winning the hiring game
TRANSCRIPT
This article was downloaded by: [The University Of Melbourne Libraries]On: 09 October 2014, At: 09:05Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH,UK
Journal of HospitalLibrarianshipPublication details, including instructions forauthors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/whos20
Winning the Hiring GameD. Elizabeth Irish aa Schaffer Library of Health Sciences, AlbanyMedical College , Albany, NY, USAPublished online: 08 Sep 2008.
To cite this article: D. Elizabeth Irish (2005) Winning the Hiring Game, Journal ofHospital Librarianship, 5:1, 91-97, DOI: 10.1300/J186v05n01_10
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J186v05n01_10
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PATCHWORK
Winning the Hiring Game:What Candidates Can Learn
from InterviewersD. Elizabeth Irish
What skills are desired by health sciences libraries and what ques-tions might be asked of librarians seeking new positions? To answerthese questions, the Executive Committee of the Upstate New York On-tario Chapter of the Medical Library Association (UNYOC) sent a sur-vey to librarians in key leadership roles. The survey results werepresented as a question and answer game in the style of the “FamilyFeud” television show on October 10, 2003 at UNYOC’s annual con-ference (1). Like contestants and members of the audience at the “Hir-ing Game: Getting Started” conference session, readers interested indeveloping effective interviewing skills will benefit from the expertiseof the survey respondents.
THE SURVEY
A survey was sent to the 298 members of The Leadership and Man-agement Section of MLA in September 2003. Membership in this sec-
D. Elizabeth Irish is Head of Public Services, Schaffer Library of Health Sciences,Albany Medical College, Albany, NY (E-mail: [email protected]).
Comments and suggestions should be sent to the Column Editor: Jeffrey Perkins(E-mail: [email protected]).
Journal of Hospital Librarianship, Vol. 5(1) 2005http://www.haworthpress.com/web/JHSPL
2005 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.Digital Object Identifier: 10.1300/J186v05n01_10 91
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tion of MLA is open to anyone who wishes to develop leadership andmanagerial potential and many of its members are in the position of hir-ing and mentoring new librarians. The four main questions were:
• Name what you look for when reviewing a resume• Name your favorite interview question• Name what impresses you most about a candidate• Name the best way to prepare for an interview
The remaining questions garnered mainly factual data, such as aver-age interview length, type of job opening, and best place to advertise aposition–one day, reference, and discussion lists, respectively. The sur-veys were completed electronically by linking to UNYOC’s Web siteand the results were delivered by e-mail. Forty-nine survey results weretallied and similar responses were grouped together to form answers ineach category: Reviewing a Resume, Favorite Interview Question, Im-pressing an Interviewer, and Best Way to Prepare.
RESULTS
Reviewing a Resume
For vacant professional positions, the survey respondents receiveanywhere from a low of four resumes to a high of fifty with most posi-tions having ten to thirty applicants. What do interviewers look for in aresume in order to narrow down the field of candidates? The top char-acteristics of the 38 interviewer responses received in this categorywere:
1. Relevant experience2. Job stability3. Error-free resumes (grammar, spelling, and punctuation)4. (Two-way tie–both responses were mentioned the same number
of times) Writing style and Growing level of responsibility
Job stability and error-free resumes also made the top of the red flaglist with job instability, or job jumping, only slightly edging out spellingmistakes, typos, and grammatical errors as the candidate’s worst sin.Frequent job changes, especially those occurring unexpectedly or afterless than two years on the job, raised concerns amongst interviewers.
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For example, if someone with twenty years experience applies for anentry-level position, the candidate had best include the reason why inthe cover letter! Employment dates should be included in a resume. Fi-nally, interviewers not only look to see if references are supplied whenasked, they look at the interviewee’s relationship to the person provid-ing the reference. References from immediate or past supervisors carrythe most weight.
While it may be difficult to pack all relevant information into a re-sume and cover letter without becoming too wordy, it is important forthe candidate to emphasize leadership abilities, professional commit-ment, creativity, flexibility, and intellectual curiosity. If a candidate canpresent an idea or skill that does not exist in the current environment butwhich would enhance it, that person is likely to catch the interviewer’seye. For a candidate to stand out above the crowd, it is important to sellthe candidate as one would sell a product.
Favorite Interview Question
From the survey results, this category demonstrates that a “favor-ite” interview question is truly in the eye of the beholder. There were25 unique responses. The top responses were not surprising:
1. “Why did you apply for this position?”2. “Why are you a good match for this position?”3. “Where do you see yourself in five years?”4. (Two-way tie–both responses were mentioned the same number
of times) “Describe a challenge you met successfully” and “De-scribe your greatest strength and greatest weakness.”
