, but still before I graduated
24
30.77%
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position?
Less than six months after graduating
24
30.77%
Combined replies – took a year or longer to find first “professional” position
21
26.92%
What kind of work was your first post-graduation “professional” position?
Full Time
43
55.13%
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?
No
36
46.15%
2020
There were 31 total replies for 2020. What a tough year to graduate! Responses for this year were pretty evenly spread out; you can see in the table below that several answers were tied, or very close.
It seems possible that many people who graduated in 2020 might be settling into their first position now, and not actively looking for work. Satisfactorily employed 2020 grads will then be under-represented here; this survey is aimed at people who are currently looking for work.
From this year forward, we will also begin to see larger proportions of respondents who are still looking for that first position.
Only one person who said their first position was full time was also Temporary/Limited Term.
Question
Answer
Number Who Chose
Percent Who Chose
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?
Less than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree, but still before I graduated
8
25.81%
Six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree
8
25.81%
More than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree
8
25.81%
After graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree
6
19.35%
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position?
Hasn’t happened yet – I’m still looking
8
25.81%
Less than six months after graduating
5
16.13%
I was actually hired before I graduated
5
16.13%
A year to 18 months after graduating
5
16.13%
What kind of work was your first post-graduation “professional” position?
Full Time
12
38.71%
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?
No
13
41.94%
2021
There were 47 responses for this year. “I’m still looking” tied for top answer with “I found my first job less than six months after graduating.” 5 of the 18 people who said their first job was full time indicated that it was also Temporary/Limited Term.
Question
Answer
Number Who Chose
Percent Who Chose
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?
More than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree
14
29.79%
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position? (Two tied top answers)
Hasn’t happened yet – I’m still looking
12
25.53%
Less than six months after graduating
12
25.53%
What kind of work was your first post-graduation “professional” position?
Full Time
18
38.30%
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?
No
19
40.43%
2022
There were 62 responses for this year. The most commonly picked reply, at slightly less than half, was that 2022 grads are still looking for that first position. As I mentioned back in 2020, it is likely that 2022 grads who already found their first job would not have responded to this survey, so responses will be skewed there.
Question
Answer
Number Who Chose
Percent Who Chose
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?
Less than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree, but still before I graduated
22
35.48%
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position? (Two tied top answers)
Hasn’t happened yet – I’m still looking
30
48.39%
What kind of work was your first post-graduation “professional” position?
N/A – hasn’t happened yet
29
46.77%
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?
No
23
37.10%
2023
There were 55 total respondents in this year. As above, it is likely that 2023 grads who already found their first job would not have responded to this survey. Responses to “Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt?” are really evenly split here between Yes, No, and No reply.
Question
Answer
Number Who Chose
Percent Who Chose
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?
More than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree
25
45.45%
Six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree
17
30.91%
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position? (Two tied top answers)
Hasn’t happened yet – I’m still looking
35
63.64%
I was actually hired before I graduated
11
20.00%
What kind of work was your first post-graduation “professional” position?
N/A – hasn’t happened yet
40
72.73%
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?
Bill Chase is an experienced professional and 2020 MLIS graduate of Kent State University, concentrating in archival practices. He is a passionate historian who seeks to enable others to pursue their own dreams and passions through the power of information. Having graduated during the pandemic, he continues to seek out his first paid LIS related position while working in an unrelated but non-profit organization.
Your Demographics and Search Parameters
How long have you been job hunting?
√ More than 18 months
Why are you job hunting?
√ This is the next step after finishing library/archives/other LIS graduate degree
√ I’m employed outside of the field and I’d like to be in it
√ My current job is boring
Where do you look for open positions?
Indeed, Archivesgig, SAA job board, ALA job board, normally have to search each organization individually
What position level are you looking for?
√ Entry level
√ Requiring at least two years of experience
What type(s) of organization are you looking in?
√ Archives
√ Other: Museum
What part of the world are you in?
√ Southeastern US
What’s your region like?
√ Urban area
√ Suburban area
Are you willing/able to move for employment?
√ No
What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?
Pay range, location near me, room for advancement
How many jobs have you applied to during your current search? (Please indicate if it’s an estimate or exact)
40+
What steps, actions, or attributes are most important for employers to take to sell you on the job?
√ Pay well
√ Having (and describing) excellent benefits
Do you expect to see the salary range listed in a job ad?
