“no candidate ever meets all of the requirements. “

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?

On our organization’s web page, Linked In, Indeed.com, specialized email lists, associations, or sites particular to the position

Do you notice a difference in application quality based on where the applicant saw the job ad?

Yes.  Broad sites like Indeed can bring in candidates who tend to apply for a job for which they have no qualifications, such as IT people.  However, our job postions automatically go to these sites.

Do you include salary in the job ad?

√ Other: We include a salary range

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?

√ Other: We have requirements that people have to meet, such as citizenship if the position requires a security clearance, or a degree or years of experience if the job class requires it.  But no candidate ever meets all of the requirements.

Does your workplace require experience for entry-level librarian positions? (Officially or unofficially…)

√ Yes

What is the current most common reason for disqualifying an applicant without an interview?

Not matching the KSAs on the job posting in any reasonable way

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?

√ No, but we used to

How much of your interview process is virtual?

√ Other: Right now it is entirely virtual, but we haven’t had a candidate for a position since the pandemic that has been in the area to be interviewed.  If we did, we’d do in hybrid interviews. 

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?

Answer the questions that are asked!

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?

Manager, Classified Research Support

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”?

Appropriate KSAs

How did the recruitment for this position compare with recruitments in previous years?

Have not recruited for this position in a long time; in comparison with another position recently hired, fewer applications, but it’s a different sort of position.

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?

√ 10-50

Are you unionized?

√ No

How many permanent, full time job openings has your workplace posted in the last year?

√ Other: I’m not sure I understand this question.  My workplace as a whole??  We have an organization of  around 2000 people; we hired around 300 new staff

How many permanent, full time librarian (or other “professional” level) jobs has your workplace posted in the last year?

√ 1

Can you tell us how the number of permanent, full-time positions at your workplace has changed over the past decade?

√ Other: If looking at the total workplace, more.  My organization, the same

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?   

√ No

Is librarianship a dying profession?

√ No

Why or why not?

Librarianship is changing for sure, but not dying. New skills need to be developed and the field needs to be reimagined.

Demographics

This section asks for information about you specifically.

What part of the world are you in?

√ Western US (including Alaska, Hawaii and Pacific Northwest)

What’s your region like?

√ Urban area

What type of institution do you hire for (check all that apply):

√ Special Library 

Are you a librarian?

√ Director of library, archives, IT applications

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

#1 #14 #25 #35 #books #GLAMJobs #Librarian #librarians #libraries #Library #libraryHiring #libraryInterview #libraryJobs #libraryWork #LISCareers #lisJobs

“I’ve let candidates do virtual if the weather is bad. “

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?

State Listserv (NY),  Local Library System’s Website, We’re civil service so we have to canvas the list first (if there is a viable list)

Do you notice a difference in application quality based on where the applicant saw the job ad?

Yes

Do you include salary in the job ad?

√ Yes

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…)

√ No

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?

√ No, and I don’t think we ever have

How much of your interview process is virtual?

√ Other: I’ve let candidates do virtual if the weather is bad. 

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?

Proofread their submissions and meet minimum qualifications

I want to hire someone who is: 

Creative

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?

Library Assistant – Communications

When was this position hired?

√ Between three to six months ago

Approximately how many people applied for this position?

√ 25 or fewer

Approximately what percentage of those would you say were hirable?

√ 26-50%

And how would you define “hirable”?

Has the skills needed for the job or shows they’re willing to learn.

How did the recruitment for this position compare with recruitments in previous years?

A good number of applicants, some not qualified

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?

√ 3-4

How many permanent, full time librarian (or other “professional” level) jobs has your workplace posted in the last year?

√ 1

Can you tell us how the number of permanent, full-time positions at your workplace has changed over the past decade?

√ There are more 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?   

√ No

Is librarianship a dying profession?

√ No

Demographics

This section asks for information about you specifically.

What part of the world are you in?

√ Northeastern US

What’s your region like?

√ Other: We have all three areas in close proximity

What type of institution do you hire for (check all that apply):

√ Public Library 

What type(s) of LIS professionals do you hire? 

Childrens, Adult, Tech

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,

√ Human resources

#1 #14 #25 #35 #books #GLAMJobs #Librarian #librarians #libraries #Library #libraryHiring #libraryInterview #libraryJobs #libraryWork #LISCareers #lisJobs

“Candidates need to have a love for working with people.”

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?

County Site, LinkedIn, Indeed, Facebook

Do you notice a difference in application quality based on where the applicant saw the job ad?

N/A

Do you include salary in the job ad?

√ Yes

Do you use keyword matching or any automation tools to reduce the number of applications a human reads while considering candidates?  

√ Yes

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…)

√ Yes

What is the current most common reason for disqualifying an applicant without an interview?

Lack of relevant experience. Incomplete application packages.

