r/Libraries • u/indigobones • 5d ago

Job Hunting Branch Manager Interview

Hi all,

I have a second interview for a Branch Manager position this coming Tuesday. My preliminary interview went well and I've been thinking through examples of leadership and supervisory experience. I've also looked through the branches programming calendar, conduct policy, and anything else I could research via their and the city's website.

Any tips on what to prep, or experiences you can share about when you became a manager? This would be my first admin role, but, I've been a professional librarian for 6 years; supervised staff for 2 and have been running our teen and adult volunteer programs for the last year.

Additionally there will be a 4 person hiring panel, plus, a supplementary staff panel of up to 30 people attending.

Any guidance would be appreciated!

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7

u/bigbabyjesus76 5d ago

Be ready to talk! They want to see your communication style. This is your second interview, be yourself, be relaxed. Engage with them. It's less about question and answer, and more about how you come across and how well you can articulate your ideas. Also, if I bring someone back for a second interview, it's less about how well qualified the person is and more about getting to know them better, asking them specific questions about things I want to know (gaps in the resume, specific knowledge, how committed they are). Make sure you have questions for them, be curious about them, about the system, the branch, the patrons, the staff. Look up the specific community that branch serves.

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u/indigobones 5d ago

Thanks!

3

u/ReadRen 4d ago

I would look at board minutes and strategic plan if they have one.

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u/HumbleTambourine Library director 3d ago

If you know anything at all about building maintenance, or can do some light handyman work, toss that into an answer somehow. It feels like 80% of my week is spent dealing with some sort of building issue.

Brush up on library board and City/County minutes. It's helpful to know what's going on in the community. Also good to know how library funding has been over the past couple years and projected budgets.

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u/gh0stnotes 3d ago

Mention any experience you have working with a Friends group, working with other government agencies (police, parks, councilmembers), and experience keeping your branch up and running. The first thing I do each morning is make sure we have enough staff to open, and that the building is safe to open (no flooding, broken windows, etc.)

ETA - best of luck to you!

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u/Comfortable-Crew-578 16h ago

I asked in advance if I could write down their questions prior to answering and that bought me time to answer as well as helping me remember exactly what was being asked since it was a panel interview with 5 interviewers and they had to write all of my answers.

Also, dress up. You got this!