Do I contact this person or not?

May 6, 2006 1:44 PM

I interviewed for a position in a local library branch a few weeks ago. She said she would be in touch early this week and that they had several other canidates to interview....

Of course I did not hear anything and freaked (well, I found myself very disappointed and it is hard to give a damn at work when you are very close to another job) out on Wednesday which caused bathroom stall crying at work and a "mental health day" (currently I am in locked in corporate america)

* The interview went well
* I followed up with a thank you email
* I had previously volunteered for this library for around 6 months
* This branch manager informed me of posting this position
* I had previously interviewed 2xs for a similar branch...this particular library's branch manager (ie current position) actually sat in on the 2nd interview
*I am currently enrolled in an MLS program (this is not an issue with the schedule of this position and I made it clear that I would work school around my work commitments)

Here is the thing...she called one of my references but not the other 2. This happened on Thursday afternoon and I haven't heard anything from her. My reference was positive (who puts down a negative reference anyway?)

What is the deal?
Needless to say...I am anxious.
Should I email her?
What should I say?


I just want an answer...
Why would someone bother to call a reference if the job was not theirs?
Why would someone not bother to call the other 2?


I mean maybe she will call tomorrow....

So I need advice about touching base with her or not and general encouragment (hang in there and all that crap) ...

Thanks!

posted by TheLibrarian to Work & Money (19 answers total)

Best answer: There may be other professions for which this is true, but libraries are NOTORIOUS for giving you the old "we'll call you" line and then either not calling, or calling like three months later and saying "We made a decision now, can you start in two days?" In short, their weird response just means they are weird, and unfortunately typical for the profession. So, what can you do?

First off, you may want to explain here how you know she called one ref. and not the others. I assume you know them all, but is it possible she did call and got no answer, voice mail, runaround, whatever and didn't call back, or put it on the "to do" list and then spaced it? I know to you it's a really big deal but sadly, to them it's one of many responsibilities. Calling one reference Thursday afternoon may mean they didn't get ahold of references 2 and 3 and may be in the slow process of doing that.

So, as far as contacting this woman, wait. I'd give it at least a week past the time when they said they'd contact you (actually, I'd wait two) and if you do decide to make any contact at all, I'd send a very short email inquiring if they'd made their decision. Do NOT make up some weird reason you need to know, do NOT indicate anxiousness, do NOT indicate that they said one thing and did another. A follow-up email will not lose you a job that you might have otherwise gotten, so don't stress too much over it but in the meantime you need to go do something else.

I'm fairly certain they are not calling references and/or making decisions on the weekend, so until Monday I'd try if at all possible to put the agita on hold and go do something nice for yourself, take yourself out or something, maybe apply for even MORE jobs so you're not hanging all your hopes on this one job to get you out of corporate america. There are a lot of ways out and it seems like you're moving forward towards them. Good luck.
posted by jessamyn at 2:10 PM on May 6, 2006

apply for even MORE jobs so you're not hanging all your hopes on this one job to get you out of corporate america
I second the idea, plus it will be a positive distraction.
posted by rolypolyman at 2:46 PM on May 6, 2006

Response by poster: I have been looking for them. I found some internships at a local university and then discovered they are part-time.
Full time paraprofessional library positions are few and far between in my area right now.
I have been looking in other counties, and local universities..

I do plan on keeping my eye on part-time stuff because I realize I will have to take the plunge eventually. I don't want to have an MLS and zero paid work experience.

If I don't get this job, I will probably do some more volunteer work in the meantime over the summer. I do not think it would be fair for me to approach someone about this until this job is resolved.

Thanks for the good advice so far:)
posted by TheLibrarian at 2:53 PM on May 6, 2006

(Yep, I have a MLIS friend who was interviewing for jobs a short while back and it was pretty emotional...

Whoo! They Told Me They Would Call Me Regardless Of The Decision! And They Told Me What Day They'd Call!

followed by

&$^($ ##$& DIDN'T CALL! WTF?!

rinse, repeat

Just hang in there and good luck!)
posted by porpoise at 2:59 PM on May 6, 2006

Finding out that they've called a reference is a good sign. I don't think employers necessarily bother to call several references.

In my experience, the time they estimate for "getting back to you" is almost always completely off. That goes for yeses and nos equally.

I agree to give it at least a week after the "we'll call you" date to follow up again.

Trying not to overanalyze the whys and how it wents can help both your sanity, and possibly--if you're superstitious--your chances.
posted by lampoil at 2:59 PM on May 6, 2006

As a fairly new minted librarian (though working in libraries for years) get ready for a long wait. It is very rare that I have been informed of a decision (yes or no) in the time frame HR has told me about. Things like this always take longer.

The checking of references, even just one, can be a good sign. Depending on the library thouhg, some will call ALL candidates references, even if they do not have a chance of winning as the interview process is based on a mark. With the ref call on a Thursday afternoon, there is also a very good chance that for the other 2 references, either the caller or callee was not available on Friday.

One library I worked at also had the annoying habit (later changed) where they would call the losing applicants first to inform them and then calling the successful applicant last. If there are 6 candidates, this alone can take a long time.

My advice, just hang in there, and try to find something else to occupy your mind.
posted by Razzle Bathbone at 3:15 PM on May 6, 2006

I'm not familiar with libraries, specifically, but in my ignorance I'd suggest that if they're calling any references, they're taking you seriously. Not a guarantee you've got the job yet, but a good sign, all the same. This isn't a situation specific to libraries at all. Most places I've ever applied for jobs have been inconsistent between what they'd say they'll do and what they actually do. Decisions are made when they are made. I know it's not easy, especially when you really, really want the job, but the best thing to do at this stage is avoid premature mental postmortems, try to be philosophical and just get on with whatever you're supposed to be getting on with in the meantime. Deep breath. Relax. They'll let you know when they're ready.
posted by normy at 3:54 PM on May 6, 2006

Sounds like normal public/academic procedure to me. A member of my librarian college cohort had time to take a six-week trip to Europe between applying for an academic position and when she actually interviewed successfully. I think 3-4 weeks is the norm to hear back from Seattle public (Not my job market, so I could be wrong). The hiring situation at SPL is an epic clusterfuck but, eventually, most of the really good public library types in my cohort got hired.

