Julie Edwards: And we'll get started.
Julie Edwards: Hello, and welcome everyone.
Julie Edwards: We're going to get started here in a few minutes. But, I wanted to let everybody in the room give everybody a chance to get settled. Please feel free to hop over to the chat and let us know where you're from. We do publish the Chat Transcript, because with so many librarians in the room, so much great information goes back and forth. If you don't want to say anything in the chat. You don't have to. But if you would like to say, Hi! We're happy to hear from you.
Julie Edwards: North Carolina, coming in first today. Good morning. Hey? Boulder, Montana, wow! Georgia, Ohio, wow! Ohio is represented so far. Hi, Nova Scotia.
Melissa Lockaby: more North Carolinians.
Julie Edwards: hey? Louisiana, Maryland, hey! Connecticut
Julie Edwards: in Michigan, Indiana, Kansas.
Julie Edwards: South Florida. That sounds nice. hey? Washington. Illinois.
Julie Edwards: hey? Kentucky. So nice to see so many of you joining us today. We will get started here in just a bit, but
Julie Edwards: we do want to give everybody a chance to to come into the room. As I was saying, we do publish the Chat transcript so much good information comes in there. So you don't have to join us in the chat. But if you would like to say Hi, we'd love to hear from you. So nice to see everyone coming in Illinois, Virginia. Hello!
Julie Edwards: So so great to see
Julie Edwards: everybody from around more North Carolinians. Hello and South Carolina. Welcome, hey! Virginia lot of East coasters today. This is great. Hey? Arizona? More Arizona
Julie Edwards: pay New Hampshire.
Julie Edwards: Florida. I love seeing where everyone is from it. Just it makes me so thrilled to gather. Live with all of you. Just spread out across the country, sometimes across the world, certainly across the continent today.
Julie Edwards: So nice to see you all. Good morning. Good morning. Good afternoon for some of you.
Julie Edwards: Hello, Texas! Georgia, Florida!
So nice to see everyone
Julie Edwards: more from Maryland and Michigan. This is great. We have
Julie Edwards: let's see a hundred 30 people in the room and climbing welcome, everybody. We're right at the top of the hour, so we will go ahead and get started. I'm Julie Edwards. I am joining you from beautiful Missoula, Montana, and I am a librarian and instructional designer with niche Academy. Welcome to this webinar. QA. 101 interview questions and answers.
Julie Edwards: So we'll go ahead and start the webinar in just a bit. But I wanna do a little bit of our standard housekeeping first. I'd like to start by introducing Niche Academy. We are an easy to use all in one learning platform to help librarians create and deliver effective training and measure success. So our platform is the perfect tool for libraries looking to increase your E resource usage.
Julie Edwards: Move your programming, including story times online, without the pressures of copyright violations and track and deliver training for staff development. So if you're interested in learning more about our e-learning solution, chatting with a member of our team healing, hearing what your colleagues at other libraries have to say, I will drop a link in the chat so that you can check us out online.
Julie Edwards: We are recording this webinar, and I will make the recording, the slides, the Chat Transcript and the audio transcript available to everyone after the presentation. You'll get an email directly from me with that information, and it will also be posted on our blog, which I will drop a link to in the chat as well. If you would like, you can turn on closed captioning at the bottom of your screen.
Julie Edwards: The chat is active. It's so nice to see so many of you in there. Please feel free to keep chatting with each other. But if you have a question for Melissa, please use the question and answer box in zoom. We are having we've got a large audience and growing, and so things do get lost in the chat. So if you put things in the QA. Box, I will be able to moderate those questions at the end of the Webinar.
This Webinar series is part of our commitment at Niche Academy to solving bigger problems together and providing continuing education in the library space. I'm so happy that you've joined us all today, and I will link to our upcoming webinars in the chat.
Julie Edwards: So without further ado. I am so happy to welcome back Melissa Lockerbie she has presented for us before, and I'm thrilled to have her back with us today, after spending more than 10 years in human resources and human resource information systems. Melissa got tired of providing employment statistics and reports, and went back to school for her Ms. In library and Information science. When a friend mentioned that a career in libraries would be a natural fit, given her love of books and learning.
Julie Edwards: working as a reference librarian in a public library, and currently as the collection management librarian at the University of North Georgia, Melissa feels she has finally found her niche, working with students and supporting colleagues. She's been able to combine what she learned in Hr. With librarianship, to support new graduates or librarians looking for new positions or growing in their current. What roles which you will have an opportunity to do today? With that I am so happy to welcome Melissa.
Melissa Lockaby: Julie. Can you hear me?
Melissa Lockaby: Yes, I can hear you. Okay, perfect. So thank you for the introduction, and if you have had a chance I presented with Nisha Academy last year, and I got to talk a little bit about resumes applications and Cvs cover lever cover letters and references. So this kind of bounces off of that. And today I actually am going to talk to you about questions and answers.
Melissa Lockaby: That you will get during the during an interview.
so again, this is who I am and feel free to reach out to me. Even after the after this presentation, I will have my email. I'll drop my email in. So you can have that. And I always welcome emails. Following presentations. I've got a lot to talk about today. And I have a tendency to talk really, really fast.
too? So there's a lot to cover
Melissa Lockaby: but I just want to start out and talk about
what we're gonna cover today. So I'm gonna talk a little bit. Just an introduction in the spotlight.
