ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Letter to the editor

I had just finished service on a search committee when I read Philip C. Howze’s excellent article “New librarians and job hunting” (June 2001). I wanted to add a few suggestions to those persons looking for a job:

1. Do not assume that someone will contact you and ask for information you have not yet supplied. … It is incumbent upon the applicant to verify that the necessary materials have arrived.

2. Failure to address each and every one of the job requirements may, in fact, remove you from consideration in some circumstances. Make sure your letter of application addresses every stated required and desired or preferred qualification . . .

3. Do not address letters of application to “Dear Sirs.” For all you know, the search committee may be made up entirely of women . . .

4. Do not foiward a résumé that lists your “career goals.” . . . We know you have career goals, and if you make it to the interview stage, someone is likely to ask you about them.

5. Spell checkers don’t check everything. Have someone—a friend, a colleague, a professor, your mentor—read everything before you send it. . .

6. Regarding references—do not list the “most important” people you know. List people who know you, know your work, and can (and will) comment positively (and enthusiastically) on your skills and attributes . . .

7. If you haven’t heard anything from the search committee and you would like more information about the status of the search, contact the institution and inquire. However, do not make a pest of yourself. Call once. Do not call before the closing date . . .

8. Be kind to the search committees, even if they aren’t always kind to you. If you accept a position with Library B before you’ve heard from Libraiy A, send Library A an e- mail or a letter withdrawing your application. It is courteous and professional . . .

And finally, if you believe that you’ve been treated shabbily by an organization during this process (e.g., you sent everything on time and no one ever got back to you, and you had to telephone to find out that they had already hired someone), don’t take it to heart. . . . This kind of behavior on the part of an organization may tell you that perhaps this isn’t the place you want to begin your career.—Sara B. Sluss, California State University, Long Beach, e-mail: sbsluss@csulb.edu ■