archivist interview questions

Be completely honest and thoughtful with this one. You dont want to wake up one to find out that youre moving to a new city or state and it may be a major factor in your eligibility for employment. But again, if you dont want to move then the job probably isnt for you.

Bad Answer: Candidate is unprepared for question or only gives generic answers. This is the most common job interview question – everybody should be expecting it. If they dont seem prepared, or give a fairly stock answer, its probably a bad sign. Good answer: The consensus is to go for quality, not quantity here. Candidates should give a short list of strengths, and back each one up with examples that illustrate the strength. Also, they should explain how these strengths will be useful in the job youre applying for, and use this question to say something interesting about themselves.

The first thing you should do is discuss experience you have the interviewer is unfamiliar with. Once that is detailed, tell the person conducting the interview that you are able to learn new tasks and information in a reasonable period of time and possess a strong work ethic. However, only state this if you can live up to these expectations.

The employer would want to know that not only you can do the job but you can make the difference and bring significant contribution – Simple as that. No doubt that this is your time to perform and present yourself – You have to introduce/sell yourself to the interviewer. Prepare your answer based on your qualification, professional experience and what youve already achieved in your previous jobs. This is your time to express why you think that your professional abilities fit into the job and its requirements. Top 10 employment experience youd want to review: ☛ Companies you worked for with dates ☛ The positions youve held ☛ Key projects and responsibilities ☛ Achievements ☛ Coursework & continues education ☛ Expertise ☛ Tools you used (software, hardware) ☛ Knowledge of languages ☛ Engagement with customers and key industry leaders ☛ Team work you were involved (and your contribution)

Bad Answer: They dont have a good reason, or provide a generic answer, “I think it represents a great opportunity.” Good answer: One that shows theyve done research on the company, and are truly excited about specific things they can do at the job. This not only shows enthusiasm for the work and basic preparation skills, gives you clues about the cultural fit.

Another seemingly innocuous interview question, this is actually a perfect opportunity to stand out and show your passion for and connection to the company and for job As Digital Archivist. For example, if you found out about the gig through a friend or professional contact, name drop that person, then share why you were so excited about it. If you discovered the company through an event or article, share that. Even if you found the listing through a random job board, share what, specifically, caught your eye about the role.

Although this would seem like a simple question, it can easily become tricky. You shouldnt mention salary being a factor at this point As Digital Archivist. If youre currently employed, your response can focus on developing and expanding your career and even yourself. If youre current employer is downsizing, remain positive and brief. If your employer fired you, prepare a solid reason. Under no circumstance should you discuss any drama or negativity, always remain positive.

Conflict resolution, problem solving, communication and coping under pressure are transferable skills desired by many employers As Digital Archivist. Answering this question right can help you demonstrate all of these traits. ☛ Use real-life examples from your previous roles that you are comfortable explaining ☛ Choose an example that demonstrates the role you played in resolving the situation clearly ☛ Remain professional at all times – you need to demonstrate that you can keep a cool head and know how to communicate with people

Of course youre a team player – who isnt. But a simple yes probably isnt the response the interviewer is looking for. Be ready to provide specific example of how youve worked as part of a cohesive team to get things accomplished and how youve focus on team performance rather than individual performance. Make sure not to brag as this will make it appear as that youre more concerned about your own performance and accomplishments than those of the team.

Bad Answer: No solid answer, answers that dont align with what the job actually offers, or uninspired answers that show your position is just another of the many jobs theyre applying for. Good answer: The candidate has clear reasons for wanting the job that show enthusiasm for the work and the position, and knowledge about the company and job.

There isnt any right answer. Just make sure to make your response positive and true. A few good examples include: Your ability to solve complex problems, Your ability to work well on a team, Your ability to shine under pressure, Your ability to focus in chaotic situations, Your ability to prioritize and organize, Your ability to cut through the fluff to identify the real issues, Your ability to influence other positively. If your strength relates to the position in question that will be more beneficial – but again be honest, dont create a strength for yourself just because you think it will sound good.

Drinking at the water cooler together is not the best example. Think of how you can collaborate with teammates to generate new ideas, to create initiatives to impact the business success for the better (specifically in the department that youre applying for). For example, if youre applying to marketing, collaboration could mean discussing new ways of social media advertising to reach an audience of over a million people to strengthen the brand awareness of the company.