Melissa Lockaby: how you feel about interviewing. And then we're gonna get to the meat of the presentation. And we're gonna talk. I'm gonna share specific questions. I'm gonna give you some of the sample answers. I'm gonna give you even some of the bad answers, and hopefully, you'll share some of the questions that you've gotten and some of the answers that you've given as well. And then I'm gonna just wrap it up with some general
tips for interviewing success as well. So please feel free to drop questions into the question and answers. Julie will be monitoring that, and I am crossing my fingers, that I leave plenty of time at the end, so we can address some of the questions that you might have. So
Melissa Lockaby: so I found this quote online, let me snick it. Besides kidding several paper cuts in the same day. One of the most unpleasant experiences in life is a job interview. You know what I have interviewed people. I've been on several hiring committees. I've been, you know. I've I've I've been the interviewee as well. I'm sitting here in front of you talking about interviewing questions today. But guess what?
Melissa Lockaby: Still hate it as well, I'm never really really comfortable going into an interview.
Melissa Lockaby: So, Julie, if you will kick off the first poll, I do have a poll question for people. The question is, how do you feel about interviewing for a new job?
Melissa Lockaby: Is it like wearing your favorite bunny slippers that you are so comfortable with interviewing that you have no problem with it, and it's nice and cozy. or do you? Is it more of a
Melissa Lockaby: it's a necessary evil. can take it or leave it. I'm not comfortable, but I'm not uncomfortable either. Or would you rather suffer the 100 paper cuts versus going through an interview? So I'm going to give you just a couple of seconds to answer that, Poll.
Melissa Lockaby: See how everybody feels, and we'll show the results as well, because I'm always curious help. How comfortable people are with interviewing.
Julie Edwards: Are you able to see those results? I am so about.
Melissa Lockaby: I'm I'm I'm kind of surprised that about 45% of you are, actually, about 50% of you say
Melissa Lockaby: can take it or leave it. Most of the time I get the answer of, I'd rather suffer a hundred paper cuts. That's that's completely how I feel. Again, even though I'm sitting here in front of you talking about
Melissa Lockaby: interview questions and how to answer them, I still completely get butterflies over interviewing. So the next thing I would like to show is that
Melissa Lockaby: I think you might be surprised as well. I have been. I have been on several search committees, and I feel like that. I'm putting the people that I interview in the spotlight. So I'm going to ask a question
Melissa Lockaby: on my second poll. For those of you who have participated in on hiring or search committees, or who have conducted interviews yourselves.
Melissa Lockaby: How many of you? How do you feel about conducting? Enter an interview? Is it like that first cup of coffee in the morning that you feel energized and you're excited about conducting interviews, or is it kind of like the last poll? 50 of you? Is it
Melissa Lockaby: necessary? Part of the job.
or do you feel like that? You are a police interrogator, putting somebody in the spotlight, and that you are intruding on their lives? So I'm curious. This one. I'm not sure how people are going to answer. And I'm curious what the response will be here.
So 18% of you
Melissa Lockaby: really do like interviewing good for you. I'm going to call you and get some tips and tricks from you.
Again, May. It's a necessary part of the job. And then there are quite a there about what 25% of you who feel like that. You're a police interrogator. And that's kind of how I feel that I feel like that. I'm intruding on somebody's life. I still feel that it's a necessary part of the job, especially when there's an open position. I don't have a choice that I do have to conduct those interviews, but I still feel like that.
I'm intruding on somebody's life. So let's actually get to some of the questions and the answers.
Melissa Lockaby: I've divided these up into about, I think, 5 categories I've given. I'm going to give you example questions. I'm not going to go through every single question. I'm going to pick out one or have you pick out one that you particularly are interested in hearing about, but the first one I want to go through just the general questions. These are usually your ice breaker questions that kick off the interview for me. I love to
Melissa Lockaby: start out with a very easy question, and for libraries it just makes sense to me that the ice breaker question is, what are you reading now? What's your favorite book, or what's the last book you read for me? There's really no purpose to this question other to other than to hopefully. Make the person who is to whom I'm talking to as comfortable as I can, because I think most of us
Melissa Lockaby: love books. I know I do. I have 3 or 4 sitting on my nightstand that I'm working on at any given time. But let's talk about some of the other general one.
Melissa Lockaby: There is. But tell me about yourself. That's a very general question to start out with, or what interests you about this library, or why are you applying here?
Melissa Lockaby: How are you qualified for this position? What's your philosophy of librarianship?
Melissa Lockaby: What made you decide to become a librarian? Or why are you applying for this position? I've asked this. I've been asked a variety of these questions or something similar, and I'm gonna just address the one. Tell me about yourself. It's a really broad question, and it seems like it should be fairly
Melissa Lockaby: easy. But it's not I would tell you that
Melissa Lockaby: to show your personality, it's okay to be a little bit casual with this question. But what you need to remember is that while the library is asking about you.
Melissa Lockaby: It's also they're also gauging on how you are going to fit in the library. So you need to be able to answer these questions and actually answer, you know this is me.
Melissa Lockaby: But this is how it applies to the position that that you're applying for what the library is looking for. So one of the things that I'm looking for
Melissa Lockaby: and here is, you know.
little bit about yourself. And one of the answers that I've given, and I'm gonna read to you. Just an example is that you know my answer to this might be is, I came to a librarianship after spending my first 10 years in human resources.
Melissa Lockaby: I had moved away from working with people to just providing database administration, statistics, reports, making sure that the systems were up and running, and I got tired of it. And so a friend recommended that I you know what
Melissa Lockaby: you love books. You love learning. Maybe the libraries is is the place where you should be.
and my friends were right.