√ Yes, and it’s a red flag when it’s not
Other than not listing a salary range, are there other “red flags” that would prevent you from applying to a job?
Temporary or term position without long-term security
The Process
How much time do you spend preparing an application packet?
2-3 hours
What are the steps you follow to prepare an application packet?
Research the organization and staff
How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?
√ Email
When would you like potential employers to contact you?
√ To acknowledge my application
√ To tell me if the search is at the interview stage, even if I have not been selected
√ Once the position has been filled, even if it’s not me
How long do you expect an organization’s application process to take, from the point you submit your documents to the point of either an offer or rejection?
1 month
How do you prepare for interviews?
Deep dive research on the organization and collections
What are your most hated interview questions, and why?
Anything that starts with “Tell me a time when…”
During your current search, have you had any of the following experiences:
Submitted an application and got no response√ Happened the majority of the time or always
Had an interview and never heard back√ Happened the majority of the time or always
Interviewed for a job where an internal candidate was eventually chosen √ I don’t know
Asked for an accommodation for a disability √ Not Applicable
Withdrawn an application before the offer stage √ Happened once
Turned down an offer √ Not Applicable
If you have ever withdrawn an application, why?
Once, I discovered an error to correct, resubmitted but never called back.
What should employers do to make the hiring process better for job hunters?
Consider people with similar but non-LIS specific experience.
You and Your Well-Being
How are you doing, generally?
√ I’m maintaining
√ I’m frustrated
√ I feel alone in my search
What are your job search self-care strategies?
Don’t get lost in searching, make sure you take care of your family’s financial needs, the job satisfaction will eventually come.
Do you have any advice or words of support you’d like to share with other job hunters, is there anything you’d like to say to employers, or is there anything else you’d like to say about job hunting?
To employers, include salary please. Recognize that most positions are underpaid considering the education required. Don’t be surprised when people jump ship (or industry) to make more money.
Do you have any comments for Emily (the survey author) or are there any other questions you think we should add to this survey?
Thank you for putting this together!
Job Hunting Post Graduate School
If you have an MLIS or other graduate level degree in a LIS field, what year did you graduate? (Or what year do you anticipate graduating?)
2020
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?
√ More than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position?
√ Hasn’t happened yet – I’m still looking
What kind of work was your first post-graduation professional position?
√ Other: Volunteer / Unpaid
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?
No
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about searching for or finding your first post-graduation position?
Start volunteering ASAP in library school to get networking and experience or wait to go to library school until after you’re in the field and have LIS experience.
Please note: this is an anonymous response to an online survey; I do not have any way of contacting the respondent or verifying responses. Their answers may reflect good, bad, or middling job searching practices. I invite you to take what’s useful and leave the rest.
Your Demographics and Search Parameters
How long have you been job hunting?
√ Less than six months
Why are you job hunting?
√ This is the next step after finishing library/archives/other LIS graduate degree
Where do you look for open positions?
Linkedin, indeed
What position level are you looking for?
√ Entry level
What type(s) of organization are you looking in?
√ Academic library
√ Special library
What part of the world are you in?
√ UK
What’s your region like?
√ Urban area
Are you willing/able to move for employment?
√ No
What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?
Stable hours, reasonable pay, and a place of work that isn’t at risk of major funding cuts/restructuring
How many jobs have you applied to during your current search? (Please indicate if it’s an estimate or exact)
Approx 20
What steps, actions, or attributes are most important for employers to take to sell you on the job?
√ Pay well
√ Having a good reputation
√ Prioritizing work-life balance
Do you expect to see the salary range listed in a job ad?
√ No (even if I might think it *should* be)
Other than not listing a salary range, are there other “red flags” that would prevent you from applying to a job?
Unclear/disorganized job summary that doesn’t give a good idea of the position, extremely negative reviews on glassdoor, if there’s no information available about them online (no website/social media)
The Process
How much time do you spend preparing an application packet?
3 hours
What are the steps you follow to prepare an application packet?
Research the company, Edit my resume to directly appeal to the job requirements, write any application statements that are required
How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?
√ Email
When would you like potential employers to contact you?
√ To acknowledge my application
√ To tell me if the search is at the interview stage, even if I have not been selected
√ Once the position has been filled, even if it’s not me
How long do you expect the application process to take, from the point you submit your documents to the point of either an offer or rejection?
