It wasn’t so long ago that I was striving to find a job at a library, but already I’m on the other end of the process. I am part of a screening committee at work to hire a new library assistant, and yesterday we began interviewing candidates. I can’t help but feel bad for all of the applicants we rejected, and it’s even harder to interview people in person when you know only one of them will get the job. I still remember what it was like to hope so much to be hired, only to find out someone else was chosen instead.
Certainly I know that I have nothing to feel guilty about. My job is to help determine the best person for the job. There’s no reason the rest of the applicants won’t find something that will fit them even better somewhere else. And finally, we’re being a lot more courteous in handling the process than many of my past would-be employers have been. And I could tell some stories, there!
Still, it’s impossible not to empathize with every one of them–even the ones I only “meet” on paper. Especially because I know exactly how hard it is to get an entry level job in the library field right now.
It’s like going to the animal shelter. I can’t pick them all, but I sure want to! 