Melissa Lockaby: I found my Shangri-la in libraries. I get to buy lots of books. Since I'm the collection management librarian. I get to work with faculty and students learning new things. Even as I teach research. One shot instructions and then I get to incorporate my Hr. Background in my service and scholarship activities.
Melissa Lockaby: So you can see from my answer that I've actually, I've told them a little bit about myself. I've told them a little bit about my background, but I'm also telling you
Melissa Lockaby: what I've done, and I've tailored this answer to ideally to my current position as collection management librarian. So I can tell them. Here's my experience. And here's how it applies to the position that I'm interested in. So it's not just a generic. Tell me about yourself.
Melissa Lockaby: You know I love cats, or I exercise a lot. It's actually making it relevant to that particular position. Okay?
Melissa Lockaby: So any questions or comments about that particular questions. I'm not monitoring chat, Julie is so, Julie. Is there anything that you're noticing in some of the questions, or the or the comments.
Julie Edwards: An interesting question just came up saying, we don't ask the what book are you reading question anymore? Because it could reveal sensitive information about protected classes or other status, any problem
Melissa Lockaby: which is, which is very true. And that's you know. II still ask that
Melissa Lockaby: because it gives them. The it doesn't have to be something that they're reading right now. A lot of it is just, are you reading? Are you staying? Are are you staying in touch, especially in a public library. For me. This is a really important question in a public library, where, if you're going to be on the reference desk desk, and you're doing readers advisory. It. It kinda keeps you. It gives me an idea that you're kind of keeping up with with reading.
Melissa Lockaby: but that's a good question. If you are worried about perhaps disclosing things that are sensitive information, you can find other kind of icebreaker questions out there that are just much more generic. And you are right. You do have to be careful, and you do have to.
Melissa Lockaby: perhaps be sensitive to what people might not want to share as well.
Melissa Lockaby: So
Melissa Lockaby: any other questions about general questions or icebreaker questions. Philosophy of librarianship. What made you decide to become a librarian, and sometimes maybe even just. The what made you decide to become a librarian is is the icebreaker question for me. That's it. Kind of ties in to tell me about yourself, but you know for me I became a librarian. I wrapped it up in that. Tell me about yourself. Answer that. I got tired of being in Hr, essentially so.
Melissa Lockaby: and I agree. I just glanced over. I hate the question. Tell me about yourself. So so do I. The worst question I had on the Riff on the tell me about yourself is that I interviewed for an Hr. Position, and they said, You know, tell me about yourself starting with grade school. It's like.
Melissa Lockaby: really. What do you want to know about my grade school years? That was, that was probably the worst. Tell me about yourself. Question III hated that one. Ultimately I did not get that job, probably not just because of that question. But that was, that was an awful question.
Melissa Lockaby: So
Melissa Lockaby: then, once you get away, once you kind of get away from those general questions, and there may be one or 2 of them, then you will likely get those job specific questions. And I'm
Melissa Lockaby: cater. I'm putting these questions in categories. But please note that, or be aware that you know most of the time interviewers are not going to just
Melissa Lockaby: say, Okay, here are the job specific questions, or here are questions about. Here are your behavioral questions. They're gonna throw. They're gonna keep you on your toes. So they're gonna mix in these questions. So you may get a job specific question upfront. You might even get a general question stuck in the middle. So they're not. They're gonna shuffle these questions around. So even though that I may, I may be organizing these into specific categories.
You may not get these in specific categories as well. So some of the job specific questions I do like to ask, depending on the position. And again, this is also depending on the position. Tell me about your teaching this experience. You know my current position. I do teach classes. I do one shot instructions. So for those of you working in a public library, you may not be doing specific
teach or teaching specific classes. But you may be doing programming. You may be introducing speakers. You may be doing training sessions. That's one thing I did in the public library as well. I did.
Melissa Lockaby: Let's see e reader, training so you will, tailor. You will hear different iterations on of these questions, depending on the position that you're applying for. You know, if you're a cataloger, you're gonna say, summarize your work with creating unique records. Tell me about your experience in managing managing budgets and overseeing library materials.
These are more of the types of questions that are going to be more of your hard skill questions if you will. These are going to be addressing things specific to the position things that maybe you have learned on the job, or that they are specific skills, excel skills, word skills.
maybe a specific Ils system that that's being that's required by the particular library. These are going to be things that are more tangible
type skills. Have you negotiated contracts and renewals? This is particular to people working in collections and acquisitions. Tell me about your experience managing the department or staff. Especially if you are applying for a managerial position.
So one of the things on the job specific question is just.
Melissa Lockaby: I shouldn't have to say this, but sometimes just tell the truth. You know, when I applied to the University of North Georgia, the question I did get was, tell. Tell me about your teaching experience, and I didn't have classroom experience whatsoever. But I kind of anticipated the question, because that was part of the job, the job posting, and I was honest. I just said, Hey, you know what
Melissa Lockaby: II don't have experience teaching, but as a public librarian I did develop the E-reader classes from developing, from actually developing the actual syllabus
to the presentation, to the to the handouts. And then I stood in front of the in front of the group, and actually did the presentation, and showed them hands on how to use the kindle, or at
Melissa Lockaby: or at the time ipad, and even for some of you who may be familiar with the nook. Ii did those sets of of classes so kind of anticipate those questions, too, by reading through that job to school.