About a month
How do you prepare for interviews?
Research the company, write out & memorize answers to basic practice questions, come up with questions to ask them about the job and brainstorm my skills that I want to be sure to emphasize in the interview
What are your most hated interview questions, and why?
Questions about personality traits (like “how do you describe yourself” or “what sort of relationship do you want with your coworkers”)
During your current search, have you had any of the following experiences:
Submitted an application and got no response√ Happened more than once
Had an interview and never heard back√ Happened more than once
Withdrawn an application before the offer stage √ Happened more than once
If you have ever withdrawn an application, why?
I hated the people I interviewed with
What should employers do to make the hiring process better for job hunters?
Not require such a huge investment of time up-front for entry-level positions. I shouldn’t have to write 3 mini essays as part of my application statement when my resume clearly shows I don’t have the experience to draw from
You and Your Well-Being
How are you doing, generally?
√ I’m maintaining
Job Hunting Post Graduate School
If you have an MLIS or other graduate level degree in a LIS field, what year did you graduate? (Or what year do you anticipate graduating?)
2022
When did you start your job search?
√ Less than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree, but still before I graduated
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position?
√ Less than six months after graduating
What kind of work was your first post-graduation professional position?
√ Full Time
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?
Sort of- the school had a jobs board just for relevant jobs but didn’t support other than that
This series is a collaboration with Hack Library School (HLS). HLS is written by library school students. In this series, the students interview their schools to dig deeper into the resources provided for job hunting and career support. We are cross-posting here and on Hack Library School. This post is written by Lauren Bauer, who is the current managing editor for HLS.
By the way, if you are an employer looking to get your job ad out to library schools, Hilary Kraus (who you may also know from Further Questions) has created a very helpful spreadsheet with the best process to reach each of the 63 ALA continually accredited library schools.
This interview is with Anna Motes, who is a Career Coach and supports the students at the College of Information (COI) at UNT Discovery Park.
Anna has an M.S. and a B.S., both in Mathematics, from Texas A&M University in College Station. She comes to UNT with 8 years of experience in the K-12 Education sector, managing an after-school math program. Anna likes helping UNT students because she loves to build relationships with her students, and she is continuously impressed by their hard-work and passion for their education and their futures.
Career Center Information
What does the school do to support students and alumni as they look for jobs?
University of North Texas (UNT) supports students and alumni as they look for jobs through the Career Center and other programs like the Mean Green Mentors Program, the Dr. Yvonne J. Chandler Mentorship Program, and incorporating career readiness material into classes & degree plans. The Career Center provides a full range of services to support undergraduate students, graduate students, and alumni at all points along their career journey, including personalized career and internship advising, access to job and internship postings, career fairs and networking events with employers, workshops on timely career topics, presentations for student organizations, career-focused videos, on-demand resources, and much more.
Are there “career experts” on staff? What are their credentials?
Yes, our Career Coaches are here to help students with their careers! The Career Coach position at UNT requires a master’s degree and two years of experience in student services, counseling, or advising. Each Career Coach’s background is different – I came to UNT after working in industry as an educator, manager, and hiring manager. UNT’s Career Coaches have trained in career counseling theory, and I participate in several professional organizations & communities, learning as much as possible to keep up with today’s ever-changing job world & better help my students.
Does the school have a job board or an email list with job postings?
Yes, Handshake
If so, how can employers get their job listing included?
Register on Handshake & request/get approved to post to UNT students – once a job is posted on Handshake, you can email the posting to the relevant College’s Career Coach & ask that they share it with their students. Each Coach is different in how they get the word out, I will generally share relevant jobs to the Career Center’s website and the College of Information Community page on LinkedIn.
Do you require that a salary be included on job listings?
Handshake requires specifying if an internship/job is paid or unpaid but putting a salary amount is optional.
Are there any other requirements for job listings?
An employer needs to be approved to post to Handshake first, and the job posting will also need to be reviewed & approved by our Career Center team.
Does the school provide any of the following?
√ General career coaching
√ Resume/CV review
√ Help writing cover letters
√ Literature/articles
√ Interview practice
√ Networking events (virtual or in-person)
√ Other: Career Fairs, Employer Tabling/Informational Events, Major Exploration & Assessments, LinkedIn Tips
Does the school provide any of the following in-person career services?
