Tag Archive for interview tips

Get Practice Doing the Other Type of Interviewing

by Daniel Geary, Graduate Assistant at Princeton Theological Seminary, Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies, and Rutgers Alexander Library previously published 11/19/2014 Get Practice Doing the Other Type of Interviewing Practicing interviewing is a no-brainer. You spent so much effort crafting a stand-out resume and cover letter being ready for an interview is important. Rehearsing answers and ironing…

The (Pregnant) Elephant in the Room

The (Pregnant) Elephant in the Room by Jen Park My husband and I had tried for a long time to have a baby. When I finally became pregnant I was in my last term of library school. I was thrilled and very, very nervous about applying for positions. Although I was working part-time in a…

Resilience During (and Beyond) the Job Hunt

Resilience During (and Beyond) the Job Hunt by Julia Feerrar I once applied for a job that, in many ways, felt like it had been made just for me. I progressed through a phone interview and then an on-campus interview, feeling confident and excited. While of course I knew that there must be quite a…

Your Career Statement Of Purpose: a SOP Story

by Christina Wilson, former Head Editor of INALJ Alberta and INALJ Manitoba previously published 2/27/14 Your Career Statement Of Purpose: a SOP Story At a recent library conference, l learned a new approach towards the all-important career summary that all job seekers are expected to deliver during an interview. Typically, interviews begin with a request to provide a career overview. Most…

Cover Letters: They’re Kind of a BIG DEAL!

Cover Letters: They’re Kind of a BIG DEAL! by Natalie Browning, Senior Assistant, INALJ DC Cover Letter. Letter of Interest. I dare you to find a job posting that does not require you to write a letter about your qualifications. Sending in a resume is not enough; the hiring committee wants to see not only…

So, you have an interview?

So, you have an interview? by Amy Steinbauer, Senior Assistant, INALJ California I am having a bit of an interview streak. In the past month, I have been on 8 job interviews, and they have all been extremely different. Hopefully, one will pan out into a real job! The following examples mostly pertain to a public…

7 Tips for Moving Past Job Search Rejection

7 Tips for Moving Past Job Search Rejection by Erin Kinney, Senior Assistant, INALJ Wyoming There are several strategies for coping with rejection of any kind, not just during the job hunt. Rejection on the job hunt has been covered on INALJ, but a refresher is always good. Process Your Emotions It is natural to feel angry…

How to Avoid HR’s Wall of Shame. Job Application Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs (advice from non-library HR pros)

by Josh Rimmer, Senior Editor, INALJ Missouri, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana How to Avoid HR’s Wall of Shame. Job Application Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs  (advice from non-library HR pros) Definitively not a prestigious accomplishment to include on your resume, but mistakes do happen. Did you come across an ideal job opportunity and…

Make a Lasting Impression in Your Exit Interview

by Ashley Mancill, Senior Assistant, INALJ Alabama Make a Lasting Impression in Your Exit Interview Most companies and organizations conduct exit interviews as a way of obtaining feedback that will (ideally) help improve the workplace and employee retention. From an employee’s perspective, this type of interview can be time-consuming (especially if scheduled close to the employee’s departure), cause uneasiness…

Interview Shopping for Every Budget

by Amelia Zavala Vander Heide ,Senior Editor, INALJ Massachusetts, Maryland, and Virtual Work Interview Shopping for Every Budget Whether it is for the big interview or the first day of work, buying the right clothing can be difficult and hard on the budget. I believe that every interviewee should have a few essentials in their closet: a…

Five Tips on Going on an Interview in a Wheelchair

by Leigh Milligan, Senior Editor, INALJ Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee Five Tips on Going on an Interview in a Wheelchair I work in an accessible library in a rehabilitation hospital that caters specifically to patrons in wheelchairs. Most of these patients suffer from spinal cord injury, brain injury or amputation. Some…

Good Questions to ask Interviewers

by Lauren Bourdages, Senior Assistant, INALJ Ontario Good Questions to ask Interviewers Some of you probably already know that I recently ended my job search by getting hired. I’m now in my first full time position in the industry as a Reserves and User Services Associate at the library of one of my alma maters. I’m super…

Practicing for the Interview

by Clare Sobotka, Senior Assistant, INALJ Idaho Practicing for the Interview Very few people can eloquently wing an interview. For most of us, polishing our interview skills takes repeated practice, usually with a good dose of failure before we can perform well enough to impress a hiring committee. Official interviews are the best way to get experience,…

Some Advice Across the Board: Job Hunting Advice for Everyone!

by Diana La Femina, Senior Editor, INALJ Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, New Brunswick, Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta Some Advice Across the Board: Job Hunting Advice for Everyone! I’ve been giving some advice to a job hunter in my life outside of librarianship, and I realized that a lot of the advice I’m giving him can…

Preparation, Preparation, Preparation, and…….Preparation.

by Josh Rimmer, Senior Editor, INALJ Missouri, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana Preparation, Preparation, Preparation, and…….Preparation. Preparing for a job interview is probably the least exciting of tasks to perform, but it should pay off in the long run, if you are diligent. When I think back to my first interview, I remember the mental…

Acing the job interview: Post-interview tips

by Angie Solis, Senior Assistant, INALJ Missouri  Acing the job interview: Post-interview tips (pt 4 of 4) I hope that throughout this series you have learned at least one thing to help you through the interview process. Since we started on this journey we have talked about pre-interview prep, personal and professional interview prep and surviving the interview.…

How to Ace the Academic Library Database Presentation

by Rebekah Kati, Head Editor, INALJ North Carolina How to Ace the Academic Library Database Presentation Typically, when candidates are invited to the second round of interviews for an academic library position, they are asked to give a presentation. For reference and instruction positions, this presentation is often a demonstration of a database to undergraduate students in an introductory…

Acing the job interview: Surviving the Interview

by Angie Solis, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri  Acing the job interview – Surviving the Interview (Part 3 of 4)   In Part one and two we discussed pre-interview prep and personal and professional interview prep. Both these articles were written to get you to this day. The BIG day! INTERVIEW DAY! So now that we’ve made it here…

Library hiring from the other side of the table

George Hawtin, Head Editor, INALJ Saskatchewan Library hiring from the other side of the table In my misspent youth, I served on my hometown’s library board, where one of our duties was to hire a new chief librarian. Later, I served on the selection committee to hire my own replacements at the library board. I would dearly love…

Acing the job interview: Pre-Interview Prep

Angie Solis, Head Editor, INALJ Missouri  Acing the job interview – Part 1 of 4: Pre-Interview Prep Recently, searching for a job has brought me to really work on perfecting my interview skills. There is a lot of content online that may be maddening to search through and decipher. The whole interview process can be stressful, confusing, scary…

Interview Basics for First Time Job Hunters

by Emily Guier, Head Editor, INALJ Wyoming Interview Basics for First Time Job Hunters As the school year winds up, I’ve been thinking a lot about teenagers job hunting for a summer job or internship and approaching the dreaded interview for the first time. A lot of advice I would give a first-time job hunter are…

Slide into Your New Job: How to Ace the Presentation

by Grey Maixner, Head Editor, INALJ Vermont Slide into Your New Job: How to Ace the Presentation One of the most challenging aspects for someone interviewing for an academic librarianship position is the presentation. I have yet to come across someone who hasn’t had to give one, and nearly all of my colleagues, coming straight out…