Amanda,

I like to see the education and then the experience with your work history at the end.  I want to know that you can do the job, not simple what jobs you have had.  I find that for students just out of school this can be very helpful because you have not had a lot of jobs in the field but you might have experience as a volunteer, as an intern, or from relevant non-museum work (graphic arts, inventory, customer service, etc) that may illustrate your knowledge and skills.  This can also be helpful, it a previous job’s title and “typically” skills do not match reality.  That happens a lot in the museum world.  I have also been a curator, but that does not mean I have not done fund raising, marketing, and special events.  Also, a public history student, I like to see what you have studied (Note: Do not include every course) Since not all public history programs are the same, you will want them to know if you have had relevant coursework in collections management, exhibits, archives, etc. 

The organization of the resume should be what best highlights your skills and experience.  No matter which format, I have never selected or not selected someone based on the organization of their resume although I found out later we excluded a qualified candidate because their resume did not highlights their skills.  It only gave a list of jobs and we were supposed to know how those jobs translated into skills.  You should not include high school information and awards/recognition unrelated to the museum world or the position.  Also, I personally do not care about your GPA since it does not really translate into being a good or bad employee. I would rather see what specialized coursework you took or the information about your focus of study. 

Hope this helps.  Let me know if I can be of further assistance. 

As a recent graduate of Public History In the throws of the job hunt, I've heard varying ways my resume needs to be presented.

The first, is the "classic" business type resume, experience, chronological order, etc.

The second, is to categorize my experience so I can present my experience as a public historian and my other generalized experience that I can bring to the table as well.

As employers, do you have a preference? Or is there another way you would rather see?

Thanks so much!

--
Amanda Buring
M.A., Public History
B.A., History
(803) 309-3330

"History is the record of the encounter between character and circumstance." - Donald Crieghton
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