ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 4 9 0 /C & R L News 1 0 job-hunting tips for new librarians By P h ilip C. H ow ze Rem ember to smile, network, a n d rehearse being natural Having served on many search commit­tees and applied for numerous jobs in aca­ demic librarianship, my experiences hav me to believe that there are certain “rules” that prospective job seekers, new MLS graduates in particular, should take care to observe. While following these suggestions will not guarantee the reader a position, they can help to avoid having one’s application placed in the out bas­ ket prematurely. The longer an applicant re­ mains viable, the better the chances of getting an interview and, hopefully, a job. Here are ten rules to follow. 1. WHIIFM. WHIIFM, or “What’s in it for me?” is probably the most important rule, be­ cause it is the single issue that both the apply­ ing and hiring parties have in common. Know­ ing what’s in it for you makes it easier to answer what is usually the first question asked by a search committee, “What interested you in this position?" Many applicants do not understand that a job notice in librarianship begins with the library’s belief that spending money to provide, maintain, or enhance a service is an important and worthwhile expression of its mission. Ap­ plicants w ho become candidates should ask for a copy of the library’s mission statement. The library gets a talented, skilled, trainable (or at least somewhat adaptable) librarian w ho graduated from an institution accredited by ALA; the opportunity to help keep the library pro­ fession alive by training new librarians to be­ come valued experts in the storage, retrieval, and use of information; and relatively inexpen­ sive labor which is likely to increase in qualit over time. The applicant gets dough-re-mi with whic to begin paying back student loans; the oppor tunity to begin a career, build a reputation, an establish relationships with other professional familiar with the quality of one’s work and char e leacdter; and on-the-job training, as well as acces to continuing higher education. 2. One rarely gets a second chance to make a good first impression. Th cover letter and resume are the means by whic the applicant makes his or her first, and some times last, impression. C over letters. The purpose of the cove letter is to provide the reader with a sample o your writing ability, as well as to introduc yourself (remember, many librarians were En glish majors, and chances are at least one wil be on the search committee). The followin tips are suggested. 1) The cover letter shoul be no more than 1-2 pages, word processed on clean paper (mustard stains rarely go unno ticed). Preferred paper colors for the cover let ter, as well as the resume, are whites, grays and light shades of blue. Avoid such hues a electric pink or neon-emerald green. 2) Per sonalize the letter. There is nothing worse tha sending a letter to one institution that was mean for another. It is preferable to type out the ful name of the library and position title for whic you are applying; avoid the appearance of form letter. 3) Write only to the job announce ment (tailor the thing, because the words i the job announcem ent were not written wit everyone in mind except you). 4) Highligh what you have that the library wants. Choos your words carefully, and introduce yourself i the best possible light. Avoid typos and mis y h ­ d s ­ s e h ­ r f e ­ l g d , ­ ­ , s ­ n t l h a ­ n h t e n - Philip C. H o w ze is h e a d o f reference a n d assistant professor a t W ichita State University; e-mail: how ze@ tw suvm uc. tw su .ed u twsu.edu J u ly /A u g u s t 1 9 9 7 / 4 9 1 spelled words. Yes, w hite-out is considered a typo. R e su m e s. The resum e has b u t one overrid­ ing purpose: to get the applicant an interview. Not a job, but an interview. The idea is to tell the reader enough about yourself to m ake the person w ant to know more. The search com ­ mittee m em ber has not b ee n b o m who, after reading a h u ndred resumes, did not com e to appreciate brevity. The following tips are sug­ gested. 1) The resum e should be no more than three pages if possible, w ord processed, on clean paper. Why a maximum of three pages? It takes about ten years to build a fluff-free resume. Even if you bring to librarianship ex­ traordinary talents from a previous career, it do esn ’t take m uch space to indicate that you are a Nobel laureate or a former president of the United States. 2) Use a g ood resume-writ­ ing guide. Recom mended is Tom Jackson’s The Perfect Resume. 3) Write the resume yourself, if possible; avoid the appearance o f “profes­ sionally d o n e ” vitae. 4) Avoid fabrication. 5) Do n o t be afraid to toot your ow n horn. 6) Avoid telling your life’s story, it defeats the purpose of the resume. If you submit your re­ sume “by the p o u n d ” (and I have b ee n guilty o f this from time to time), there is no point meeting you to hear it all again. 7) Always num ­ b er your pages if m ore than one, and never write on the verso. Remember, y o u ’ve b een to library school! 8) Do not be afraid to use w hite space. The reader will be grateful (unless you are a Nobel laureate o r a former president of the United States). 9) Never fold a resume. Ap­ pearance is also a matter of how you look in the pile. Now, w hat hap p en s next? S tep 1. After the personnel officer deter­ mines that all materials for all candidates are in o r d e r , th e y a r e f o r ­ w a rd e d to th e se a rc h c o m m itte e . J u s t as a The search committee member has not been born w h o , after reading 100 resumes, did not come to appreciate brevity. judge instructs a jury on outcom es o f guilt or in­ nocence, the personnel o f f ic e r in s tr u c ts th e s e a r c h c o m m itte e o n matters of decision-mak­ ing, including affirmative action mechanisms. The in s t r u c tio n s u s u a lly com e directly from the job description. S tep 2. Some form of nominal group tech­ nique is em ployed to allow each m em ber of the committee to rate your fitness for the posi­ tion. The ratings o f each m em ber are usually com piled, averaged, an d ranked. All those found to be unanim ously unfit for the position will be notified