Sorry, folks -- I can't remember whether I saw a thread on this method of job hunting on museum-l or museum-ed. Anyway, I'd appreciate a response from any or all of the people who indicated that they landed their museum jobs through a cold letter application process. What parameters did you set for yourself? Granted, you likely picked a specialized catagory. Did you send letters to institutions with ? number of positions (as in the AAM museum directory)? Did you restrict the letters to institutions that you thought less likely to post ads in AVISO or an e-mail job bank (possibly to municipal or county museums)? Did you mail the letters to the museums or to the governing authority -- or did that choice vary depending upon the type of museum? I have been searching assiduously (or so I thought) for a position, but I did not find out about a couple of positions until it was too late to apply. Neither had posted in AVISO, which has been (and still is) my primary resource for available job positions. I have begun wondering whether there are many entry level jobs ($18,000 or more for M.A.) available through AVISO -- or if those willing to hire people without years & years of experience use other means of advertisement, such as newspapers and local labor departments (which then may get posted on America's Job Bank) instead of AVISO. If sending a cold letter means that my chances of at least getting notified about a job position (when such becomes available) are increased, then I think this is yet another avenue to use. Please answer me directly (unless other people indicate they want this on the list) at: [log in to unmask] Thanks! JanW.