33 Interview Questions to Ask a Library Assistant
When looking for a job as a library assistant, it’s important to show potential employers that you’re knowledgeable and well-organized. By being ready for common interview questions, you can show that you have the right skills and experiences for the job. Employers in the library field often ask about your experience and qualifications at your previous jobs. This article shows you how to answer some common interview questions for a library assistant.
General questions for a library assistant
The interviewer can learn more about you and why you want to be a library assistant by asking you these questions:
- Why did you decide to send in a job application?
- How would you describe yourself in three words?
- Tell me something about yourself.
- Aren’t you a member of this library?
- What do you value about our community?
- What book are you reading right now?
- Why is the library such an important part of the area?
- What’s your favorite book?
- What book genres do you enjoy?
- Why do you enjoy literature?
Ask the person helping you in the library about their background and experience.
The answers you give to these interview questions can help the interviewer learn more about your skills and past experiences:
- Do you know how to find things out?
- How good are you at talking to people?
- Have you ever worked with children or teens?
- Tell me about a time when you had to work with a difficult person.
- Tell me about a time you helped someone learn something.
- Can you pay attention and do what people tell you?
- Tell me about a time you helped someone.
- Tell me about a time when you did something on your own.
- When you have a problem, what do you do?
- Have you ever been in charge of a social media account?
In-depth questions for library helpers
The interviewer can get an idea of how you might do as a library assistant by asking you these questions:
- What would you do if someone in your neighborhood started acting badly?
- What do you do to stay motivated?
- How do you stay organized?
- What would you do if the library didn’t have a book that someone wanted?
- How would you get other people to enjoy reading?
- How would you get people interested in going to the library?
- Would you feel comfortable leading community activities or events?
- Need to learn how to organize?
- Are you willing to help people with simple computer questions?
- Know how to use a scanner?
Questions for a job interview to be a library assistant and examples of how to answer them
Use the answers to these interview questions as examples to help you think of your own:
Have you ever helped someone else?
This question is meant to find out if you have enough experience to be an assistant. They want to see if you are helpful and can do what they say. Talk about times you worked with a manager or helped a customer in your answer. Show that you can figure out what people need and are willing to help them.
Example: “When I worked at a bookstore, I was the main person who helped the manager. I was supposed to help her put orders in the book for customers and answer their questions. She liked how well I kept things in order, so she gave me the job of putting our new books on the shelves. I also learned how to count things and became responsible for doing that. I was glad I could place orders before something ran out.”
What are your skills that make you a good candidate for this job?
This question helps the interviewer figure out if you know what they do. They want you to show that you know how to do this kind of work. A good librarian’s assistant is well-organized, friendly, and knows a lot. You can use some of these skills and read the job description to find out what skills are needed for this role. When you talk about the skills they want, it shows that you are ready and able.
Example: “I decided to apply for this job because I saw that you were looking for someone who was friendly and good with technology. I used to teach computer classes, so I can help people understand technology and do many things on my own. I can type 75 words per minute and do some basic coding, which will help me keep the library’s website up to date.
I’m also a good fit for this job because I’m good at staying organized. I’m the kind of person who always carries a planner. This helps me remember dates and tasks that are important to me. I also know how to clean and organize my workspace. I’m sure I can put books away in an organized way by using the library’s system.”
How would you make people feel welcome in the library?
Everyone can feel like they belong in the library. The person who is interviewing you wants to know what ideas you can bring to the library. Make it clear that you want the library to be a fun place for readers of all ages. You could talk about some of the plans you have for activities or events.
Example: “First, I’d make sure to greet everyone who walked in. I think that noticing someone’s presence is a great way to make them feel welcome. I would offer to help a guest decide if I saw that they didn’t know what to pick or seemed confused. I know a lot about many different kinds of books, so I can suggest a wide range of them.
I would also set up more things for kids to do while reading. I think it’s important to get kids interested in reading at a young age. When I worked at a library two years ago, I made a story hour program. I made plans for people from different parts of the community to read books to the kids that were about sharing and including everyone. I can see that your library doesn’t have a program like this, so I’d like to help you start one.”
