Good Afternoon Amy,
My first response is to give the search
committee whatever the search committee wants. This direction should be
given to you in the official vacancy announcement. If no specific
direction is given – I recommend the following:
1.) A cover letter. The cover letter should respond “point-by-point”
to the essential job functions listed in the official vacancy announcement
(OVA). For example, if the OVA lists that cataloging “widgets”
is an essential job function – then your cover letter could say –
for example – that you have (how many) years of experience cataloging
widgets and you wrote the manual for your museum on cataloging widgets. Your
cover letter should (if possible) respond to each and every essential job
function listed in the OVA. The cover letter should tell the search
committee that your knowledge, skills, abilities AND experience “matches”
point-by-point the essential job functions listed in the OVA……and the
cover letter should close with……that you are familiar with the
institution you are applying to and want to further your career there…and
it meshes with your career goals…etc….etc….and any other
information that you think might serve to influence the search committee.
2.) A one or two page resume. The resume should list the
positions you have held and the key roles and responsibilities of those
positions, and your major accomplishments described by quantitative measures of
success, while in those positions. At the end of the resume, I would mention
that a CV is available on request. CVs can be long and tedious for some
search committee members to read. My resume is one page long and it
covers my 35 year career in an “quick and easy” one minute
read. My CV is 14 pages long….and even puts me to sleep!
3.) Remember, nobody gets a job solely based on the cover letter and
resume (and/or cv)….however, a non-persuasive cover letter and a resume
that does not “relate” to the position that you are applying for –
will deny you an interview. The purpose of a cover letter and a resume is
to get you the interview. The interview, your references….and other
observations (sometimes a search committee member will visit your institution
as a “secret visitor – it happened to me…twice!) will be the
determining factors in deciding who gets the job.
I hope this helps…..and,
Best Wishes for Success,
Wesley
Wesley S. Creel
Administrator of Programs
Pink Palace Family of Museum
Memphis, TN
telephone 901.320.6370
From: Museum
discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Amy Smith
Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007
3:48 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Museum resumes
I am preparing my resume to send out to museum announcements and I
have been given two different opinions. One opinion is to do a CV another
is a more formal one page resume. I have been in the museum world for a
while but I don't think a CV is really necessary. What do all you hiring
people want and look for in a resume?
Thanks,
Zoe
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