This topic does rear its head every few years. I don't know if things are getting harder, easier, or pretty much staying the same, but it's not an easy field to break into for most people. Especially if we've got museums studies programs churning out graduates at a much higher rate than jobs are opening. So under the what it's worth/my 2-cents clichés, I'll add my advice to the sound pieces already provided. Be Open. The job you don't want to apply for because it doesn't sound like anything your interested in just might turn out to be flexible enough to allow you to do things you really enjoy. Or be a step to that job that pays better and is more fun. Education. Museum studies programs are fine for some aspects of museum work, but if you know what you want to do, focus on programs in your specialty. And get the MA at least. Show a Track Record. If you've done grant writing, fine. If you've GOTTEN a grant - highlight that. Anybody can ask for money. If you're the one who can get it, people will pay attention. Have you written a script, helped develop an exhibit, etc., get that onto the CV/resume. Show Enthusiasm. Hopefully the people who are in the position to hire or offer positions like what they're doing and where they are. Certainly they enjoy hearing that their museum/archives, etc., is a wonderful/interesting/useful place that has helped you or someone with information or knowledge. You might be the 5th person they're interviewing that day, but if you're the one who is bright and cheery and full of love and enthusiasm for the organization and its goals, that's going to be something they'll remember. Do a Reality Check. Chances are you're not as special as your grandmother says you are. It can be a slap in the face to take all the work you've done and all the pride you have in yourself and learn that there are a few dozen others out there with equivalent or higher abilities applying for this position. It can be a hard thing to realize, but I bet you've got something special the others don't. Understanding - really understanding - your weaknesses as well as your strengths can help guide you in doing what you need to do to get those jobs. Are you your own worst enemy because you walked into an interview knowing that you are the best candidate in the universe and they should realize that by your mere presence? Don't Forget What it Was Like. Once you get that job and have been in it a while, and you've drifted up to a comfortable moderately to decently paid existence, don't forget the struggle you went through getting there. Remember it and do what you can to help others climb that ladder. From mentoring to helping to convince your boss that another position or two can help the organization achieve its goals in a better fashion. Those of us who survived the years and blizzards of rejection notices owe it to our organizations and ourselves to make sure that new views and new skills are found and added whenever possible. After all, nobody wants to be the stodgy old museum worker in the corner of the decrepit old museum. Nancy Pope, Historian Smithsonian Institution National Postal Museum 2 Massachusetts Ave., NE MRC 570, PO Box 37012 Washington, DC 20013-7012 202-633-5526 (phone) 202-633-9393 (fax) [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> http://postalmuseum.si.edu <http://postalmuseum.si.edu/> --- "Don't you like to write letters. I do because it's such a swell way to keep from working and yet feel you've done something." Ernest Hemingway to F. Scott Fitzgerald, July 1, 1925 ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . 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