Manager Spotlight – Christopher Killheffer

Christopher Killheffer has been a longtime supporter of the New Haven Hiring Initiative (NHHI). We had a chance to talk with Chris about his current role, hobbies, and advice for job seekers.

Can you tell us about your career at Yale?

I often tell our temporary employees that I started at Yale working in a temporary position, doing exactly the kind of work temporary staff in our unit do now. I worked in various temp positions in the library system for more than two years when an interim managerial position opened up in the unit. I know that I got the chance to interview for that job because the team already knew me through my temp work experience. That interim position led to becoming the Evening/Weekend Supervisor at what is now the Bass Library, my first regular position at Yale. Over time, that supervisory role expanded to include oversight of operations at Sterling Memorial Library, and in 2009 I became the Associate Director for Access Services Operations. After serving as the Interim Director of Access Services for a year, I took on a new role in 2019, with Director level responsibilities in Sterling, Bass, and the Library Collection Services unit, which is responsible for the Library Shelving Facility, the location for about three-quarters of Yale’s print collections.

What are some of the primary responsibilities in your current role?

My unit, Library Collection Services & Operations, is responsible for maintaining and providing access to nearly 12 million physical library items, including many books but lots of other types of material. We physically deliver materials between library locations, scan requested content for delivery electronically, and even ship materials to other institutions and people’s homes. My job as Director is to ensure that our operations and services are running well and continue to be responsive to the research community’s needs.

You are a great support of the New Haven Hiring Initiative, and many of your team members came through our program. What is your message to job seekers?

It took me more than two years to find the right long-term opportunity, so I advise staying patient and focused on your goal. It’s also really important to always do your absolute best in whatever assignment you currently have, whether it seems to offer long-term opportunities or not. Your current position might not be where you end up, but it is where you are building up that good reference you will need to land a long-term assignment elsewhere. That’s how a temporary position turns into a foot in the door.

Recently some of your temporary employees secured regular jobs at the University. Do you always encourage your temporary employees to pursue regular full-time jobs?

Three NHHI employees took on regular full-time jobs in my unit within the last six months, and two others who started in my department took on regular jobs elsewhere in the library. So we have had a lot of success placing people even just in the last year. I actively support NHHI employees in their search for longer-term work, sometimes letting them know about positions that are opening up and contacting hiring managers to encourage them to give NHHI employees in my unit an interview. From my perspective, NHHI is just a huge win-win, providing job opportunities to people in our community and bringing fantastic employees into our workplace.

As someone who conducted hundreds of interviews, can you share some tips for virtual interviewing?

My tips for virtual interviewing would be the same as for in-person interviews: first impressions count, so be sure you’re on time and ready to represent yourself with specific examples. The interview is where the hiring manager gets to know you, so paint a picture with your responses, giving plenty of detail to make that picture clear.