Melissa Lockaby: But but by reading through that job description, because you can probably guess at some of those questions that you are going to get, and don't be afraid to apply for those positions. So maybe you don't have the teaching experience or you don't have a lot of budgeting experience. But if you've done collections.
you've probably purchased materials for a specific department or for a specific Dewey area. You can kind of address your budgeting experience around around what you what you did in that position as as well.
Okay. so and employers are asking about these specific technical skills because these are the things that they usually are absolutely looking for. You have to have these in order to be successful in the position, and if you don't have them. You may not be hired. You may not be S considered the hard core.
Melissa Lockaby: the hardcore technical skills. You're cataloging your budgeting, your management and and your programming. So these are your your job specific skills.
Julie, are there any questions regarding job-specific skills or the hardcore
Melissa Lockaby: skills? Or the questions? You know there's there are a lot of questions coming in. That people are sort of answering with each other. So I'm just gonna encourage people to put them in the QA. If you have anything specific for Melissa, just so that I know what's for her, what's for everyone else? We do have questions coming in. But let's carry on, and we'll connect.
And Karen. You actually, there's I'm looking at a chat. What you don't like is when you know you did really well. In an interview, and they hire someone else who isn't as competent in that particular position. And what's funny, I was talking to Julie as we were preparing for this and some of the interviews, and I'm not saying this is your case. But some of the interviews that I felt I did the best in.
Melissa Lockaby: I didn't get the job. They didn't make an offer, and then the ones that I the interviews that I thought I completely bombed. Ii got a job offer. So sometimes there's no rhyme or reason, and it is. It's so frustrating. When you don't get that that position, especially when you feel like that. You did that you nailed the interview. You answered the questions you meet all of the requirements, and sometimes, even if you have all of that.
for whatever reason they somebody, the the hiring committee, the manager, decides to go with somebody else.
Melissa Lockaby: So you know what I will always tell you. It's disappointing, but don't give up on on applying for for those positions for for those positions. It's disappointing, but you know what. I've gotten a lot. I've gotten a lot of no's in the past as well. But I just keep on going. So
okay.
Melissa Lockaby: the next one is the knowledge, skills and abilities? Questions. Again, this is kind of like your job specific questions as well. But these I kind of think of more of the there's still knowledge and skills. But they're more than intangibles to prefer to work on a team? Or do you prefer
Melissa Lockaby: prefer to work individually? Or how do you prepare for class instruction? How do you handle an unhappy student?
Melissa Lockaby: How do you keep your manager updated? How do you prioritize your work? These are kind of the soft skills of of a position. So it's not anything like, do you know, Mark, record cataloging? Are you? Do you know how to budget. Do you have those management skills? These are more of your soft, your soft skills questions. It's kind of how
Melissa Lockaby: to see how you move through the day. How well you work with your colleagues, how well you work on a team, and sometimes even how well you organise, or how how you handle stress?
I'm gonna answer, you know. Do you prefer to work on a team, or individually, a lot of times? For managers for me, I'm looking to see
Melissa Lockaby: Do you work? Do you like working on your own, or can you work by yourself? And a a good answer is that I've that I've heard is that I like both.
When I was in the public library I did programming a a huge program for Lavar Burton visit. If you're familiar with him, he's the reading rainbow. He also starred in roots. And then, if you are a Star Trek next generation Fan, he played data on that TV show. It was a huge program, probably the largest program that that public library had
ahead up to that point. And I said, you know.
Melissa Lockaby: It was a team effort. I had to work with facilities to get the staged
Melissa Lockaby: cleared or the floor cleared for the actual chair setup. I had to work with access services to make sure that the library closed down early. I had to work with it, and AV. To make sure that all of the audio visual equipment.
But then and then I had to work with volunteers to coordinate to make sure that the flow went okay. But then there was a lot that I had to do as well on my own. I had to make sure that the books were purchased. That we
that we had his books there. So so I said that there were
Melissa Lockaby: I could do both. I could do team or individual. And if you notice, too. A really good answer is also going to give the the interviewer concrete examples of a time when you did work on a team or a time when you did work individually
again, you know, for how do you play? Prepare for a class that you're not familiar with the subject area?
Melissa Lockaby: You can tell them and give them a specific example, because that tells me, as a manager, that you've done something like that, or that you have done that. And this is how you do it. So I can see, maybe, how you're going to handle that when you come work for me.
Melissa Lockaby: Okay.
Melissa Lockaby: is there. And again. I'm kind of trying to keep an eye on chat. Is there a question about dealing with a difficult staff member? Sometimes there are. You know what I've had that, too. And actually that I think that may be in another list of questions that I have.
but that is a that is a hard one to answer. And I think I do have an iteration of that particular question on an upcoming category, too. So
Melissa Lockaby: anything about knowledge, skills and abilities. In the comments.
Melissa Lockaby: There was one that excuse me, one that I the fairly good fit someone was asking about, and maybe you have this later on. But how do you handle the strengths and weaknesses? Question. I hate that question as well. You know. And when I was preparing these questions, that is one of them. The strengths and weaknesses question. That is a lot of times the standard, because, of course, great!
Melissa Lockaby: Let's talk about your strengths. But the weaknesses. You don't want to sound like that. You have any weaknesses, but you know what you don't want to be. You don't want to sound like you're conceited and say I can do everything. So what I try to do on a weakness is that I try to spin it into a positive, and I know one of my weaknesses is that I can't say no, and I tend to take on more than I can handle. That that's that's an absolute weakness. And my my current manager actually knows that, and she helps me manage that. And she says, Are you really sure you can do that.
