For what it's worth, I got my first job in a cultural organization
through the Maryland State Employment Service.  People are always
surprised to hear that I actually found a job that way :-).

        I was hired for my current position after answering a newspaper ad.  It
was a career switch for me--I had performed some of the tasks in my
other job, but by no means most of them.  However, I had relevant
volunteer experience serving on a gallery selection panel for an
alternative space.  Entry level applicants might be interested to know
that after I was hired I was told that two important things that helped
tip the balance in my favor were a well-written cover letter and that
volunteer experience

--Helen Glazer, Exhibitions Director
Goucher College
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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