I've been following this thread with great interest...not less because it is
a thread that has come up before.

When I was first getting out of graduate school, a friend (who introduced me
to the person who would later hire me) in The Profession reviewed my resume.
I had on it my Grad School experience and my years as a historic interpreter,
a year long library volunteer internship and a year long paid collections
management and research internship. One of the first things my friend told me
was that experience is experience is experience.  It doesn't matter, really,
if the job was volunteer or paid, internship or otherwise. The really
important thing is that you have had that experience and have the
qualifications that come from spending the time doing those things. There is
no real reason not to specify that career related work you've done was
volunteer.

Before I changed my resume, I got hired for a job that everyone knew was
going to be temporary. At my interview, the person hiring me told me that he
knew that I wanted to get into museums. He knew that this was not a good job.
But he also knew that it was the kind of job that could propel me into a
better job.  Which, in fact, it did. I am now on my third job after graduate
school (in less than two years). The second job came only two months after
the first, and there was only a week between the time that I heard the job
was open and the time I was hired.  This job came about through my
friend/mentor who, when an educator position opened up, mentioned me to the
director. My friend didn't get me the job...but he did get me the interview.
My current job was no less serendipitous. And again, connections didn't get
me the job, but they got me the interview.

My points:

1) Volunteering is a way to get into the field both because they introduce
you to people through whom you may hear about jobs and who can recommend you,
but also because they provide diversity of experience...which is the common
thread in all the posts on this thread.  Experience is experience. I still
haven't decided whether I agree with my friend that you shouldn't say that a
position was 'volunteer,' but I agree with his premise that All Experience
Counts.

2) Connections are great, but they are not enough. The only thing they can do
is get you an interview...at which time you have to shine and prove through
intelligent questions and answers that you are the right one for the job.
Half the time, chemistry between the interviewer and the interviewee is the
deciding factor -- if they don't like you as a person they are less likely to
want to have you as part of the staff.

Nuff from me. I would be interested in other thoughts about the resume
question: do you think that you need to mention that relevant work is an
internship or volunteer or paid? For those of you who are employers: Does it
make a difference to you?

Cheers!
Kristen

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