How To Get A Job In A Museum Or Art Gallery Part 8

Try to find out who is who and to meet the key people the people working for them as well as those in the key roles; they too will become significant. Write down their names and check the spellings. You never know when you will run into them, so be prepared to say something pithy and not too long the museum director you meet in the lift will probably not be expecting a PowerPoint presentation on where he is going wrong.

Be enthusiastic (but not excessively so). Smile. You will get noticed for it.

Mark your departure in an appropriate fas.h.i.+on. Take in a box of home-made biscuits (home-made because it shows care has been taken) rather than funding a booze-up in the pub. Write notes of appreciation to those who have helped you, and ask discreetly if you can keep in touch.

And afterwards Remain in contact with former work colleagues, without stalking them. Remember that once you have moved on, the next placement student will have moved in, and although, to you, the shared time was unforgettable, you are in fact one of many. Write and say thank you and I do mean write. Take trouble over what you send. Remember that advertising for staff takes time and effort, and so if an HR manager remembers a placement student who was particularly helpful, and the opportunity for some additional paid hours occurs at short notice, you may get offered the role because your availability and the fact that you have already been tried out and found satisfactory, gives you the edge.

Case Studies: Work experience Interview with David Falkner, Director of the Stanley Picker Gallery in Kingston 'Each year we put up notices in the faculty asking for volunteers to get involved. This has now evolved into a regular pattern. About 2030 initial volunteer students usually beds down into a group of around 10 who are truly committed. We try to ensure they have as varied an experience of the gallery as possible, and get involved in all aspects from helping with the educational work, invigilating2 and front of house, to pouring wine at receptions and sending the 'mailout' for new installations. I try to impress on them all that communication is of vital importance, whatever part of the job they are involved with, thus recipients of the mailshot can be made to feel welcome by the way the invitations are worded, and this careful attention to detail needs to be maintained in everything we do. I try to encourage them to engage as fully as possible in all aspects of the venue as running a gallery involves a huge number of different aspects, from the mundane (is there any graffiti on our signage, is the entrance porch clear of litter?) to the specific (how do we write programme notes to get the audience to appreciate what is being shown and encourage them to value the experience and tell others?). and front of house, to pouring wine at receptions and sending the 'mailout' for new installations. I try to impress on them all that communication is of vital importance, whatever part of the job they are involved with, thus recipients of the mailshot can be made to feel welcome by the way the invitations are worded, and this careful attention to detail needs to be maintained in everything we do. I try to encourage them to engage as fully as possible in all aspects of the venue as running a gallery involves a huge number of different aspects, from the mundane (is there any graffiti on our signage, is the entrance porch clear of litter?) to the specific (how do we write programme notes to get the audience to appreciate what is being shown and encourage them to value the experience and tell others?).

'When I receive speculative applications from people seeking work experience, I appreciate it if they have thought about why they want to come to us and what they think they will both get out of the experience and offer us. We have one year-long placement which is paid, and this can be adapted to the skills being offered by the applicants.

'Given that we only have two members of core staff, there are so many ways in which volunteers can help with marketing, publicity, database management and administration. Those who have found out about the gallery and thought about how what they can offer us is relevant to the skills and apt.i.tudes we need, stand a much better chance of being taken on. The package they send in to advertise themselves does make a difference. Our role is to communicate the gallery and its value to the wider community, and so if they are unable to communicate their value to me, I would be concerned at how good they would be at expressing our mission to the outside world.'

Interview with Peta Cook, Curator, Kingston Museum 'As regards work experience, I am always sympathetic to those seeking it because it was my route into the profession. I try to make it a structured use of both their and our time, defining projects within the museum that need thinking about and so being able to match the skills of the volunteer with the things we need doing. My current list includes a collections audit of the museum store (including cataloguing and photographing what is held in boxes); involvement in collection resource development (work on subject or period specific boxes such as The Tudors, Victorians and World War II); exhibition development in connection with the exhibition to tie in with the 500th anniversary of the accession of Henry VIII to the throne, and work on learning links for the Muybridge Retrospective that is planned with the Corcoran Gallery in Was.h.i.+ngton, to celebrate the work of the pioneering moving image photographer Eadweard Muybridge who lived in Kingston. Which learning links are developed whether for adults or as part of the school curriculum is flexible. There is also the opportunity to work in partners.h.i.+p with the Tate's learning team in London).

'We tend to get two kinds of application for work experience. Firstly from graduates, often with a degree in history and sometimes with a postgraduate qualification in museum studies, enclosing a CV and requesting that we 'keep them on file' should a vacancy occur. I try to write back saying that the route into this world is usually via work experience and to send them information on the projects I have available at the moment, but given that we don't have any official vacancies for paid employment, their speculative letter in search of it is unlikely to be progressed.