Melissa Lockaby: But the way I handle it is that I say, you know what
Melissa Lockaby: I can't say, and I can't say no, but when I
Melissa Lockaby: but I've had to, and I've learned how to say No.
sometimes I still don't.
Melissa Lockaby: but I usually compromise, and I work with a person asking me for help that maybe I can say that I can. You know
Melissa Lockaby: that I
Melissa Lockaby: compromise and say I can do this. but it'll take me a couple of days before I can do this.
So I may. I turn? I turn my weaknesses into a positive.
Melissa Lockaby: So
Melissa Lockaby: somebody else says, for weakness. I always use that. I don't speak another language, but I'm learning another language. That's actually a really good answer, too, as well. So maybe that because a lot of positions do require now that people are bilingual or ha, or at least can speak a second language somewhat. So that is, that is a very good answer as well.
So try to spin those weaknesses into a positive as well.
So in your in the chat, if you will. The next category I have is
Melissa Lockaby: what I call opinions or reflections. These are kinds of questions that require the candidate or you the interviewee, to kind of reflect on on how you feel about a given situation or a given situation, or offer your opinion. So in there?
Melissa Lockaby: What makes a good manager? I'm just gonna throw that out to the group, and if you wanna throw in to chat what? What makes a good manager?
Melissa Lockaby: I'm curious to see what what you say.
Melissa Lockaby: You know the other thing. That is another way of phrasing. This question that I've also had is.
Melissa Lockaby: what do you not like in a in a manager? Okay. So maybe you can come at the question from that point of view, because you may get that question. So instead of what makes a good manager, what is a poor. What is a poor manager? Okay?
And I'm just going to let
Melissa Lockaby: people fill that in. I like A manager that has that can flex that has that they acknowledge that their employees have different works. Work, styles one who I'm looking at a lot of
Melissa Lockaby: listeners. A poor one is a micro manager. I agree with you. A good managers are fair, their mentors. They have clear communication. So here are some of your opinion or reflection type questions that you may get in an interview. You know.
Melissa Lockaby: What are the characteristics of a good manager or a poor manager? How do you like being managed? And you're gonna get these questions because the person interviewing wants to know, you know, are you a good fit?
Is my management style? Are you gonna fit with my management style. Of course, you know, if you say that I don't like a man micro manager, I'm not sure that there are many managers out there who will confess to being a micromanager?
Melissa Lockaby: but it still gives the person a good idea about how you liked to be managed, you know. Do you prefer a position with clearly defined tasks, or one that's more self directed. That may tell me that you know what, if you're bored, do you go looking for for work to do. Are you gonna just sit at the desk? One of the question, one of my colleagues?
Melissa Lockaby: Her favorite question is, what accomplishments. Are you the most proud of? Okay? The reason she loves that question is that she wants to know
Melissa Lockaby: you know one. What have you done in your job. What other things have you done in your job? You know, if you're in academics, you have teaching scholarship and service requirements that you have. But what she's also looking at is.
Melissa Lockaby: are you doing more than just showing up to work?
Are you doing more than just? I'm coming into work? I'm doing what I'm told, and then I'm going home in the evening. She wants to know how motivated you are at work. So a lot of times on the surface. It looks like oh, you know what?
Melissa Lockaby: Well, let me tell you.
Melissa Lockaby: Here's what I need to be successful. I need. Ii need a manager that supports me. I you know II need good open communications, but I'm so.
but the manager is also gauging on how well you fit into their management style
Melissa Lockaby: their department well as the organization, because organizations, libraries, or universities, or if you're part of a large branch library system, you
Melissa Lockaby: you. They need to know how well you're going to fit with the group that's there. Okay?
And again.
Melissa Lockaby: give examples as well
Melissa Lockaby: be specific.
Melissa Lockaby: Julie, are there any questions there.
Julie Edwards: We let's see. We have a lot of general questions, so let's go on, and we can get to them.
Melissa Lockaby: as many as we can at the end. Okay?
Then you're gonna go into again
Melissa Lockaby: the behavioral questions and just throw as a reminder
Melissa Lockaby: that interviewers are probably going to keep you on your toes. And they're not just going to categorize. stick to specific categories. They're gonna mix these questions throughout. So you may get a behavioral question. You may get a general question in the middle of the interview. You may get Job specific questions in the middle of the interview. There is no rhyme or reason on the order of particular questions. Necessarily so behaviorals, questions are those inquiries that
Melissa Lockaby: apply to specific situations. Can you give me an example, or can you tell me about about a time?
Melissa Lockaby: When? How about you know you disagreed with a specific decision, that. And and what did you do? Or when you had tell me about a time you had a difficult customer service experience. And and what was the final outcome?
One of the earlier questions, I think was, how do you deal with somebody? Who's difficult to work with, or tell me about an instance where you had to, and to alter your leadership style. I'm absolutely looking for specific
Melissa Lockaby: I guess. job specific situations that you've encountered cause I wanna know how you've reacted to some of these to a specific situation, or maybe just how you how you react. And a lot of these behavioral questions are going to be things that are difficult situations.
Okay? So you know, one of them tell me about a time when you had to adjust your leadership style. My answer or a good answer I've heard is that I always have to adjust my leadership style, because it depends on the day, and it depends on the people that I work with the people that I manage.
