Monday, July 24, 2006

Job listings, On not listing the salary within

If you are an employer looking to staff a vacant library position, make sure that you do not list a salary (or even a salary range!!!) in the job description. Do, however, require that qualified candidates send you his/her salary requirements with the resumé and cover letter. When you interview the candidates for the job, it will be quietly understood that if your salary demands are too high, there's another joker waiting in line behind you who has already low-balled himself enough to undermine your demands. This practice will not only keep librarian salaries low forever, it will ensure your warm special place in hell right next to the asshole who came up with those annoying Chrysler "Dr. Z" commercials.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

So true! In addition to not listing the salary in the job listing, be sure to request that the applicant have at least one other Master's degree, the ability to speak & read an obscure language, be able to include 3 letters of recommendation and be willing to work every evening and weekend.

f is for Fer; he failed to floss said...

Keep it going - I'll step in when people stop telling the truth.

I would add also the expectation of "professional development": writing articles, travel to conferences, and other deck-chair-rearranging pursuits - all on your dime and your time.

And we really don't believe Google can replace us...? Puh-leeze.

Kathy said...

Amen! This is what our library does and it drives me nuts.

Mister Mustache said...

In New Jersey and many other states there are library association salary guidelines. Many libraries here simply state that the salaries are within NJLA guidelines, so they don't have to list a salary level. But you'd be surprised how many libraries are below the guidelines. My first position, for example.

Anonymous said...

I just resigned from my job as a Records and IT Manager for a small non-profit organization, because the salary sucks and I get no respect for my knowledge and abilities. They are replacing me with an Admin Assistant, who has zero library skills and no significant IT skills. This person is going to be stuck with a heavier workload, more dogsbody tasks and get less than two-thirds of my current salary. What's worse is that I have been told to write "detailed, step-by-step instructions" on everything I do, before I leave. Sometimes, I really do think I'm in the wrong profession!

Anonymous said...

Instructions? Like what? Point gun at head. Pull trigger?

Anonymous said...

What is up with those Dr. Z commercials? I saw it at least once, if not twice, during every commercial break last night while watching the news. It drives me crazy.

Anonymous said...

Amen!! As long as librarians keep allowing themselves to work for peanuts then the salaries will stay sucky. Why do other professions with masters degrees command such high salaries, but we're expected to be "civil servants"? I ain't being nobody's servant, baby!!

Mach10 said...

http://del.icio.us/annoyedlibrarian/library_jobs_that_suck

'Nuf said.

Mach10 said...

That last part should be 'suck' -- it cut the end of the address off for some suspicious reason.

Nacho said...

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Nacho said...

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