“Some experience is desirable, but if the position is truly entry-level, then we only require an MLS”
Please note: This is an anonymous response to an online survey; I do not have any way of contacting the respondent or verifying responses. Their answers may reflect good, bad, or middling hiring practices. I invite you to take what’s useful and leave the rest. If you are someone who hires Library, Archives or other LIS workers, please consider giving your own opinion by filling out the survey here.
Current Hiring Practices and Organizational Needs
These questions are about your current hiring practices in general – the way things have been run the last year or two (or three).
Where do you advertise your job listings?
LlinkedIn, Inside Higher Ed, local newspapers, regional consortia or library groups.
Do you notice a difference in application quality based on where the applicant saw the job ad?
Not really.
Do you include salary in the job ad?
√ No
Do you use keyword matching or any automation tools to reduce the number of applications a human reads while considering candidates?
√ No
Do you consider candidates who don’t meet all the requirements listed in the job ad?
√ Yes
Does your workplace require experience for entry-level librarian positions? (Officially or unofficially…)
√ Other: Some experience is *desirable*, but if the position is truly entry-level, then we only require an MLS
What is the current most common reason for disqualifying an applicant without an interview?
When the applicant clearly has NO credentials.
Does your organization use one-way interviews? (Sometimes also called asynchronous or recorded interviews)
√ No
Do you provide interview questions before the interview?
√ No
Does your interview process include taking the candidate out for a meal?
√ Not sure.
How much of your interview process is virtual?
√ First round/Initial Screen
Do you (or does your organization) give candidates feedback about applications or interview performance?
√ No
What is the most important thing for a job hunter to do in order to improve their hirability?
Address the job requirements!! This can be in your cover letter or in your CV. And if you’re asked for 3 references, don’t just send 2 names. Additionally, even if you don’t have expertise in a “required” or “preferred” area, show how another skillset still makes you marketable.
I want to hire someone who is:
Engaging.
Your Last Recruitment
These are questions about the last person you hired (or the last position you attempted to fill). This person may not have been a librarian, and that’s ok.
Think about the most recent time you participated in hiring someone (or an attempt to hire someone) at your organization. What was the title of the position you were trying to fill?
Cataloging and Technical Services
When was this position hired?
√ Within the last three months
Approximately how many people applied for this position?
√ 25 or fewer
Approximately what percentage of those would you say were hirable?
√ 25% or less
And how would you define “hirable”?
Having a basic skillset in cataloging.
How did the recruitment for this position compare with recruitments in previous years?
Don’t know, as I’ve been here just 2 years.
Your Workplace
This section asks for information about your workplace, including if you have lost positions in the last decade.
How many staff members are at your library/organization?
√ 0-10
Are you unionized?
√ No
How many permanent, full time job openings has your workplace posted in the last year?
√ 1
How many permanent, full time librarian (or other “professional” level) jobs has your workplace posted in the last year?
√ None!
Can you tell us how the number of permanent, full-time positions at your workplace has changed over the past decade?
√ There are fewer positions
Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with part-time or hourly workers over the past decade?
√ No
Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with non-librarian, lower paid staff positions over the past decade?
√ I don’t know
Is librarianship a dying profession?
√ Not necessarily.
Why or why not?
Certain outward-facing skills, like the ability to collaborate outside of the library, are increasingly important at smaller libraries. Traditional *types of work* are dying.
Demographics
This section asks for information about you specifically.
What part of the world are you in?
√ Mid-Atlantic US
What’s your region like?
√ Urban area,
√ Suburban area
What type of institution do you hire for (check all that apply):
√ Academic Library
What type(s) of LIS professionals do you hire?
Subject / collection management / outreach
Are you a librarian?
√ Yes
Are you now or have you ever been:
√ A hiring manager (you are hiring people that you will directly or indirectly supervise),
√ A member of a hiring or search committee
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