Companies ask this for a number of reasons, from wanting to see what the competition is for you to sniffing out whether youre serious about the industry. “Often the best approach is to mention that you are exploring a number of other similar options in the companys industry,”. It can be helpful to mention that a common characteristic of all the jobs you are applying to is the opportunity to apply some critical abilities and skills that you possess. For example, you might say I am applying for several positions with IT consulting firms where I can analyze client needs and translate them to development teams in order to find solutions to technology problems.

Understand that companies invest a lot of money into hiring the right staff. You want to emphasize that you are in it for the long run and you want to develop a career there and that its not just a “5 month stepping stone” type of a job. You should be thinking how youre going to grow with that company. After all, dont you want to invest your energy and time with a company that is going to continue to be successful and one that will help you grow?

If youre not, then say youre not. Dont lie about it just to get the job. Theres no point if you wont move for the job anyway and lying is unethical. If you are open to relocation As Digital Archivist, let them know which areas youd be willing to relocate to.

Here you need to give strong reasons to your interviewer to select you not others. Sell yourself to your interviewer in interview in every possible best way. You may say like I think I am really qualified for the position. I am a hard worker and a fast learner, and though I may not have all of the qualifications that you need, I know I can learn the job and do it well.”

What your interviewer is really trying to do with this question-beyond identifying any major red flags-is to gauge your self-awareness and honesty. So, “I cant meet a deadline to save my life As Digital Archivist” is not an option-but neither is “Nothing! Im perfect!” Strike a balance by thinking of something that you struggle with but that youre working to improve. For example, maybe youve never been strong at public speaking, but youve recently volunteered to run meetings to help you be more comfortable when addressing a crowd.

Be positive and nice about their competitors but also discuss how they are better than them and why they are the best choice for the customer. For example: “Company XYZ has a good product, but I truly believe your company has a 3-5 year vision for your customer that aligns to their business needs.”

You can learn on the job, through books and magazines, through social networks, blogs, seminars, mentors and so on. Continuous improvement is important because the one thing in life that is constant is change. And you have to continue to push yourself day in and day out to be the best.

If you have a professional network, discuss it detail (# of contacts, people you know, their positions and what youve learned from them or how youve worked with them). If you dont have one, discuss how you would develop one (career fairs, networking events for that industry, through your existing friends, etc)

The #1 rule of answering this question is doing your research on what you should be paid by using site like Global Guideline. Youll likely come up with a range, and we recommend stating the highest number in that range that applies, based on your experience, education, and skills. Then, make sure the hiring manager knows that youre flexible. Youre communicating that you know your skills are valuable, but that you want the job and are willing to negotiate.

Make sure you do your research on their competitors. You can find this by going to yahoo finance and click on their competitors (if they are public). From there research the news on them and go to their websites to understand their positioning on solutions and vision. You can also research local regional companies that are their competition (if its a smaller private company on a regional scale) by simply typing in similar product offerings in the Google search followed by the city. Make sure you know their competitors vision, products, culture, and how they are differentiated against their competition (and if theyre not, how they could be)

This question presents an excellent opportunity for you to discuss your education, qualifications and personal traits. You might say something like “I studied property management as well as behavior during my college years and I have two years experience in real estate. I can gauge the homes or apartments in which clients will be interested based solely upon the needs of their families. Finally, my organizational skills will allow me to schedule appointments or showings confidently and arrive for them punctually.” This shows your interviewer that you have all of the skills necessary to become successful not only for yourself, but also for your employer.

I believe my biggest weakness As Digital Archivist is wanting to help anyone I can help. What I mean is I am willing to take on task that are not my job. I want to learn all I can. However, that has helped me get promoted or even asked to help in times of need in other department. I have been know as the “go to person” when help is needed.

This is a loaded question and a nasty little game that you will probably lose if you answer first. So, do not answer it. Instead, say something like, thats a tough question. Can you tell me the range for this position? In most cases, the interviewer, taken off guard, will tell you. If not, say that it can depend on the details of the job. Then give a wide range.

Dont say anything that could eliminate you from consideration for the job. For instance, “Im slow in adapting to change” is not a wise answer, since change is par for the course in most work environments. Avoid calling attention to any weakness thats one of the critical qualities the hiring manager is looking for. And dont try the old “Im a workaholic,” or “Im a perfectionist.

