Why Don’t I Have a Job Yet?

03Mar09

When I entered library school I was told a few basic facts about the job I was working towards:

Library use rises in recessions, so even though I couldn’t have predicted I would be graduating in the biggest economic downturn since the great depression, I knew there would still be a need for me no matter what the climate.
Twenty-four percent of research librarians were expected to retire between 2005-2010.

Librarians don’t break the bank, I am not looking to pull in a six figure salary, I just want to pay my three hundred dollar a month rent.

So what is going on here? I have stellar grades (I am Beta Phi Mu-eligible, at least), I am a go-getter, I have a resume that was okayed by five different library hiring managers at NELA and through the ALA New Member’s Roundtable Resume Review Service, I have management experience, and some really decent recommendations. I apply to three or four jobs each day, but I can’t seem to get an interview. There must be something I am missing.

I must not be alone out here, so I figured I might share some of my as-yet-unsuccessful job search tips and tricks:

1. ALA Hot Jobs has a wide variety of position openings, and the listings are national, especially good if you are open to a move.

2. LISjobs is my personal favorite because of the little feed on the side that lists recent interesting positions posted. It is also a national listing organization, and seems to get some different things than ALA.

3. http://www.libraryjobpostings.org creates sites where they compile listings of regional job sources.

4. Chronicle of Higher Ed has academic library job listings.

5. HERC, or Higher Education Recruitment Consortium lists academics jobs on regional sites, and often is the preferred place to apply for faculty positions at colleges.

6. Higher Ed Jobs is another place that colleges often ask you to apply from instead of directly from their college recruitment sites for faculty positions.

7. Inside Higher Ed sometimes has librarian jobs posted, though I haven’t had as much success as with Higher Ed Jobs.

8. I often peruse the websites of schools I am interested in working at, not all of the library science jobs are posted on national listservs.

9. I follow LibInfoSciJobs and Libgig_jobs on Twitter (follow me!), and both have been really good sources.

I hope that if you are in the same boat as me, some of my search tools will help you. I also hope that if you are a hiring manager, and are reading this, you contact me for an informational interview about your open position in academic reference services or instructional technology. I won’t let you down!

-Miss Information

Filed under: A Day in the Life, By: Miss Information, MLIS, libraries | 12 Comments
Tags: Chronicle of Higher Education, job search, Jobs, librarian salary, librarians, library jobs, LISJobs, NMRT, recession, searching

12 Responses to “Why Don’t I Have a Job Yet?”

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1 James on March 3, 2009 said:

I’m in the same boat. I have library experience, good grades, and what I think is a very attractive e-portfolio (which was supposed to help get a job), but I’m not even getting interviews for the jobs I apply for. I kind of get the feeling very experienced librarians are pushing us out for even supposedly entry-level jobs.
2 The Eeyore Librarian on March 3, 2009 said:

Recession. Let me tell you what is going on in my neck of the woods. The city library is on an official hiring freeze, same with the local 4-yr university and the junior college and the tech college. The county library system is on an unofficial hiring freeze and the one reference librarian who IS retiring is being replaced by paraprofessionals. There is a monthly librarian get together that I go to occasionally and am friendly with librarians from the libraries that I don’t already work on-call for (the only work I can have right now) and everybody is having to pick up other peoples slack because nobody is allowed to hire. I recently applied (as part of my MLIS) program to do a unpaid two week internship at the 4-yr and the city library, both places turned me down because they didn’t have anybody who had enough time to supervise. Free labor !! It’s similar around the rest of the state and the next state down. Things are very grim. I have three more classes to take before I’m finished, but I think I’m going to hold off until Dec. just in the off chance the economy might improve between now and then. I’m very frustrated too. I’m praying things get better.
3 Silver Adept on March 3, 2009 said:

Woof. I’m lucky to be employed, having got in before the recession hit. Even in good times, I was still getting turned down for entry-level jobs, figuring on more experienced counterparts stealing stuff away. This in public libraries, by the way. As it is, my library system would love to hire in more, but budget precludes this at the moment.

