Sample interview questions for academic library positions.

1. Sample Interview Questions for Academic Library Positions
1. Tell us about a time when you showed initiative and went above and beyond your normal
responsibilities.
2. How did you prepare for this interview?
3. Describe a situation where you changed a particular procedure or practice. What was it and
what steps did you take?
4. How do you stay current with trends and developments in the profession?
5. The Library's vision for its new website may differ from the vision of Marketing and other
stakeholders on campus. How will you balance the competing needs and visions invested in
this project, and achieve the necessary buy-in across administrations and other stakeholders?
6. Tell us about a time when you had to work through some workplace negativity or conflict to
accomplish a task.
7. Tell us about a time when you had to deal with a patron/client service issue.
8. Describe a classroom or teaching situation which you felt went well; what made it successful,
and what did you learn from the experience.
9. On the basis of the information you have received about this job so far, what do you see as
the major challenges of this position? How will you meet those challenges?
10. What skills/aptitudes do you think are most critical to this position?
11. What do you see as the primary challenges of this position and what strategies would you
apply to overcome these challenges?
12. Give us an example of a project that you managed from start to finish. What challenges did
you face? What project management strategies did you apply? What were the outcomes?
13. Drawing from past experience, how are you uniquely qualified for this position?
14. What future trends do you see for academic libraries, and how do you personally keep
abreast of these changes?
15. How do you identify which goals are appropriate for you to achieve in your job, and once
identified, how do you go about achieving these goals?
16. How can an academic library with a restricted budget best meet the research needs of faculty
and graduate students?
Updated April 2012

2. 17. Tell us about your research interests and any work that you have done in those areas to date.
18. What are your contributions to library profession?
19. What is your understanding of blended reference?
20. What is your idea of the role of reference librarian?
21. Refresh us as to why your interest in this position at this point in your career and identify for
us the relevant experience and background that you would bring to it.
22. What do you see as your strengths and weaknesses for this position?
23. How do you describe your sense of humor?
24. Tell us about a project that you managed. What were the successes? The frustrations? What
would you do differently?
25. What do you enjoy most about working the reference desk and best about working a
reference desk? Why?
26. How would you respond to a complaint from a student that someone was looking at
pornography online in the Library?
27. How do you handle stress? How do you define stress?
28. Describe a recent risk that you took. Why did you take it? What did you learn from it?
Why did you consider it to be a risk?
29. What support will you need from your supervisor? And from colleagues?
30. Can you give an instance when you worked as part of a team, group or committee? Please
include details of the group’s purpose, structure, and outcome, describe your role in it, and
tell us how effective the team was. What qualities do you have which make you an effective
group/team member?
31. Please briefly describe a conflict you have had in the workplace. How did you help to
resolve it? What would you do differently to resolve the conflict given hindsight?
32. How would you respond to a complaint from a faculty member?
33. Describe your participation in an academic or professional organization to which you
belong. Why did you choose this particular organization? What is/was your role and your
contribution?
Updated April 2012