So it's not really an answer to the question, but it may provide some comfort. Getting hired sucks, but it seems to be worth it.
posted by stet at 4:48 PM on May 6, 2006

I have been looking in other counties, and local universities.

Depending on where you live, law libraries, historical societies, even corporate positions may be a possibility as well.
posted by gimonca at 7:11 PM on May 6, 2006

...may be a possibility as well.

Hmm, reminds me of a search I did on a lark for said friend...

The United Arab Emirates/Saudi Arabia pays an extremely generous premium for foreign librarians (compared to other countries).

If you can deal with the social environment (especially if you aren't female), it's an option for an adventure (with potential monetary rewards - from what I've heard from a friend who interviewed at companies there [albeit in a different field - computer animation] that foreigners and the very wealthy are rather safe from violence and conservative social pressure).
posted by porpoise at 7:37 PM on May 6, 2006

Response by poster: The position I am interested in are basically library assistant type positions in public libraries. I have explored academic, however, many corporate library type positions or field related acadmic libraries usually require specialized field/industry knowledge.

I am really interested in staying in my track as much as possible and have done my best to explore job options (state listings, listservs, personal contacts, etc.)

as a librarian (one more year to go yet), I would definately be willing to travel elsewhere...until then I need to stay put (ie in-state tuition, proximity to campus, etc)
posted by TheLibrarian at 11:37 PM on May 6, 2006

I have three friends looking for jobs right now (all in different fields) and none of them have ever been called back within time frames specified. My previous job search experience supports this. Often there isn't a call back, even when a specific date and time was promised. (oh, two actually, one just scored a great job)

So I've talked about this with a couple of different people on the hiring end, plus one careers councillor I happen to know, and they all agreed that employing someone always takes longer than expected from their end. The general advice was wait two weeks beyond the expected date then enquire, beause that's how long it probably takes before they have a decision and you dno't want to nag. I know it seems like a long time, but at least this time you know they're following it up, so you probably will hear something eventually. There are so many reasons for hold up, they could be getting impatiet too waiting for a phone call giving them to go ahead to hire you. Let it lie a bit longer and don't give up hope.

Also, until they offer you a job you're not tied to anything. If you see another potential job lead follow it up. The onus is on them to get back to you quickly and I'm sure you didn't promise yourself to them exculsively forever at your interview, so don't sell yourself short elsewhere. If nothing else having other job leads in the works can help with negotiations when they do offer you this job. I got my last job while waiting to hear back from a previous interview. The one I ended up with offered it straight away and bent over backwards to help me start working for them quickly, so I did. The other company dithered so they lost out *shrug*.
posted by shelleycat at 3:28 AM on May 7, 2006

My wife applied for a job last August, never heard back, gave up and applied for other jobs, then got a call in November saying "Can you come in for another interview?" (She got the job.) And that wasn't even a library.

(I worked in libraries many years ago, and man, am I glad I didn't stick with that. Don't get me wrong, I love all you librarians and am grateful for your existence, but it's not for me. Too much weirdness.)
posted by languagehat at 6:19 AM on May 7, 2006

Putting on my "I do this sort of thing for a living" hat for a moment - I would be calling to follow up.

Email is for suckers - employers hire real people, not emails.

I'm not entirely sure you can be too persistent for things like this - if it’s outside of the timeframe they said they would call, be proactive and call them.

Even if it’s just to say "Oh, just calling to see how things are progressing and to let you know I am still available"

Government departments and the like do take a long time - one of my co-workers was offered her position three months after the interview. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't become best friends with the HR person.
posted by cornflake at 1:31 AM on May 8, 2006

I just got a new job in an academic library. I sent off my application, then waited a month before they called me to set up an interview. The day after the interview (two weeks later), one of my three references told me that she had received a call. Then I waited a week with no word before I was invited back for a second round. They did not call either of the other two references; they let me know when they offered me the job that the information they got from the one call was enough for them to decide.

On the other hand, my current employer uses a weighted system when evaluating applicants. The process for each candidate is identical, and they call references for all of the shortlisted candidates, even the ones that have no chance of an offer.

Every library handles the search process differently. Also, there may be political, budgetary, etc. reasons that the library is not moving faster with the process, and these things have nothing to do with you.

They know you and your work, and if I am reading right, the manager went out of her way to let you know that the job was available. It sounds like you have a good chance of landing the job. Give it at least one more week, and then give them a call and neutrally ask where they are in the process. You don't need to justify why you are calling, just ask the question.

One library I worked at also had the annoying habit (later changed) where they would call the losing applicants first to inform them and then calling the successful applicant last.

Razzle, this seems so odd. What did they do if the successful applicant didn't take the job?
posted by initapplette at 2:16 PM on May 8, 2006

Response by poster: Good news everybody! Yesterday I found out I got the job!
Thanks for all your great advice and encouragement.
It really means a lot too me.
posted by TheLibrarian at 10:53 AM on May 9, 2006

Congratulations, that's fantastic!
posted by languagehat at 11:43 AM on May 9, 2006

Congratulations! Buhbye corporate America :D
posted by shelleycat at 12:29 AM on May 10, 2006

Yay TheLibrarian!! Congratulations!
posted by initapplette at 7:53 AM on May 10, 2006