√ Appointments
√ Speakers, or programs that present experts
√ Mixers or other networking events
√ Job Fairs
√ Drop-in career center:
Mon/Wed 8 am – 12 pm
Tue/Thurs 3 pm – 5 pm
Fri 1 pm – 5 pm
Does the school provide any of the following online career services?
√ Website with resources
√ Blog: intermittent updates with Career Center news
√ Webinars
√ Podcasts: Get Hired, UNT (on Apple Podcasts) and Hidden Points (on YouTube)
√ Social Media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram
√Newsletter: There is a student employment newsletter and some of the Career Coaches write newsletters for specific colleges within the University. So far, there are newsletters for the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and the two Colleges housed at Discovery Park: the College of Information and the College of Engineering.
What do you think is the best way for students to use career help provided by the school?
Take advantage of Career Services early & often! Don’t wait until you’re about to graduate to get some insight into the process. Meeting with your Career Coach to prepare your application materials, attending Career Fairs, and following up with the companies that you met at the Career Fair are some of the easiest ways to make the job searching process smoother.
May alumni use the school’s career resources?
Yes
Are there any charges for services?
No
Can you share any stories about job hunters that found positions after using the school’s career resources?
I have lots of stories about the students that have found positions, but the ones that are nearest & dearest to my heart are the students that I meet with several times and go through the process with them from start to finish. One student that sticks out was an international student that graduated last year – over the course of about 6 months, I met with them to help develop their resume, practice interview skills and good answers, and several other times when the job search was not going well. International students have a deadline for their work authorization, and they might have to leave the country if they don’t find a job before their deadline. My last meeting with this student was 2 weeks before their deadline, and they messaged me the next week that they found a job in their desired field. It’s so meaningful for me when I get to go through the process with my students and share in their success when they find a job!
Anything else you’d like to share with readers about your services in particular, or about library hiring/job hunting in general?
I know the job searching process can be frustrating, but don’t be disheartened or give up! Check out the Career Services at your school, they’re there to help you.
Students’ Career Paths
Can you share any statistics about employment rates after graduation?
We collect graduate’s employment information through our First Destination Survey – our latest published report is from our 2020 graduates (we are still gathering information from our 2021 & 2022 graduates) and can be found here. In the 2020 Report, about 68% of respondents were working (includes full-time jobs, part-time jobs, volunteering, military service, and enrolled in continuing education) and 32% of respondents were seeking employment. According to niche.com, 93% of UNT graduates were employed 2 years after graduation.
Can you talk a little bit about the school’s approach to internships, practicums and/or volunteering?
Many degree programs at UNT require either an internship (this includes student teaching), a practicum, a research project, or a volunteer project, and those Colleges have staff/faculty that approve & track past internship/practicum locations – usually, the Colleges that do not require any of these still recommend that students do an internship/practicum if they can. The Career Center has Internship Specialists & an Employer Services team that reach out to employers to create partnerships, along with the Career Coaches that assist students in their search.
Does the school have a stated approach or policy on helping students to find careers?
UNT’s President has a Career Readiness initiative, which so far has expanded the Career Center staff, created a First-Year Career Readiness course, created a Get Hired Grad resource page (which includes on-demand videos of industry panels), and encouraged faculty & staff to incorporate high-impact learning experiences into courses and extra-curricular opportunities.
Does the school have any relationships with organizations that offer fellowships or other post-graduate opportunities?
UNT partners with Forage and Parker Dewey for internship alternatives: Forage is a virtual work experience program and Parker Dewey is a micro-internship program. The Career Center also partners with several companies on our Employer Advisory Board, which keeps us informed of changing hiring trends and allows us to educate our partners on new recruiting initiatives we have put in place.
Are there any notable graduates?
“Mean” Joe Greene and Dr. Phil McGraw are some notable graduates, along with other alumni that attended but did not graduate like Norah Jones, Pat Boone, Roy Orbison, Thomas Haden Church, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and Anne Rice.
Demographics
How many students in the library school?
There are over 44,000 students enrolled at UNT, approximately 2,400 students in the College of Information, 550 in the Library Science Master’s program, 210 in the Information Science Bachelor’s program, 520 in the Information Science Master’s program, and 100 in the Information Science PhD program.
What degree(s) do you offer?
