Job Hunting Update

Why is it that when one job opens up two more follow?  I interviewed yesterday afternoon for a librarian position in a small town about 30 miles from home.  It’s a new library, less than a year old. 

I doubt the building’s architect consulted with the people who are using the space because it’s simply one big room.  It was fairly quiet while I was there but I was trying to imagine what it would be like during the summer when hundreds of kids would be signing up for the summer reading program.  I was developing a headache as I thought about the pandemonium.

If you haven’t been in a library lately, they are less and less likely to be quiet places.  Part of me is okay with that idea, yet I think there still needs to be a place designated as a quiet zone.  It really is hard to concentrate if there are three screaming babies in the same room with no provision for absorbing the noise.

This particular library system has been trying out a new method for delivering public service over the last year wherein all librarians are generalists.  In other words they want everyone to be able to help everyone equally. 

I’ve worked in a library like this before and the model fails miserably.  Why?  Because people who are attracted to the profession naturally fall into one of three concentrations.  They either want to have nothing to do with the public so they work in the technical services area doing cataloging, etc.  Or they want to offer reference and readers advisory services to adults or they want to work with children. 

It is extremely rare to find people who feel comfortable switching back and forth amongst these three.  So why force them to do something they have no interest in or desire doing?  Beats me.

This isn’t my ideal job because I want to get away from working with children and their helicopter parents.  I want to go back to working with adults and homeless people.  Unfortunately this position has a concentration in the children’s department, but it is possible I could transfer to another position within the system after a year or two.

Since setting up yesterday’s interview, a second position has become available.  I regularly do volunteer work for United Way as a researcher.  United Way and the county have a cooperative arrangement for the creation and maintenance of a website that collects and analyzes data specific to the county.  The gal who runs this program and supervises all the volunteers is leaving and she has recommended me for her vacancy.  I’ll be interviewing for that position next Friday.

Then there is a new library opening in the community directly north of here (probably half the commute of the job I interviewed for yesterday) and they just started advertising for a couple of positions.  Hiring decisions probably won’t be made until the end of November, beginning of December.

Of the three jobs, I’m willing to bet that offers will be made in inverse order.  The least desirable job will be offered first, etc.

So here’s my problem.  None of these qualify as a dream job for me.  They all have drawbacks, including commuting distance.  How do you decide whether to turn down a job, hoping one of the others comes through?  Or do you accept one job and keep looking so if something better is offered you jump ship a few weeks or months into the new one?

Any sage advice out there?

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One Response to “Job Hunting Update”

  1. Despite the stats, I see so many high paying jobs posted on employment sites –

    http://www.linkedin.com (networking)
    http://www.indeed.com (aggregated listings)
    http://www.realmatch.com (matches you to jobs)

    I still see 100K, 125K and 200K jobs

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