ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries C&RL News ■ June 2000 / 503 College & Research Libraries news “I know that’s what it said, but it’s not what we want” The difficulty of really describing a job by Scott R. DiMarco P utting the “right” person into the “right” position is the dream o f every library director/personnel librarian, but this dr is not realized as often as it may. U nfortu­ nately, em ployee and em ployer m ust of­ ten accep t at least eq u a l resp o n sib ility w h en the fit is “less then id eal.” Many of these mismatches could have been avoided if the position d escription had been d e ­ tailed an d m ore in line w ith the library’s expectations. Clarity and detail at this early stage might save everyone in the future. All too often an applicant finds what might just be the “perfect” job for them while leaf­ ing through a professional journal. It seems to have been written with them in mind, or so they think. The interview goes well, they are offered the position and they start a new life. It is not long before the honeymoon ends with the realization that this was not a match made in heaven. The director and manage­ ment have different expectations for this p o ­ sition than the librarian does and vice versa. Unfortunately, this situation hurts productiv­ ity, leads to bad feelings, dismissal, or even a lawsuit. Does the perfect professional library p o ­ sition ad exist? Far too often the only dif­ ference in position an n o u n cem en ts is the nam e and address o f the institution. The recent G oldberg an d Womack, tw o-part ea survey focused on ap p lican ts’ p erceptions o f resum e co n ten t an d then on specific m application practices. It suggested that the majority o f applicants had at o n e tim e or an o th er either ap p lied for a position for w hich they did not m eet the qualifications, or ap p lied after the d ead lin e had p as sed .1 While this im plies that the tim e of a busy search com mittee will be w asted more than it should, it may be alleviated by detailed an d clear position announcem ents. Rita Broadway authored the workshop report from the 1991 NASIG Conference, w here McIver and Upham made an excel­ lent point w hen they stated that misunder­ standings in terminology often are at the root of many problems.^ Confusion is a two-way street in these announcements. Having sev­ eral members of your staff read it and ex­ plain it back to the author may alleviate mis­ communications on the part of potential can­ didates. P ro b le m s w ith jo b a n n o u n ce m e n ts Some of the m ost frustrating problem s for job seekers could be easily avoided. D e­ s c rip tio n s o f o v e ra ll p ro b le m s in a n ­ n o u n cem en ts include being: • T o o s h o r t. Saving money with a short ad is a sure way not to attract the best candi­ dates. A b o u t t he a u lh o r Scott R. DiM arco w ill be director o f library services a t Herkim er County Com m unity College in Herkimer. New York, as o f July 10, and was form erly an access services/reference librarian a t M iam i University in Oxford, Ohio, e-mail: srdimarco@hotmail.com mailto:srdimarco@hotmail.com 504 I C&RL News ■ June 2000 • Too vague. Same problem as bei to o short, plus it contributes to misunder standings. • Too general. I f you want a generalist say so; if not, specifics and details are very much appreciated by candidates. • Used for any and all position open ings. This indicates a lack o f creativity on the part o f management. Th e fo llo w in g phrases frequ en tly find their w ay into advertisements, as such; they have b eco m e the com m on currency o f the trade. A number o f the fo llo w in g exam ples have b een seen recently on som e popular professional electronic lists and journals. • Use o f the terms “competitive sal ary” and “generous benefits package.” T h ese are subjective terms at best. N ot many hiring librarians w o u ld state their benefits package was subpar, even if it w ere true. Addition ally, it p roves very d if ficult to pay bills with the outstanding repu tation o f any school. • “D em onstrate stron g o rg a n iza tional skills.” This is difficult to display unless the applicant has h eld a supervi sory position. • “Demonstrate strong commitment to excellence.” It w o u ld be the rare can didate w h o w o u ld w illin gly admit their as pirations o f mediocrity. • “Ability to flourish.” W h ile trying to get the best candidates available for your position, this term may not be as magnetic as it initially appears. It is doubtful that this phrase w o u ld scare o f f the “ dead w o o d ” o f the profession. • “Seek creative and energetic indi vidual.” F ew individuals actively search ing fo r a position w o u ld describe them selves a not possessing these admirable qualities. • “An understanding o f user behav ior.” Unless the applicant is strictly a sys tems specialist w ith no contact w ith the end user they w ill have, at a minimum, som e personal exp erien ce