The College of Information offers several degrees that are related to Library Science, most of these degrees also have different concentration areas like Information Organization, Archival Studies, Law Librarianship, etc. The degree options at the College of Information related to Library Science are a Bachelor of Science in Information Science, Master of Science in Information Science, Master of Science in Library Science, and PhD in Information Science. Students can also earn Graduate Academic Certificates by taking certain classes, like Storytelling or Digital Curation and Data Management. The College of Information has more degree choices in fields like Data Science, Learning Technologies, and Linguistics, and there are over 200 degrees at UNT as a whole.
Is it ALA accredited?
Yes
What are the entrance requirements?
Applicants must apply to both the Toulouse Graduate School (TGS) & the College of Information. Apply to TGS through the statewide ApplyTexas application ($75 application fee), along with official transcripts from every college or university attended. Then applicants need to apply to the Department of Information Science – which requires the department’s application form, a statement of purpose & goals, resume, and 2 letters of recommendation.
The Information Science department has minimum GPA requirements of 3.0 on the last 60 hours of a bachelor’s degree, a 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA, or a 3.5 GPA on a completed master’s degree. Applications that do not meet these requirements will be reviewed on an individual basis. Students who have a lower GPA (2.6 or above) can be considered and may be conditionally admitted to the program or considered through course leveling – take 4 information sciences undergraduate courses at UNT, if As and Bs are earned in those 12 hours, students can then request admission to the MS program.
When was the library school founded?
1939
Where are you?
√ Southern US
Where is the school located?
√ Suburban area
This interview was conducted by Ashley Young.
Ashley is a current online MLS student at University of North Texas and works as a Library Supervisor in Special Collections at the University of Houston. Her academic focus is information literacy, digital platforms, management, and academic research initiatives. Ashley hopes to stay in academic librarianship after graduation. Outside of the LIS world she loves being outdoors, fostering kittens, and collecting records.
This anonymous interview is with someone who hires for a:
√ Academic Library
Title: Curator
Titles hired include: University Archivist, Head of Processing, 1st Year Success Librarian
Who makes hiring decisions at your organization:
√ The position’s supervisor
√ A Committee or panel
Which of the following does your organization regularly require of candidates?
√ Online application
√ Cover letter
√ Resume
√ CV
√ References
√ Proof of degree
√ Demonstration (teaching, storytime, etc)
√ More than one round of interviews
√ A meal with hiring personnel
Does your organization use automated application screening?
√ No
Do you have any instant dealbreakers?
Cover letters that aren’t targeted to the job qualifications. How many pages should each of these documents be?
Cover Letter: √ As many as it takes, but keep it reasonable and relevant
Resume: √ Two is ok, but no more
CV: √ As many as it takes, but keep it reasonable and relevant
How can candidates looking to transition from paraprofessional work, from non-library work, or between library types convince you that their experience is relevant? Or do you have other advice for folks in this kind of situation?
Talk about what they did that was exceptional and related to job description. Don’t make the committee guess whether a certain job experience was relevant.
When does your organization *first* mention salary information?
√ It’s part of the job ad
What does your organization do to reduce bias in hiring? What are the contexts in which discrimination still exists in this process?
What questions should candidates ask you? What is important for them to know about your organization and the position you are hiring for?
Anything that isn’t generic, something they want to know about this particular job.
Additional Demographics
What part of the world are you in?
√ Southeastern US
What’s your region like?
√ Suburban
Is your workplace remote/virtual?
√ Never or not anymore
How many staff members are at your organization?
√ 201+
Is there anything else you’d like to say, either to job hunters or to me, the survey author?
Please write a targeted cover letter. If I’m hiring for skill/experience A, it doesn’t matter how good you are at skill/experience B. It’s okay to tell me how your expertise in B will enhance your ability to do A but don’t ignore the fact that we want to know if they can do A.
Author’s note: Hey, thanks for reading! If you like reading, why not try commenting or sharing? Or are you somebody who hires Library, Archives or other LIS workers? Please consider giving your own opinion byfilling out the survey here.
This series is a collaboration with Hack Library School (HLS). HLS is written by library school students. In this series, the students interview their schools to dig deeper into the resources provided for job hunting and career support. We are cross-posting here and on Hack Library School. This post is written by Lauren Bauer, who is the current managing editor for HLS.
By the way, if you are an employer looking to get your job ad out to library schools, Hilary Kraus (who you may also know from Further Questions) has created a very helpful spreadsheet with best process to reach each of the 63 ALA continually accredited library schools.
