I haven't read all of the postings on this thread, but I have an important
word of advice along the lines of Laura Mahoney's post. Before you take a
job at a major institution, especially if it is not exactly what you are
looking for, find out what the policy is about changing jobs within the
institution. Some of the major museums across the country have internal
policies that regulate job hopping. You may take a job just to get your foot
in the door and find that you can't apply for another job, at the same
museum, for at least a year.

Best of luck!

-Shana O'Hara
Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art
Newark, NJ



>
>I was going to pass on responding to this since this thread appears on
>MUSEUM-L
>on a regular basis, but I guess I couldn't resist any longer...
>
>Speaking from years of experience, getting a job in a museum in the
>Washington,
>D.C. area is next to impossible.  I graduated the George Washington
>University
>in 1996 with my Master's in museum studies.  I had very high grades, lots
>of
>good internship experience and good connections (most of my teachers worked
>for
>the Smithsonian).  Unfortunately none of that helped much.
>
>Jobs at the Smithsonian especially are few and far between.  Competition is
>fierce for those jobs that do occasionally open up. The application process
>at
>the Smithsonian and other quasi-Federal agencies (National Park Service,
>Holocaust Museum, etc.) takes a minimum of 3 months.  The typical time you
>can
>expect to wait is closer to 6 months or longer.  I started applying for
>Smithsonian jobs a full year before I graduated.  Consider yourself lucky
>if you
>EVER get a response back.
>
>I made the mistake of taking the first job I was offered at the
>Smithsonian.  My
>job was in sponsored research.  I thought that I could get my foot in the
>door
>and that it would lead to other jobs at the Smithsonian.  Unfortunately I
>quickly got typecast as a "grants person" and found even getting considered
>for
>collection related jobs more difficult than before.
>
>After two years at the Smithsonian I thought that I'd have a better shot of
>getting a collections job if I left the Smithsonian.  I was fortunate that
>a
>consultant position opened up at the National Park Service.  I had been an
>intern at the National Park Service while in graduate school.  That job let
>to
>my current permanent government position, also at the National Park
>Service.
>Even though I'm still doing grants, the grants I work with now are much
>closer
>to my academic background than those I was working on at the Smithsonian.
>What
>can I say -- sometimes it really does depend on who you know.
>
>I guess the lesson in all of this is to keep plugging along.  Getting a job
>in
>D.C. is not easy and may take you a LONG time.  Believe me, if it wasn't
>for my
>husband I would have left this area a LONG time ago.  Don't settle for any
>old
>job at the Smithsonian (or any large organization) thinking that you can
>work
>your way into the position you really want.  The Smithsonian is much bigger
>than
>people realize.  More than likely you'll get typecast and people will
>forget
>that you have other skills beyond your current position.
>
>Good luck!
>
>Laura
>
>* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
>Laura M. Mahoney
>Heritage Preservation Services
>National Park Service
>[log in to unmask]
>
>____________________Reply Separator____________________
>Subject:    Re: job openings?
>Author: Sarah Spreitzer <[log in to unmask]>
>Date:       2/16/00 10:55 AM
>
>Dear All,
>
>I am a student, currently completing my masters, who is also looking for
>a museum job in D.C. starting around May.  If anyone has any advice
>regarding
>this could you please reply to me also or post to the list-serv.
>I have been checking the AVISO, MERC and the Washington Post on a daily
>basis.
>Are there any other hints for finding a job in D.C. or at the
>Smithsonian, especially in collections?  And does anyone know how long
>the application process at the Smithsonian takes?
>
>- Sarah Spreitzer
>
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