Small to mid-size museums that are part of a government entity (or university) do have hiring managers courtesy of the parent organization's HR department. Ours develops the screening matrix, reviews and approves interview questions as well as the interview committee, and reviews/approves the committee's screening, interview notes, and recommended hiring decision.
In consideration of this, I advise students to ensure that their application/resume be tailored to include every single required bit of education and experience listed as required in the posting (provided that they have it). That includes Microsoft Office
Suite. If it is listed as required in the posting, it will be listed as required in the screening matrix. Otherwise, their application will be rejected by HR when the screening matrix is reviewed. We once had an excellent applicant who had previously worked
with us an intern that was rejected because he did not list a very specific requirement (that we knew he had).
Our state uses an online application system that permits applicants to attach a resume and cover letter in addition to completing the online form. Fill out the form in detail, attach the resume, attach the cover letter - and make sure it is the correct cover
letter. I am amazed at the number of cover letters I see that tell me how much the applicant wants to work somewhere else.
dbI look forward to hearing the group's collective wisdom.Our placement office pushes a very corporate model for resumes that I'm not sure serves our museum and non-profit students well. One page, really stereotypical. While "accounts receivable clerk" has a broad meaning in the business world, the responsibilities of a "visitor services associate" can be very different in museums across the street from each other.Imagine you are the hiring manager for a small to mid-sized (up to 15 staff people) museum. Knowing that you will receive scores of applications for that collections or education position you are hiring, what do you want the resumes to look like?I'm not asking what skills you're looking for, but about resume format. This relates to the advice our students receive from our placement office.
Are two pages okay if the information is all relevant (our students must adhere slavishly to one)? Would you like to see specific sections listing hard and soft skills separate from the employment history (which can then be greatly abbreviated)? Do you care about the objective statement? How important really is a GPA if the student has the degree? Students fresh out of college (undergrad or grad) often have little or no "relevant work experience" (a required section according to our placement folks) but often have many applicable hard and soft skills derived from "related activities" like volunteer activities and coursework (an optional section). Personally I think this is backwards.
What format is going to catch your attention and help you assess the applicant fastest? Again, I'm not talking about specific skills, but the types and arrangement of information on the page(s).
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Dan Bartlett
Curator of Exhibits and EducationInstructor of Museum Studies
Logan Museum of Anthropology
Beloit College
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