What is Library Science: Clueless Job Interviews
Librarians have a way of being misunderstood. Here is one recent example.
As some of my readers know I am currently immersed in a job search up here in the bay area. My job search strategy is similar to the one I was advised to use when I applied to colleges my senior year of high school. There are three categories of jobs.
Some jobs require skills that go beyond your current skill set. Then there are also jobs you are appropriate for. Finally there are the jobs that you are over-qualified for. The jobs that I am not yet qualified for usually ask for proficiency in Ruby or Flash and two or more years experience in a technical environment. Sometimes I apply anyway because the majority of the job description fits my skills but I am usually do not anticipate a proper response back. On the other hand I am over-qualified for book selling positions, temporary admin jobs or unpaid internships. I still apply for these jobs however because I need some income and times are tough.
The jobs I am qualified for include entry level or assistant librarians, research associates or content managers who are not entirely on their own within the company. On Friday I went to an interview for a Web Producer position at a skateboarding company. I pretty much knew that I didn't want the job before I even arrived at the job site for my interview. I don't like skateboarding and I knew I could never be happy with a job that paid even less than my last one did. Has anyone else noticed how hourly salaries are shrinking? I don't understand how people are supposed to live on less than fifteen dollars an hour in San Francisco.
I didn't vibe with my interviewer from the moment he asked "So what is library science?". He didn't even bother reading my resume. I explained that I mostly studied information management in school. I studied taxonomies in an e-commerce environment, learned a bit of cataloging and currently write and produce content for several websites. Apparently though I was automatically placed in the "other" category of applicants because I went to library school.
After a few questions regarding my experience he then posed a new question for me: how would I organize a large quantity of items from the store into effective categories? This seemed to hammer home the point that he didn't know what librarians do. That is the entire point of our job, isn't it?
It is actually difficult for more to understand how some people have no experience with libraries. I'm not talking about uneducated people or kids here either but actual highly paid professionals in the bay area (the hub of tech!). Even if someone is unfamiliar with library school it should be apparent that anyone who specialized in organizing information in school is qualified for a simple, entry level job at an ecommerce company. Well, back to the drawing board for me. Any leads?
- Tawny Sverdlin's blog
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I have bookmarked in all
I have bookmarked in all bookmarksites. I am usually do not anticipate a proper response back. On the other hand I am over-qualified for book selling positions, temporary admin jobs or unpaid internships. I still apply for these jobs however because I need some income and times are tough.
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Hi there, Sorry to hear
Hi there,
Sorry to hear you're having such a difficult time finding a job. I know I'm in the same boat - having sent in over 70 resumes over the past 2 months (right after the time I achieved my MLS), and getting almost a 0% response rate.
In fact, there was only one place of employment that even gave me a phonecall, and that was for a library tech position. Naturally, they were more interested in whether I had "supervisory experience" (I have none) and whether I had experience "fixing copy machines" (ditto). So of course, I didn't even achieve an (in-person) interview for that position.
Anyway, I just wanted to make the comment that, yes, we get this MLS degree (well, technically, MSLIS) so that we can achieve an entry level position, right? I mean, that is the point of getting the degree, isn't it? And yet so many of these jobs point to the need for 2+ years experience. It's just so discouraging, especially when it seems no organization actually wants to hire an entry-level worker (despite the fact that they advertise various position as "entry level").
I've had so many employers email me and tell me that, "A review of your application determined you did not qualify because you do not possess sufficient related experience for the duties of the position" (just to quote one gem of a reply I received recently).
So I guess my overall point is that I honestly don't feel that an MSLIS really qualifies us for entry level positions. I mean, in most classes they'd rather teach us theory than how to do a library job, so it's not like I can ever say to an employer "Oh yeah, I have experience doing this task". Maybe your program was different, but I'm really disappointed with the experience I had with mine... Of course, all that would be acceptable if employers would at least recognize that the MSLIS doesn't actually perpare you for the workforce, all it does is give us this formality of a degree....