Melissa Lockaby: everybody has a specific work style, and I have to adjust to that what motivates, what motivates one person doesn't necessarily motivate another person and some people, for example, when I've hired new librarians or librarians who are new to collection development.
they have. I've I've worked with those librarians that need a little bit more guidance, and how to purchase things. You know how to how to evaluate, whether a book should be purchased for the library. Given the specific collection, or how to weed versus the person who has more experience, who has maybe 10 years of collection, development,
Melissa Lockaby: abilities or background that I don't have to guide them. So I always am having to adjust my leadership style based on the situation or the person that I'm working with. So again, I'm kind. I'm saying that I'm flexible.
Melissa Lockaby: and that it depends on who I'm working with, and I'm giving the interviewee a specific a specific instance of when I had
to adjust my my leadership style.
Melissa Lockaby: as well. Okay.
Melissa Lockaby: And I'm I'm as again, I I'm I'm I'm kind of flying through these, because I wanna leave plenty of time for the questions at the end. One of the things. One of my weaknesses in presentation is that I don't give a lot of time at the end of a presentation for questions. So I wanna make sure that I do that.
Julie Edwards: And, Melissa, you had asked me to give you sort of the 20 min heads up, and
Melissa Lockaby: we are there. Okay.
in
Melissa Lockaby: the final category that II do want to address is the closing or the wrap up questions. If these are the end. These are the final questions that you'll get in the interview. And one of my favorite questions. Tell me something about yourself that isn't on your resume, or is there a question I didn't ask?
Melissa Lockaby: You were hoping I would? Or is there something that we didn't ask that we need to know. I like these questions. It's again very, very open, ended. Ii think this is one of the hardest questions that we do ask.
Melissa Lockaby: because it is so open ended, and a lot of times I have candidates who ask for clarification on the question you know they'll ask me is this, is this job related? Is this personal? And what am I looking for? And I will tell you I'm always looking for the job related? Answer.
Melissa Lockaby: It doesn't mean that you can't show your personal side, your personality. But in answering all of these questions, even if it sounds like it's personal. I'm really looking. The interviewer is really, honestly looking at how you can wrap it back into to making it. Job related to making institutional related.
Melissa Lockaby: So the one that some of the answers that I've gotten one of the ones was, you know. Tell me something about yourself that isn't on your resume.
the person answered.
Melissa Lockaby: I like to work out. I like to stay healthy, so I exercise a lot.
Melissa Lockaby: and that was it. While I appreciate that the person liked to stay healthy. My advice to that. Not that I gave the that advice to the person, but what I would tell you on. That is that if you do want to answer that, the better answer would be something along the lines of you know what
Melissa Lockaby: I love to. I love to exercise. Ii work out at the end of the day I go home. I go to the gym after work, but it also gives me time to work out my frustrations from the day, and it gives me time to reflect on what went right
during the day, or or sometimes on. You know what I could have done better during the day, so so I can improve the next time around. And then by the time I go home, I can completely relax and enjoy the rest of the evening.
Melissa Lockaby: That is a that's a better answer than just saying just leaving it as I like to work out. Okay, it is the be active at work. It, you know. If you exercise in the morning, maybe that's your answer. Then you can say so I can be energized. So by the time I'm I'm I make it through the doors. I've had my first cup of coffee. I've I'm I've I've run 10 miles, which good for you if you've run 10 miles, and that I am ready to, I'm ready for the day. So
Melissa Lockaby: what seems like those personal questions. They're really not.
Melissa Lockaby: Wrap it back up into the position. Make make it make sure that it applies to that position or to or to the institution. Okay.
Melissa Lockaby: so a couple of other just tips for interviewing a success is. please be sure, before the interview research, the institution, the library that has the open position. Okay?
Because one of the thing one of the questions that they do always ask is, Do you have a do you have questions for us. and the worst answer that you can give to that is.
Melissa Lockaby: I don't have anything because it shows a lack of interest in the position and in the organization. And if you've done research on the library and on the position.
Melissa Lockaby: then you can say, you know, maybe one of the questions you might ask is, you know, I've noticed that you that the that the university, or that the library has this particular II get a program that's coming up. You know, how do you see the library fitting into into this overall program? Okay, so
so do you research because you can actually develop some of your questions. From your research. So prepare for the interview. That's gonna make you much more successful.
Melissa Lockaby: Think of the questions that you might be asked.
and have an idea of how you would answer, Okay, you don't want to sound really well rehearsed because a lot of interviewers are gonna say, oh, yeah, that was just the canned answer. But you do.
Melissa Lockaby: But you do want to be somewhat prepared for your interview. Okay? And you know what. Remember, you're interviewing the library, too. Okay, you wanna know, if you wanna work for that particular library or institution, you wanna know that you know. What are they? Gonna be a good fit for me as well.
BU.
Melissa Lockaby: In your interview, because again you're interviewing the library, they're interviewing you. If it's not going to be of good fit. You're not going to be happy there either, so be you. Don't be afraid to show some of your personality as well.
and have a list of about 3 to 5 questions for your interview, so you can ask them at the end. Okay, you may not ask all of them. and that's okay, but at least you have an idea, and you may develop your own questions throughout the interview as well. So you may even be able to bounce off some of the questions that you were asked.
Also, there's nothing wrong with pausing and taking a breath.
Melissa Lockaby: Take time to think before you answer.
