JOIN THE TEAM! RECRUITING FOR INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01435129310023493 |
| Date | 01 January 1993 |
| Published date | 01 January 1993 |
| Pages | 31-34 |
| Author | Alison Jago |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
VOLUME 14 NUMBER 1
1993
Join
the Team!
Recruiting
for
Information Professionals
Alison Jago
"I thought recruiting would be easy, but it
isn't!" cried a frustrated manager who,
delighted at finally having the go ahead to
recruit two new information professionals to
join her overstretched team, encountered
unexpected problems. First, a surprising lack
of suitable candidates, and second, a
reluctance on the part of job seekers to
accept the job when offered it. Why?
SURELY EMPLOYERS ARE SPOILT FOR
CHOICE?
How could there possibly be a lack of
suitable candidates? Everyone knows that,
with so many information specialists made
redundant over the last couple of years lots
of people are job hunting. In addition, many
information professionals currently in work
have wanted to make a career move for some
time and, thwarted by lack of opportunity
both inside and outside their organization,
are now very keen to find something else. So
surely employers are spoilt for choice?
Over recent years large numbers of
information specialists have been made
redundant as organizations streamlined their
operations in a frantic bid to remain
competitive, cost effective, or in some cases,
simply to survive. So where are these
candidates now? Well, the majority have been
re-employed by other organizations. Those
who are still looking tend to fall into two
main categories: either unskilled with limited
practical experience; or at the other extreme,
highly specialized seeking a very high salary,
and perhaps with most of their experience
gained in one organization.
MOST JOB SEEKERS ARE IN WORK
The vast majority of job seekers are currently
in work and most want to change their job
for positive reasons, such as broadening
skills,
or gaining management experience.
Many are justifiably cautious about making a
move and will not necessarily accept the first
job offer they get, unless it meets all or most
of their requirements. The fear is of making
a wrong move and being "stuck" if the
economy does not continue to pick up. A
wrong career move can also jeopardize an
individual's marketability for other jobs in
the future if, in the process, existing skills are
not maintained or developed, or the new
employer turns out to have a poor image in
the library/information field. Interestingly,
although money is a strong factor it is
seldom the key reason for moving jobs. Most
librarians and other information
professionals are motivated by job
satisfaction, and seek to strengthen and add
to their existing expertise. If a job offer
carries the right price tag but there appears
to be little scope for further personal
development in the new role, a strong
candidate may well decline.
GOOD CANDIDATES KNOW THEIR
WORTH
Clearly, the more positive the reasons for
making a job move, the more choosy a
candidate will be. At TFPL Recruitment we
are often told by candidates: "I'm not in a
hurry, I'm prepared to wait for the right job
to come along". Such candidates are also less
likely to respond to job advertisements,
particularly those providing limited details of
the job, and no indication of salary level.
Of course, not everyone wants to move
jobs for positive reasons. Very often the
Library Management, Vol. 14 No. 1, 1993. pp. 31-34,
© MCB University Press, 0143-5124
31
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