The aim of this master's thesis is to contribute knowledge on how the ideal applicant is constructed through subjective qualifications requested in job advertisements targeting public librarians, and how these constructions relate to a broader societal context. The empirical material consists of 40 job advertisements published online between December 2023 and February 2024, and is analysed using Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis and his three-dimensional model. The research questions, formulated in accordance with the dimensions text, discursive practice, and social practice, are: What personal qualities are requested in the advertisements and how are these expressed linguistically? What discourses are manifested through the subjective qualifications requested in today’s job advertisements? And: How can these discourses be understood in relation to contemporary demands and expectations on the profession? 

The textual analysis shows that the ideal applicant is constructed through a broad range of subjective qualifications, often expressed with a high degree of obligation. Five discourses underpinning these qualifications were identified: the relational discourse, the structure-oriented discourse, the development-oriented discourse, the pedagogical discourse, and the monitoring discourse. The results of the discursive practice analysis imply that the discourses are influenced by external texts, indicating a significant intertextual presence in the material. Lastly, the results from the social practice analysis indicate that the discourses correspond to different social, economic, digital, and ideological factors surrounding the profession. A notable result is that both the relational discourse and structure-oriented discourse can be seen as dominant, suggesting that the public librarian is positioned between two conflicting ideologies.