I haven't actually landed a museum job, but over the years I've learned a lot
about how to keep yourself sane while looking.   I also have a question for
those who hire.  Do you like it when job candidates list their membership in
professional organizations on their resumes?   Does it mean anything to you?

While I was going to graduate school, I realized that many of my fellow students
had close personal relationships with people in the academic world.  Many had
relatives or close family friends with Ph.d’s, and some of these future
historians actually had parents who were historians.  (Many others, of course,
did not have these personal connections. I don’t mean to generalize my fellow
students.)  People who have these relationships have a level of support that
others don’t have.  They have a good source of reassurance and advice about
their careers.  This is my advice for the rest of us, who never met anyone who
worked in a museum until we said, “That internship looks fun.  Why don’t I
apply?”

First of all, stay connected through email.  This list has always been a huge
help to me, because every day I learn something about the practical issues of
running a museum. The list doesn’t just give you one perspective- it lets you
know how people in many different museums have solved the same problem.  Plus,
it helps keep me connected to the culture of museum professionals.  (Many thanks
to Lucy, who stepped in as part of Indigo's mentoring project!)  For those
interested in collections, the SAA list is also particularly helpful.

Career counselors don’t help much in the museum profession, and neither do
resume books.  Look at other museum professional’s resumes online at Global
Museum or some other place.  Pay particularly close attention to those who have
the same background as you.  You’ll learn ways to describe your skills, and may
even learn to recognize experience that you haven’t included on your resume.

Take the initiave in volunteer work, but also  work in a job that respects your
museum skills and education. Many people will advise you to get a job that
develops your skills (say, volunteer management).  I wholeheartedly agree, but
also believe that you should be able to further develop skills you already
have.   It’s easy to get frustrated when you can’t use your carefully developed
skills, and where you boss/ coworkers think that your training is useless
compared to their own.   One job used my graduate classes in African American
history, and my current job uses my experience with museum collections.

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