On the one hand the advice to follow up on an application is a good one. I did that once and got a great job at which I would still be happily working had life events not intruded. On the other hand this can be a very dangerous step. Contacting an employer  when they have told you not to is a wonderful way to demonstrate you can't follow direction. For example, I have taken applications out of contention when hiring when an applicant follows up too soon. (If I tell you the interview process will take two weeks, trust me. I mean that. Don't call me in one week to see how it is going.)  You better be darn sure your follow-up overture is in fact welcome. You need to scrutinize every piece of communication you have received from that potential employer and make sure a) they would welcome such an inquiry or at least they have not told you it would be unwelcome and b) you are contacting them in the appropriate manner and appropriate time. Again, you need to read signals and communication carefully. It reminds me a lot of asking a co-worker out on a date. Sure you could find true love and live happily ever after, or you could get hit with a sexual harassment charge and fired. 

There are no hard and fast rules on this, as with so much else. But here are some things to think about when contacting a potential employer:

1. What have they implicitly or explicitly told you about contacting them? If they tell you no calls, you probably shouldn't call. If they provide an email address for questions but no phone number, take the hint. I have noticed lately that this is more passive than not, especially with those automatically generated confirmation emails you get when you apply through an online process. They tend to say "We will contact the best applicants for interviews." Contact "them" only if they give you an email address or phone number.

2. Going back to my example above, pay attention to timelines. If they tell you two weeks, give them two weeks. If you are following up on an initial application, give them at least 2-3 weeks AFTER THE CLOSING DATE. We are in an era when even entry level jobs receive hundreds of resumes. Going through them all takes time. If it is a large or governmental institution give it a month. It may take that long for the resumes to clear the HR department and get to the desk of someone who is an actual museum professional and contacting the department head would be a waste of time, yours and theirs. And never contact before the application period closes.

3. I agree with Aly below. Two calls or emails, tops. If they don't respond there is a reason.  Don't be a pest.

4.  I would disagree slightly with Aly in one area, though. Or better I would offer a qualification. If you need to work too hard to figure out who the person is to contact, I would offer the thought that maybe there is a reason why an organization has made this difficult to determine. And what if you guess wrong? For example, I once had a staff member who was responsible for hiring part time docents. I had one of the applicants contact me to ask when she would be interviewed. Aside from the presumption that she deserved an interview at all, I wasn't happy to be contacted for a job I had delegated to someone else and kicked it back to my staff member and it was not a positive conversation. I don't recall whether this woman got an interview or not, though I don't think we hired her. 

As I mentioned above, and so many people have mentioned on this thread, even entry level positions can get 100's of applications. My hiring experience is that you can lop off about a third as being just plain unqualified or the application just stinks. (I have gotten hand written resume's for example. One had bunny drawings!)  Another third is close, but doesn't make the top. Then you are stuck with some very difficult choices between too many applicants who could potentially be great in the position. In the end it is possible for a hiring person or committee to be absolutely frozen with 2 or 3 near perfect applicants. Don't give them a reason to put your resume aside and go with the other person. 

Again, there are no hard and fast rules, but you need to read each communication carefully. When being interviewed, asking about a hiring timeline and whether they would welcome follow up inquiries is an excellent question. If they hem and haw about this, you may be waiting months to hear back, but if they say a month, give them a month. (I once got a follow up call from an interview a YEAR after the last contact. I had forgotten they existed.)

Looking back over this post, I get the sense I am sowing more insecurity. Sorry, but you need to approach each application as unique interactions and there is never a one-size-fits-all approach.

Matthew White


On Feb 20, 2013, at 6:37 PM, Alyson Mazzone <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Hi Ashley and and all other new graduates.
 
I graduated in 2009 with a masters degree in Historical Administration. I spent the next two years volunteering at a museum and historical society part time, working as a front desk assistant at a different museum part time as well as a seasonal employee at various retail stores and occassionally as a temp. ( At one time I was jumping from 3 jobs in one day). In addition I was applying to jobs and following up on my applications).  I can honestly say that except for the volunteer gigs it was one of the most miserable times I can remember.
 
Many people gave me advice at that time but here are two things I highly suggest.
 
When I finally got my first job my new supervisor said it was because I called to follow up on my application. Calling or emailing someone directly can help to move your resume up. If there was no name with the job announcement for me to contact I would go online and see if I could figure out who was recieving the applications. Of course this didn't work in many situations but I also feel I got called for more interviews this way.  Also, be assertive but not too much. I'd call maybe once or twice in two weeks and that was all.
 
Secondly, my sister introduced me to the idea of conducting networking interviews. This is where you ask everyone you know if they know someone who works in your field. Hopefully you can meet with these people in person to talk and essentially gain some career advice.
 
