Further Questions: What are your favorite questions to ask in interviews?
Oh hey! This feature has been on hiatus since February, but now it’s back!
Let’s do a deeper dive into specific hiring questions! About once a month, I get answers from a group of people who hire library and LIS workers. I’d love to hear from you: what should I ask next time? Or, let me know if you’d like to join the pool of people who might answer.
This question is one of the most visited pages on Hiring Librarians, but it hasn’t been answered since 2014 so I think it’s beyond time for an update! This month I’m asking:
What are your favorite questions to ask in interviews? And why? If you can talk a little about the difference between what you ask over the phone versus in-person, that would be very helpful.
Anonymous: Good prompt! Here’s one of my favorites:
“This position will have multiple projects and daily tasks that will compete for your time. How do you determine priorities and manage your time?”
The follow up question is always: “How would you handle a situation in which you had two seemingly high-priority tasks where it was impossible to accomplish both.”
The first question helps me understand how the person works and their ability to stay organized. What kinds of tools do they talk about? How do they decide what is a priority? Do they work best in short bursts, or in longer stretches? The follow up tells me whether they understand how to work with a boss and within an organization. The real answer I’m looking for on the follow up is some combination of, “I’d ask my boss for help prioritizing,” and “I’d think about how my work affects other departments and/or ask them for help.” The hardest working, most creative person in the world is still going to struggle if they can’t work within the organizational structure; someone who says they’d just “pick one” to prioritize, without input, is a red flag.
In terms of phone vs. in-person interview questions, I use the phone interview for screening – understanding the person’s background, skills, and experience to date and how it relates to the position. If I’m unclear on whether they meet one of the requirements, the phone interview is the time to clarify. For example, someone may say they’ve supervised people, so the phone interview question will ask the context, their duties, how many people, whether they were faculty, staff, or students, etc. With the requirements out of the way, then the in person interview can be more forward-looking: how would you use your skills and experiences to move the library forward? How would you approach the job and work with your colleagues? Tell me about when you’ve faced a situation like x, how you handled it, the outcome, and what you learned.
For equity, ALL interview questions should be based directly on something in the job description. Use the phone interview questions for the hard/technical skills and years of experience; use the in person interview questions for the soft skills.
Donna Pierce, Library Director, Krum Public Library: As a small library I have never interviewed someone for a full-time position. (All of my full-time positions were filled in-house.) Plus a lot of the people who apply for the part-time positions do not have library experience. So most of my questions are used to find out how well they can handle customer service, how interested they are in things other than reading (you know, in case someone wants to know something other than “what’s a good book?”!), and their attention to detail. But my all time favorite that I have asked for 19 years is “What materials should a juvenile be allowed to check out?”
Here are all the questions I ask:
- Describe the procedures you have used to keep track of things that require your attention. (Calendar, phone reminders, etc.)
- Considering your education and work experience, why do you feel you are qualified for this job?
- What is a card or board game you would play with strangers to get to know them better? (If none – how would you break the ice with a group of strangers?)
- Have you ever had an experience in which you were glad you had paid attention to some particular detail? Please describe it.
- If you are planning on working another job (or attending college) how will that impact your ability to work for us? (Limited time available to work, no flexibility to re-arrange schedule if needed, etc.)
- Tell us about your experience with information technology. (web design/coding, databases, computers in general, Microsoft Office, Publisher, Canva, etc.)
- How do you learn a new piece of software or a new technology? How do you prepare to teach it or help others learn to teach it?
- What contributions could you make to our library?
- If you could live in any TV show, what would it be?
- What book/game/TV show/album would you recommend to someone? Why?
- What is your favorite age group and why? How should that group – and others – behave in the library?
- What would you do if you were unsure of how to answer a patron’s question?
- How would you handle a person who objected to a book or movie in the library?
- What materials should a juvenile be allowed to check out?
- What is your philosophy and approach to managing conflict?
You would be surprised at how much you learn about someone with questions 9 and 10!
Anonymous: I think my answer has evolved so much since 2014!
As a final question (well, after the do you have any questions for us), I like to ask if there is anything the candidate would like to expand on from the interview, or reframe, or tell us something we didn’t ask but should know.
This gives the candidate the chance to shine, or regroup, or end on a positive note. Interviews are so stressful and often the stakes are high, so let’s all give everyone one more opportunity to impress.
And yep, some foks add nothing.
We don’t do phone interviews much anymore. Although sometimes Deans or VPs might call.
We do Zoom, then on campus for finalists. But in the past, phone interviews were really about screening. We would call more people to give more chances, but still only brought a few to campus.
I have called to clarify that the candidate understands which location they would be working at (we have five) or that adjunct is part-time. That is to save everyone’s time!
Melissa Moore, Head of Access Services, Ferndale Area District Library: One of my favorite questions to ask during an interview is “Describe an experience you had where you think you really made someone’s day after you helped them.”