'The second sort of application comes from students, either pre, post- or during a Master's course in museums.h.i.+p, this time seeking work experience. Again I send them the list of projects and make a sustained attempt to match the skills of those who reply to actual projects. Managing volunteers (we have over 40) takes a lot of time and effort, and I have inst.i.tuted formal induction and training procedures, and try to spot specific requests. Applicants are always keen to stress their academic credentials, whether acquired or prospective, but the one thing I look out for is practical experience; the physical handling of objects in a museum and an appreciation of a museum's ethics. One of the most important principles is that while we will attempt to help the public understand their treasures if they bring them in to show them to us, we can never offer advice on their monetary value. So if you have worked in a museum before, or spent time in one observing, be sure to let me know you understand this.

'When you make an application to a museum, do ensure you cover all the questions I may think of as I read what you send so if your postal address is far away, make it clear that you have already thought through how you will get to work and where you will stay. We get many more applications than we are able to satisfy, so the fewer doubts you raise in my mind, the better. Do find out about us before you apply it always shows when someone has taken the trouble to do so.'

Interview with Mary Bee, Portal Gallery, London 'I wanted to go to art school and my father would not let me, so I always had a pa.s.sion for art and wanted to work with it. Mind you, when Jonathan took me on to work in his gallery full of sculpture,3 I knew nothing at all, so the learning curve was pretty steep. I knew nothing at all, so the learning curve was pretty steep.

'Given my start in the business, I always look for apt.i.tude and personality when taking on staff, rather than formal qualifications. You are taking on someone with whom you will be spending an awful lot of time, so it's important that they are lively, bright and take the initiative.

'Artists are better served by an intermediary explaining their work than by doing it themselves, but it's a question of matching the right level of information to each individual customer. Staff need to be intelligent and articulate, of course, but also to be engaged by the work themselves you have to be moved by the work in order to move it on.

'We have employed the children of friends and relatives, and also many students from the Royal Academy of Art, which was just around the corner from where we used to be. We receive many letters and e-mails from those looking for work in galleries, and some we hang on to, should an opportunity arise.

'We reply to everyone who writes to us, and it's hard to say why I hang on to some CVs but not others. Some people just display an empathy or a quirkiness in their covering letter or make themselves sound appealing in a way that is both tangible yet hard to define. I am looking for a willing att.i.tude and enthusiasm, and sometimes this comes over in what they send in, sometimes not.'

What to do if you still can't find any work experience, or in between placements Look out for related activities that could support work experience or replace it if it is particularly difficult to secure. For example: Produce a family archive of history or photographs.

Catalogue and reorganise the books at your family home into a library, for example, separating them into reference and fiction and considering how to look after rare, fragile, the most frequently used and the t.i.tles that you decide you want to have on display; consider how to reconcile different family views on how this process might be managed, and whose should prevail.

Join a relevant local society perhaps a history or archaeology society both in your home town and at university. As most such organisations are seeking to widen their network, they might be particularly keen on younger members, and if you find yourself on the committee it makes another useful addition to your CV and even perhaps the source of a reference. The Geography Society in the town where I grew up included a range of geography professors who lived in the town and, through their personal connections, they always managed to obtain a very high standard of speaker.

Does your university department or hall of residence have an archive or boxes of historic stuff that no one has got around to sorting out? Could you write something for the student newspaper about its history or about famous previous residents?

Part 4:

How to get your job

Chapter 13

How to create an eye-catching CV

If you look in the careers section of any bookshop you will see that the world is not short of books on how to prepare an effective CV. So rather than giving you line by line guidance on what to say in yours, I am going to give you a few suggestions to bear in mind.

The CV is a representational doc.u.ment; it should take your name, qualifications, skills and apt.i.tudes to the door of your potential employer and create a sufficiently strong impression that they decide to interview you. So it supports your personal application rather than replacing it; it needs to provide enough information to convey the breadth of what you have to offer, which can be supported and expanded upon at an interview. While it should remain recognisably a CV, it is a doc.u.ment that represents an individual and so also needs to convey your personality, which is why I am not advocating a 'one size fits all' approach.

Bear in mind that your CV will probably not be read in the order it is written, and not even all of it may be considered: most usually CVs are placed in a pile until all applications have been received, and then they are worked through, with the 'possibles' placed in one pile and the 'nos' in another. Your place of education and the qualifica-tions you emerged with will be noted, along with any relevant work experience, but then there may be a quick skip through the other information presented. Your name and contact details will be considered (how far would you have to travel for interview; would you be likely to relocate if offered the job?). There are ways of guiding the reader's attention, maybe by providing subheadings or the effective use of s.p.a.ce that draws attention to the most important parts of the application (key apt.i.tudes or referees).

