{"id":14189,"date":"2013-04-01T13:00:33","date_gmt":"2013-04-01T17:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=14189"},"modified":"2013-05-27T13:17:01","modified_gmt":"2013-05-27T17:17:01","slug":"14189","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=14189","title":{"rendered":"6 Things You Should Do After Your Library Job Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Kristen Jaques, Head Editor, INALJ Maine<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

6 Things You Should Do After Your Library Job Interview<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"kj2\"<\/a>The Scenario:<\/strong> Today you just had an interview with a terrific library where your skills and passion will truly be an asset. \u00a0Good job, you! \u00a0However, there is much more work to be done if you want to increase your chances of getting this job or the next job that comes along. \u00a0Here is your new recommended game plan:<\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

The First 24 Hours \u2013<\/h4>\n

1. \u00a0Make a list of questions that were asked during the interview.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Write these down while they are fresh in your memory, along with whatever details you can remember from the answers you provided. \u00a0You can do this in the car after you leave the interview (in a different parking lot) or at a caf\u00e9 before you drive home. \u00a0\u00a0Why should you do this? \u00a0Having this written record will give you factual information to keep you balanced as you relive the interview in your head and overanalyze it. \u00a0You can also use this information to ponder whether there is anything you wish you\u2019d said differently, and you can use it as a conversation piece among close LIS friends, and gain insights as to how they might have answered the questions.<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Send Thank You letters.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These should be written on the day of the interview and sent through email or mail shortly thereafter. \u00a0You will generally be expected to send an individualized letter to each person who interviewed you, or assisted you in any way during your visit: for example, the person who gave you a tour. \u00a0If you were interviewed by a panel of six people and given a tour by a seventh, I\u2019m afraid this will be every bit as much of a headache as it sounds. \u00a0Have lots of snack foods on hand, and TV or music to play as background noise. \u00a0Make sure to use your thank you letters to reiterate your interest in the position and the library, and to make a case for why you still believe you are an excellent fit for the job. \u00a0The thank you letter guide and examples on jobsearch.about.com were my go-to resource after interviews (http:\/\/jobsearch.about.com\/od\/thankyouletters\/a\/samplethankyou.htm<\/a>). \u00a0You can always write something more original or specific to the library in question, but try to maintain a balance between being personable and professional. \u00a0If you search for articles on how to write these, you will get the gist of what employers like to see.<\/p>\n

Within 48 Hours \u2013<\/h4>\n

3. \u00a0Apply for a minimum of one other position.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Or at the very least, look for new job postings and begin gathering materials for your next application. \u00a0While you will feel drained from the interview, the thank you letter writing, and life in general, this act can serve as a great personal affirmation. \u00a0It signifies that you are not going to put your job search and life on hold while you wait for the organization you interviewed with to make their decision. \u00a0Having another job application under your belt will give you concrete evidence that your future does not rest solely in the hands of one organization. \u00a0It will give you the well-earned freedom to temporarily relax and celebrate your recent successes.<\/p>\n

Until You Receive News of the Hiring Decision –<\/h4>\n

4. \u00a0Learn a new skill that you will need for that job.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You may have realized when you read through the job posting or spoke with the interviewer that there was a required or preferred skill that you have not yet obtained, or could refine. \u00a0Take the opportunity to seek out information about this aspect of the job and read as much as you can about it, or talk to colleagues who are working in that role. \u00a0This will make you feel more confident if you are offered the job, and if you don\u2019t get the job, you will still have a new knowledge set for when you apply for other positions.<\/p>\n

5. \u00a0Follow up\u2026calmly, non-intrusively, and pleasantly.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is one step that falls outside of my own \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 personal comfort zone, and makes me worry that I seem pushy and desperate. \u00a0Yet I acknowledge that the follow up email can be helpful to the applicant, and can demonstrate the applicant\u2019s organizational and communication skills, as well as the applicant\u2019s continued interest. \u00a0During my days as a timid, mild-mannered library job applicant, I tended to ignore advice suggesting that I should be very assertive and tenacious, and I would err on the side of sending a brief, polite email if I had not heard back within the timeframe mentioned at the interview. \u00a0I am actually very lucky, because on the very day I started writing this post, an excellent new article on this subject appeared in my news feed. \u00a0If you missed it, read Alison Green\u2019s U.S. News and World Report: On Careers article \u201cHow to Check on the Status of Your Job Application.\u201d \u00a0It provides very sensible advice on how you can request information about where the organization is in their hiring process, without stepping on any toes (http:\/\/money.usnews.com\/money\/blogs\/outside-voices-careers\/2013\/03\/13\/how-to-check-on-the-status-of-your-job-application<\/a> ).<\/p>\n

6. \u00a0Get on with your life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to focus on carrying out the functions of your day-to-day life. \u00a0A huge part of this step involves refocusing on your job search and pretending the outcome of the interview is not hanging over your head. \u00a0This is basically a more long-term continuation of the third tip listed above. \u00a0Keep applying for more jobs. \u00a0I\u2019ve heard people say that they feel a strong temptation to wait until they hear the decision made by the library or organization before throwing themselves back into their job hunting efforts. \u00a0I strongly urge you not to do this. \u00a0No matter how confident you feel about the interview, it is not a good idea to let other opportunities pass you by. \u00a0Think of how you will feel if you\u2019ve done nothing but wait around for weeks, only to hear that another candidate has been chosen. \u00a0I\u2019ve learned from experience that the more jobs I\u2019ve applied to (and of course, the higher quality of my applications; it shouldn\u2019t just be about quantity), the better I would feel if I received a rejecting call, email, or form letter. \u00a0It\u2019s the difference between feeling like you are part of the flow, and feeling like everything is over and you have to start again from scratch. \u00a0Applying for other jobs will make you feel powerful and secure. \u00a0And if you do get that job offer, you will be so elated that your hard work has paid off that it will not matter so much that you\u2019ve spent time applying for jobs that you will not end up doing. \u00a0You will be thrilled about the job that you now have the chance to do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Kristen Jaques, Head Editor, INALJ Maine 6 Things You Should Do After Your Library Job Interview The Scenario: Today you just had an interview with a terrific library where your skills and passion will truly be an asset. \u00a0Good job, you! \u00a0However, there is much more work to be done if you want to…<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[69,3592,3605,3866,219,222,220],"class_list":["post-14189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","tag-article","tag-blog","tag-inalj-maine","tag-kristen-jaques","tag-thank-you","tag-thank-you-notes","tag-thank-yous"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s1WoMK-14189","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14189\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}