On Wed, Mar 31, 2010 at 2:39 PM, Lauren Hundley <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> This is all good information. I have a Master's Degree in Museology, and my BA is double, in, Humanties/Art History, and I'm currently applying in several locations. Are you able to provide a sample of what museums are looking for in a resume?

As a reader of resumes, employers are looking for first what you have
done. Degrees are secondary unless you are applying for an academic
position. With some positions getting over 100 applications, you need
your resume and cover letter to stand out quickly. This is not done
with fancy fonts or cutesy language. (i.e. you are an educator not a
"learning enabler".)  I have read multiple page resumes that have said
nothing even though the person covered 10 years of work history.
Quantify everything. Don't just say that you coordinated volunteers.
Say how many volunteers for how many hours and what types of programs
or work. Did you work with a collection? How many objects? What type?
How much was it worth? What did you do? Did you create anything new or
do something in an innovative way? Did you make things more efficient,
write a procedures' manual, or train other staff or volunteers to do
something? If so, how much time did your new procedures save, how many
people use your manual or how many people did you train? How much
money did you bring in or how much did you increase attendance? What
kind of budget did you work with? Did you receive special praise from
museum superiors or an outside group? What makes you unique from all
the other people applying for the job that have just as much education
and work experience as you do?

Also, don't make me hunt for the information that I need. If you are
applying for a collections position, highlight that work. Put that
part of your work history first under each job entry. Restate this in
your cover letter. Put other related work next but don't limit your
resume to just one type of work. I want to see that you are
well-rounded and flexible. Leadership or project management experience
is always a bonus regardless of when and where you did it. Tweak each
resume for the specific position for which you are applying. Sometimes
this means just rearranging the order of items under each job listing.
Sometimes it means rewriting the whole resume in another format.

When you are all done. Let your resume sit for at least a few hours
and then read it over again. Send it, your cover letter and the job
announcement to at least 3 friends and have them look at it. Rewrite
and send it off to them again. After a few rounds of this when
everyone seems to agree on the major points, then send it off to the
employer. I'll excuse one minor mistake because we all make them and
we don't always catch them but more than that and I start getting
really critical.

Good luck!

Deb

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