It's official - I didn't get the Director's job. Which is really no surprise, but I was a bit surprised that I didn't even make the cut for a second interview. Now that all is (pretty much) said and done, I am glad that I interviewed, and I'm proud of the interview that I gave. And while I am sure that my lack of "library" administrative experience (but certainly not administrative experience in general) was a legitimate factor, there's probably more going on than that.
In the meantime, I have also interviewed for another position at a local library; I have no idea what to expect there. I am quickly learning that I cannot trust my instincts on how well I thought I did in an interview - to date, I have not gotten jobs when I thought I had done well in the interview, and I got my current job when I don't think I have ever had such a lackluster (not to mention SHORT) interview performance. So, your guess is as good as mine.
To be honest, I am still bumming over the fact that I didn't get the university job I interviewed for back in February. That job was the job of my dreams. While I have enjoyed my public library job, being in an academic setting, and getting the opportunity to do instruction as well as reference, is what I really would like to be doing. This university offered the best combination for me - a university in a small-ish seaside community (as I have little interest in city-living) that is still large enough to have been able to offer me a challenging position (as well as the opportunity to get my PhD in my "spare time").
In the past three years, there have been only a handful of full-time reference positions advertised in my state - and breaking into the academic world is nearly impossible. Most of those positions are filled from within - I have heard of several jobs that have been available after the fact, when someone else has been moved into the position from another department. And in the public library realm, reference positions are also few and far between.
I'm starting to freak out; if I don't get this other job, I will join Walt Crawford in the ranks of the unemployed come September, as it is time for me to move on from my current position (and that may mean moving on to a job at Target, where I could at least get full-time hours).
Um, who was it that told me I'd have "no problem" getting a job after library school?
4 comments:
Well...that sucks. I'm sorry you didn't haven't gotten the job you want.
Are you still pretty set on not moving from your area?
That really sucks. You may want to consider moving, at least somewhere down the coast. I know in my general area, as a librarian, I had not equivalent jobs, at least not ones that came up regularly. Bigger urban areas may have better chances. Can you write a grant for your organization so that you can stay on in a different capacity?
At the risk of sounding like the star of a teen movie, I have to say that I know exactly how you feel!
I'm taking a job as a summer camp director until Sept because I can't get fulltime lib work, and everyone keeps telling me to a) move away from RI or b) take a teaching or research job (instead of holding out for a library).
But for now, I'm all about choice c ... you've heard of starving artists? I'm going to be a starving librarian.
P.S. Thanks for the hip-hop comment from a while back...RI unity, right?
I'm sorry you didn't get the director job (or the academic job, for that matter)!
I always knew I wanted to be an academic librarian, for the reason you mentioned. Instruction is the best part of my job, though I really like just about all of it. Even though there were lots of colleges and universities nearby, it was NOT easy to get a job in an academic library where I lived in the Pacific Northwest, partly because there's a library school and partly because it's a "desirable" place to live. As soon as I started applying for jobs in nearby states, I got lots of interviews and ended up with a job I love, if not in the location I'd prefer.
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