Interviewing, Step 2

As a recent library school grad, I have been applying for many different librarian positions, mostly at colleges and universities. Though this economy is really tough right now, my resume/CV are competitive due to my experience, participation as a presenter in professional organizations, and a second Master’s degree, which I earned prior to my Master’s in Library and Information Sciences.

I have been able to convert every phone interview I’ve had into an onsite visit, and I believe this is due to my ability to connect with people. My outlook on phone interviews is that the people on the panel want to get to know me and learn more about my experiences as well as figure out how well they think I would fit in with their team. I view the phone interview as an opportunity to get to know some new people and as a result, some of my conversations have been learning experiences both on my part and on the part of the panels.

I was thinking today that the transition for me is coming very quickly. I am excited about my future.  What came across in the invitations for onsite visits was that the committees are really excited to have me come.

The process of sending a cover letter and application seems so disconnected. I rarely talk to anyone before I send in an application. So the process is very cognitive and abstract. Most of the time, the institutions are courteous enough to send me an email or letter stating that my application has been received. This lets me know that my application just wasn’t sent out into a void.

Then I get a call to set up a phone interview, and now there is an actual connection with a live person and people, who I may end up working with. I meet them just through a phone conversation and now I get to meet them all in person. So my initial application, seemingly sent into the void, is now connecting me with people who will eventually become coworkers and perhaps friends. I will be building relationships with these people.

This whole process is so weird to me (but good!) because I am more aware of the impending changes that will take place in my life. Taking an offer on a new job will truly change my life.

Interviewing: Step 1

I am heartened by the fact that I got to schedule three phone interviews last week with three different universities looking for academic librarians. I have had two of them, and one is scheduled in January. I am thankful that the first interview went better than I expected. I’m feeling hopeful that I will get invited for an in-person interview for this particular position after the new semester begins.

The reason why it went well I think is because I really connected with the person giving the interview. One of my strengths is connecting with people, and I’m trying to use that to my advantage in the interview process, by viewing these phone interviews as opportunities to connect with and meet new people.

The second interview did not go as well since I did not feel that I had adequate time to prepare. Thankfully, in both interviews, I was asked similar questions, and now I know how to better prepare for the next one in January.

Over the break I’m definitely going to do some research on the trends in reference and the challenges that reference librarians face. I’m also going to formulate a response to the question about the challenge of providing service to a diverse communities of patrons and brush up on my knowledge of trends in information literacy instruction.

I am excited about the changes to come and hopeful about my future. It is a good place to be in the midst of all the bad news about the economy.

Done. Now I Wait.

I took a break from writing here to finish my final project for my Master’s in Library and Information Science. I turned in my portfolio last Monday and heard back yesterday from my adviser who let me know that I will receive full credit for my efforts. I am glad to be done and will now be concentrating on finding an entry level librarian position.

What I am realizing is that this seems like a bad time to be looking for jobs. I have put out quite a few applications and I have heard back from a few of them… no interviews yet. I find this process to be somewhat frustrating. I have almost five years of experience working in an academic library as well as a Master’s in Education and yet there many more people out there more qualified than I am for these positions. It feels like entry level positions are not really entry level.

I was talking with one of the admin assistants on campus yesterday about what’s going on in her department… they have two open faculty positions and had over 100 applicants. I have a feeling this is the kind of competition that I am facing. This is why it is so important to build a network. It is so much easier to get an interview when you know someone who works where you’re applying.

One of the frustrations of my job search is that I know that there is a local university here who would love to hire me but cannot because my mother works at their library. It is a great university and I would really enjoy working there. The director knows me and would hire me if he could.

My biggest fear is that I will end up settling for something just to get my foot in the door and I wonder if I am going to have to resort to taking something part-time or temporary just to get more experience.

Staying motivated

I knew that looking for a new job was a lot of work. I have applied for four different jobs already and I have a few more that I’m considering. It is a lot of work. After I get home from my current job, the last thing I want to do is sit down and fill out another job application. But if I want to get a new job, that’s what I need to do.

Job searching takes some preparation. In addition to having a resume, I have also prepared a curriculum vitae (since some of the jobs I am applying for are in the academic realm), and a work history chart with the most common information employers want regarding my work history. For the most part, this works great. I can just refer to my chart when I get to that section of the application and fill it out quickly.

What discourages me about the job searching process is how much information some employers want. For example, I sat down to fill out an online application for a job that looked great. When I got to the work history section, they also wanted to know what all my job duties included for each job that I have had in the past. Since I did not have that information prepared, I just gave up. It felt too overwhelming. I would rather just send in a resume and cover letter and let those speak for themselves. Alas. Every employer is different.

For another application, the employer wanted some additional questions answered in 500 words or less. I suppose the essay questions prove to an employer how badly you want a job because you actually take the time to write those if you want the job. I suppose it also proves to them whether or not you can write.

As a result of having to fill out all these applications I have come to the conclusion that I need to set a goal. I need to set aside a certain amount of time each week to fill out applications or try to fill out one application per week. Thankfully, I can afford to do this because I’m already working at a great place and I’m in no hurry to leave.

When I was here before…

When I was searching for my first “real” job, I interviewed for two positions in the same week and then I got to make a choice between them. Looking back on that experience, I feel like I took the wrong job. I should have taken the other one. As I’m revisiting this experience, I realize that there were some subtle signs that the job I took was going to be more challenging than I realized. It was in this position that I had the communication conflict with my supervisor. It wasn’t that this interview went badly, its just that the other interview was a slightly more positive experience.

The interview for the job I didn’t take went REALLY well, and the woman who would have been my supervisor was so enthusiastic and excited for me to work there. She knew she wanted to hire me. BUT (sadly) I took the other job.

I am thankful that I got to experience a really bad work environment. If I get into that kind of situation again, I realize that it is still my prerogative to get out of that situation as quickly as possible. But looking back at the contrast between those two interviews at the beginning of my career, I feel that this experience will add to my ability to discern whether a position will be the right one for me.

I feel that it is ironic that my current position and duties are eerily similar to the ones I would have had at the job I didn’t take. It feels a little weird, or perhaps circumstancial that despite the choices I’ve made, I think I ended up in the place I was meant to be. It just took me awhile to get here.

Searching for that elusive job…

I am in the process of searching for a job. It has been a good experience so far; my resume and/or CV are ready to go, I’ve worked up a work experience timeline so that I have all the information from previous employers ready to access and I have some good places to look. I’ve applied for four jobs in the last month, and they are all pretty different. The good news is that I got my first interview. I am encouraged by this–it means I am applying for the right kinds of jobs for the level of experience I have. However, I was not expecting to get an interview this soon. I had to apply for a lot of different positions the last time I looked for jobs and it took me about four months to find something. I have this timeline in my head for finding my next job, and it involves a lot of looking, applying here and there, and then waiting for an interview. In the timeline in my head, this is going to take six months or maybe even a year. So when I got called to interview for one of the positions I applied for, I was excited and nervous, but fearful too because I do not feel ready to take the next step.

I currently have a great work environment, and I’m fearful that I will not be able to discern whether my next place will also be a positive place to work. I have had a job where I did not communicate well with my supervisor and I never want to repeat that experience again. It seems difficult to me to gauge whether a new work environment will be a positive place to work. I realize that there is always going to be one or two people that could be more difficult to work with, but even in those situations, the workplace can be a positive place to be. I’m really hoping that I’m able to discern this. At least I only have to make a decision if they want to hire me!