How to hire archivists

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Create and maintain accessible, retrievable computer archives and databases, incorporating current advances in electronic information storage technology.
• Direct activities of workers who assist in arranging, cataloguing, exhibiting, and maintaining collections of valuable materials.
• Establish and administer policy guidelines concerning public access and use of materials.
• Organize archival records and develop classification systems to facilitate access to archival materials.
• Prepare archival records, such as document descriptions, to allow easy access to information.
• Preserve records, documents, and objects, copying records to film, videotape, audiotape, disk, or computer formats as necessary.
• Provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials.
• Research and record the origins and historical significance of archival materials.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Master's degree]
• Strong reading comprehension, active listening, writing, speaking, active learning and critical thinking skills
• Working knowledge of history and archeology, English Language, customer and personal service and computers and electronics
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $31.03 an hour ($64,550 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for archivists

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

1. Tell me about a time you had to create and maintain accessible, retrievable computer archives and databases, incorporating current advances in electronic information storage technology. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to direct activities of workers who assist in arranging, cataloguing, exhibiting, and maintaining collections of valuable materials. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to establish and administer policy guidelines concerning public access and use of materials. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to organize archival records and develop classification systems to facilitate access to archival materials. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
6. Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
7. Describe something important you wrote at work, such as a report, notes or an email. Who read it and what happened next?
8. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

What archivists do

• Create and maintain accessible, retrievable computer archives and databases, incorporating current advances in electronic information storage technology.
• Direct activities of workers who assist in arranging, cataloguing, exhibiting, and maintaining collections of valuable materials.
• Establish and administer policy guidelines concerning public access and use of materials.
• Organize archival records and develop classification systems to facilitate access to archival materials.
• Prepare archival records, such as document descriptions, to allow easy access to information.
• Preserve records, documents, and objects, copying records to film, videotape, audiotape, disk, or computer formats as necessary.
• Provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials.
• Research and record the origins and historical significance of archival materials.

Skills that matter most

Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningWritingSpeakingActive LearningCritical ThinkingHistory and ArcheologyEnglish LanguageCustomer and Personal ServiceComputers and Electronics

Education, experience and outlook for archivists

• Typical education to start: Master's degree (BLS)
• Related work experience most have: 1 to 2 years (O*NET)
• Job outlook: +3.4% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 1,100 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay archivists

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

See archivists pay in every state

Related hiring guides

• Librarians and Media Collections Specialists
• Historians
• Curators
• Computer Occupations, All Other
• Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary
• Social Science Research Assistants
• Museum Technicians and Conservators
• Statistical Assistants
• Anthropologists and Archeologists
• Library Technicians

Job duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.