Library phone interview #1

No word on the Ventana/Roche integration, so nothing to report as of yet. But today I had my very first librarian job interview via phone for a business and economics librarian position at Western Washington University in Bellingham Washington, which is about 90 minutes north of Seattle, near the San Juan Islands, 13k students. I was hella nervous as I haven’t interviewed in quite awhile, and not sure how I was going to come across on the phone, and never interviewed as a librarian. Here my story on how it went. I am not attaching any meaning to any of it, all of it is great practice, and I can learn from each interview that I get the opportunity to participate in, so it’s a win win all around. My strength is working on a team, so I am looking for a dynamic library environment that is team-based and collaborative and forward thinking where I get to teach quite a bit, that would be awesome.

I had like two cups of coffee, which I don’t drink much of now, so I was bouncing off the walls a bit. When I answered hello, they all went around and introduced themselves, and then instantly started in on the questions, no chit chat, all business. This was a weed out interview for the next round and they asked a total of 6 questions only. The questions were only about my experience- no questions about strengths, weaknesses, failures, diversity or scenario questions. No diversity questions?? The first two questions they asked me related to reference, and then my cat walked across my desk and I lost my focus for a few minutes while I moved the cat out of the room and then regained composure for a question specifically about business reference, and then how would I use web 2.0, and my teaching philosophy. None of them had any follow up questions (uh-oh) so I asked them like 4 or 5 questions. I think my enthusiasm may have scared them a bit, I think I can come on pretty strong sometimes, but I wanna work with other enthused people too! I asked a collaboration question, and it sounds like they reluctantly collaborate with each other, hard to tell over the phone, but it sounds like they do their own thing. They are in a transition period, so lots of new people to come in soon – new provost, dean, new library dean, new head of reference. They are figuring out the Web 2.0 thing which could be really fun to work on, and of course publishing which I will have to figure out how to do. Their last bizlib had an MBA, and left to work in a corporate library probably for more money, so they are hoping for another MBA, they told me that!! But it sounded like the students and biz faculty would be fun to work with, so that would be good. My biggest hurdle is my lack of formalized reference, but of course I have been doing “reference” for years as an advisor.

But this first one is out of the way now, and I can relax a bit, and wait and see if I hear back from Pima, UT Austin , UC Boulder, and any future positions that sound like I would be a good fit.