Does your organization use one-way interviews? (Sometimes also called asynchronous or recorded interviews)

√ No

Do you provide interview questions before the interview? 

√ Yes

If you provide interview questions before the interview, how far in advance?

A week ahead with interview confirmation.

Does your interview process include taking the candidate out for a meal?

√ No, and I don’t think we ever have

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?

√ Yes

What is the most important thing for a job hunter to do in order to improve their hirability?

Develop relevant skills such as customer service, programming and experience with children if hoping to work in YS.

I want to hire someone who is: 

adaptible

Is there anything else you’d like to say about hiring practices at your organization or in current trends?

It’s a very competitive market.

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?

full time library assistant

When was this position hired?

√ Within the last three months

Approximately how many people applied for this position?

√ more than 100, but less than 200

Approximately what percentage of those would you say were hirable?

√ 26-50%

And how would you define “hirable”?

Relevant skills, some understanding of public library work.

How did the recruitment for this position compare with recruitments in previous years?

More applications with a wider range of backgrounds.

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?

√ 200+

Are you unionized?

√ No

How many permanent, full time job openings has your workplace posted in the last year?

√ 7 or more

How many permanent, full time librarian (or other “professional” level) jobs has your workplace posted in the last year?

√ 7 or more

Can you tell us how the number of permanent, full-time positions at your workplace has changed over the past decade?

√ There are more 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?   

√ No

Is librarianship a dying profession?

√ No

Why or why not?

It’s a viable profession, but there are too many MLIS programs that are creating a pyramid scheme of too many candidates for too few positions.

Demographics

This section asks for information about you specifically.

What part of the world are you in?

√ Southeastern US

What’s your region like?

√ Urban area,

√ Suburban area

What type of institution do you hire for (check all that apply):

√ Public Library 

What type(s) of LIS professionals do you hire? 

YS Librarians

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

Do you have any other comments, for job hunters, other people who hire, about the survey, or for Emily (the survey author)?

Candidates need to have a love for working with people.

#1 #14 #25 #35 #books #GLAMJobs #Librarian #librarians #libraries #Library #libraryHiring #libraryInterview #libraryJobs #libraryWork #LISCareers #lisJobs

“In my division of 22 FT employees, we had to fill 9 positions (some internal promotions that created vacancies, etc.) – that level of turnover just isn’t sustainable”

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?

Institutional job site, library website, ALA, Chronicle of Higher Education, Amigos

Do you notice a difference in application quality based on where the applicant saw the job ad?

No way to know

Do you include salary in the job ad?

√ Yes

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?

√ No

Does your workplace require experience for entry-level librarian positions? (Officially or unofficially…)

√ Other: Experience yes, but not necessarily library or professional experience

What is the current most common reason for disqualifying an applicant without an interview?

Better applicants in the pool

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?

√ Yes

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?

Use the cover letter to address requirements that might not be obvious from the CV

I want to hire someone who is: 

capable

Is there anything else you’d like to say about hiring practices at your organization or in current trends?

I wish we could attract better candidate pools for some of the positions but not sure what else to do.

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?

Social Sciences & Education Liaison Librarian

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?

√ 26-50%

And how would you define “hirable”?

Met the required qualifications

How did the recruitment for this position compare with recruitments in previous years?

This was a stronger pool than for other positions earlier in the year

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?

√ 100-200

Are you unionized?

√ No

How many permanent, full time job openings has your workplace posted in the last year?

√ 7 or more

How many permanent, full time librarian (or other “professional” level) jobs has your workplace posted in the last year?

√ 7 or more

Can you tell us how the number of permanent, full-time positions at your workplace has changed over the past decade?

√ Other: I don’t know

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?   

√ Other: I don’t know

Is librarianship a dying profession?

√ No

Why or why not?

I believe the skills are needed to run a library well. The traditional MLIS may not be necessary, but there is still a skillset required to run a library.

Demographics

This section asks for information about you specifically.

What part of the world are you in?

√ Southeastern US

What’s your region like?

√ 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? 

liaison librarians, instruction librarians, branch library managers, student success librarians, administrators

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

Do you have any other comments, for job hunters, other people who hire, about the survey, or for Emily (the survey author)?

I’ve had to hire a stupid number of people the past 3 years and it is EXHAUSTING. It’s hard to maintain a positive attitude for recruiting while also trying to cover the responsibilities created by the vacancies. The survey has just reminded me of that. In my division of 22 FT employees, we had to fill 9 positions (some internal promotions that created vacancies, etc.) – that level of turnover just isn’t sustainable. I know it’s beyond the scope of your study, but it’s a real issue.

#1 #14 #25 #35 #books #GLAMJobs #Librarian #librarians #libraries #Library #libraryHiring #libraryInterview #libraryJobs #libraryWork #LISCareers #lisJobs