This interview is with Kim Dority, iSchool Career Consultant for Students and Alumni. Kim Dority is the founder and president of Dority & Associates, an information strategy and content development company focusing on researching and writing print and online content to help advance client goals. During her career, she has worked in academia, publishing, telecommunications, and the library fields, in for-profit and nonprofit settings, for both established companies and start-ups.
Additional information was also provided by Nicole Purviance, iSchool Director of Marketing and Communications.
Career Center Information
What does the school do to support students and alumni as they look for jobs?
From iSchool career advisor Kim Dority to the faculty, administration, student support service advisors, and the students and alumni themselves, all iSchool stakeholders are focused on helping our “LIS professionals in training” graduate with knowledge, applicable skills, and job opportunities.
To that end, the program has developed a multi-pronged approach to sharing LIS career information and insights:
The iSchool has created and continues to expand a rich collection of career resources in a broad range of formats, including online career workshops, practitioner-interview podcasts, how-to guides, descriptions of various career pathways, articles, and career checklists, among others, available in the Career Development section on the school’s website. Career-coaching workshops and a career-insights newsletter for students and alumni alternate monthly, focusing on topics ranging from job-search strategies to information interviews to creating LinkedIn profiles and similar “how-to” subjects. In addition, a student career blogger posts weekly insights and information from the student’s point of view.
Even before students start the program, once registered for a course they immediately have access to career advisor Kim Dority, who is available to them on an individual basis throughout the program and after they graduate. As students progress through their courses, they may have questions about types of LIS work, potential career paths, emerging opportunities, how to gain professional visibility while in grad school, library culture, job hunting and landing, or even who pays what salaries. These and hundreds of other questions are all part of exploring students’ “best-fit” options, and they are encouraged to reach out at any point to brainstorm answers that work for them.
Career advisor Kim Dority also regularly presents LIS career-related insights as a guest speaker in various courses and alerts faculty to new career materials of potential value to their students, especially practitioner interviews. The goal is to integrate real-world insights from those in the field with scholarship and theory, so that students regularly have an opportunity to see how various types of knowledge translate into actual LIS jobs.
All students are encouraged to join at least one LIS professional organization and if possible, to take a leadership role in the association student group. The iSchool pays for each student’s membership in one LIS association, and students are encouraged to actively engage with fellow members locally and nationally to help broaden their professional networks (and the job opportunities that come with them). In addition, the iSchool is currently in the process of creating a career-mentoring program led by career advisor Kim Dority for all students in school chapter leadership roles.
Recognizing the importance of professional-level internships for student success, the iSchool has developed and maintains a robust and ever-expanding database of internship opportunities, both in-person and remote, that reflect the broad range of information work and employers open to LIS professionals. In addition to the internship database (and in recognition of students’ time constraints) several articles in the Career Development section deal with how to make the most of internships, the benefits of internships, and ways to find time for internships.
Students who are or will be job-hunting have access to Handshake, San Jose State University’s job-listing platform where employers post jobs of interest to both students and alumni. In addition, the program’s liaison with the campus Career Center works regularly with iSchool students on perfecting their resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and cover letters. Through the main Career Center, our students can also practice their interviewing skills, complete self-assessments, and learn additional job-search strategies.
Are there “career experts” on staff? What are their credentials?
Yes. Career Advisor Kim Dority is the author of Rethinking Information Work and creator of an MLIS course, “Alternative LIS Careers,” which she taught for 20 years. An independent information professional, Kim has been advising LIS students and career transitioners regarding how to find or create “best fit” work in all types of information environments for decades in addition to the client-based information work she does via her company, Dority & Associates, Inc. (See her interview with Hiring Librarians here.) Carrie McKnight, SJSU Career Center liaison for the iSchool, is an expert career development practitioner with over twenty years of experience in counseling, training, and teaching.
Does the school have a job board or an email list with job postings?
The school provides multiple channels for letting students/alumni know about job postings. The primary job-listing platform is Handshake. New job postings are also noted via the various student-outreach communications (e.g., career newsletter, student career blog, weekly student alerts, etc.) based on newly posted Handshake jobs of interest.
If so, how can employers get their job listing included?
Handshake has information for employers posting job openings here.
Do you require that a salary be included on job listings?
