Writing from experience, governmental agencies (including museums) have some
legal/procedural difficulties when they go out of their way to contact
someone about a job when that person hasn't actually applied.  It isn't
worth the time and follow-up hassle, in most cases -- it is difficult enough
these days for some government and private museums to make sure their public
is well served within scarce resources.

Reading, and grading for the written record, batches of live applications
often becomes one of those after-hours tasks.  In many instances, government
requires a file or other documentation for all actions so as to avoid an EEO
or other bias complaint.

Yes, that "ideal" candidate might pop up on a screen somewhere.  The "ideal"
candidate, as Mr. Dill observed, is one who also has the initiative to seek
out the employer.
-----Original Message-----
From: Arlyn Danielson <[log in to unmask]>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.museum-l
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wednesday, June 10, 1998 12:26 PM
Subject: Re: Museum List Etiquette?: Resumes


>Mr. Dill:  Your points are well taken.  I hope I wasn't implying that you
>have some sort of "bad" attitude with regard to how you choose applicants,
>but I wanted to point out that one may also see an interesting candidate on
>a listserv that allows for the posting of resumes.  I personally would not
>rule out this possibility if I were in a position to hire someone.  I am
>not saying I would spend all my time going cross-eyed in front of the
>computer reading posted resumes, but if I ran across one that looked
>interesting, I might want to look into it.
>
>thanks,
>Arlyn Danielson
>
>----------
>From:   Dill, Christopher L.[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent:   Wednesday, June 10, 1998 10:39 AM
>To:     [log in to unmask]
>Subject:        Re: Museum List Etiquette?:  Resumes
>
>     Arlyn Danielson said:  "Your comment begs the question,
>     why not hire from this type of posting?"
>
>     It does?  OK.  When I advertise widely to meet the
>     legal requirements under which I must operate, I pay
>     for ads in AVISO, Mountain-Plains Newsgram, and AASLH
>     Dispatch.  I also post on MERC, Museum-L, our own home
>     page and on North Dakota Job Service's WWW page.  I
>     usually get 50-75 applications, of which 15-25 are
>     clearly qualified.  I am required to read ALL the
>     applications I receive to be sure every applicant is
>     treated fairly. The last thing I want to do is read
>     MORE resumes, especially when I don't have anything
>     open - which is why I'd rather not see resumes posted
>     on Museum-L.  I suppose if I had a position open, and I
>     happened to read a resume for someone who was
>     qualified, I could invite them to apply.
>
>     Perhaps my attitude is "bad," but it seems to me that
>     since I have a job to "market" I could expect potential
>     applicants to actually address the requirements of the
>     job and make some effort to prove themselves to me,
>     rather than expecting I will simply be so taken by
>     their credentials that I "call that potential candidate
>     for an interview."
>
>     Hope that helps you understand the position I took.
>
>     Chris Dill
>
>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>C. L. Dill, Museum Director
>State Historical Society of North Dakota
>612 East Boulevard
>Bismarck  ND  58505-0830    USA
>P: (701)328-2666
>F: (701)328-3710
>E:  [log in to unmask]
>Visit our Web site at: http://www.state.nd.us/hist/
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