How do I get a job as a Library Assistant? PLEASE help!!!

[cakesandb4kes]

Could anyone please help me. I've got lots of experience in customer service and have applied to a Library Assistant position before a month and got rejected. Found another Library Assistant job advert and really want to get the job.

Can someone please offer me advice on how to get a job at a library despite the fact that I have no library experience whatsoever.

Really need to get a job to pay rent, bills and support my family.

IME (recruitment) - you need a library qualification and experience.

LittleLifeRaft - They have said in JD that library experience/qualification is desirable but not essential though?

You don’t need a professional qualification to work as a library assistant. Library assistant is entry level and you can go on to get a professional qualification if you want to move up the ladder. Plenty of people are happy to stay at assistant level, however.

Customer service experience is a big plus. Prior experience in a library is great but not essential.

Honestly, there’s no advice I can give other than to say there were other candidates better than you and that’s why you didn’t get the job. But if you’re desperate for work, only going after library assistant jobs is obviously not the best tactic.

Even though youu might not need professional qualifications to work as a library assistant, what you have to understand is that there are very, very few jobs. And quite a few qualified librarians out there, who would prefer a library assistant job to a similarly paid customer service position. I personally know a fully qualified librarian who cannot get a job in the field despite living in a large city, and somebody else who has left the profession because of redundancy looming. It might not be essential, and in fact it probably isn't, but they are going to pick a qualified candidate over an unqualified one any day, as they can have their expertise for less.

Sorry. I applied for a temporary (mat cover) post over 10 years ago, library/info qualification "desirable, not essential". I got the job (after their first choice turned it down) but my then boss told me that they had so many applicants that they didn't even look at those without a relevant degree or post-graduate qualification.

They've since lost a lot of staff due to financial cuts, so the job market will be even more competitive.

I think that the PP has summed it up, really. They have qualified librarians who will take the entry level jobs, so you won't get a look in.

I used to be a library assistant but was many years ago. Questions I was asked were: what are the challenges faced by library services; why are libraries important; if money was no issue, what would you your idea of a modern library look like; how would you ensure equal opportunities in the library service

Think about your strengths and how they relate to the role. Sell your customer service experience. You need to be good with people, managing problems and skilled at conflict resolution. A good working knowledge of the area is a huge plus, if you know the area, sell that.

People have an idea that libraries are quiet places, they're not. The library service want libraries to be seen as the hub of the community, multi purpose, dynamic, meeting the needs of the area. They are dying out and so need to reinvent themselves constantly in order to get people through the door. This includes sharing the premises with other services like CAB, health centres etc.

Did you get feedback on your last attempt, use it to your advantage if so?
And good luck!

I also applied for a job as a library assistant a couple of months ago and didn't even get an interview. It's something I've always kind of fancied doing but I've never done it before. I have some admin and customer services experience and my more recent jobs have been working with children. I thought I had found ways to show how all of these could be useful in a library. The most frustrating thing was that not long after I heard I didn't get an interview, an acquaintance who works in the same library (but not at a high enough level to have had anything to do with my application) said that there were still vacancies! So they must have been pretty sure they didn't want me, and I can only assume that previous experience and/or qualifications are more important than they said they were.

Hi everyone, I am looking for many jobs, not just library assistant jobs. I just really want to get this role because it pays really well and I have bills as well as rent to pay for ASAP as I am running low savings and need to look after my family. I have been applying to jobs for months and I've constantly received rejection. I am trying my best...

cakes what other types of jobs are you interested in?

Cakes

Did you applie and get an interview or apply and not get an interview?

Foxtiger -I have been applying to customer service roles, admin, office assistant, call centers etc. Haven't had much luck with job searching unfortunately :/

Ivy - I have applied not received an interview for a Library Shelver position

I have just re-read what I've posted and I apologise for the poor sentence structuring and spelling mistakes - I am really frustrated and desperate. Didn't proofread my post.

Lots of libraries now are relying on volunteers. We recently saved our library service, and when they advertised for paying roles again, both the successful candidates had helped in the library as volunteers for months before getting the paid role. Also the staff working in the library often are over qualified in other areas. Ours seem to have a lot of teachers.

So the job description gives essential and desirable attributes? Or heading of that nature?

Look at all the essential attributes and for example

Essential

Money handling

So in your application to think about where in life you have handled money and use this as an example in your application

So

I worked as a shop assistant and used an electronic till and took money and gave change.

It may say essential customer service

So continue the sentence above

With a piece to show you have customer service experience
So do this for every single essential and as many desirable as you can

Then you’ll be scored on your application

You can’t put I have experience you need to describe the experience

Ivy - Thank you so much. I have tailored my supporting statement to the job description in the last application. However, I will try to do this again and improve the application by spending even more time on it

Jingle- I am aware, I was considering to volunteer at a Library in the past but never got around to doing it. I understand that there is a lot of competition going on, I am just going to hope for the best at this point.

It is really competitive unless you’re in somewhere like London, Cambridge or oxford where there are a lot of libraries that are hiring.
If you can, approach your local public library about volunteering opportunities. It’s a good way get some experience and build up a reputation for being a good worker.
Plus look outside of academic or public libraries. The NHS has medical libraries and there are other public sector libraries too.

It willl really depend where you are in the country. I work for a CC and know that they struggle to get application for library staff in many locations.

There are a lot of qualified librarians applying for shelving/assistant jobs as there are so few vacancies now. You may get very lucky and find a library job but it's very unlikely so you really need to expand your job search

Because they’ve been made redundant from their professional posts, presumably, MotherOfMinions? There certainly was a lot of that going on when I left my last job seven years ago, and I doubt things have improved.

Look really carefully at what the job description and list of essential/desirable attributes are. make sure you structure your application using their words and order e.g. JD may ask for "essential customer service skills, especially in handling difficult customers". So you need to put "I have used CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS by doing XYZ. I am experienced in HANDLING DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS by doing XYZ." I even recommend including the caps that reflect the JD to help it stand out.
There are usually a heck of a lot of applicants, so anything that really shows the applicant has read what the brief is, structured helpfully and shows an understanding of the language and situations is really helpful. Good luck.

Yes Haworthia and also new MA/MSc Librarianship graduates looking for jobs as they can't get management/specialist positions any more

Doesn’t surprise me one bit (I did my Masters in 2005).

In fact, an old colleague of mine has just shared a petition about SOAS and 25% of its library staff are facing redundancy.