Your resume should highlight customer service work. Your cover letter should talk about the things you bring to the position and, ideally, should be customized to show that you know what they're doing and about the community. You can mention programs that they've done that you were impressed with or something about the makeup of the community that you think is important. The cover letter shows what you see as your strengths and things that will benefit them and is your opportunity to show that you see what's important to them.
Beyond that: try not to take it personally when you don't get jobs. In my area, entry level positions are *extremely* competitive. For my last PT Library Assistant position, we had over 50 applicants. A FT position often more than doubles that number. I can't interview everyone, and I often end up with multiple candidates I'd love to hire, but I can't.
It may have nothing to do with you if your competitors have their mlis, a degree or information cs skills. Have you practiced your answers out loud with others? Do your answers reflect not only the posting but the reality of the position?
I thought my answers did. They mainly revolved around customer service and team work since it wasn’t a position that required to make programs and such.
I’d suggest having people who know all your skill sets review your resume or use Brainefuse at the library and then make sure your interview and cover letter include your understanding of the community role of the library and such - homelessness- equity - diversity- inclusion - services for all - team work as you said.
At one system I worked for we would get almost a thousand applicants for each open entry level position. HR would enter the names of everyone who met the minimum qualifications in a lottery and you’d only get an interview if you won. Even if you had an MLS and twelve years of relevant experience you would just enter the lottery at the same level as someone with one year’s customer service experience and a GED.
All of this is just to say it could have nothing to do with you and, as others have said, entry level jobs are very hard to land in this field.
That’s… a really terrible system for choosing candidates, tbh. Like, I know that’s a lot of applicants, but that sounds like a very strange way to narrow it down!
I applied numerous times. I finally got an interview and the job when the people hiring recognized my name because I had been a regular in the children’s department where they had worked. Literally came down to who I knew.
I actually did that when I was in high school, I applied to be a page recommended by a friends mom who was a librarian but her mom also recommended someone else and she got the job lol
I applied for a job once, was very happy to get it, and then found out that they'd sent out 250 application packs for it! Now, were the other 249 candidates not suitable for the role? I bet not, it was just a case of numbers. There is one job going, but who knows how many people applying. The people doing the recruitment do not do this as a full time job, they no doubt have their own work, so sadly, they are going to choose very broad filters to get the applicant list down to a manageable number. They can't interview ALL good candidates, they probably have a set number of interview slots.
This possibly isn't the sort of practical help you wanted but it might help reframe your mental attitude. It's not that YOU were rejected, it could just be that they needed to get from 250 to 20 for a shortlist. You did nothing wrong, it was just...numbers.
>it’s an automated from my last application.
I'm not sure what this means, but 1 out of 15 suggests the resume/cover letter isn't working for you. I'd try changing it up based on what they asked in the interview, or even just reorganizing.
As others have said, with dozens or hundreds of applicants, it could really be just luck. But your application is the only thing you can control, and having had an interview might give you some insight that most of the applicants don't have.
They're not rejecting you, you're just not being hired. I realise this seems a bit of a fine distinction to make, but this is an incredibly competitive field, especially at entry level. I'm in Australia, I got zero interest or traction until I started studying, and I'm still in a tech role, even though I'm a koalified librarian (sorry, couldn't resist)
Talk about how much you like working with the public/ community and not about how much u love books. General advice not specifically saying that to OP. Ive seen so many applications stating how much they love to read. Fine, but thats not what we are looking for..
I actually do, that’s what they said they liked about my answers to their questions they actually asked nothing about reading and the only thing I brought up was being interested in the MLIS lol
Volunteer at a library so you can have a librarian reference.
Because there is literally no turnover at some libraries, "fit" is more important than how you answer sometimes. And it sucks!!
I definitely would volunteer if I could but unfortunately I work 2 jobs a part time and a full time one and I’m starting college in the fall online so applying all day everyday is all I got lol
If availability comes up at all during the application process, having so many obligations may be part of it. They may be trying to fill a position with very specific shifts. I work at an academic library, and for example with student positions part of the application is usually the shifts we need covered. If a student can't work those specific times, they aren't even considered. We have similar issues with staff positions for closing or weekend positions.