This question gives me a lot of insight into what a person considers a positive interaction. It also tells me a lot about what they value and their thought processes. It tells me: what the person considers a positive interaction, what they consider help, what they think ‘made someone’s day,’ and a little insight into their motivations.
I don’t do phone interviews here, so I don’t have a comment on this. I select 4-6 of the applicants for a single, in-person interview with me and two other managers/administrators (depending on who is available). The positions I hire for are generally entry level so I don’t need as long of an interview process. The other departments will do a two stage process. First interview is over Zoom, the field is narrowed to 2 or 3, then the final candidates are called for an in-person interview. All departments are required to have the department manager and two other managers in the interviews, per the most recent union contract.
Anonymous Director, Medium-Sized University Library: Favorite questions to ask in interviews include :
- Can you please tell us about your experience [using or doing or managing or leading] [one of the aspects of job from job description]?
- What do you think you’ll enjoy the most and find most challenging about [something related to job description]
- How would you get staff buy-in before implementing…
- Can you give us an example of a time when communication between you and your staff or colleagues did not go well. How did you overcome the issue (if you did)?
- Describe a time when you were a part of a great team. What qualities did you appreciate the most in your colleagues?
- Can you please tell us about a time that you had to adjust or shift what you were working on because priorities outside of your control changed? How did you decide to revise, let go, or change what you were working on?
- What interests you the most about this position and the prospect of working at…
And always, always, “What questions do you have for us?” Please be prepared to ask some!
Celia Rabinowitz ,Assistant Vice-President for Academic Engagement and Director of Mason Library, Keene State College: It has been six years since I last participated in a search for a library faculty position at my college library and three years since my last library staff search. In my current position the library faculty form the search committee and I am do not participate in phone interviews or in-person meetings that the search committee has with the candidates. I do get time with each candidate. This is because the search committee makes a recommendation to me and the provost for hiring and I have a level of authority higher than the search committee to make a decision. That said, it rarely happens that there is a disagreement. I do participate fully in searches for all non-librarian positions.
I like to ask candidates for staff positions what they enjoy most and least about their work. This can be more successful to ask in person (or a video platform) just so the candidate really understands that I do want to hear about the things that are the least satisfying about their work. I have used it on the phone and in person. For faculty positions I sometimes ask about the focus of their professional reading has changed over the past few years, and how it helps them think about their practice. My professional reading habits have changed a lot over time, so I’m always interested in how colleagues think about that.
Questions have also included asking candidates to describe a work project or experience that made them feel valuable and valued and why, to describe an experience working on a team and what went well (and didn’t), for staff I might ask candidates to describe how they prioritize their work day and how they handle various types of interruptions, and how they prefer to work with supervisors (for staff positions). These positions do not always require prior experience so I don’t want to ask questions that might put any candidate at a disadvantage.
Questions for library faculty are usually more specialty specific to the positions, e.g., Collections, Instruction, etc. I do often ask candidates to describe how they mange situations working with people (library colleagues, non-library faculty, etc). with differing opinions, needs, etc.
For all the job seekers out there – good luck and keep at it! For all the hiring managers and search committee folks – you know how important the work is. Many of us won’t have the opportunity to grow our workforce while we are still professionally active. I am glad to know that many libraries still can.
Gretchen Corsillo, Director, Rutherford Public Library: I love behavioral questions and feel they are a great way to get to know a candidate better. In interviews for any public-facing role, I like to ask about the candidate’s customer service philosophy. What does good customer service look like to them? Can they provide an example of a time when they provided customer service that they’re really proud of (or received great customer service, if they are new to this type of role)? It doesn’t have to be library-specific; in fact, I’ve found this to be a nice way to help candidates tie in transferable skills they may have developed elsewhere. This can truly set someone apart from the rest of the pack. I also try to provide examples of real situations they may be faced with and ask how they would respond. This sheds light on a candidate’s critical thinking skills and is also a great way to show off knowledge they’ve gathered about the library. We are no longer doing as many phone interviews in my library post-pandemic, but I think these types of questions especially help in that situation where we may not be able to get as good of a read on a candidate’s personality in the absence of facial expressions, mannerisms, etc.
K.T. Vaughan, Hal F. and Barbra Buckner Higginbotham University Librarian and Professor, Washington and Lee University: When developing questions for interviews I first start with the job requirements. Since the purpose of the questions is to determine how well people meet our qualifications and needs for the position, we need to ask ones that will get us data to rate each candidate. Screening interview questions tend to be more factual than on-campus ones, in which we’re trying to gauge both aptitude and enthusiasm for a position.
For an entry-level librarian position in an academic library, one of our qualifications has been “Any combination of experience and coursework in the fundamentals of library-based data services.” In the screening interview, I might ask, “What is your background in data science or library-based data services?” In the on-campus interview, I might ask, “Talk to us about your favorite data-related project that you’ve worked on. Why is it your favorite? What made it go well?” I also like the question, “What did you love about your most recent library job/class?”