Although not required previously, California state law SB 1162 stipulates that any employer with at least 15 employees must include the salary or hourly wage range in all job postings. This requirement takes effect January 1, 2023.
Are there any other requirements for job listings?
No.
Does the school provide any of the following:
√ General career coaching – Yes. Kim Dority is available to all students and alumni for individual career advising on all aspects of LIS careers.
√ Resume/CV review – Yes. The iSchool Career Development website has information and examples for effective resumes, CVs and cover letters. Both Carrie McKnight and Kim Dority are available to critique final draft versions of each of these documents and provide detailed feedback to students.
√ Help writing cover letters – Yes. The iSchool Career Development website has information and examples for effective resumes, CVs and cover letters. Both Carrie McKnight and Kim Dority are available to critique final draft versions of each of these documents and provide detailed feedback to students.
√ Literature/articles – Yes. The iSchool Career Development website provides links to many relevant articles, job sites, blog posts, and journals. In addition, the career newsletter often includes reviews of relevant LIS career books.
√ Interview practice – Yes. Big Interview, which enables students to practice and perfect their interview skills, is available through the SJSU Career Center.
√ Networking events (virtual or in-person) – Yes. Because the iSchool understands the critical role networking plays in career development, it provides numerous opportunities for networking:
Student chapters: All new MLIS students receive a complimentary one-year membership in their preferred professional association, including the American Library Association, Special Libraries Association, American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T), and ARMA International. Students also benefit from the opportunity to participate in the iSchool’s active professional association student chapters. Students interact with their peers and professional leaders through virtual networking events, workshops, and conferences, as well as blogs and online discussion forums. Our student chapters have won numerous awards recognizing their excellence and their innovative approach to serving online students, including the 2009 and 2010 ALA, the 2012 ASIS&T, and the (multiple years) SLA Student Chapter of the Year.
Professional conferences: The iSchool participates in professional conferences and meetings held all over the U.S., Canada, and internationally. We host networking receptions at many conferences, and our students and alumni are always welcomed. It’s a great way to reconnect with colleagues and make new contacts.
Internships: Student interns gain real-world experience for building their resumes and make new contacts with potential future employers. iSchool students have the option to complete an onsite internship located near their home or a virtual internship, where they interact with a host organization that may be located nearby or across the continent. Our expansive internship program gives students the opportunity to engage in exciting learning opportunities that fit their career aspirations, regardless of where they live. The iSchool offers more than 200 virtual and physical internship opportunities each semester.
Career podcasts: Our practitioner podcasts feature information professionals and hiring managers from a variety of professional settings. They discuss their work, the skills and experiences required to pursue a similar career pathway, and recruitment opportunities. If students have questions, they are often able to contact speakers directly by email and phone.
Student assistantships: Many iSchool students work as student assistants with the program, helping faculty and staff while gaining hands-on experience with research and professional projects. Student assistantship opportunities vary each semester. Student assistantships are paid part-time positions.
Does the school provide any of the following in-person career services?
√ Appointments: Yes. Individual appointments with Career Advisor Kim Dority and/or Career Center liaison Carrie McKnight via phone, Zoom, or email are available upon request.
√ Speakers, or programs that present experts: Yes. Students hear from LIS professionals via iSchool podcast interviews and occasional career newsletter and student career blog interviews.
√ Mixers or other networking events: Yes. Many iSchool student chapters host virtual social gatherings/mixers. In addition, the program also hosts networking receptions at professional conferences where current students can mingle with alumni, faculty, and friends of the iSchool.
Does the school provide any of the following online career services?
√ Newsletter: Kim Dority writes a career newsletter every other month that is distributed to all students.
What do you think is the best way for students to use career help provided by the school?
The iSchool recommends that students use its career development resources and services “early and often.” By that it means that students should think about and focus on their professional career paths throughout their time in the graduate program. It’s important not to wait until they’re ready to graduate. Instead, the iSchool encourages students to get started in their first semester by exploring the career development site, and using the tools to help determine how their course choices can help them pursue their future career ambitions. Learn how to conduct informational interviews and to network while they are in school. Take advantage of opportunities to increase their understanding of traditional and non-traditional work settings where they can use skills learned in their courses. The iSchool encourages students to use the resources and to contact the Career Advisor Kim Dority if they need help, have questions, or just want to learn more about the possible career paths open to iSchool graduates. We want students to be successful!
