Peter, I know all too well about the frustrations of getting into the Museum world. I've gotten the Masters, have a few internships under my belt, and I am currently working as a volunteer at two separate locations. As with many others, I've received plenty of rejection letters. My advice, keep at it. Furthermore, volunteer at a few places and try to do as many different things as possible at each place you volunteer. The more you know, the better. Tom Timmons --- On Wed, 10/24/12, Jordan Alexandria Brasfield <[log in to unmask]> wrote: From: Jordan Alexandria Brasfield <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Help with starting a Museum Career To: [log in to unmask] Date: Wednesday, October 24, 2012, 8:24 AM Peter, I am also looking for a job in the museum realm,specifically collections. However, I have found that you HAVE to get your Masters degree. I'm going to John's Hopkins for their Museum Studies Program, have also been working in an unpaid internship/volunteer for over a year, had a previous internship starting a museum, and have my BA in History. As much as that sounds, I still have a ways to go in qualifying for many museum professions. Like others have said, VOLUNTEER and maybe even take an Interpreter job. It's a VERY competitive field because of positions longevity within the museum. Finish your BA in history or go into a Masters program or certificate program. Jordan Madre On Tue, Oct 23, 2012 at 3:56 PM, "Verlag Dr. C. Müller-Straten" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Hi, Peter, > > probably you would be the ideal candidate for the press department of a > larger museum. Check the respective job announcements, try to make > appointments with decision makers, we call that "active application". > > Best > > Christian > > Am 23.10.2012 20:31, schrieb Yana Myaskovskaya: > > Peter, > > It sounds like you need to narrow your search and tailor your resumé to the > positions you're actually hoping to get hired for. > > The museum world is not just competitive; it's comparatively small with a > high barrier to entry. Having a degree in Communications is open-ended – > are you interested in working within Development? Curatorial? Marketing? > Collections management? Each department within a museum has specific > guidelines for what they're looking for, and they're going to want to know > that you have specific experience within their department. Be aware that in > this market, Curatorial and Collections Management departments will almost > exclusively interview and hire individuals with a Master's degree or above. > And while this may be economically challenging for many individuals, it > often takes more than one unpaid internship to acquire the skills you need > to get hired (many individuals do closer to three or four internships before > they ever get hired). > > A great way to get your foot in the door is to reach out to an institution > as a volunteer. Often, this commitment can be enough to put you at the > forefront of the candidate pool when the museum will actually be looking to > hire somebody. And if not, at least you'll have added this experience to > your resumé. > > Best of luck, > Yana > > Yana Myaskovskaya | Curator | Heurich House Foundation | > [log in to unmask] | 847.502.5423 > > On Oct 23, 2012, at 8:17 AM, Peter Meloni wrote: > > Lister's > > I have been applying for different positions in a museum over the past year. > I understand that the job market is very competitive. But after many > rejection letters and no interviews, I have no idea which way to go to make > my resume better in order to get closer to finding my first step in a museum > career. > > I graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications. After not > finding a position in media, staying with the job that I had, I was laid off > in 2009, and not finding a job at that time, I went back to school to finish > my BA in History. I have since ran out of funding, and was unable to finish > my BA in History. I completed all the credits that were required in the > program as of 2008, but after graduation in 08, Susquehanna University added > two more requirements for the History Degree. A 200 level and 300 level > classes to the degree requirements. I have all the junior and senior > requirements including completing my Senior Thesis. I have also completed a > Internship at a small local museum. In the internship I have done a variety > of jobs such as collections, archival work, curated exhibits and even museum > management. The internship was May, 2011 to August 2011, I enjoyed > everything about it that I continue to this day going the museum in order to > hone the necessary skills for a career in the museum world. In order to at > least have employment and have an income, I took a job at a local > supermarket to at least have employment. > > With all that said, I am looking for any advice from anyone that can point > me in the right direction and what I can do to further my chances of > catching the eye of a prospective museum manager trying to fill a position. > Resume help, or even job boards that advertise museum employment openings. > > Thanks for all of your help listers > > -- > Sincerely > > > > > A. Peter Meloni > > > > > ________________________________ > > To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link: > http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-HOME.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 > > > > ________________________________ > > To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link: > http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-HOME.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 > > > > -- > Verlag Dr. C. Müller-Straten - Spezialverlag für Museum und Restaurierung > Ansprechpartner für inhaltliche Fragen: Dr. Adelheid Straten, Dr. Christian > Müller-Straten; für kaufmännische Fragen: Dr. Christian Müller-Straten. > T. +49-(0)89 839 690-43, Fax -44, [log in to unmask] > MUSEUM AKTUELL, ExpoTime!, Shop und grosses europäisches Museumsportal: > http://www.museum-aktuell.de > Verlag Dr. C. Mueller-Straten - Publishing company for museums and > conservation > Editorial contact: Adelheid Straten, Ph.D; trade contacts: Christian > Mueller-Straten, Ph.D. > T. 0049-(0)89-839 690 43, Fax 0049-(0)89-690 44, [log in to unmask] > MUSEUM AKTUELL, ExpoTime!, shop and the large European museum portal: > http://www.museum-aktuell.de > Reading the new global museum magazine "ExpoTime!" is free of charge. > Registration: > http://www.museum-aktuell.de/shop/themes/kategorie/detail.php?artikelid=75&source=2 > > > ________________________________ > > To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link: > http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-HOME.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 ========================================================= 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). ========================================================= 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).