You're preparing for a Library Services Assistant interview. What are the most important questions to expect?

1 Your motivation and interest

One of the first questions you'll likely face is why you want to work as a Library Services Assistant and what attracted you to the specific library or organization. This is your chance to show your enthusiasm and passion for libraries and their role in the community. You should research the library's mission, vision, values, and services and explain how they align with your own goals and interests. You should also mention any relevant skills, experience, or education you have that make you a suitable candidate for the position.

2 Your knowledge and skills

Another common question is how familiar you are with the library's policies, procedures, and systems. You should demonstrate that you have a basic understanding of how the library operates and what your responsibilities would be as a Library Services Assistant. You should also highlight any specific skills or knowledge you have that are relevant to the role, such as computer literacy, customer service, communication, organization, or problem-solving. You can use examples from your previous work, volunteer, or academic experiences to illustrate your skills and abilities.

3 Your customer service and communication

As a Library Services Assistant, you'll be interacting with patrons, staff, and other stakeholders on a daily basis. You'll need to provide friendly, helpful, and professional service and communicate effectively in various situations. You should expect questions that test your customer service and communication skills, such as how you would handle a difficult or angry patron, how you would answer a reference or information request, how you would deal with a conflict or complaint, or how you would promote the library's programs and resources. You should use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to describe how you handled similar scenarios in the past and what outcomes you achieved.

4 Your teamwork and collaboration

Working as a Library Services Assistant also requires teamwork and collaboration with other library staff and departments. You'll need to cooperate, coordinate, and support each other to ensure the smooth and efficient functioning of the library. You should anticipate questions that assess your teamwork and collaboration skills, such as how you would work with others on a project, how you would share information and feedback, how you would resolve a disagreement or misunderstanding, or how you would adapt to different working styles or personalities. You should use examples from your previous work, volunteer, or academic experiences to show how you collaborated with others and what results you accomplished.

5 Your challenges and strengths

Finally, you'll probably face some questions that explore your challenges and strengths as a Library Services Assistant. You should be honest and realistic about your areas of improvement and how you're working on them. You should also emphasize your strengths and how they benefit the library and the patrons. You should avoid being too humble or too arrogant and instead focus on being confident and positive. You can use examples from your previous work, volunteer, or academic experiences to demonstrate your challenges and strengths and how you overcame or leveraged them.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?