From the remaining questions, it is clear that interviewers are inter-ested in candidates who can work both independently and with a group.Candidates should also be creative in their problem-solving abilities, beprofessional without being afraid to demonstrate a sense of humor, beable to learn from their mistakes, and be comfortable promoting them-selves.
Some of the more telling were:
• “What would former or current coworkers say about you?”• “What is your professional passion?”• “If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?”
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IMPRESSING AN INTERVIEWER
The survey respondents provided a list of 35 ways to wow interview-ers. The top four responses in this category were:
1. Personal presentation2. Personality3. Intelligent answers4. Communication skills
This category was difficult to analyze because the lines between theconcepts were blurred. Presentation and personality could be tied to-gether, although subtle perceived differences were noted. For instance,a candidate may be poised, composed, and self-confident but rank zeroon a friendliness scale. Friendliness was a reoccurring theme for the tenrespondents who listed personality. One librarian remarked that it ispossible to change a person’s skills but not his or her personality.Self-confidence also appears to be a double-edged sword; too little isundesirable but too much is overbearing.
What factors impress an interviewer? A candidate should: (1) re-search the library prior to the interview and ask thoughtful, intelligentquestions; (2) relate to the position and see himself or herself as part ofthe team; (3) demonstrate what he or she can bring to the position thatis new or unique; and (4) provide evidence of going above and beyondthe call of duty. Finally, the candidate should take time to write a thankyou note to the interviewers, preferably a handwritten one instead ofe-mail.
Best Way To Prepare
The top answers in the preparation category were:
1. Research library2. Practice common questions3. (Two-way tie–both responses were mentioned the same number
of times) Formulate questions to ask and Tailor strengths to fitneeds
4. Read latest literature
Three-quarters of the respondents recommended researching the en-vironment as a way for a candidate to impress them. From visiting the
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Web site to visiting the library privately, interviewers expect candidatesto take an interest in the operation before the interview even begins.Speaking with employees to become acquainted with the institutionalculture before arriving is recommended. Finally, doing what librariansdo best, the candidate should run a literature search and research any ar-ticles written by staff members and about the institution. The candidateshould be able to come to the interview as if he or she knows the place!
Practicing questions ranked in second place but only received sixmentions. One survey respondent suggested preparing a list of five toten behavioral characteristics that are needed for the job and writing aquestion for each. Another recommended having friends ask the candi-date the tough questions they’ve had in interviews. No matter what, thecandidate should be prepared to explain why he or she is the best candi-date for the job.
Formulating questions to ask at the interview and tailoring strengthsto fit the interviewers’ needs tied at the number three rank. The candi-date should be cautious about mentioning salary and benefits at the ear-liest stages as it could be perceived as presumptuous unless a familyrelocation is involved. Every interviewer is unique in this regard and thecandidate may opt to follow an interviewer’s lead. Some interviewersare very proud of available benefits and will mention them up front. Italso impresses interviewers when the candidate can ask thoughtfulquestions based on issues discussed during the interview. Candidates’questions can also serve an introduction to their strengths if carefullythought out. The best advice to the candidate is to review what is impor-tant both professionally and personally and to ask questions that will ad-dress those issues.
To succeed at the top three factors, reading the latest literature is amust. The candidate should be prepared to intelligently discuss currenttrends in health sciences librarianship. Being able to articulate a clearvision of the future of the field demonstrates a willingness to look for-ward beyond the here and now.
The rest of the suggestions ranged from the typical to the slightly un-usual. Role playing the interview, conducting a resume review with acareer counselor, and reviewing the job description are all recom-mended. The most unusual recommendation is to avoid any food con-taining long strands of pasta. There must be an interesting story behindthat recommendation! Finally, the candidate should keep an open mind,get a good night’s sleep, and most importantly, relax.
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A PERFECT FIT
The best possible interview is a positive experience for both inter-viewers and candidates. Although interviews may vary in length, afull-day is typical for an academic health sciences library. For best re-sults, interviewers should plan ahead by developing a schedule that willdraw out the skills and traits that are needed for the available position.Candidates should do their homework through preparation and practice.When playing “The Hiring Game,” the ideal result is a win-win situa-tion for candidates and interviewers. Both should aim to arrive at amatch that in the end will hopefully serve everyone well.
REFERENCES
1. Irish, E. The Hiring Game: UNYOC conference edition. LAM News 2004;16(2). http://www.library.umc.edu/lam/lam-16-2.html.
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APPENDIX
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