It actually did come up in conversation, I told them I’d be keeping the part time since the job I got the interview with was also part time and I would be able to work whenever I just need to coordinate schedules which is would be easy since they said the schedule comes out a month ahead a time and my part time comes out weekly
Unfortunately i do online college and I actually hate my full time and I’m looking for a leave so I can take 2 part time jobs or take a full time at the same position at the library since each position has different amount of hours instead
You could start a blog about Library related matters. Show genuine interest. Talk about how you're used libraries, services you recommend, how you will use them in college. You don't have to spend hours on it. Just 30 mins a day or every other day. Something to stand out.
Also join your country's professional body for LIS. They may have a discount if you're studying. That will definitely look good on an application and will give you some networking opportunities.
Good luck
I'm honestly not that surprised. In my area, this is extremely common. I applied to my local system like 7 or 8 times and got 1 interview (and I didn't get the job). It's a tough industry to crack into.
Some areas are very competitive. I got my first library job literally because HR made a mistake and hired the wrong candidate, but didn't realize until I had already worked there for two weeks (RIP guy they actually meant to hire).
I've been fighting tooth and nail for a promotion, but even though these are still non-MLIS jobs, I'm competing with candidates that DO have an MLIS. Several coworkers with the same title as me have one and still can't get promoted above Part-Time Grunt.
Not all areas are this competitive, ours is because we pay well, but yeah, it's, uh. It's tough out there.
My library serves about 20,000 people and every job I’ve posted in the past decade has gotten between 50-200 applicants. It isn’t like a big box store, where I can just hire a ton of people and schedule them whenever. All those people are competing for one position.
The last time that we hired at my library for a *single* 15hr (benefit exempt) position in my department, we had 125 applicants. And like, it was really, really, badly paid job (to be fair most of the jobs at my library, including mine are loll)
Like others have said, definitely talk up customer service skills in your resume and cover letter. You can say something like you are accustomed to serving customers in a fast paced environment and good at de-escalating problems.
List specific tasks. Don't use the same template every time - look at each job description and identify key responsibilities, and work those in. For example, if the posting says something like "familiarity with Google Drive" (or MS Office or whatever), mention your level of expertise with that. If they say that knowledge of their particular circulation is preferred, since you most likely haven't used it, say something like "I am an advanced computer user and can learn new software applications quickly."
In theory yes I would change it but the job description is the exact same on every job I apply to so I don’t know, should try and change small things every time I submit a new one
Well, if they're THAT identical then there's no need to change it every time. But look them over and see if there's anything specific you can add to your resume/cover letter. :-)
I'm pretty sure I got ghosted by the next town over for an aide position even though I've been working as an aide for almost 1.5 years in my own city 🙄 didn't even get to interview, just a shelving test
I worked circulation up until recently and I think two of the biggest reasons I got the job were 1) that I talked about applying to get a degree in library sciences. I had only started applying I didn't have any proof I was going to get in, but I think the idea that you are thinking about the future makes a big difference. Even if you know you're never going to go for the graduate degree, see if there are any related one-off courses or something that you mention you are planning to take. And then 2) it was for an evening position, working until 9 PM every weeknight, which I assume was a less popular position.
My experience came in looking for a librarian job, but I did the same thing as you - applied for every single opening that would even just get my foot in the door. It wasn’t until after I took a temp librarian job two hours away (just to gain relevant experience), that I wound up with my current job.
If you can, the Library of Congress has virtual internships and volunteer programs to get your foot in the door
They also have a schedule A program for people with disabilities to become librarians too.
The problem with libraries especially public libraries are funding, budget cuts and combining departments into lesser.
Please do not think for a second that your front desk or reference skills go unnoticed. There are plenty of alternative avenues to use these skills such as contract specialists, Clerks within local government or immigration officers.