One section that always gets looked at is the applicant's interests, not because these are a key reason for appointing someone, but because they convey something of the personality of the applicant: most organisations are looking for team players and someone who will both fit in and make their own individual contribution. Above all, remember that when you are seeking employment in a museum or gallery, your CV will be read by people of discernment, but it also has to make it through the earlier, administrative stages of recruitment to check that you are suitably qualified for the job. So while it must be legible, your key achievements and apt.i.tudes need to stand out and it should also convey a sense of someone who has thought about how to present information and for whom presentation is important. Fulfilling both objectives at the same time is harder than it sounds.

Some specific guidance Above all, your CV should be a flexible doc.u.ment. You can keep a standard outline on your computer, but tweak it according to the role you are applying for. For example, the headings under which you feature information (personal details, paid employment, work experience, education) are fairly standard, but think carefully about what order to put them in and which should receive the most emphasis.

Content of a CV 1. Concentrate on what you can offer potential employers rather than what you want from them.

Think through your career to date (both at university and in the workplace) and present it in terms of what you have learnt that might be useful to a future potential employer rather than what you have specifically done. Thus if you have spent time writing a leaflet and then standing in the street handing it out to pa.s.sers-by to encourage them to come into the museum, think about the wider implications of what you were doing: Working on a campaign to widen partic.i.p.ation and increase attendance, including the development and distribution of a flyer.

2. Include non-work experience.

Most people have more of this than they realise at first, so have you: Been on a committee and got involved in any project to change people's minds?

Been involved with local (or national press), say as part of a campaign?

Played a representational role (on the school council, in the local area?) Raised money for charity?

Won awards at school or university?

Set up a new society or organised something that others attended? Even if the event was for a family occasion, or a surprise party for a friend, this can reveal your organisational skills.

Anything that shows that you can both organise, implement and work with others is a useful addition to your CV.

3. Don't add anything you don't want to be asked about For example work experience that did not go too well, embarra.s.sing middle names, specific interests such as morris dancing or train spotting.

4. Present your interests.

This is a key area of the CV in which to strike an empathetic chord with your potential interviewers, so think carefully about what you select and make them specific rather than general. So rather than listing 'reading', say what books/authors you like: 'Trollopes: f.a.n.n.y, Anthony and Joanna'

The same goes for travel: 'Umbria' is more interesting than 'Italy'. If you like the architecture of a specific period, say which building draws you most: '1930s architecture, with a particular pa.s.sion for the de la Warr Pavilion'

Never, ever be tempted to include something that you cannot justify at an interview, just to look interesting: if you say you love white water rafting and then come up against an expert at white water rafting but can't name any stretches of water you have personally navigated, you will look pretty foolish.

5. Offer referees in support of your application.

Two is usual, and if applying for a job straight from university it would be unusual if one were not your tutor, and a second perhaps someone from a work placement. Do ensure you have kept them up to date on your activities since leaving their inst.i.tution. From experience, it's frustrating to receive requests for references from students you last remember from four years ago, or perhaps do not remember at all (given that you have a different cla.s.s each year).

Presentation of a CV 1. Make sure it is grammatically correct.

You are contacting a market that is specific and detail orientated, and spelling and other grammatical mistakes will jump out at the reader.

In particular, check that all your key/bullet points are formatted in the same way, so for example: two years' work experience in my local museum; I regularly helped out with outreach events on public holidays.

would be more logically presented as: two years' work experience in my local museum; tegular a.s.sistance with outreach events on public holidays.

Bear in mind that a CV that is packed with 'I's can cast doubt on your value as a team player.

2. Print it out on good quality paper without making it look such good quality that it seems inflexible. CVs that are bound in expensive folders may look impressive initially but are not easily adapted to fit specific job applications. They also risk looking showy and raising the issue of how good you are as part of a team (key question). without making it look such good quality that it seems inflexible. CVs that are bound in expensive folders may look impressive initially but are not easily adapted to fit specific job applications. They also risk looking showy and raising the issue of how good you are as part of a team (key question).

3. Make best use of the s.p.a.ce It should be obvious that it is a CV, so consider putting your name at the top of the doc.u.ment, rather than 'Curriculum Vitae' and then a top tip is to put your name and contact details at the bottom of the page, so people have to flick through what you say in order to find this.1 4. Offer your contact details Include the telephone number on which you prefer to be contacted. If you have a flatmate with a questionable telephone manner such as the 'hilarious' habit of answering the phone and pretending to be someone else, or who is lax about taking messages give your mobile number. Say if there are any specific times of the day when you cannot accept calls ('mobile, before 9.30 or after 5.30, please leave a message in between these times'), and remember to keep it charged and to check regularly for messages. Think too about establis.h.i.+ng a sensible sounding e-mail address: [email protected] may amuse your friends but is less intriguing to a potential employer.