One of the questions I had at a particular interview. They asked me if you know how I felt about a particular initiative with that specific library, and I didn't even bother thinking or taking time. Answering the question. I just answered it, and you know, quite honestly it wasn't what they were looking for, because I really had no idea what that particular initiative was.
I just answered because I was nervous answering. I didn't take the time to really think it through, and I should have asked specifically.
Melissa Lockaby: you know what? I'm not sure. What? What do you mean? What are you?
Melissa Lockaby: What are you looking for, or you know, I'm not sure what that initiative is. There's nothing wrong with not knowing that particular detail. So you can. You can follow up with your own question during the interview as well.
And sometimes it is okay to say
Melissa Lockaby: I don't know. But if you say I don't know.
Melissa Lockaby: please be sure that you have maybe a follow up and say, but I can say, you know, I can apply this to this situation, so don't just leave it as I don't know.
Melissa Lockaby: and also keep your answers on point and succinct.
Melissa Lockaby: One of the worst things is, you know, most of the time interviewers have an are they allot an hour for an at least, the the initial interview or interview don't keep them on the phone.
Melissa Lockaby: They they have probably either other interviews, other appointments. So keep your answers on point and succinct as well. Okay.
Melissa Lockaby: So I have about 10 min or so for question from you. So, Julie, if you would like to share some of those or any comments.
Julie Edwards: Thank you, Melissa. We have had so many questions. Come in. We'll get to as many as we can, and I would just like to remind everyone that the recording slides and the Chat Transcript will be on the blog in a few days, so you'll have all of this great information.
Melissa Lockaby: Melissa? Several people have asked, is it okay to ask for the interview questions beforehand? You know what is interesting. II just interviewed for a volunteer position, and they gave me the questions upfront, but and I had about 5 days to prepare for those questions that I felt extremely lucky, because there was one I had not a clue on how to answer and it gave me time to prepare in general, I have never asked that question. I've never asked for those interview questions first, and by and large. I
Melissa Lockaby: probably wouldn't. I don't know that there's quite honestly, I don't know that there's anything wrong with asking for them.
Melissa Lockaby: but my bet is that they won't give them to you because they want everybody on equal ground.
Melissa Lockaby: That means they would have to share them with everybody. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's not a usual process or procedure.
Melissa Lockaby: Thank you. And somebody just said they usually get better answers when they do provide. They interview questions upfront and absolutely you you do and you probably would, but part of it, too, is just to see how people think on their feet as well. I don't know if that's good or bad. It. It's just
Melissa Lockaby: probably traditionally how interviews are run that you don't get those interview questions upfront?
Julie Edwards: Great thanks.
Julie Edwards: Several people have asked. Do you have. Does any of this change? If you are interviewing for remote work
Melissa Lockaby: doesn't. So
Melissa Lockaby: I am going to.
Melissa Lockaby: No. yes and no, because I think some of those questions are then going to be geared towards how well you work at home like the teamwork? Look, I'm gonna go back to that. Do you prefer to work on on a team, or individually, a lot of times
remote work
Melissa Lockaby: is primarily individual. You're working at home. You may have team meetings online, or you may have to go into the office E every now and then. But your questions are probably going to be geared more
Melissa Lockaby: towards remote type
Melissa Lockaby: responsibilities. In the first place.
Melissa Lockaby: But there and again, if you know that it's remote and you get that, you know. Are you okay with working individually, you'll you'll definitely wanna stress. Yes, I'm okay. Working individually. That I'm not easily distracted by the by, the laundry or by other things. Going on in the house. But that's where your research really comes into play. Because if you know that it is remote, then you can kind of get an idea of
Melissa Lockaby: type of person that, or I shouldn't say type of person. But what kind of responsibilities that they're they're going to give to you? I don't know if that helps.
Julie Edwards: Thank you.
Julie Edwards: Several people have asked about feedback if you interview you don't get a job and you are
Melissa Lockaby: asking for feedback, but don't get it any any comments. There, that's a hard one. As an interviewer I have been asked about feedback from interviewees, and by and large. I don't respond to those because there are a lot of legal issues that I have to be careful of, and answering that question, providing feedback to an to an interviewee. So by and large I don't answer those.
Melissa Lockaby: I would be interested for those of you who have interviewers who have gotten that question. Do you provide feedback? Because generally I do not, because I'm I'm very careful about the legal ramifications from my side.
Julie Edwards: Very helpful. Thank you.
Julie Edwards: several people are asking. Let me let me find this here. Someone phrased it this way. Since you've been on hiring committees, how much do you think personality impacts final decisions versus knowledge and skills and sort of as a follow-up question. People are asking, you know, how do you keep things legal? But don't Leach all the personality out of an interview, because my best hires have been people I've been able to have a conversation with.
Melissa Lockaby: Yeah. So
Julie Edwards: let's go back to the first one. Sorry, Julie, so the first half can you repeat that one? Yes. Do you think? What's the balance between personality versus hiring for knowledge and skills. So what? What?
Julie Edwards: Where's the emphasis?
Melissa Lockaby: You know? My, in a lot of ways, my, II can. By and large, I
Melissa Lockaby: I can. II can on the job training. So if you've got the personality, and if I feel like that you are you're eager to learn.
Melissa Lockaby: then I can teach you almost anything.
Melissa Lockaby: I would prefer in a lot of ways to see somebody fit
with the current group.