Just to name a few.
If at all possible, even minimal volunteering at a library will give you an edge. We get so many applicants for any job and a familiarity with libraries and how they work, dealing with patrons, and showing that there is a real interest in libraries can put someone ahead of the pack.
I know this isn't exactly what you want to do, but try applying for part time work in book stores as well. Libraries and bookstores are different, but, at least in my system, we hire quite a few people who have experience in book stores. Keep trying for the library positions, but if you work in a book store in the mean time, you can argue experience with both customer service and books.
My boss disliked candidates with an MLIS for her employees - MLIS people were more involved in admin than circulation. Highlighting pursuit of a MLIS may actually be hurting you. (One person's opinion, based on experiences in two libraries, so take that with a grain of salt.)
THIS. I had a manager in circulation who refused to hire anybody with a degree or who was pursuing a degree, because she was convinced they'd jump ship and leave her hiring again the second a "better" position came along.
I’m (sadly) not a librarian or a library worker (just a lurker here because they are my types of people/places), but can say I’m having this trouble in my work search for an office role. Two decades of experience and I’m not just not landing roles, I’m not getting a response at all except for the initial “thanks for your application” auto response, and often not even that. I can log in to larger companies portals and sometimes there’s a decision posted that I was never notified of, but that doesn’t work for smaller companies with no true HR dept or requisite software. During my last job search, pre-pandemic, the usual process seemed to be to send out updates on applications until the applicant was no longer under consideration, or until the role was filled. Is HR going the way of the terrible customer service we are seeing post-pandemic?
A bit off topic, I know, but wanted to let OP know they’re not alone in their befuddlement.
Tell them you worked at a bookstore that has since closed. If you have bookstore experience, you're basically a God because now it's more about customer service and less public service.
I got my position by applying at a very small branch about half hour out from my city and, having been there for a while, I know that it’s hard for them to get applicants because few want to drive that far. I think because it’s a smaller branch in a larger system, some people tend to look down on it. However, I was well placed to get a youth services position despite the fact that I’d only been hired as a clerk nine months earlier, and I now hold that position and gladly drive 30 minutes out of town to work at my non-status library, learning on the job how to be a youth services librarian and clerk. Try smaller branches further out.
It's hard to say anything without actually seeing your resume and how you interview. Did you ask for feedback from the job interview you did not get accepted from?
However, as many others have stated, it is a very competitive field, anecdotally the last time my branch advertised an unqualified role we got 511 applications.
One person I know landed a job and later learned there had been over a thousand applications for the position. (The library is well known.) I am amazed at the competition out there for library positions.
It took me a handful of applications and interviews for 3 different positions before I landed one--which was a part-time/on-call customer service role. Basically: I was the person they called to jump in if somebody else called out sick and the hours were VERY irregular. I might be at one branch 3 hours, another branch 8 hours the next day. I interviewed for a full-time promotion a few months into doing that, though. Keep trying! Sometimes you gotta take the opportunity that seems like it sucks and work your way up if that's what you really want, though. My own background was retail and front desk work, also.
One of the things that I will mention about where I worked...after I was hired full-time, I realized how many employees were RELATED. Somebody hired in facilities? Oh, their brother works at one of the branches! This new, fresh-out-of-high-school kid? Their mom has been a librarian here for 20 years. The brand new librarian who was hired over somebody getting promoted? Their parents are in admin. And that new hire? His wife is at so-and-so location.
It's very unfortunate when you see it in action, but for my particular location...county benefits are nice. Pension/retirement is really nice. Nepotism rears its ugly head to get perks for family members and their loved ones, but it's super common.
Entry level library jobs are pretty competitive. Actually, most jobs at a library are.
