Something I always hear from hiring managers is that they want to build a resilient, diverse workforce. Sometimes we say we want a resilient workforce, but what we mean is that we want staffers who are willing to go above and beyond, or to do more with less.
These concepts are deeply entrenched in librarianship, but I think we’re beginning to see how they can cause problems. The recognition of the harms of vocational awe, the notion that librarians, the library profession, and the institution of libraries as a whole is inherently good and therefore above reproach, seems to have set change in motion. The COVID-19 pandemic, too, has made many library workers rethink their priorities and acknowledge that they are experiencing low morale or burnout.
Instead of trying to hire people who will do more with less and who will thrive amid adversity, let’s think about resilience as an organizational feature. How can hiring managers play a role in building a resilient workplace?
Resilience means hiring an adequate number of people for the tasks at hand. A resilient workplace has redundancy built in to ensure adequate coverage. Resilience and hiring do go together but only if the organization has adequately assessed its needs, projected future needs, and ability to hire and compensate the staff that will meet those needs.
A Three-Point Recruitment Strategy
Part of my work entails conducting surveys of people who are currently job hunting in the library and information service field. Their input has helped me outline a recruitment strategy with three principles to help build a resilient workforce.
First undertake an accurate assessment of your needs. Good hiring is grounded in this. Remove vestigial qualifications from a job description so that everyone involved has a clear picture of what’s relevant to them. Any hiring effort should also include a frank look at diversity in your library. Begin to find and remove any barriers that you might be putting up inadvertently. What is keeping support staffers of color from transitioning to higher paid roles in the library? Are any of them pursuing an MLIS? They may already be performing uncompensated librarian work.
Then communicate effectively. Before interviews, let people know pertinent details: who will be there, what the room will be like, how long the interview will take, whether it’s going to be timed or not. Provide questions in advance; this is an accessibility issue, and it can be key for applicants who are neurodivergent to have a fair shake in the hiring process.
In one of my surveys, a job hunter wrote, “The first job I applied to while I was in grad school took six whole months to email me and let me know that I was not selected.” Make sure you have communication and follow-ups built into your process. Communicate in a timely fashion, or at least let candidates know what your timeline will be.
Instead of trying to hire people who will do more with less and who will thrive amid adversity, let’s think about resilience as an organizational feature.
Your individual staff members may also attempt to recruit within their personal networks. Help them do this in a way that reaches a broad range of people. Provide talking points and explain the need to recruit beyond their usual networks.
Finally, center kindness. I see repeatedly in my work just how soul-crushing a job search can be, especially for Americans. We tie so much of our perception of self-worth to our jobs. Not having a job or having difficulties finding one can seem like a referendum on our value as people. That’s not even getting into the stress caused by worry about the inability to pay rent, buy food, and meet other basic needs. One job hunter I surveyed wrote: “I sometimes just sit and cry in front of my computer and hope my wife doesn’t hear me.” I think most of us have no desire to see other individuals in this kind of pain. As recruiters, let’s do what we can to make things more humane.
Adapted from “What Candidates Want: Revamping Your Recruitment,” Core On-Demand Webinars (Aug. 2023).
