Résumés/cover letters/applications
Top mistakes
Typographical errors and grammatical mistakes, documents that clearly show they’ve been recycled from other job searches, information about your hobbies (unless they specifically relate to the job), and not following specific directions.
Desirable Length
The résumé should be one to five pages, or as much as it takes to describe your RELEVANT working life, but conciseness and readability are appreciated. Organize employment history in reverse chronological order and make sure sentences have parallel construction. Make it very clear where you were employed, for how long, and provide a brief job description. For example:
May 2004-August 2005
Whatsamatta University
Frostbite Falls, Minnesota [if necessary to identify]
Bullwinkle Library
Reference Librarian
Answered reference questions. Created library guides. …
Tailor the résumé to the job, depending upon your level of experience. Many search committees find career objectives listed on résumés very trite—put them in your cover letter.
Always address the cover letter to the person listed in the job ad, unless no one is listed and you cannot figure it out from the institution’s website. In that case, use “Dear Sir or Ms.”, “Dear Search Committee”, etc. Use “To Whom It May Concern” only as a last resort.
The tone should be formal. Tailor the cover letter to the job by specifically addressing why you are qualified. If there are gaps in your employment history, explain them succinctly in your cover letter. There should be no fluff or flowery language in the letter. If more than one job is being advertised by an institution, apply for more than one of them only if you are qualified for both (e.g., entry level positions) and you’ve explained so in your cover letter.
Interviewing/Follow-up
Dress
The applicant’s appearance should be conservative; dark skirt suit for women; dark suit and tie for men. Women should wear hose, low heeled pumps with closed toes, very simple jewelry, no perfume. Your contact may tell you to be casual, but stay on the conservative side.
Attitude
Be alert, courteous, interested, and rigorously punctual. Beyond these, be yourself.
Do your homework. Research the library as much as possible. Study the institution’s website so that you know the organizational structure.
Expect several “canned questions,” such as
-
What makes you angry?
- What is your working style?
- Describe a time when you had a difference of opinion with a co-worker and explain how you resolved the issue.
- What would you do if a patron asked a reference question about x? (Coolness under fire is generally more important that absolute correctness.)
Don’t speak negatively about anybody from your previous work experience. The academic library world is a small one.
Salary/Benefits
Ask no questions about salary or benefits until you are offered the job. To get an idea of the salary parameters look at the AALL salary survey and judge where the salary should be by the description of work and the geographic location of the institution.
Follow-up
Write a note to the chair of the search committee very soon after you get home. Whether this note should be via paper or email is dependent on what format they used to communicate with you. Keep your tone formal and respectful. Immediately after the interview, write down as much as you can remember about the members of the committee (names, titles) and what was said about the job responsibilities. Use this information to personalize the thank you note by expressing interest in specific projects that were mentioned.
At the time of the interview it is permissible to ask when they expect to make a decision. If that time passes and you have not heard anything, it may mean nothing at all. Academic libraries are tethered to the semester system and action may not take place due to pressing responsibilities. No less than two weeks after the deadline that was given to you it is permissible to call the HR department to inquire about the progress of the job search.
The right attitude to have when going into an interview is that even if the job isn’t a good fit or the salary doesn’t turn out to be what you need, the interview itself is a networking experience. Do not take it personally if you don’t get the job. The goal is to make such a good impression that even if this job doesn’t work out, they will think of you for future openings.