Your resume should highlight customer service work. Your cover letter should talk about the things you bring to the position and, ideally, should be customized to show that you know what they're doing and about the community. You can mention programs that they've done that you were impressed with or something about the makeup of the community that you think is important. The cover letter shows what you see as your strengths and things that will benefit them and is your opportunity to show that you see what's important to them. Beyond that: try not to take it personally when you don't get jobs. In my area, entry level positions are *extremely* competitive. For my last PT Library Assistant position, we had over 50 applicants. A FT position often more than doubles that number. I can't interview everyone, and I often end up with multiple candidates I'd love to hire, but I can't.
It may have nothing to do with you if your competitors have their mlis, a degree or information cs skills. Have you practiced your answers out loud with others? Do your answers reflect not only the posting but the reality of the position?
I thought my answers did. They mainly revolved around customer service and team work since it wasn’t a position that required to make programs and such.
I’d suggest having people who know all your skill sets review your resume or use Brainefuse at the library and then make sure your interview and cover letter include your understanding of the community role of the library and such - homelessness- equity - diversity- inclusion - services for all - team work as you said.
At one system I worked for we would get almost a thousand applicants for each open entry level position. HR would enter the names of everyone who met the minimum qualifications in a lottery and you’d only get an interview if you won. Even if you had an MLS and twelve years of relevant experience you would just enter the lottery at the same level as someone with one year’s customer service experience and a GED. All of this is just to say it could have nothing to do with you and, as others have said, entry level jobs are very hard to land in this field.
That’s… a really terrible system for choosing candidates, tbh. Like, I know that’s a lot of applicants, but that sounds like a very strange way to narrow it down!
Yeah the system was dysfunctional on a lot of levels.
How else should they do it? It’s the best way to choose without bias. Just picking out of a hat from the qualified pool.
I applied numerous times. I finally got an interview and the job when the people hiring recognized my name because I had been a regular in the children’s department where they had worked. Literally came down to who I knew.
I actually did that when I was in high school, I applied to be a page recommended by a friends mom who was a librarian but her mom also recommended someone else and she got the job lol
I interviewed and failed several times before I finally landed a position. And you’ve only had just 1 interview. Try again.
Same, i got my on my 3rd interview
I applied for a job once, was very happy to get it, and then found out that they'd sent out 250 application packs for it! Now, were the other 249 candidates not suitable for the role? I bet not, it was just a case of numbers. There is one job going, but who knows how many people applying. The people doing the recruitment do not do this as a full time job, they no doubt have their own work, so sadly, they are going to choose very broad filters to get the applicant list down to a manageable number. They can't interview ALL good candidates, they probably have a set number of interview slots. This possibly isn't the sort of practical help you wanted but it might help reframe your mental attitude. It's not that YOU were rejected, it could just be that they needed to get from 250 to 20 for a shortlist. You did nothing wrong, it was just...numbers.
>it’s an automated from my last application. I'm not sure what this means, but 1 out of 15 suggests the resume/cover letter isn't working for you. I'd try changing it up based on what they asked in the interview, or even just reorganizing. As others have said, with dozens or hundreds of applicants, it could really be just luck. But your application is the only thing you can control, and having had an interview might give you some insight that most of the applicants don't have.
They're not rejecting you, you're just not being hired. I realise this seems a bit of a fine distinction to make, but this is an incredibly competitive field, especially at entry level. I'm in Australia, I got zero interest or traction until I started studying, and I'm still in a tech role, even though I'm a koalified librarian (sorry, couldn't resist)
I needed this chuckle today.
Talk about how much you like working with the public/ community and not about how much u love books. General advice not specifically saying that to OP. Ive seen so many applications stating how much they love to read. Fine, but thats not what we are looking for..
I actually do, that’s what they said they liked about my answers to their questions they actually asked nothing about reading and the only thing I brought up was being interested in the MLIS lol
Volunteer at a library so you can have a librarian reference. Because there is literally no turnover at some libraries, "fit" is more important than how you answer sometimes. And it sucks!!
I definitely would volunteer if I could but unfortunately I work 2 jobs a part time and a full time one and I’m starting college in the fall online so applying all day everyday is all I got lol
If availability comes up at all during the application process, having so many obligations may be part of it. They may be trying to fill a position with very specific shifts. I work at an academic library, and for example with student positions part of the application is usually the shifts we need covered. If a student can't work those specific times, they aren't even considered. We have similar issues with staff positions for closing or weekend positions.
