I feel I must add a comment to the ongoing discussion on finding a museum
job.  I teach a graduate course on Museum Administration for a Museum
Studies certificate at Northern Illinois University and I see  quite a range
of students.  They vary by age (early 20's to mid 60's), area of study (Art
History, Anthropology, English, etc), education (BA-PhD) and many other
factors...but they share at least a couple traits.  They ALL want to work in
a museum (in different dream jobs) and they ALL are challenged by the
expectation in my course that they will learn how to speak passionately and
persuasively one on one, in a team, or standing in front of a group.  
 
Imagine two candidates, side by side, both having amble background and
education in an area required by a museum.  One speaks in a way that engages
and the other does not.  Which one will you hire?  I see many young people
coming into hopeful museum careers with extraordinary knowledge and very
weak presentation skills.  I used to comment years ago that we (museums)
were furthering the dilemma in that we were GREAT at content and
not-so-great at delivery.  Just like attention has been paid to the
experiential in exhibits, I think we should train museum professionals how
to make their case.  When funders are pulled in so many different
directions, we need young museum professionals competent in "selling" the
importance of museums without simply repeating over and over..."What we do
is important!".  It echoes of "Eat your broccoli, it's GOOD for you!".
 
Many people can benefit from some attention paid to image and presentation
skills and museum people are not exempt.  What have long been known as the
"soft skills" may very well be the ones separating the "just hired" from the
"still looking".
 
Below, is a quote I print out as a bookmark and give out to all students on
the first day of class, once they've learned that along with finance, human
resources, strategic planning, and so on...they are going to spend some time
learning how to "sell" their idea to another person or group.
 
  _____  

From a newspaper essay written by syndicated columnist, Sidney Harris,
titled Temperament for High Office May Succeed More Than Talent:

 

"Most of us prefer to ignore our temperamental incapacities for certain jobs
and functions. We imagine that because we have the skills and the knowledge
and the expertise, we are thereby fitted for the task.

 

Yet it has been my observation over the years that temperament is the most
important ingredient in many crucial posts--and one that is too often
ignored, both by those who proffer the job and those who accept those jobs.

 

It has also been my observation that more people succeed by temperament than
by talent, especially in those jobs where relating to people is the prime
ingredient. A person cannot be dumb, but need not be especially smart if he
or she has a native shrewdness and tact in handling people; whereas a far
smarter person may come to catastrophe by overvaluing brains at the expense
of other personality factors." 

  _____  


 

When we discussed the quote in this most recent class, a young student
commented that it meant "Charisma means you can get away with being dumb".
Interesting.  I explained that, while charisma might open a door and get you
hired, it would probably only be at most a few weeks before you were found
out as faking the education and background.  Assuming that you have the
education and background...the goal becomes to open the door...
 

 

_________________________________________
D. Neil Bremer
Executive Director
Elmhurst Art Museum
(630) 834-0202
 
www.bremercommunications.com
 

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