with the beh av ior o f patrons. • “A rapport with faculty, students, and staff.” H o w can on e demonstrate this ability to the in terview in g institution? • “Provide leadership and vision in team environm ent.” Balancing the lead ership issue with a team environm ent can ng be tenuous for any individual to demonstrate and this line may be read as potentially diffi cult to achieve. • “Strong and positive commitment to public service.” The underlining concepts o f being a librarian demand public service. Also, w hy w ould a person apply for a public service position if they did not possess this quality? • “Awareness o f current academic trends that effect library operations.” A general assertion at best. Which trends? Are they still current? Awareness versus actually understanding and being able to incorporate these trends? Characteristics of w ell w ritten job ads “G oo d ” ads have the follow ing features: • A salary range. Weeds out several p o tential candidates w h o may require a certain range. • A more detailed position description on a Web site. It is understandable that many libraries must be brief with advertisements in trade journals, but a link to a detailed Web site is a viable and inexpensive alternative. • The chain o f command in which the position will be reporting. Describes the management style or structure that the library operates within. • A Web site to both the library and the institution. Provides a description o f the library, including the working environment, the institution, and the general geographic area surrounding the institution. • Will a presentation be necessary at the interview? The candidate realizes one o f the expectations during the interview pro cess. • Anticipated starting date. Allows for a better understanding o f w hen the position will be open and the time frame o f the search. • Deadline for review o f applications. If the deadline has passed applications can not legally be accepted. • The size o f the organization. Include both professionals and staff. • Tenure track. Clearly defines profes sional expectations and the possible “re wards.” • A sense o f humor. Shows the library to be a place where you may actually enjoy going every morning. C&RL News ■ Ju n e 2000 / 505 A ttra c tin g th e b est c a n d id a te s W e must all acknow ledge that it is almost impossible to write an original advertisement. There are certain constraints that most librar ies must fo llo w in writing ads, such as, pres sures from university administration or a lim ited recruitment budget. The authors o f these ads are busy p eop le with other m ore pressing responsibilities, so often they must cop y from ads run in the past to save time. They must balance being truthful w h ile showing the institution in an extremely positive light. It is beneficial in the long run to be thoughtful w h ile writing the advertisement. The administration must be aware that a highly qualified candidate may see dozens o f position announcements b efo re finding on e “interesting.” Clichés alone are not g o ing to attract candidates— what w ill attract them is a challenging position, a living wage, and the reputation o f the library and school. The reality is that it is difficult to really describe a job. Often job descriptions are only the ro u g h o u tlin e o f h o p e that th e a d m in is tra tio n has w h e n th e y s e n d ou t th eir d e sire in w r itin g — th e real jo b lies in the attitude, c rea tivity, and in itiative that th e s e le c te d in d iv id u a l brin gs to the p o s itio n . T h e s e intrin sic q u a lities c a n ’t e a s ily b e put in to w o rd s o r e v e n taught T h e en tire p ro c es s is hard fo r th o se on both sides. W e must lo o k at jo b ads fro m both points o f v ie w . Hirers: w hat is it in y o u r p osition advertisem ent that w ill attract the kind o f p e o p le you really w ant to b e part o f you r organization? Candidates: be se lective and honest, not just fo r the inter v ie w , but in ev ery day b ein g that person you p ortrayed yo u rself as in the interview . N otes 1. Kay Womack and Tyler Miller Goldberg “Resumé Content: Applicants’ Perceptions,” College & Research Libraries 58 (N o vem b er 1997): 540-49. 2. Rita Broadway, Carole M clver and Lois N. Upham, “Job Descriptions Vis-à-vis Job A p p lication s: A M atch O fte n N o t M ade in Heaven,” The Serials Librarian 21:2-3 (1991) 197-200. ■ 506 / C&RL News ■ Ju n e 2000 I N F O R M A T I O N I N T E G R I T Y i n t e l l i g e n t l y o r g a n i z e d r e l e v a n t p u r e a c c u r a t e c u r r e n t b a l a n c e d f a i r E x p l o r e t h e f e m a l e l e g a c y w i t h P r i m a r y S o u r c e M i c r o f i l m ’s H I S T O R Y O F W O M E N D E R I V A T I V E S From literature and medicine to sociology and sexuality — ■ The H istory o f Science, Health and Women, edited by these three new H istory o f Women derivatives present a Alice D. 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