Candace: 

You make a good point. It seems the competition for entry level jobs is 
fierce, no matter what one's age or gender. I don't think our profession 
does enough to a) adequetly train new profesisonals and b) strive to pay a 
living wage. 

(Warning rant ahead)Some Museum Studies programs do students a terrible 
disservice by enticing them without helping them examine the realities of 
the job market or helping students understand that their undergraduate 
museum studies courses can't compete with other candidates' graduate level 
courses and degrees. 

One graduate but non-credit(!) certificate program, nameless but in my 
fair metropolitan area, entices students with three courses and seems to 
promise these are all one needs for a senior management job in a museum! 
The courses cover "Museum Origins & Missions", "Successful Museum 
Management in Today’s Environment", and "Education for Museum Visitors". 
Exhibitions are covered in an optional two day course and collections 
addressed not at all. A student with this certificate may be competing 
against students from programs that offer an MA degree in museums studies 
after a full-time two year program. 

All I'm saying is that this is still a buyer beware with out the benefit 
of Ralph Nadar. 

Rant #2: I don't think employer myopia toward age is a museum only problem 
but, as mission driven institutions, one would like to think we could 
overcome this bias. I'd like to see more sessions at professional 
conferences that address human resource issues. Let's encourage our HR 
departments to submit session proposals and help educate those 
administrators in organizations not fortunate enough to have a trained HR 
staff member. 

Caveat #1: as a long term professional, I have been fortunate to make 
steady progress through my career and do not believe my advacing age has 
hindered me. I did experience the opposite once. I was in my late 30s and, 
during an initial interview for a director position at an historical 
museum, had a board member comment on my youth as it related to my ability 
to do the job. I had 10 years of professional museum experience by that 
point and reminded him of the fact. I didn't get the job.

Caveat #2: Sometimes it's personality and presentation as much or more 
than experience that gets one hired. Not that I think the original poster 
has a problem in this area but a professional coach can prepare a job 
candidate for an important interview by helping develop subtle skills that 
help one make the best possible impression on a hiring manager. How you 
sit, how you answer questions, how you carry yourself are all evaluated by 
an interviewer and deserve as much attention as what you say in a cover 
letter. 

Ranting over.

Diane Gutenkauf
[log in to unmask]
disclaimer: My ideas are my own and do not reflect those of my employer or 
any organization with which I am affiliated. 

On Fri, 1 Sep 2006 09:55:02 -0400, Candace Perry 
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Indigo,  I don't know if this is obvious but is the individual applying 
for
>entry-level positions?  Though she had experience, was it some sort of
>progressively responsible experience?
>Do these same concerns apply to a long term museum professional seeking to
>change jobs, or is it because this individual was seeking what was more or
>less entry-level jobs?  And should that matter?
>Just ruminating.  It certainly is (frightening) food for thought.
>

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