Hi Ashley,
I totally understand what you are going through... I agree that it is a flawed system. It seems a matter of course for recent grads, in museum programs and elsewhere. You are definitely not alone. My strategy for getting past the wall of HR folks that don't know much about the job itself is as follows:
* Use "tag" words. Read through the job announcement and literally pull specific groups of words, verbatim, from the listing. Don't use any euphemisms... Be exact. This is super irritating, I know, but I've been told that a lot of HR departments literally count the number of tag words used in the applicant's cover letter or resume.
* Network as much as possible to hopefully meet the people in the museum departments that you wish to work. Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer!! If they know you and know your work ethic, perhaps they can "put a word in" HR to let them know that they should put your application aside, or look out for it to add to the interview pile. Folks I know (myself included) who have acquired decent museum jobs all began as volunteers or interns. We also went through months, if not years, of job searching... So be patient.
* Don't take it personally. Job searches are full of frustration and rejection. If you let it get you down, your bitterness will show and you don't want that to trump your skills and marketability.
It is unfortunate to have to jump through these hoops, but it looks like HR departments are only becoming more prominent as time goes on. Persistence pays in this situation. Keep your chin up, and you will find something eventually. Good luck!
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ashley Watson
Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2013 11:22 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Department of Human Resources
Hello all,
As I am continuing my frustrating job search since I graduated with M.A. in Museum Studies from Syracuse University in May 2012, one interesting detail that have come to my attention in my job search and analyzing why the actual evaluation of the potential applicants is flawed. Not just for the museums, but also for many fields, the department of human resources is the FIRST WALL in your path to a potential call up for an interview for any job you apply for. From my observations, the staff in that department tend to KNOW very little to absolutely NOTHING about any specific museum job and they are armed with the power to screen those?? According to my friends from the old days, they said it used to go straight to the APPROPRIATE person in the department that the job opening was created in, with the HIRING/FIRING power. I think that department of human resources is what it really hurt many of the qualified applicants like us here. Any thoughts on this? No, I am not giving up on my job search, I just need to bypass that wall by continuing to build on my professional connections with some important museum professionals armed with the power.
Thanks,
Ashley Watson
Exhibits/Collections Intern
Haggin Museum
Stockton, CA
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