I agree with Carol…

 

All the following is my personal opinion.

 

The cover letter is critical. It should build upon and refer to the resume while telling a prospective employer exactly why the individual is applying and what they feel they can do for that institution. This is not the point at which to be creative at the expense of seriously putting your best foot forward.

 

I personally like to see education first followed by a job history summary. They should dovetail and complement one another, so should always be closely associated. I do not mind when other job experience is also there, but applicants should avoid wasting space with things not related to anything in particular.

 

Creativity…yes. It shows initiative and interest. There is however often a fine line that has to be walked between creative and confusing. Applicants should stick to creativity in paper choice, easy-to-read font selection, and sparing border designs. Avoid graphics and overtly artistic interpretations of a resume.

 

The perfect resume would be concise, informative, and structured such that the reader follows the entire thing starting from page 1. If they have to hunt to find something they need in order to assess an element of the application requirements, psychological points are lost. Do not send the same cover letter and resume to everyone. It is too easy to alter document formats to accommodate individual institution requirements to miss the opportunity for judicious editing.

 

As noted above, education and work history are intertwined and should reflect that complimentary nature. An education section that overwhelms the experience section or vice versa does both a disservice, and can make it appear that either one or both is lacking.

 

Good luck to all.

 

Mark Janzen

Registrar/Collection Manager

Ulrich Museum of Art

Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection

316-978-5850

 

From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Carol Ely
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 11:17 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: HIRING HELP: What do you want to see/not see on a resume?

 

The cover letter matters much more to me than the resume – that’s where the candidate can make a case for how he/she can help my institution, which will show that he/she has done some research on who we are. The resume, to me, gives more detail and backs that up. So I want to see what’s relevant to the skills needed to do this particular job – education, internships, jobs. I don’t care about gaps in a resume, creativity is OK if the creativity enhances the presentation rather than distracts. Hobbies and interests can be useful – a program director, for instance, might have hobbies that are relevant or skills that aren’t part of past job skills but might be good in the future. It wouldn’t hurt for me to know that someone is a re-enactor, or a knitter, or a pen collector, or knows HTML.

 

Carol Ely

Historic Locust Grove

Louisville

 

From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Gayle
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 12:01 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: HIRING HELP: What do you want to see/not see on a resume?

 

In order to help those who are looking to get a job, I thought I might query those of you on list who hire a series of questions.  I will ask each in a separate note, and I will consolidate your responses and post them to the MuseJobs folks to help them out.  Here is the first question:

 

What is the first thing you want to see on a resume? (i.e., education, job history, summary, what they can bring to your organization, etc.)

 

Does the resume have to follow a standard, cookie-cutter format, or is there room for creativity in design so as to appeal to your eye?

 

What things don't you need to see? (i.e., hobbies and interests).

 

If you received the perfect resume, what would it look like?

 

What's more important to you, the candidate's education, or the candidate's work history?

 

Thank you to any who choose to respond.  

 

 

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