On Job Interviews

After months of applying for jobs and receiving only rejection letters, I have finally reached a point where I am getting interviews. This seems to be familiar to many of my friends in the LIS world, and it is probably familiar to most people in general. Interestingly enough, I did not really have the same problem prior to grad school. In college, I usually landed the first student worker or part-time job I tried for; after my undergrad I got into retail, and then later into technical writing, with little difficulty. It sometimes feels as if more education makes me less desirable. On the one hand, this idea can be discouraging, but I also try to remind myself that I am now applying for jobs that demand a higher number of skills and tend to draw large pools of similarly matched applicants. That might not have been as true in the past. Not to take anything away from my summer job as a clerk at a video store, but that was a less challenging position.
I have had a range of interviews, some good, some pretty frustrating. And I have a few thoughts about interviews based on what I have encountered so far. Hopefully some of these ideas are helpful or encouraging, or just familiar, to you.

1. Getting a job interview is a great ego boost. I apply for so many jobs and get so many rejection letters--often after I have nearly forgotten that I even applied for the job in question--that when someone calls or writes to set up an interview, it feels like a personal win. And, when I think about it, it really is. In having follow-up appointments with my interviewers, I sometimes learn that I was competing with people who have been working in archives for much longer and have more specialized skills than I do. So making it as far as the interview is already an accomplishment. After several interviews, I have found that the worst thing I can do is start to expect that, once I have landed an interview, I am sure to get the position. When I apply for jobs, I never expect an interview; therefore, when I get an interview, I feel encouraged. If I expected every application to yield an interview, I would be disappointed often. I try to remind myself to take the same approach with interviews. Some will be successful, but many more will not. But I prefer the ego boost of a positive interview to the sense of failure from not getting what I expected.

2. An interview that does not land a job can still be a good thing, especially if you follow up on it. I had an interview that was very positive, made me feel more confident in my abilities, and still did not result in the job. However, I made a follow-up appointment to go over the interview with the interviewer, and I was able to get her insight into my strengths and weaknesses as an interviewee. This information is useful for my next interview. Not only that, following up has kept me on her radar. Future positions can always open up, the person chosen in my place might suddenly leave, and now I have the experience of the interview, useful feedback, and the networking value of staying in touch with a potential employer.

3. Asking questions as an interviewee is a good tactic. My questions at the end of the interview vary, but they often include a few handy generic queries, similar to what I get asked. What are the major long-term goals for this position? What would you say is the biggest challenge a person faces in this position? What will be most rewarding about it? Can you give me examples of institutions whose work you would like to emulate? Many interviewers have responded positively to these questions, and I find that they serve the same purpose for me that they do for the interviewer: If the interviewer responds to my questions with disinterest, has no long-term goals for the position, mentions no real challenges, or has no models for future development, this is probably not a job I would like. At that point, I feel less concerned about whether I get the job.

4. In contract jobs, asking questions is essential. I am finding that contracts with individuals or small groups are a growing work area for archivists, and they are a type of interview where I think I really shine. I can show off my expertise best by asking the interviewer about her specific goals, what she wants the final project to look like, and then tying her responses into my knowledge. Yes, I can see where you want this collection of papers to be easier to search through; here is what I find works best in an archive for that purpose...

The best advice I have in interviewing for positions is not to give up hope. I have had good and bad interviews, landed jobs--especially contract jobs--and not. Every time I have an interview I remind myself that I might not get the job, but I also might. The probability of getting a job might be low for any given interview, but it is already much higher than had I not applied in the first place.