A In an interview for a position in a
>museum, what are the best ways to handle it?  What points in my academic
>career should be accentuated?  What questions should I ask the
>interviewers when the interview is concluding?

1)  Don't lie about your background or career goals.  If you aren't really
interested in what the position is, don't fake an interest because you will
be wasting everyone's time.

2)  Accentuate whatever seems to be appropriate for the position in
question, again, without making more of any experience than you really had.

3)  Ask questions that give you more information about the position than has
been provided:  a good interviewer will not do the talking but will let you
talk about yourself, and will ask questions that are designed to tell
him/her what he/she needs to know, not always what you need to know.  Ask
about hours, working conditions, percent of time dealing with people vs.
dealing with books/objects/papers, etc., whatever will help YOU make a
decision whether or not you want the job if the interviewer hasn't offered
these details.  But only ask questions when the interviewer asks you to:
there is a definite structure to a good interview and you don't want to
upset it. And NEVER ask about benefits, raises, perks, upward mobility in
the museum, etc. at a first interview:  save it for the 2nd interview.  If
you want to show ambition, ask whether you will be able to do work relating
to your particular interests or research topics and if the museum will let
you submit papers etc. (assuming the position is academically oriented)

There are about a zillion "how to interview for a job" books at your public
or university library that can help you:  interviewing for a museum job is
no different.

Julia Moore
Indianapolis Art Center