This is a classic guesstimate question where you need to think aloud. And so first off you round the U.S. population to 300 million people (its actually about 315 million but rounding will be much easier and your interviewer will not score you lower for rounding). Then estimate how many people eat pizza. A decent educated guess is two out of every three people, or 200 million. Now lets say the average pizza-eating person eats pizza twice a month, and eats two slices at a time. Thats four slices a month. If the average slice of pizza is perhaps six inches at the base and 10 inches long, then the slice is 30 square inches of pizza. So, four pizza slices would be 120 square inches (30 times 4). Since one square foot equals 144 square inches (12 times 12), lets assume that each person who eats pizza eats one square foot per month. Since there are 200 million pizza-eating Americans, 200 million square feet of pizza are consumed in the U.S. each month. To summarize: 300 million people in America, 200 million eat pizza, average slice of pizza is six inches at the base and 10 inches long or 30 square inches, average American eats four slices of pizza a month, four pieces times 30 square inches equals 120 square inches (one square foot is 144 square inches), so lets assume one square foot per person, and thus one square foot times 200 million people equals 200 million square feet of pizza a month.

Be honest. If you really want the job and are willing to work any schedule needed, say so. If, however, you have no intention of working late hours or weekends, simply let the interviewer know the hours that you are available to work. The same applies to extra hours. You are more likely to be hired if you are willing to work any time you are needed. However, saying that you are willing and then complaining about the hours once you start working is a recipe for disaster.

Never ask Salary, perks, leave, place of posting, etc. regarded questions. Try to ask more about the company to show how early you can make a contribution to your organization like. “Sir, with your kind permission I would like to know more about induction and developmental programs?” OR Sir, I would like to have my feedback, so that I can analyze and improve my strengths and rectify my shortcomings.

Start by explaining what youd need to do to get ramped up. What information would you need? What parts of the company would you need to familiarize yourself with? What other employees would you want to sit down with? Next, choose a couple of areas where you think you can make meaningful contributions right away. (e.g., “I think a great starter project would be diving into your email marketing campaigns and setting up a tracking system for them.”) Sure, if you get the job, you (or your new employer) might decide theres a better starting place, but having an answer prepared will show the interviewer where you can add immediate impact-and that youre excited to get started.

This is a toughie, but one you can be sure youll be asked. Definitely keep things positive-you have nothing to gain by being negative about your past employers. Instead, frame things in a way that shows that youre eager to take on new opportunities and that the role youre interviewing for is a better fit for you than your current or last position. For example, “Id really love to be part of product development from beginning to end, and I know Id have that opportunity here.” And if you were let go? Keep it simple: “Unfortunately, I was let go,” is a totally OK answer.

Almost everyone has an emotional moment related to work at some point – youre not alone. The key is to learn why you reacted that way and to focus not on the problem but HOW to resolve it. Another key component is to be aware of your emotional response so that you can learn to control it in the future in a calm way.

Any candidate can read and regurgitate the companys “About” page. So, when interviewers ask this, they arent necessarily trying to gauge whether you understand the mission-they want to know whether you care about it. Start with one line that shows you understand the companys goals, using a couple key words and phrases from the website, but then go on to make it personal. Say, “Im personally drawn to this mission because…” or “I really believe in this approach because…” and share a personal example or two.

Think of 3 major achievements that youd like to accomplish in your job when all is said and done – and think BIG. You want to show you expect to be a major contributor at the company. It could be creating a revolutionary new product, it could be implementing a new effective way of marketing, etc.

My friends would probably say that Im extremely persistent – Ive never been afraid to keep going back until I get what I want. When I worked as a program developer, recruiting keynote speakers for a major tech conference, I got one rejection after another – this was just the nature of the job. But I really wanted the big players – so I wouldnt take no for an answer. I kept going back to them every time there was a new company on board, or some new value proposition. Eventually, many of them actually said “yes” – the program turned out to be so great that we doubled our attendees from the year before. A lot of people might have given up after the first rejection, but its just not in my nature. If I know something is possible, I have to keep trying until I get it.

Its time to pull out your old performance appraisals and bosss quotes. This is a great way to brag about yourself through someone elses words: “My boss has told me that I am the best designer he has ever had. He knows he can rely on me, and he likes my sense of humor.”