May alumni use the school’s career resources?
Alumni may freely use all of the resources publicly available on the website and the career advising provided by Career Advisor Kim Dority.
Are there any charges for services?
The iSchool Career Development resources, all archived podcasts and recordings of career workshops are freely available on the website. The Handshake database and individual career consulting and materials review is free to iSchool students and alumni.
Can you share any stories about job hunters that found positions after using the school’s career resources?
We receive emails from alumni who credit our career resources for helping them land professional jobs. Our students are also very enthusiastic about our career development web pages. Here are a few quotes from students:
“This site is so incredible!”
“This is by far one of the best, if not the best, resources for students that I have seen.”
“I would recommend to anyone in need of career advice, not just iSchool students.”
“The information is tailored to the iSchool making it a one stop guide.”
Anything else you’d like to share with readers about your services in particular, or about library hiring/job hunting in general?
In addition to our career development resources, the iSchool curriculum is constantly evaluated and updated to align with today’s job market and emerging trends in the library and information science field. As a graduate put it, “I entered the job market with usable skills.”
It’s also very important for students to think broadly and keep an open mind when job searching. The MLIS skillset is transferable to a wide range of organizations and industries. iSchool graduates work at medical facilities, law firms, public libraries, academic libraries, high-tech companies, schools, and more. Their business cards carry titles such as Information Architect, Usability Analyst, Librarian, and User Experience Designer – just to name a few exciting job titles.
Students’ Career Paths
Can you share any statistics about employment rates after graduation?
Can you talk a little bit about the school’s approach to internships, practicums and/or volunteering?
While internships are not required, the iSchool strongly encourages all students to take advantage of their time in the program by registering for one (or more) of the approximately 200 physical and virtual internships offered each semester. Even if students are currently working in an information center or library, doing an internship in a different work environment provides them with new experience and information – and allows them to “test” or “practice” working in a new environment without much risk. Many graduates have stated that internships were the most valuable part of their master’s education because internships lead to expanded professional networks and also often provide the critical lead to that first job.
Does the school have a stated approach or policy on helping students to find careers?
Our approach is to provide excellent career resources and services to our students, and to encourage students to take advantage of those resources “early and often” during their graduate program.
Believing it is an integral part of the iSchool’s mission to provide relevant and comprehensive career resources, the program supports these resources by assigning faculty and staff to develop and maintain them. While the faculty and staff strongly encourage students to make use of the iSchool’s career resources and services, it is a student’s individual choice to do so.
Does the school have any relationships with organizations that offer fellowships or other post-graduate opportunities?
Not at this time.
Demographics
How many students in the library school?
We average about 2,000 active MLIS students per semester.
As part of San Jose State University, the iSchool is physically located in California (Western US), but the online program is offered nationally and internationally.
Anything else you’d like to share?
All of the iSchool’s resources are focused on supporting online students, including its career counseling, academic advising, and technology support team.
iSchool instructors use emerging technology in their courses to enrich student learning in an engaging and interactive online environment. They exchange ideas and perspectives with students via live web conferences, recorded audio lectures, screencasts, emails, online discussion forums, blogs, Zoom meet-ups, instant messaging, and social networks. The multimedia format enlivens the learning experience while introducing students to the same types of tools they’ll use in their future careers.
This interview was conducted by Lauren Bauer, a current MLIS student at SJSU and the Managing Editor of Hack Library School.Lauren Bauer is a lifelong Los Angeleno and is in the all-online MLIS program at San José State University. She works with circulation, ILL, and course reserves at a community college library, and hopes to stay in the academic library world after graduation. Her academic focus is on instruction, information literacy, student worker management, resource sharing, and cataloging. Previously she worked as a page and public library assistant, wrote and edited for the LA Zoo magazine and website, and loaned people her corkscrew as an usher at the Hollywood Bowl. She likes Star Wars and indoor cycling, plays trombone in the Lancaster Community Orchestra, and posts rarely and mostly about movies on Twitter at @darthbookworm3.
Do you have an open position? Would you like to be able to get the word out to new grads, current students, and iSchool alumni?
Do I have the resource for you!
Hilary Kraus (who you may know as an occasional respondent on the Further Questions series) has created a wonderful spreadsheet that lists the ALA accredited library schools, their career center or job posting site, and notes about requirements, alternatives, etc.
Hiring Librarians 
