Need advise from the smarty-pants on here...?

Question

I am going to be interviewed for a position I desperately want. A librarian! :) They have a lot of applicants and to even get an interview is a big deal. I was interviewed last year and didn't get a similar position.

My question is - what can I do to prepare? I really need to nail this. Thanks!

Deb - I rarely take prayer offers unkindly. You needent ask permission. Thanks for your kind thoughts.

Answer 1

Laptop, I am thrilled for you to have this opportunity. Not much of a smarty-pants here as I am one of those oh so "un-intelligent" fundies...but, I have confidence that you have the wit and the knowledge necessary for a successful job interview.
I do not know about your area, but librarians also are expected to have good overall knowledge of the area they work in so a working knowledge of your city and state is a reasonable qualification.
Of course be familiar with the Dewey decimal system if they are using that particular catalogue system.
Practice your "shush" and "quiet please" phrases... No not really, is this with a city library? or a private library?

I am trying to recall what steps I took when I had my library job. I really just presented myself as competent, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic about working in the library.

It was a blast... you will love it I hope.
I'll be praying that all goes as you would hope.

Answer 2

I did a job interview recently, and the style of questions seems to have changed (unless it was just that one interview).

Rather than asking "why do you want to work for us?" and "what can you bring to the team" type questions, I was asked more direct job-related things such as "situation X has happened. What should you do about it?".

While I recommend you still have a think about the waffle questions (which, for some reason, you can't answer "I want the money" and "me" to the respective questions), you should try and think of problems which you are likely to encounter in a normal day's work and what you'd need to do to resolve it.

You should eat well on the day of the interview, and make sure you go to the bathroom. Feeling hungry or needing the toilet will certainly distract you during the interview.

If you can, walk to the interview venue, or at least walk around outside for 15-20 minutes. This should help relax you.

Finally, carefully plan when you're going to arrive. Arriving late is obviously a bad thing, but if you arrive too early, you'll just be hanging around for a while, which can make you feel nervous and tense, which will mean you will not be at your best in the interview.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Good tips for any interview.
Smile, greet with a firm handshake.
Appear attentative, make eye contact.
Answer carefully, thoughtfully. Don't overtalk but cover the question.
Be honest but you don't have to reveal everything.
Use positive body language, lean toward the interviewer slightly to appear interested.
Bring an organized resume if they do not already have one.
Be positive, use humor only if they seem receptive and make sure it is appropriate.
End on a good note, shake hands again and thank them for taking the time to sit with you.
I hope these help, I interviewed many applicants for jobs when I worked for a staffing agency. The ones I remember had these qualities, also any skills pertinent and unique to the particular job are always a plus. Good luck.

Answer 4

Dress appropriately,
Look them in the eye when you talk to them,
use examples,
give them a firm hand shake at both the beginning and end of the interview.
Thank them for taking the time to see you.
Send a thank you card a few days after the interview if you haven't heard from them.
Be honest and open.
Ask questions.
Make sure they have all the information on you that they need.
Ask is there anything more that you need to hear from me.
Don't say "If you give me this job." use "In this position I would"
Just some tips I have learned. I hope it helps.
Good luck, you can do this.

Answer 5

Just be calm and speak clear. Have a firm hand shake and look your interviewer in the eyes. Use words like committed, hard-working, team player, multi-tasker, responsible, etc...Power words. You get the picture, but just don't start throwing around these "power words" to impress someone during an interview. It's going to sound unnatural and trying to remember these words might add to your pre-interview anxiety. Do a little research on the library you're applying to, it can't hurt to know a little history of the place. It certainly will impress the interviewer.

Answer 6

Well, expect that they'll ask you questions about your strengths and weaknesses. Choose a weakness that can be viewed as a positive -- "I'm too much of a perfectionist, I can't focus on anything else until I've finished the tasks at hand." Study the job description you were given and bring attention to the strengths that are most related. Stay relaxed and speak in a normal tone of voice; don't sound like you've rehearsed a speech.

Good luck Laptop! :)

Answer 7

I am sure you have done this already but here is my advice:

do some research on the library itself. How many titles they have, their hours, their primary customers, their locations, what they offer to the public IE story hour for the kiddies, computer lab etc etc.

the think of what you can do to improve those things. and try to think of one more great idea you can offer that they don't already. That is the hard one. But it doesn't have to be earth shattering, it can be something simple as collecting email addresses and maybe sending out an email newsletter when new titles come in. I wish our local library did that!!

of course you can check out this link too:

http://content.monster.com/Interview/Home.aspx

but the main thing is to be positive and show confidence in yourself.

good luck and best wishes and I will keep you in my prayers!!!

Answer 8

I'm not too smarty pants when it comes to job interviews....
all I can do is encourage you to be yourself. Confident, mature, articulate, ambitious and sincere.
If it's a public library (as opposed to a college or university one), indicate your natural love of children and offer different ideas that might be appreciated. If you are able to look around the library first, you might get a feel for what could be done??

What an exciting opportunity for you! I sure hope you get it. When is the interview and I will keep you in my prayers.

blessings and (((hugs))) lappy :)
EDIT: I'm sorry I never thought of asking your permission to pray for you - if not, no worries :)

Answer 9

Do as much research as you can on the library itself. The number one complaint from employers is that prospective employees don't "know" who they are applying for.

Don't go in dressed in anything that you wouldn't normally wear. I used to wear skirts to interviews, and I thought . . . who am I kidding? This doesn't represent who I am. So, now, I only wear pants/slacks.

Be yourself. Be honest. Don't be afraid to look human.

I've always interviewed well, and I think my confidence has helped. However, every single one of my employers told me I was "personable." I was easy to talk to, and that won them over, apparently.

Lastly . . . I think . . . I ask questions. Not asking questions makes it seem like you aren't curious or eager. Go with questions about the job and the company (er, library). Ask them for a tour. Ask them about their technology use. Ask them where they got their MLS degrees from!

And good luck to you! I know how exciting it can be to land a librarian job. I went to school with a bunch of library science nerds. ;)

P.S. This was point number 15,000 for me. I picked a question that was worth it. :D

Answer 10

My advice for you is, every librarian does much more than checking out books or reading all day. Their duties can range from creating original cataloging records for items in library collections to creating entire taxonomies to order companies’ data to using their expert skills to answer complex reference questions. So as a librarian, be passionate about your career choice. It's not about making big money, it's about connecting people with information, and I think you're obviously fit for the job.

(((LAPTOP))))
*smoochies*