This is your chance to...
A) pick their brain about their experience 
B) to come away with another name and meet more people in the field
and
C) put your name out there so hopefully when the next job in their museum comes around they will remember you (I did a networking interview once and a month later the person called to tell me a job at their museum was about to be posted).
 
Good luck to all of you searching for jobs.
 
-Aly 


 
On Wed, Feb 20, 2013 at 2:57 PM, Cindi Verser <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

You highlight the information by putting an emphasis on the skills they want, not by the font of boldness of the letters.  This type of resume focuses on your accomplishments and skills learned at school and through your internships.  It also works well if you have a number of different interests, internships or volunteer positions.    Instead of listing experience in chronological order, you start with skill sets and then list your achievements.   Put them in order of importance and emphasize the major skills they are looking for.  So you will probably have only 3 or 4 groupings.  

 

Like this…

 

Skill

1st Achievement

2nd Achievement

 

The skill you want to highlight might be art handling.  In that case, you would put that and then several highlights. Here are a few random ideas…

 

Art Handling

-Assisted with the installation of Greek sculpture  for the XXX exhibit at YY institution. 

--Responsible for  the deinstallation and transport of 30 artifacts….

 

Cataloging

-Cleared a backlog of ### new accessions….

- Completed a major accession project involving WW II letters during an internship with the Alphabet Museum.

 

Give enough detail on the achievements to cover the basic information. By doing this, you let them know what you have accomplished and what you can do for them.

 

The rest of the resume contains  usual information---the objective, a list of employment history, education and certifications, etc. 

 

There are samples online but here is one site to get you started.   http://www.worksmart.ca.gov/tips_resume_functional.html

Check out a number of the samples because there are some variations on the functional resume that you may like better than others.  Pick what seems most comfortable for you to work with.

 

When I got out of school I almost always used a functional resume and applied to a number of different positions.  And so did my kids.  We almost always got the interviews we wanted.

 

You also might consider registering with the local employment commission.  They usually offer free classes in interview skills to help once the resume does its job.    The right resume will get you in the door, but you will have to be prepared for the interview process to get the job.   The employment commission can also offer skills testing to better focus your job search and referrals for job openings.  If your college may also have these services available for students at no cost.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ashley Watson
Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 5:03 PM


To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Employment Search Frustrations for the recent graduates


 

Cindi,

   You mean that I highlight key information by making it bold?   

 

Ashley 

 

On Wed, Feb 20, 2013 at 4:55 PM, Cindi Verser <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

A lot of institutions are hiring from within.  I volunteered at a museum while working a different job.  The staff knew I was actively  job hunting and contacted me when they had a position open.   

Although It was a temporary contract job that lasted 2 years, it lead to a permanent,  full-time position at another museum.   Where I work now, the last person hired in my department also started out as a volunteer.

 

Also take a look at your resume.   Are you tailoring it to each job opening or do  you  send out the same one each time?   For example, if they are looking for someone to handle a lot of cataloging,   are you highlighting your experience in that area?  If you are using a standard format then consider changing to a functional style that will highlight your experiences better.   When the HR people are dealing with a high volume of  applications, you need to catch their attention.  If they are skimming resumes and looking for key words and phrases, they aren’t going to  take the time to pick the information out of your submission.    Get their attention so they see you as a possible candidate  and  you will get the interview. 

 

Good luck in your search.

Cindi

 

From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Janet Tham
Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 4:06 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Employment Search Frustrations for the recent graduates

 

I am (and I am sure many others) currently struggling under the same issues. It is not only the Museum world. Any institution with a good reputation is bound to receive a high volume of 'qualified' options. Unfortunately, amongst thousands of possible applicants, it would not be a surprise if they never reach your application before the position is filled. Standing out in the human resources department could be as little as having a reference from inside the institution. It is sad to think that getting a job today is based on who you know...but in my experience I believe it to be true. 

 

Try cold calls/emails to individuals within the institution you are applying via LinkedIN - or using your school's alumni network. You never know who may help to push your application along. 

 
 

Best,

 
 
 

On Feb 20, 2013, at 3:57 PM, . . wrote:

 

About ten years ago now, I ran into the same problem.  If you go through the archives of the list, you'll see MANY people have.  (Didn't we just have this discussion last month?) I gave up after two years of fighting to get a museum job and went into another field where I could do research. Is my current job my dream job?  No.  Do I get paid enough I can actually live and pay off my student loans?  Yes!   
 
 I now has a somewhat sucessful blog regarding history as an outlet for what I love. 
 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Isabella
 
 

> Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:49:09 -0500
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--
 
Alyson K. Mazzone
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One ship drives east and the other drives west while the self same breezes blow.
Tis the set of the sails and not the gales That determines the way they go.
Like the birds of the air are the ways of fate. As we journey along through life.
Tis the set of the soul that determines the goal. And not the storm and the strife.
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