I wouldn't mind hearing about the qualifications of those people that
     are being hired.  I have applied for many jobs when I met the criteria
     listed in their posting.  Eventually I find out (from the ones that
     actually do recontact me)that, although I have exceptional
     qualifications, I don't fit that job as well as someone else or my
     qualifications aren't what they are looking for.  I would be
     interested to know just who is getting these jobs and how.
                Joseph Reed
                Fire Protection Publications Archives


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: "entry-level" job uproar
Author:  Robert Mac West <[log in to unmask]> at IMA
Date:    6/19/98 8:37 AM


Let me suggest a somewhat different tack to this never-ending string.  Perhaps
the analysis should not be of who is either not being hired or having
difficulty being hired but rather of who IS being hired - and people are being
hired by museums.  What talents, skills, experiences, expertises, etc. do they
have?  How might museum studies programs create more competitive candidates,
if there are perceptible differences?

The museum industry of 1998 is measurably different from when I first
encountered it in the early 60s.  The progressive museums (the survivors) are
hiring very different people from when I began.  There seems to be a message
there.

So, as a profession, let's not be training people to drive steam engines when
jets are the preferred mode of transportation.

Mac West
Informal Science, Inc.
Washington, DC