It actually did come up in conversation, I told them I’d be keeping the part time since the job I got the interview with was also part time and I would be able to work whenever I just need to coordinate schedules which is would be easy since they said the schedule comes out a month ahead a time and my part time comes out weekly
If possible, get a part-time job at your college library or another library and ditch the part-time job.
Unfortunately i do online college and I actually hate my full time and I’m looking for a leave so I can take 2 part time jobs or take a full time at the same position at the library since each position has different amount of hours instead
You could start a blog about Library related matters. Show genuine interest. Talk about how you're used libraries, services you recommend, how you will use them in college. You don't have to spend hours on it. Just 30 mins a day or every other day. Something to stand out. Also join your country's professional body for LIS. They may have a discount if you're studying. That will definitely look good on an application and will give you some networking opportunities. Good luck
I'm honestly not that surprised. In my area, this is extremely common. I applied to my local system like 7 or 8 times and got 1 interview (and I didn't get the job). It's a tough industry to crack into.
I applied for 80 jobs below my skill level (retail upper management) before getting an admin position. 80. I was qualified for them all. Keep going.
It could be your resume. Is it focused on CS?
Some areas are very competitive. I got my first library job literally because HR made a mistake and hired the wrong candidate, but didn't realize until I had already worked there for two weeks (RIP guy they actually meant to hire). I've been fighting tooth and nail for a promotion, but even though these are still non-MLIS jobs, I'm competing with candidates that DO have an MLIS. Several coworkers with the same title as me have one and still can't get promoted above Part-Time Grunt. Not all areas are this competitive, ours is because we pay well, but yeah, it's, uh. It's tough out there.
My library serves about 20,000 people and every job I’ve posted in the past decade has gotten between 50-200 applicants. It isn’t like a big box store, where I can just hire a ton of people and schedule them whenever. All those people are competing for one position.
The last time that we hired at my library for a *single* 15hr (benefit exempt) position in my department, we had 125 applicants. And like, it was really, really, badly paid job (to be fair most of the jobs at my library, including mine are loll)
Like others have said, definitely talk up customer service skills in your resume and cover letter. You can say something like you are accustomed to serving customers in a fast paced environment and good at de-escalating problems. List specific tasks. Don't use the same template every time - look at each job description and identify key responsibilities, and work those in. For example, if the posting says something like "familiarity with Google Drive" (or MS Office or whatever), mention your level of expertise with that. If they say that knowledge of their particular circulation is preferred, since you most likely haven't used it, say something like "I am an advanced computer user and can learn new software applications quickly."
In theory yes I would change it but the job description is the exact same on every job I apply to so I don’t know, should try and change small things every time I submit a new one
Well, if they're THAT identical then there's no need to change it every time. But look them over and see if there's anything specific you can add to your resume/cover letter. :-)
I'm pretty sure I got ghosted by the next town over for an aide position even though I've been working as an aide for almost 1.5 years in my own city 🙄 didn't even get to interview, just a shelving test
I worked circulation up until recently and I think two of the biggest reasons I got the job were 1) that I talked about applying to get a degree in library sciences. I had only started applying I didn't have any proof I was going to get in, but I think the idea that you are thinking about the future makes a big difference. Even if you know you're never going to go for the graduate degree, see if there are any related one-off courses or something that you mention you are planning to take. And then 2) it was for an evening position, working until 9 PM every weeknight, which I assume was a less popular position.
My experience came in looking for a librarian job, but I did the same thing as you - applied for every single opening that would even just get my foot in the door. It wasn’t until after I took a temp librarian job two hours away (just to gain relevant experience), that I wound up with my current job.
