I wanted to add some more tips as someone who has made it through the 
process  successfully.

You have to be very careful that you follow the instructions to the 
tiniest detail, this also includes details like salary histories and 
social security number on every page of your application.  Read the fine 
print, they really want alot that no sane person would want to dig 
through, it is the federal government after all.... (I think there are 
some tip pages on the USA jobs site on some of this as well)

Never leave a KSA (knowledge, skills ability) empty. Ever. Put 
something, even if it is just a statement of familiarity with a subject 
matter.  They see an empty one, they throw you out. remember they are 
getting at least a couple hundred for each opening, they are looking for 
reasons to throw you out.

Many of the announced jobs are already expected to filled with someone 
internal, and current federal employees and veterans will  get 
preference,  so dont take being ignored personally.

The descriptions are very vague for museum technician positions.  
Include every little thing you have ever done that is remotely 
applicable, you never know what they are looking for. Really dumb down 
your descriptions, and make sure to use as many exact words as possible 
from the job announcement.

They get alot of mail. I got an interview after I faxed my application. 
If you can't fax, use priority mail, regular envelopes can get lost or 
even thrown out due to security concerns, etc.

Most of all, when in doubt, too much is better. The application that got 
me in was a nightmare to write, it was an excercise in overkill. I think 
it was 10 or 12 pages.

That is all I can think of right now, I hope this helps.

Elizabeth Walton
www.clotheslinejournal.com







Felicia Pickering wrote:

>A few points, some echoing what others have said.
>
>First, not to be discouraging, but jobs at the Smithsonian are scarce as
>budgets are tight, and there may be more than 100 applicants for many jobs.
>
>Be prepared for the fact that the initial screening will be done by someone
>in Personnel who may or may not have any particular knowledge of the job or
>what it really requires to do it.  Part of your job in properly filling out
>the application paperwork will be to make it through this initial screening.
>Be sure to carefully read the job announcement and the selective factors and
>quality ranking factors.  Tailor each application you make to the specific
>job. It may sound obvious, but try to insert words used in the job
>announcement into your application.  If the job is for a curatorial
>assistant, even though you may have listed on your resume that you interned
>in X museum in x department, it is better not only to mention the internship
>but to add, for example, that as part of it you assisted registration and
>curatorial staff with putting on an exhibit, just so the words "assisted"
>and "curatorial", can be seen by the personnel screener. If a Selective
>Factor says: "Knowledge of museum practices and procedures", and you have
>not yet actually worked in a museum, then specifically highlight aspects of
>your educational, internship or volunteer experiences that could have given
>you that knowledge. 
>
>As others have pointed out in general advice to people looking for jobs in
>the museum field, the more experience you have, the better off you are, but
>the experience does *not* have to be in comparable paid positions.
>Internships and volunteer employment in museums *will* be really helpful in
>getting you considered for any job, Smithsonian or not. Most Smithsonian
>offices are overworked and understaffed, so they want someone who will be
>able to hit the ground running.  Previous experience of any kind in the
>museum world will be considered a real plus. 
>
>Finally, if you make it past the initial screening process, your application
>will be reviewed by the person actually doing the hiring. Again, it may
>sound obvious, but make sure the application is neat, grammatical, and
>without obvious spelling mistakes. Don't use fancy fonts or try to be too
>clever. If your application is succinct and readable, you will already have
>gone a long way toward impressing the (usually very busy) person having to
>slog through a number of applications.
>
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