It seems like, as Deb says, every 6 months we get the "how do I get a job"
and every 6 months, the old-timers whine about it. And we brainstorm what to
do and nothing seems to work. So we delete and whine.

The reason for all this is that this list serve has become the major forum
for museum people (or is there a bigger one?). If you want to reach us, this
is an extremely easy way to do, to advertise job openings or to ask for a
job. I'm personally happy that not more vendor types use the list for Spam.
But this is a price of the list serve's success and a reflection of the
overall quality of the list. And for many of us who sit in a museum with
only one or two peers, it's a welcome place for comradery (sp?) and support.

So since certain members are invoking science into our ghost story telling
(and I stayed quiet since my interpretation of Occam's Razor as taught to me
by "Contact" might not be good enough to support superstition), let's get
some facts into this debate:

How successful are the "I need a job" posts? Who has found a job or a staff
person through one of these? If most of the people who post those get jobs,
well, here's my posting. Just kidding- but, if these posts result regularly
in gainful employment and happiness for employer and employee, then as
annoying as they are, they are useful and we should just live through it. If
they aren't successful, then perhaps that should be part of the FAQ that not
only will you annoy alot of people, but you won't get a job.

I would think we could get a good idea based on the yeas (yeah, I know,
increased list traffic, but it might be worth it for a few days to but the
matter to rest) to the success of the posts.

I can say, I have responded twice to "I need a job" posts asking for resumes
and both times the people did not get to the interview stage.


Pamela Feltus
Curator
National Museum of American Jewish Military History
1811 R Street NW, Washington DC 20009
202-265-6280 x201

www.nmajmh.org


> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Martinson [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2002 1:07 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Job seekers
>
>
> Deb --
>
> Great idea!  Thanks!
>
> Especially FAQ's (and excuse me if I repeat some that are
> already there)
> could also cover other areas and topics that are not listed,
> but important
> to newbies or oldies on specific topics in more detail or
> accessibility such
> as:
>
> 1.  Where to look on the Internet for museum jobs.
> 2.  What kind of positions are there in museums?
> 3.  What type of experience must a person have to work in a museum?
> 4.  What type of salary can I expect?
> 5.  Samples of resumes and cover letters; available resources on the
> internet to help you put a resume together
> 6.  How to do an interview for a museum position
> 7.  What sources on the web are available for looking for funding?
> 8.  The following are individuals on the list who would be a mentor
> 9.  A list of museums in America (or Canada or Europe) WITH
> homepages and
> street addresses
> 10.  Salary averages for people working in the museum field
> (with list of
> sites and resources such as "Salary Wizard" at Salary.com)
> For example, you put in "curator," what city you want and
> then another city
> you compare it too -- and it gives you averages between
> the two.   Then coming to the interview, you have some
> resources and know
> the salary base to start talking wages.
> 11.  Educational resources for museums
> 12.  Tips on Grant Writing
> 13.  Exhibit fabricators and development
> 14.  Conservation/Preservation issues
> 15.  Board and museum management issues
> 16.  The community and museums public image - Public Relations
> 17.  Branding -- making a name
> 18.  The small, rural museum -- How to get known and attract visitors
> 19.  How to develop a simple museum website; tools on the web
> 20.  Budget and long-range planning
> 21.  Organizational structure: chain of command at the typical museum
> 22.   Nonprofit management and the museum
> 23.  Legal issues for the museum and nonprofit organizations
> 24.  Networking and Partnerships in the Museum World
> 25.  Museology vs. education
> 26.  Is there anyone I can talk to about a specific question
> on museums
> (list of references)
> 27.  The Executive Director: Leadership and wearing many hats
> 28.  Tourism: Who is your visitor?
> 29.  Library, archives (photograph, textile, publications,
> etc.) issues.
> 30.  etc.  (I could go on...but don't want anyone to "delete" me.  ;o}
>
> Then as mentioned, when people receive an email from
> Museum-L, at the bottom
> could be a means to "click and go" to the FAQ resources; the
> seeker could
> then look for their subject or question.  All this, again is simply my
> humble opinion.....
>
> Too, lister's can also make an individual favorite
> file(s)----with websites,
> addresses, etc.  Put things at their/your fingertips.  I have
> my favorite
> list, but also have various "files" full of pages that
> provides me more
> detailed topics on the subjects above.
>
> Best, John
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Deb Fuller" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2002 10:25 PM
> Subject: Job seekers
>
>
> > I've been on and off this list since like 1996 (yeesh, that
> seems like a
> long
> > time) and I think it is a valuable resource for the newbies
> coming into
> the
> > museum field (if for nothing else than to burst their
> little bubbles of
> ever
> > hoping to work in museums. ;) I've also seen the "I need a
> job thread"
> come and
> > go about every 6 months - ironically timed around upcoming
> December and
> May
> > graduations.
> >
> > While I'd hate to see the list go really hard-nosed about
> posting seeking
> jobs,
> > there are a hell of a lot of resources out there for job seekers,
> including my
> > now legendary "How to Get a Job in the Museum Field" list.
> >
> > Why not put a link to a museum job FAQ in the initial
> welcome message that
> is
> > sent out when someone joins the list. Put it in bold with
> large blinky
> letters
> > so that people will read it and hopefully get some of the routine
> questions
> > answered. Sure there will be those who don't read and still
> post, but at
> least
> > we can all then send them PRIVATE e-mail messages telling
> them to go read
> the
> > Museum-L FAQ.
> >
> > I had always thought that trolling for jobs was no-no on
> this list, at
> least
> > for etiquette sake lest the list become filled with nothing
> but "Does
> anyone
> > have a job for me?" posts. (Not to mention that it just
> makes me want to
> smack
> > the sender as a cursary web-search on museum jobs will pull
> up any number
> of
> > sites on how to get a museum job in addition to job
> listings themselves.)
> >
> > And as an aside to Indigo, how about a compromise on your
> messages? Why
> not
> > make a weekly mentor posting with all your potential
> mentorees in one post
> > instead of individual messages? You could even post a
> little summary list
> of
> > the people in your message like in the digest version so
> that potential
> mentors
> > can see if there is anyone interested in their field before
> they read the
> whole
> > post. Likewise, you could do a weekly news summary of
> articles related to
> > museums. Hopefully this will appease the people out there
> who'd rather
> grumble
> > on the list than hit the delete key.
> >
> > Deb
> >
> > __________________________________________________
> > Do You Yahoo!?
> > Great stuff seeking new owners in Yahoo! Auctions!
> > http://auctions.yahoo.com
> >
> > =========================================================
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> >
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> =========================================================
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>
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> detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a
> one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The
> body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).
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=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).