Melissa Lockaby: Rather than can. Do. You know, coming in the door collection development. Do you know, have you ever purchased books before? Because I've had? I've had a couple of new librarians who have not ever
Melissa Lockaby: purchased materials for a library, and we hired them anyway, because I felt
Melissa Lockaby: and I shouldn't say it was. It wasn't just me. It was a hiring committee that we felt that you know what they fit
Melissa Lockaby: into the library.
Melissa Lockaby: that we had no problem with teaching them specific parts of the job. Now I will tell you if it's if the person can't. if I'm like for my position, or for a reference and instruction position,
Melissa Lockaby: if you don't know collection development. If you've never taught a class, if you've never been on the reference desk, if you don't.
Melissa Lockaby: if if you don't have any experience in any of those. even though you may be a good personality, fit you. I probably won't
hire you because you still need some of those basic skills
Melissa Lockaby: when you come into the when you come in the door?
Melissa Lockaby: And what was the second half
Julie Edwards: to? Sort of how do you maintain an environment that feels more like a conversation than
Julie Edwards: then an interrogation while still being stay legal?
Melissa Lockaby: Well, and that's where, you know. And I go back to that icebreaker question, which is hard? Which was the also the question. We don't ask that question anymore, because it may put somebody in an awkward position. Some of that. That's why I like to do that. That icebreaker question, W. Regardless of of what it is.
Melissa Lockaby: That it kind of sets the tone of the interview. I also like, you know. like for my hiring committee to be as
we practice before we give an interview. So we're not as as stiff as perhaps of going. So
Melissa Lockaby: it's my turn to ask a question. And my third question is, so part of it is just practicing your interviewing skills, too. And I also try to.
Melissa Lockaby: When I organize my questions I try to put them in an order that that kind of makes sense. So they flow, and then I provide a transition between each question as well.
Julie Edwards: Thank you.
Melissa Lockaby: We've had many questions come in about using examples. And you did touch on this a little bit. But maybe you could reiterate should the examples only come from your work experience? Can they come from other types of jobs? Can you use personal examples? How many should you give another great answer that I got? Tell me about something
that's not on your resume? One person actually answered, you know what. When I was a. I worked for a radio station in college as a Dj and
Melissa Lockaby: we had a ton of Cds
and they were not organized, and
Melissa Lockaby: I realized I was a librarian, or I was meant to be a librarian when I started organizing those Cds. So it wasn't really Job related.
Melissa Lockaby: but it was a fantastic answer. It showed that person's personality. It showed that they they kinda gave. You know what? Here's how I got into libraries. So it's okay to give more. You know, I have to give absolute
Melissa Lockaby: job specific
Melissa Lockaby: examples, but it's always good to
Melissa Lockaby: try to tie it back to at least making it somewhat, Job related. You know, whether it's about collection development or just like a story of that's how I came to be a librarian, or that's how I knew I was meant to be a librarian, and that's when I that day I applied to library school.
Julie Edwards: Love it. Thank you.
Julie Edwards: Several versions of this question have come in about what if you don't have a specific source story to the situation they're asking about? Or what if someone asks you, what program would you like to create for the library? And you're expected to answer on the spot any advice for those those moments when you just caught out with it.
Melissa Lockaby: Take a moment, pause.
Melissa Lockaby: Don't hesitate to say you know what. Let me think about that. That's a good question.
Take 30 s. There's not. There's nothing wrong with that.
Melissa Lockaby: And think about you know. What if I what if I was a manager? If I was asking this question. What would I? What what are they looking for, or what would I like to do? You know, if I'm being asked? You know, what kind of programming. Would you like to see for the library, or where do you see the library in the next 2 years?
Melissa Lockaby: What would you like to see as a patron, what would you like to see as a customer?
Melissa Lockaby: Is there an ideal, you know, program that you would like to see? Would you like to? Would you like to bring in a specific author?
That's kind of a dream type question. And you know what I would say be creative, because that's one thing that as a library. And I like to see people who are creative in their answers.
Julie Edwards: Excellent. Thank you so much. We had several. There was at 1 point a really lively conversation in the chat. And so I just wanna ask you about thank you. Notes. Should you send them. Oh, that's a great one.
Melissa Lockaby: yes. do send. Thank you. Notes. You don't have to send them through the mail. You can just send an email that works perfect. it used to be that you had to put a stamp on a on a particular letter and get it sent through the mail
Melissa Lockaby: emails work great. And I love getting. Hey? You know what? Thank you. Even if it's just a short thank you. I appreciate your time. I enjoyed talking to you. Please let me know if you have any questions, even if they're that simple.
Melissa Lockaby: I like that.
Melissa Lockaby: I'm sharing with you my contact information, please. I always encourage people feel free to email me. I love hearing from you. If you would like to offer me advice on interviewing, if you have tips and pointers. I feel like that. II welcome them because the only way I can improve is by learning from you. If you have specific questions that you want answered. Please reach out
Melissa Lockaby: I am. You'll find me at the library more often than you'll find me at home.
Julie Edwards: Thank you so much, Melissa. This was absolutely excellent thanks for your time and expertise.
and thank you for having me, and thank you everybody for spending an hour with me.
Julie Edwards: Thank you all for attending. The conversation in the chat was great. I'm so sorry we didn't get to all of your questions, but Melissa has so generously shared her information with us and ways to get in touch with her. Melissa, you're getting a lot of thank yous in the chat. So again. Thank you all. I hope to see you all at our next webinars have a great afternoon, everybody.
Thank you.