5 Archivist Interview Questions with Answers

An employer may ask this question to see how you would promote their archives and the work that you do. In your answer, try to show that you have experience with social media marketing or public relations. Explain what steps you would take to increase awareness of the archive’s resources and services.

Example: “I am passionate about preserving historical documents and records. I have been working as a freelance archivist for several years now, and my clients rave about my attention to detail and ability to organize large collections. In fact, many of them continue to hire me because they know I will do an excellent job every time.”

Example: “I find that I am most productive when working continuously throughout the day, rather than in batches. This allows me to stay focused on my work and complete it more quickly. However, if there is a large volume of materials to be organized, I will break up the project into smaller tasks so I can still maintain my productivity.”

Example: “There is no set schedule for updating preservation techniques because it depends on the materials being preserved. For example, I recently worked with a collection of photographs from the 1960s. At that time, photographers used different chemicals than they do now, so we had to find ways to remove those chemicals without damaging the photos. We also have to consider the environment when deciding whether or not to update our techniques.”

Answering archivist interview questions can be daunting, but if you come prepared with thoughtful answers, you’ll be one step closer to landing the job. In this guide, you’ll find common interview questions and answers for archivists. You’ll also learn what employers are looking for in candidates and what skills you need to succeed in this career.

A blog for the SAA Students and New Archives Professionals (SNAP) Section of SAA

Ask an Archivist Question:

I am applying for an archivist job this week. I am trying to do research to prepare myself. What questions do employers in this profession usually ask? Do they dwell on the different systems that use such as XML and markup language? I can use any and all advice in this matter!

Ask an Archivist Answers:

This is likely to vary among institutions, but I would focus on learning about the organization itself and consider how you as a person and professional would fit into the mission and direction of the archival organization itself. Consider bringing a portfolio of examples of work that demonstrates how you have employed various technical skills. We can help someone with documented skills to fit into our technical environment and learn the particulars of “the way we do the things we do”.

More important to us in an interview is whether a candidate has really taken time to find out what our organization is about, what kinds of records we have, what services we provide, and what our institutional direction and values are–and can talk about how he/she would fit into that. Why do you want to work in the type of repository we are (whether it is a university, historical society, government, etc)? Why do you want to work with us in particular? Conversely, why would we want you to work with us? What excites you about what we do? How can you be a positive and productive part of helping us to serve our constituents?

Lots of people have the training and technical framework for doing a job–what sets a candidate apart for me is when they have learned enough about our institution to know that it is a place where he/she can fit in and contribute and it is a positive choice, not just a chance to get some job, any job.

Here are some sample questions from a long-ago interview:

1. What interests you most about this job? 2. Describe your collection processing experience. 3. What is the most interesting special collections project you have worked on? 4. What experience do you have with creating webpages? 5. What experience do you have working with digital collections? 6. Can you describe your familiarity with cataloging standards, such as MARC/EAD/DACS? 7. Technology background and experience? 8. What experience do you have supervising others? 9. What aspect of supervision do you find most difficult? 10. What classes did you find most interesting in graduate school? 11. What do you consider to be your strengths for this position? Your weaknesses?

In a job interview the potential employer will ask you a variety of questions related to your stated qualifications (from your cover letter and resume), and to the expectations of the job. One question might pertain to your knowledge of systems (the OPAC, the scanner software, or databases) used in that particular job setting. They will probably ask situational questions too …. Like “what would you do if…” or “tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult patron.” Also, be prepared for “where do you see yourself in 5 years?”

To help you prepare for your Archivist interview, here are 25 interview questions and answer examples.

Archivist was written by Rachelle Enns and updated on January 15th, 2018. Learn more here.

Archivist, Curator & Museum Worker Job Interview Questions & Answers

During a job interview, the hiring manager wants to discuss several things. Think of your:

Below you find a list of commonly asked interview questions.

FAQ

How do you interview for an archivist?

1. What interests you most about this job?
2. Describe your collection processing experience.
3. What is the most interesting special collections project you have worked on?
4. What experience do you have with creating webpages?
5. What experience do you have working with digital collections?

What are the qualities of a good archivist?

• To be methodical, with strong attention to detail.
• Good communication skills to supervise staff.
• An interest in history and the management of information.
• Research skills to find out about the background of materials.
• Initiative, to find ways to make information more accessible to users.

What skills are needed to be a archivists?

What do archivists do daily?