I've done this twice myself. I made appointments and found that both museum directors to whom I spoke were very happy to talk to me. Neither had a job for me, but both were helpful with encouragement and advice. Eventually, the second visit resulted in a project that led to another project that led to some contract work that led to a job. I also found networking at conferences to be very helpful. My very first museum job came about by being in the right place at the right time speaking to the right person; as did my current job. Good luck, Jerrie Jerrie Clarke Curator of Collections Valdez Museum http://www.alaska.net/~vldzmuse/index.html >From: Brooke Weissert <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Informational interviews >Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 16:16:22 -0500 >Please forgive this brief email relating to job searches. I have often been told to request informational interviews with organizations in which I am interested and am trying to use this method in my current job search. (I have arts/ museum/marketing/pr/development experience) For me I see it as an opportunity to make new contacts and get the word out (and my resume) to people in the field as much as a chance for me to better understand how to find a position with a not-for-profit arts organization. My concern is that I do not want to misuse the time of the person who is kind enough to allow me to come in and talk with them for 15-30 minutes. (In fact, I'm wondering if I should do this over the phone since people are so busy.) Is there any advice anyone wants to offer about the best information to try to glean from these brief informational meetings and how to be prepared to ask the right questions? Thank you. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).