How I got a library job

It's official! The news I was not sharing last week: beginning on January 17, 2006, I will be the Reference/Web Services Librarian at Washington University in St. Louis. This is the right position for me for several reasons including the people, the tasks, and the location.

Meredith Farkas of Information Wants to be Free wisely suggested after reading my panicky first post about my job search that blogging the details would likely increase my stress. I took her advice to be more reticent about the process. But I want to pay forward for the tips and assurances about the academic library job search that I got from other job searchers' blogs, particularly the posts that Dorothea Salo made on Caveat Lector (And she's back again today with a good "serm—I mean rant.") Meredith wrote a great list of tips about job searching, so I won't try to replicate that. I'll just tell my story on the assumption that future job seekers will glean something of use from the details.

The job I applied for in February had a closing date in April. I heard nothing until I got a "we hired someone" letter in June or July. Later, I saw an announcement of who they hired--a man who was much more experienced than me both as an engineer and a librarian. I had given up on the job long before the letter arrived, so there was little sense of rejection.

I applied for two jobs in June--the one I got and another at a very small college library. Again, I heard nothing for months, to the point I had given up on them. The small college library finally sent a letter that said they were reopening the search, but it did not invite me to re-apply or indicate that they would be considering my application. It was subtly worded, but I took it to be a rejection. I met the minimum qualifications. But from what I learned about the job during a short discussion with the library director at the ALA Placement Center, they really needed someone with the experience indicated on the "preferred" list.

I was only slightly bothered by that rejection particularly since, by then, I had learned that Washington University was just being slow (or typical, as I understand that 6 months from announcement to hire is not uncommon in academic libraries). In October, I received email inviting me to an interview. On December 2, I had an all day interview with a presentation (also, dinner the night before). Preparing the presentation was my secret project of late November.

Here are the things I think I had going for me at Wash U.

My practicum
This is the library where I did my practicum in government documents. My practicum supervisor was on the search committee as was her supervisor (my new boss) who I had some interactions with during my practicum, including a positive final evaluation of the experience.

Networking
I arranged that practicum after encountering my practicum supervisor in two ways through my network--she was previously a co-worker of one of my teachers and was, at that time, a co-worker of one of my classmates. My practicum supervisor and I came to be friends and continued to meet at various times after the practicum was complete. Also, my network included a couple of fellow library school students who work at Wash U and were able to attend my presentation. They provided encouraging words before the presentation, friendly faces during the presentation, and reassurances in the days that followed when I got worried. That's what friends are for!

Library instruction experience
Since my library school program was unable to offer a class in Library Use Instruction, I worked with my practicum supervisor to get instruction experience during my practicum. Besides being great experience for both instruction and reference (we did one on one consultations with the students during class time), it also meant that I worked with nearly all of the reference staff at one time or another. This made the 45 minutes when I was interviewed by the reference staff en masse flow comfortably.

My blog and reading other blogs
I gave my presentation on "Library 2.0" before the ink was dry on the Talis White Paper (pdf). I discussed the Cluetrain Manifesto, wikis and blogs in libraries, and web usability--all topics I learned about or learned more about by reading blogs. I demonstrated my credentials in Web Services on my web site and by speaking knowledgeably about the latest developments.

Presentations at MLA
I went into the interview presentation with confidence taken from my successful presentations at the Missouri Library Association conference.

Teamwork
During the interview, I frequently discussed the two team projects I did in library school (for Digital Libraries and Management) and the various study groups I helped start for on-line classes and for Comps.

Attitude
Here's what worked for me (but, I suspect, it has to be genuine, so everyone probably has to figure out his or her own best attitude): enthusiasm, confidence, and willingness to learn.

What did I learn about the academic library job search?

1. It's normal to get a "we received your application and would you please fill out this ethnicity survey" notice immediately and then hear nothing for months.

2. Many people will look at your website if you encourage them to do so. I rarely used my print portfolio, but interviewers frequently mentioned things they saw on my blog or website. Although, I'm not sure that I still wouldn't make the print portfolio--I liked the confidence it gave me that if I encountered someone who had nothing to say, I would have a good starting point.

3. Applying for only three jobs can work--but only if one of them is the right job! I wouldn't recommend it and would have applied to many more had my summer not taken an unexpected turn. I was lucky that one of the jobs I had applied to before my mother died turned out to be the right one, because I never completed an application afterwards--all of that energy went into emptying her house and other things. If it hadn't been the right job, I would be starting my job search all over again about now.

4. Having the minimum qualifications does not mean you will be considered for the job--even if there are no better candidates. But, you might be considered and hired! Some aspects of job hunting are like crap shooting.

5. Trust that things will work out is a healthy attitude for the parts of the job search that the seeker can not control.

6.The things "they" say work for library job searchers, do work--practicums, networking, being out there with a website and/or presentations, teamwork, enthusiasm.     #

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