I got told two years ago when I graduated that public libraries were going to be retiring in droves, and despite my applications, I don’t think I ever saw a flood of new jobs opening up because of retirements.

Keep trying, and good luck! It took me almost fifty tries before I found mine, and I can count the number of people who called me back on two hands, and actual face-to-face interviews on one.
4 MIke on March 3, 2009 said:

1. Professionals, such as myself, with years of experience are being laid off and are competing for those entry level spots.

2. Closing of many special libraries.

3. Hiring freezes throughout many public, city, and county library systems.

4. Everything, really is freely available on the internet and thus we don’t need staff.

5. Seriously, the internet means libraries might be able to do more with less staff, the people paying the bills really think #4 is true, and …

6. Libraries, Librarians, and those wonderful Associations need to do a better job of marketing the profession. We know what we do, how many outside the profession get that? You mean you need a master’s degree??
5 Auntie Nanuuq on March 3, 2009 said:

“Hiring Freeze” is the term of the times, and we have been told that it will become much worse.

Vacant entry positions are not being filled and vacant manager positions are being filled via promotion with people who do not have the experience required by the M.O.U. (contract).

Many of the Regional Coordinators are being given additional responsibilities managing branch libraries as well.

We are no longer filling vacant clerical positions…we make due with the full-time staff covering the check-out desk.

But this is nothing new, I have gone through this downward spiral trend 3 times before, and we have bounced back. We are just all pitching in and doing more, with less… “working smarter not harder” (but of course doing two jobs is working harder)….

But as for hiring new employees…not this year or next.
6 Lauren on March 3, 2009 said:

I’ve been looking for work for coming on nine months. Only a few telephone interviews so far, and I’ve applied for somewhere near a zillion jobs. What’s most frustrating is how many jobs I’ve applied for that I’ve later been notified have been canceled. There’s nothing like feeling you’ve had a great initial interview and this might actually be the one, and even started browsing craigslist for possible apartment options, only to get an email, letter, or silence letting you know that they’re no longer seeking candidates because they can no longer fill the position. Or to go through the whole interview process only to find out that it’s a formality, there’s a hiring freeze, and you’re just being put on a list. At least HR is being laid off because they’ve found a way to keep themselves busy even when there aren’t jobs to fill!

I feel bad now that I had a job, and gave it up, but I figured with my resume I’d be on the market two or three months tops. Just enough to relax and refresh myself. Not that I’d go back to my old job for any amount of money or job security, but I wish I could find something!!!

Anyways, I know what you’re going through.
7 Elisa on March 9, 2009 said:

For Beta Phi Mu, in addition to the GPA requirement, you must also be nominated by a LS professor and done something outstanding that impressed the dept and the school.
8 Barb on May 21, 2009 said:

What a bitter irony this is. Out of frustration, I Googled, “Why don’t I have a job yet?” and this is what I find! I am a new library school graduate with a law degree and some library experience and I’m in the same boat: Lots of applications, no interviews.

It’s tough. Hang in there, Miss Information! You and me– we’re gonna find jobs one day.
9 Scott on June 5, 2009 said:

I graduated in 1994 from UNT. I had a 4.0 GPA and was inducted into Beta Phi Mu. I have a second maters degree (music) and a paralegal diploma. Before and after I graduated I spent a year and a half looking. I had 1 interview (maybe two). I ended up as a courier. Then I joined my dad to help him out in his business. Now it’s 11 years after that, I hate my job, and again trying to get a library job. I am also reliving my experience from the 1990s. I am now 47 years old.

BEFORE I got my degree I had no trouble getting paraprofessional library jobs and had several years’ experience. Now I’m over qualified for those and lacking the “relevant” experience to get into the door with a professional position.

People who complain about glass ceilings infuriate me. How’d they like to live for 15 years looking through a glass DOOR?