Nailing the Library Interview

Getting that librarian position can be a daunting process. First, you write your cover letter and resume. You wait. Maybe you wait some more? Then comes a telephone interview, followed by the all important on-site interview. After all of this work, hopefully a job offer is the end result!

This wiki spotlights:

• Questions that may be asked during library interviews,
• Suggests questions that YOU might want to ask of potential employers (don't forget: you're interviewing them too!), and
• Provides links to library job postings, job hunting and career advice.

I created this wiki after cleaning out an old file cabinet in my office where I came across interview questions from my first librarian job search in 2002. The questions I saw formed a great resource, so I have tried to provide links to those documents in their electronic format, as well as provide links to newer resources. Since my first library job, I've served on a number of search committees and have formulated my own questions that I like to ask potential librarians as well. I hope you find this wiki useful. If you come across FREE articles or sites that might make a good addition, let me know. Best of luck with your job search. --Joe Hardenbrook

Commonly Asked Library Interview Questions 

• 101+ Commonly Asked Interview Questions - Questions from an Illinois Library Association conference session.
• Frequently Asked Interview Questions - School of Library and Information Science, University of South Carolina
• Questions Asked by Employers - School of Information Studies, Syracuse University [retrieved from Archive.org]
• Interview Questions - Indiana University Bloomington Libraries [retrieved from Archive.org]
• LIBREF-L Archives Search - Search the archives of this popular electronic discussion list. To bring up relevant postings, try searching for: interview questions. Focuses on library reference issues.
• Reference Librarian Interview Questions - Archived post from the PUBLIB public libraries electronic discussion list
• Librarian Interview Questions - from New York, for school librarians/library media specialists
• Questions Asked on Library Interviews - More miscellanea, from notes I have compiled.
• Complete List of Behavioral Interview Questions - from Emurse.com. Intended for business-related jobs, but many questions applicable to libraries.
• 50 Tough Interview Questions - from the University of Nebraska at Omaha Career Center. Geared towards business-related jobs, but many applicable to libraries.
• 30 Interview Questions You Can't Ask and 30 Sneaky, Legal Alternatives to Get the Same Info - from HR World, geared towards businesses in general. but good info to know on what cannot be asked of you

Questions for You to Ask Potential Employers

• Questions for Interviewees - from notes I have compiled. Includes questions I have asked and questions that have been asked to search committees I've served on.

Library Job Postings

• ALA Joblist - American Library Association
• LISjobs.com - also check their state job banks page and national job banks page
• Library Job Postings on the Internet - compiled by Sarah Johnson, Eastern Illinois University
• Chronicle Careers - from the Chronicle of Higher Education (academic libraries). By discipline/field, look under: librarians/library administration
• LibGig Jobs - nice aggregator of job postings
• Electronic discussion lists:  NEWLIB-L, LIBREF-L, ILI-L, COLLIB-L, PUBLIB-L, NMRT-L, LIBJOBS

Library Job Hunting & Career Advice Resources

• How to Apply for a Library Job - LISwiki - a must read!
• NMRT Resume Review Service - American Library Association
• Check out the sections on job hunting and career planning from LIScareer.com 
• ALA's Getting a Job in the Tough Economy Toolkit - American Library Association
• What Not to Do When Applying for Library Jobs - In the Library with the Lead Pipe blog

• NextGen: Five Tips to Stand Out - Leah Massar Bloom in Library Journal, Sept. 15, 2008

• Finally: Advice part 2 - Student Affairs - Library Journal Blog - Staci B. Elliott, LibraryJournal.com, Nov. 4, 2008

• Finding a Library Job - Rachel Singer Gordon in Library Journal, June 1, 2005

• The Quest: Inside the Job Search - Evan Simpson in Library Journal, Oct. 15, 2005

• Surviving Your First Library Job Search - Steven Hoover in Library Journal, Sept. 15, 2009

• Why I Won't Hire You - Matt Wilcox, LIScareer.com.

• Top of the Heap or Bottom of the (Trash) Barrel? Tips for Job Applicants - Beatrice L. McKay, in NMRT Footnotes [republished on LIScareer.com], originally written in 1993, but most of the information is quite applicable.
• Academic Interview Process - Nanako Kodaira, ALA New Members Round Table Resume Review Services

• From the Inside Out and the Outside In: The Academic Library Interview Process in a Tight Economy - Karin Duran, Eric P. Garcia, & Mara L. Houdyshell in C&RL News, April 2009

• Strategies for Successful Hiring: Common Sense Interviewing Techniques - Francie C. Davis, Association of College and Research Libraries 11th National Conference, April 2003, Charlotte, NC

• Career Articles & Resources - Special Libraries Association

• Library Interviews: Improving Your Odds - Karen Evans, posted on the Info Career Trends blog

• Blog entries tagged as "interviews" - from the Career Q&A with the Library Career People blog

• Pitfalls to Avoid During a Library Interview

• Job Interviewing Resources - American Theological Library Association

Preparing Cover Letters & Resumes

• Resumes, Cover Letters, CVs, and Thank You Letters...Oh My! - ALA NMRT Resume Review Service
• Monster.com has cover letter tips and resume writing tips
• Cover Letters: Types and Samples - Virginia Tech University Career Services
• Writing Your Curriculum Vitae - About.com: Graduate School
• The Perfect Resume - Amy C. Whitmer, posted on the Info Career Trends blog
• Making the Cover Letter Work for You - Tiffany Eatman Allen & Richard A. Murray, LIScareer.com
• Blog entries tagged as "resume" - from the Career Q&A with the Library Career People blog
• Action Phrases and Power Verbs - Cynergy.net [originally saw this posted on Monster.com]

Created by Joe Hardenbrook, MLS

Educational Technology Coordinator & Research/Instruction Librarian

Staley Library | Millikin University | Decatur, Illinois

jhardenbrook@millikin.edu