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?
√ Six months to a year
Why are you job hunting?
√ This is the next step after finishing library/archives/other LIS graduate degree,
√ I’m underemployed (not enough hours or overqualified for current position),
√ Looking for more money,
√ Looking for remote/virtual work (or at least hybrid),
√ I’m a little bored.
Where do you look for open positions?
Simmons Jobline, linkedin, MBLC, archivesgig, indeed, nearby town job listings.
What position level are you looking for?
√ Entry level,
√ Requiring at least two years of experience,
√ Supervisory,
√ Senior Librarian
What type(s) of organization are you looking in?
√ Academic library,
√ Archives,
√ Public library,
√ School library,
√ Special library
What part of the world are you in?
√ Northeastern US
What’s your region like?
√ Suburban area
Are you willing/able to move for employment?
√ Other: Maybe. It has to really be worth it. Moving is expensive.
What are the top three things you’re looking for in a job?
Supportive workplace, livable wage (or better), full time or close to it with benefits.
How many jobs have you applied to during your current search? (Please indicate if it’s an estimate or exact)
2 (exact)
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,
√ Having a good reputation,
√ Funding professional development,
√ Prioritizing EDI work,
√ 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?
Nitpicky details (it makes the job sound unnecessarily overwhelming) or even just when it’s too wordy. Job descriptions seem relatively fluid in this field, it could change in a year, or if someone leaves and extra duties are spread out. My submission has to be succinct, why not the job description?
The Process
How much time do you spend preparing an application packet?
2 days
What are the steps you follow to prepare an application packet?
Go over resume and insert key words used in job description, try to edit cover letter in same fashion, highlighting key details they deem important.
How do you prefer to communicate with potential employers?
√ No preference
When would you like potential employers to contact you?
√ 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?
2-4 weeks after closing date.
How do you prepare for interviews?
I hope to get questions ahead of time. I go over the answers, I review them with friends and colleagues if there is something that sounds great and I should build on, or anything that could be left out.
What are your most hated interview questions, and why?
“Tell me about yourself” – anything professional you need to know, I put in my resume/cover letter. If you want me to elaborate on something, that seems more appropriate.
During your current search, have you had any of the following experiences:
- Submitted an application and got no response √ Happened once
- Had an interview and never heard back √ Not Applicable
- 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 √ Not Applicable
What should employers do to make the hiring process better for job hunters?
– Send the majority of questions out ahead of time. They should also expect better answers.
– Be honest about what you actually what in a hiree.
You and Your Well-Being
How are you doing, generally?
√ I’m maintaining,
√ I’m frustrated,
√ Not out of money yet, but worried,
√ Other: I feel like I am stuck in the middle – not enough “experience” also worried about being too old for my commensurate experience.
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?
I get it, you are trying to find the perfect person, but overlooking someone who might fit in better than the “perfect person.”
Do you have any comments for Emily (the survey author) or are there any other questions you think we should add to this survey?
What are the number of appropriate interviews before the hirer decides? I think 3 max, if you can’t narrow it down after that, you have interviewed poorly.
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?)
2015
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?
√ After graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position?
√ 18 months to two years after graduating
What kind of work was your first post-graduation professional position?
√ Contract
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?
No