Interview Questions

Are you preparing for an interview or just curious what questions are asked during interviews for school librarians?

SLMP has compiled a list of questions asked during actual interviews attended by SLMP alumni – Maria Navas, Nancy Brown, Julie Rohan, Lisa Nagy, and Latrice Ferguson

View the questions below or download the printable version: Interview Questions

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Why did you switch careers?

What do you envision yourself doing as a school librarian?

What ideas do you have to motivate reluctant readers?

How would you go about collaborating, especially with someone who is reluctant to collaborate?

Why do you want to work here?

Why did you leave a job you obviously enjoyed?

Are you sure, you want to work with elementary kids? Why?

What do you think your role in the school and curriculum should be?

What have you done previously that would help you in this position? — An online portfolio comes in very handy here!

What role do you think technology should play in the curriculum?

Is there anything online you would consider potentially embarrassing to you or the school district? — So be careful what you put online!

Why should we hire you over someone with previous teaching experience?

Why did you decide to become a librarian?

What technology skills could you bring to our school?

How would you handle a challenging student or parent in your library?

How would you differentiate a library lesson to meet the needs of all students?

Describe a lesson you have taught integrating technology into the curriculum? (Be as specific as you possibly can!)

What will I (the principal) see if I walk into your library?

Who is your favorite children’s author? (Sounds so simple, but when you are nervous it can throw you off!)

E-resources are clearly preferred by students.  Why should we (or should we not) still have books in our library?

A parent donates a copy of the Bible to the library.  How do you handle this when she insists it be included in the collection?

Describe your proficiency with technology. Last year we (the school) started a netbook initiative, so every student has a netbook.

Describe your management style; you will have a library assistant.

How would you prioritize spending in the library; how would you decide to spend money on this and not that?

How do you plan to collaborate with teachers when the library isn’t currently being used that way?

Be prepared to give a sample book talk which shows how you interact and communicate with students.