We share our questions in advance, and lately I’ve seen an uptick in seemingly AI-generated responses that people read from notes. As a result, I’m now leaning more towards questions in which I ask about the person’s unique experiences or ideas. For example, I used to ask, “What is your preferred communication style with your manager or colleagues?” We started getting unusually similar responses from candidates. Now I ask, “Tell us about a time when you thought communication with your manager or colleagues went really well.”
As University Librarian, I usually have the last meeting of the day with a candidate. The four questions I ask are: What did you learn today that excited or surprised you? How do you see this position as part of your career arc? What have we not asked you or talked about that you’d like to share? And finally, What questions do you have for me, or that haven’t been answered yet?
Anonymous: I have a few favorite questions depending on the job opening. One I particularly like: What did you do to prepare for this interview? Perhaps not a great question for someone interviewing for a part-time shelver job but if they are interviewing for any type of reference job, they should at LEAST have looked at the library website. Maybe they talked to other people in a similar job, etc. This will give you some insight on their process. Maybe they took a shower, got dressed and showed up — and maybe that is ok if they have a lot of experience in the position you are hiring for etc. Most of the time you would want them to at least have reviewed the job posting.
2. Describe a time when you disagreed with the course of action that an institution was taking. How did you react/improve the situation? Are you looking for a person who will blindly follow anything you decree? Or do you want someone who will confront questionable policies?
3. How are you organized? Would you describe yourself as a disciplined and systematic person, or are you more a creative and innovative person? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the way you work? No right or wrong answer here but gives you some insight. If your team already leans one way or the other, it might be helpful to have someone who thinks differently.
3. Can you tell us about a time when you analyzed information or data and evaluated it to solve a problem. Would love to hear about how the data sent you in a direction you weren’t anticipating. (analyzing work, collection, training needed). If you are hiring for a position that could benefit from someone who can deal with data, this is a great question. If they have no experience with analysis, you might get a vibe about their desire and ability to do so. If they have worked in a job that required analysis they better have a story about how the result was unexpected.
4. How do you evaluate programs that you offer? How do you determine if a program is successful or not? If you decide it was not successful, would you consider doing the program again? I like this because it gives you a sense of how they see success. Also, for me, it is good to think they might give something that they worked hard on a second or even third try if it WASN’T successful the first time. However, I don’t need someone who will continue with something forever even if it doesn’t work but because it was their idea and they just love it. Things may work well for years and years then the need goes away, the population changes or whatever. Libraries should always be thinking about things they don’t really need to do anymore and not just operate on auto pilot.
5. Do you have any questions for us? We will often be more leading with this – “Do you have any questions for us about the library, the job, or the requirements?” Once again, depends on what type of job you are interviewing for but if there are no questions (and they could have asked throughout the interview) is that because they just aren’t really interested? Or they just left a job JUST LIKE THIS at the library district down the street? But even then, a question about scheduling, etc. would be appropriate. If it is a higher level job and they don’t ask about the details or the culture or anything, it is worrisome.
For my library – we have not done phone interviews. We have done some Zoom interviews. The questions we ask are the same either way.
Kellee Forkenbrock, Public Services Librarian, North Liberty Community Library: My favorite interview question to ask is, Imagine yourself as a customer who received excellent service. What made the experience excellent? I like this question because it places the candidate into the shoes of a patron and gives them a viewpoint of what customer service should look like from that perspective. Sometimes we get standard responses to the hypothetical situation (‘..friendly, knowledgeable, quick…’). Other times, the candidate will tell us about an actual interaction they had during a sales transaction. The question is a great way to emphasize the importance of patron service an d what it looks like in action.
Chad Deets, Assistant Librarian, Acquisitions and Metadata, Arizona State University: In the majority of the hiring processes I’ve participated in, it was necessary to pick questions and have them filed ahead of time. It was always a mixture of questions designed to assess both technical ability and soft skills. The questions are usually worded to be scenario-based and ask for examples from the candidate’s history. If the candidate paid attention, particularly to the soft skill questions, they ccould infer some of the problems/concerns that we were facing. One example might be “tell us about a time when you collaborated with colleagues from other departments. Did you experience communication challenges and if so, how did you overcome them?” This question likely demonstrates that at the institution, there have been past challenges in communication between colleagues from different departments, and that it’s important to the committee to find a candidate who is able to navigate these types of challenges.
Because questions had to be chosen in advance, we really didn’t ask anything different in-person than we would over the phone or via a virtual platform. I should note that we were able to ask follow-up questions that were unscripted, but I cannot think of anything that we did differently between the two mediums.
Of course, one of the more telling responses comes to the question “do you have any questions for us”? Particularly in libraries, curiosity is your friend and shows the committee that you take an interest in the position, the organization, etc.
Anonymous: We do not do phone interviews (we will do a zoom for out-of-area applicants) I think my favorite interview question is “why do you want to work in a public library?” It’s very open ended but I like to see where the applicant takes this. Some respond with “I like the quiet environment” or “I love books/reading” and some talk about community services and collaboration in meaningful work.
