Y'all are the best.

On Wed, Mar 7, 2018 at 2:22 PM, Ivers, Rachel <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

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.

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From: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Erin Richardson <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 7, 2018 10:53 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Resumes - What do you want them to be?

 

First, small to mid-sized museums of 15 people do not have hiring managers. They're lucky to have any kind of dedicated HR person. It is very likely that the the application email will get routed immediately to the supervisor for the position. Having been such a department head/supervisor for many years, here is what I want to see:

 

Education is first, followed by professional experience. I want to know where you went to school and when. I do not care about your GPA or who your adviser was, unless you have a PhD. then I might care about your adviser, but still do not care about your GPA.

 

In the professional experience section I want to know the organization you worked for (or volunteered for, or interned for), your position, and the length of your tenure. I would also like to know what your responsibilities were and what key contributions you made to the team.  What did you change, fix, develop, improve, or implement while you were there?

 

Include volunteer service, conference presentations, honors or awards, on the second page. I find it extraneous to add memberships like AAM, AASLH, or other professional organizations to resumes. There is no criteria for membership to such organizations and being a member is not an achievement - it is just responsible. Include such memberships only if there are criteria for membership - such as GPA, major, etc.

 

I generally don't care about soft skills in a resume, but you can tell me about them in your cover letter. I also don't like resumes that include career goals - that is another thing for a cover letter. I assume that the job you're applying for fits into your career goals, otherwise, don't apply for the job. If you want to be a European art curator, tell my why being a development assistant at a children's museum fits into your life plan in the cover letter. 

 

I also would STRONGLY ADVISE that applicants tailor resumes to specific positions. Have multiple versions of your resume that highlight different experiences depending on what you're applying for. Ditto for cover letters.

 

I generally advise students to always have one foot in a nonprofit, even if it is a volunteer position at your local SPCA. Put that stuff in your resume, even if it not museum-related. I like to see that you are expanding your horizons into related or tangential sectors when museum opportunities are not available to you. 

 

If you attend conferences, do so in a volunteer role and put it in the volunteer section. If you're just a conference attendee, you can also list that in a separate section like  "additional education."

 

Also - tell me you are proficient is specific technology ONLY IF it is an uncommon or industry-specific application. I assume if you went to college that you can use Microsoft products and Google Suite applications. However, if you have SQL experience, time using a specific collections management of CRM application, that is helpful to know. 

 

I am interested to know what others look for as well!

 

Erin Richardson

[log in to unmask]

https://www.erinrichardsonconsulting.com/ {new website soon!}

 

 

On Wed, Mar 7, 2018 at 9:42 AM, Dan Bartlett <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

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).

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.

I look forward to hearing the group's collective wisdom.

db

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Dan Bartlett
Curator of Exhibits and Education

Instructor of Museum Studies
Logan Museum of Anthropology
Beloit College

 

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Erin Elizabeth Richardson

 

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