by the personnel officer. S tep 3. Some form of active group tech­ nique is em ployed to further shorten the list. It is at this point that your advocate (yes, by now you have a friend o n the committee) argues for your continuance in the pool. If your can­ didacy com plies w ith the personnel officer’s instructions (rem em ber the job description), your advocate has a good chance o f keeping you in the pool. If not, then your candidacy is discontinued. All persons meeting minimum job requirem ents continue in the pool, and nomi­ nal group technique probably begins again to further shorten the list. S tep 4 . During the second round of nominal group, candidates are rated for quality, meaning the relative strength of their applications to the “fit” of the position. It is at this point that “pre­ ferred qualifications" are often considered, and a new ranking is established for the pool. S tep 5. G roup activity begins again for two purposes: last arguments by advocates for their candidates, and to decide w hich candidates will enter into the next phase o f the search, check­ ing references. R e fe r e n c e s . The search com mittee seeks references to avoid risk, by asking your refer­ ences w hether you are all you ap p ear to be in your resume. There are no ALA-accredited li­ brary schools in Transylvania, for example, but if you list the Count as a reference, it is bloody likely h e ’ll b e called. Risk avoidance includes identifying your behavior in stressful situations, interpersonal transactions, job performance, and creative, independent environments. References offer informed opinions about your ability or potential to d o the work d e s ire d b y th e h irin g agency, as well as how well you w ork with oth­ ers. The bottom line is th at th ere is an active e x c h a n g e a b o u t y o u , your accom plishm ents, and your character. T e l e p h o n e i n t e r ­ v i e w s . T he te le p h o n e in te rv ie w is g iv e n to shorten a short list, b ased on the irrational cri­ teria o f how you sound over the phone. It i s . sometimes given before references are checked, or not given at all. 4 9 2 / C&RL N ew s There are no ALA-accredited library schools in Transylvan but if you list the Count as a reference, it is bloody likely he'll be called. A ctu a l in t e r v ie w s . The actual interview does two things: test your stamina, and give you the opportunity to continue building ad­ vocates for your appointment. Librarians often decide w h eth er or not you should be hired based on the most irrational of reasons: b e­ cause they like you. H ow long does it take interviewers to decide if they like you? Usu­ ally, about five minutes. The rest o f the rules are for the applicant w ho has been invited to campus for an inter­ view. Note that the steps m entioned above do not necessarily occur in the order presented; still, most processes are variations on this theme. 3. Lunch is not lunch, it's an inter­ view with food. Again, some more tips. 1) If given the opportunity, ask to be seated at a round table so that everyone can see you. 2) Do not feel free to smoke o r order alcoholic beverages, even if your hosts do so. 3) Do not feel free to order first. Also, do not feel free to order the last supper. After all, it’s a job inter­ view, not a crucifixion. 4) Mind your manners. Emily Post or Letitia Baldredge may be w atch­ ing. 5) Small talk is an art not to be taken lightly. 4. Be willing to travel. The wider the net, the more likely the catch. Remember to do your homework. Check uniform crime re­ ports, cost o f living indexes, Places Rated Al­ m anac—you know the drill. 5. Be flexible. A not-so-positive experi­ ence with the AACR2 in library school does Share your library's news C&RL News wants to hear about your library’s activities. Information in our columns comes from press releases and notices we re­ ceive. If you don’t share your activities with us we can’t share them with our readers. Put C&RL News on your mailing list today. Send notices to the Editor, C&RL News, 50 E. Huron St., Chi­ cago, IL 60611; or e-mail: medavis@ala.org. not necessarily render an applicant per­ manently unfit for a cataloging posi­ ia, tion. As a reference librarian, however, I might w o n d er about the applicant w ho cannot hold his or her ow n in a gam e of Trivial Pursuit. Apply anyway. Do not limit your applications to di­ rectorships, particularly in the first year. 6. Smile, though your head is aching, smile, even though you're quak­ ing. Remember these maxims: A kind w ord and a gun will get you farther than just a kind w ord.—A l Capone A good resume and a pleasant disposition will get you farther than just a resume, even if that resume is Herbert S. White’s.— Phil H ow ze A positive attitude is worth its weight in gold. Know w hen to smile and not to smile. A newly graduated MLS holder who, during an inter­ view, is asked by some sadist to explain the history of the relationship betw een GPO and NTIS, and smiles through the clearly forthcom­ ing b o u t o f in c o n tin e n ce w o u ld definitely arouse suspicion. 7. Be teachable. It is not uncom mon, in the Sea o f Irrationality, for an interviewer to advocate for a new librarian because he o r she thinks that training such a person will be easier than training say, a rottweiler, or an experi­ enced librarian. 8. It never hurts to rehearse being natural. Fear comes naturally; confidence of­ ten does not. To appear naturally confident, practice interviewing with another person. If a presentation is required, practice before you m ake your presentation, even if it’s o n the plane. So w hat if the flight attendant refuses to serve you any more drinks? Rest soberly as­ sured that reading w ord for w ord from a pre­ pared p ap er rarely benefits o n e’s candidacy. 9. Exercise extrem e caution when asked to techno-speak. There are three reasons for this rule: 1) there is always som e­ one w ho can do it better than you; 2) there is always som eone w ho actually understands it better than you; and 3) running into either, during an interview, is only a matter of time. 10. N etw o rk your little heart out. How? Join ALA. Join ALA’s New Member Round Table! Who knows? You may meet your future employer. ■ mailto:medavis@ala.org