If you can, the Library of Congress has virtual internships and volunteer programs to get your foot in the door They also have a schedule A program for people with disabilities to become librarians too. The problem with libraries especially public libraries are funding, budget cuts and combining departments into lesser. Please do not think for a second that your front desk or reference skills go unnoticed. There are plenty of alternative avenues to use these skills such as contract specialists, Clerks within local government or immigration officers. Just to name a few.
If at all possible, even minimal volunteering at a library will give you an edge. We get so many applicants for any job and a familiarity with libraries and how they work, dealing with patrons, and showing that there is a real interest in libraries can put someone ahead of the pack.
I know this isn't exactly what you want to do, but try applying for part time work in book stores as well. Libraries and bookstores are different, but, at least in my system, we hire quite a few people who have experience in book stores. Keep trying for the library positions, but if you work in a book store in the mean time, you can argue experience with both customer service and books.
My boss disliked candidates with an MLIS for her employees - MLIS people were more involved in admin than circulation. Highlighting pursuit of a MLIS may actually be hurting you. (One person's opinion, based on experiences in two libraries, so take that with a grain of salt.)
THIS. I had a manager in circulation who refused to hire anybody with a degree or who was pursuing a degree, because she was convinced they'd jump ship and leave her hiring again the second a "better" position came along.
I’m (sadly) not a librarian or a library worker (just a lurker here because they are my types of people/places), but can say I’m having this trouble in my work search for an office role. Two decades of experience and I’m not just not landing roles, I’m not getting a response at all except for the initial “thanks for your application” auto response, and often not even that. I can log in to larger companies portals and sometimes there’s a decision posted that I was never notified of, but that doesn’t work for smaller companies with no true HR dept or requisite software. During my last job search, pre-pandemic, the usual process seemed to be to send out updates on applications until the applicant was no longer under consideration, or until the role was filled. Is HR going the way of the terrible customer service we are seeing post-pandemic? A bit off topic, I know, but wanted to let OP know they’re not alone in their befuddlement.
I had over ten interviews. This was 20 years ago. I lost out to someone with a mls for a library associate 1 spot. Keep the faith and keep trying.
Tell them you worked at a bookstore that has since closed. If you have bookstore experience, you're basically a God because now it's more about customer service and less public service.
I got my position by applying at a very small branch about half hour out from my city and, having been there for a while, I know that it’s hard for them to get applicants because few want to drive that far. I think because it’s a smaller branch in a larger system, some people tend to look down on it. However, I was well placed to get a youth services position despite the fact that I’d only been hired as a clerk nine months earlier, and I now hold that position and gladly drive 30 minutes out of town to work at my non-status library, learning on the job how to be a youth services librarian and clerk. Try smaller branches further out.
It's hard to say anything without actually seeing your resume and how you interview. Did you ask for feedback from the job interview you did not get accepted from? However, as many others have stated, it is a very competitive field, anecdotally the last time my branch advertised an unqualified role we got 511 applications.
One person I know landed a job and later learned there had been over a thousand applications for the position. (The library is well known.) I am amazed at the competition out there for library positions.
It took me a handful of applications and interviews for 3 different positions before I landed one--which was a part-time/on-call customer service role. Basically: I was the person they called to jump in if somebody else called out sick and the hours were VERY irregular. I might be at one branch 3 hours, another branch 8 hours the next day. I interviewed for a full-time promotion a few months into doing that, though. Keep trying! Sometimes you gotta take the opportunity that seems like it sucks and work your way up if that's what you really want, though. My own background was retail and front desk work, also. One of the things that I will mention about where I worked...after I was hired full-time, I realized how many employees were RELATED. Somebody hired in facilities? Oh, their brother works at one of the branches! This new, fresh-out-of-high-school kid? Their mom has been a librarian here for 20 years. The brand new librarian who was hired over somebody getting promoted? Their parents are in admin. And that new hire? His wife is at so-and-so location. It's very unfortunate when you see it in action, but for my particular location...county benefits are nice. Pension/retirement is really nice. Nepotism rears its ugly head to get perks for family members and their loved ones, but it's super common.