Beating the interview: some hints

IN THE MODERN library profession, advancement and promotion often depend on selection interviews. It is argued that these favour candidates gifted with verbal facility and militate against those without the ‘gift of the gab’. In defence of the system, however, it must be remembered that today's librarians are communicators—ranging from the junior explaining why a book cannot be renewed, to the chief arguing with the library committee for increased resources. A librarian is no longer a book‐loving recluse. Successful performance in his job calls for communication, whether he is acting as readers adviser, staff manager, or library school lecturer. It is therefore perhaps not entirely unreasonable that the final stage in most staff selection processes should be a demonstration of the candidate's ability to think on his feet.