Before you start your job hunt, think carefully about the image you are presenting of yourself on Facebook and other social networking sites employers increasingly look here for guidance on what kind of job potential employees might make of representing them them to the wider world. to the wider world.

5. Consider what typeface to use It should be something that is legible, but conveys the essential you. So do you want to use serif (as in Times New Roman Times New Roman with the twiddly bits on the edges of the letters or with the twiddly bits on the edges of the letters or New Baskerville New Baskerville which is the typeface used in this book) or sans serif (for example, the typeface which is the typeface used in this book) or sans serif (for example, the typeface Tahoma Tahoma). If you are able to, try to find out which typeface the organisation you are applying to uses and do likewise. Be warned, typefaces date very quickly, and an application submitted in Comic Sans or a handwriting face will attract negative attention.

6. Include plenty of s.p.a.ce It is s.p.a.ce in a doc.u.ment that draws the eye in, not text, so make sure your doc.u.ment has eye-catching s.p.a.ce at regular intervals rather than covering every part with text. Use a ragged right-hand margin rather than justifying your text.

7. Don't make it too long two pages is plenty.

There is no need to include the following: Your date of birth Your marital status or number of dependents Your salary expectations Your photograph Too much detail of how wonderful you are keep it succinct.

This is a doc.u.ment to rea.s.sure a potential employer, not to give pleasure to your parents.

What to send with your CV All job applicants need a basic CV that can be adapted to the specific job you are applying for. Some organisations have their own application form, in which case you will have to adapt the information you have to the questions they ask.

When responding to a specific advertis.e.m.e.nt, send an accompanying letter outlining your particular desire and apt.i.tude for the post being advertised. It should be addressed to the individual named in the advertis.e.m.e.nt (and triple check to ensure you spell their name correctly it's easy to make a mistake) and make reference to what they have asked for in the job outline. Be sure to edit the name and address to make sure it's addressed to the inst.i.tution you are applying for, rather than sending it to the same organisation you drafted the original letter for (again, so easily done). Better still, start from scratch each time the result will be fresher and more immediate, and ironically probably take you less time than adapting a previous version.

About three paragraphs is usually enough, perhaps one saying you are applying, a second saying why you are particularly attracted to this post, and a third outlining your specific qualifications. You should conclude by saying you are available for interview.

Have you ever wondered why each direct marketing package, selling anything from conservatories and double-glazing to new credit cards, always includes a letter? It's because studies of how these items are opened, read and responded to (and these studies do take place) routinely report that the one item in the package that always gets read is the accompanying letter. The same goes for job applications. A CV may appear standardised, but it is in the letter that you make your specific individual pitch and it is worth taking time and trouble to get it right.

double check that you have got the addressee's details right nothing is more obvious to the recipient (and less obvious to the sender); ensure the layout is interesting and tempting to read (three paragraphs of different lengths is more eye catching than three that are exactly the same size); mention any personal link you have with the organisation you are applying to in the opening paragraph visits as a child; inspiring items held; attendance at a lecture given by a key member of staff; the letter should match your CV same typeface and paper quality so as to make an attractive whole; do not justify the text, it looks blockish and uninviting (rather, leave the right-hand margin ragged); sign your letter with an ink pen not a blotchy ballpoint.

If they say that they do not acknowledge applications, consider enclosing a stamped-addressed postcard (with an image you have chosen to represent you) to be returned to you.

Paperclip your letter to your CV (and postcard if you are including one) and then place it in an appropriately sized envelope. Do not spoil the look of your package by over-folding and hence squas.h.i.+ng the contents consider how they will come out at the other end. Along the same lines, if you are sending just three sheets of paper, they may bear up to the ravages of the postal system, and hence arrive in better shape, if you make a single fold in the middle and put them in a C5 envelope single sheets in a C4 envelope may arrive looking particularly battered.

Handwrite the envelope (using your good quality pen), making sure it is legible, correctly spelt and conventionally laid out. Visit a Post Office, have it weighed and ensure you add the right postage (larger envelopes now cost more than smaller ones). The last thing you want is for your material not to arrive because you have paid insufficient postage which would mean the recipient had the choice of either choosing to pay the difference or deciding not to bother. Show your attention to detail by getting this right. If it is an option, choose attractive stamps and stick them on straight.

Last semester I taught a module on preparation for a career in marketing and communications at Kingston University. It was interesting that many of the MA students saw applying for a job as a numbers game: you send off 500 applications and out of these you may get X number of interviews and X number of job offers; and the more difficult the economic conditions, the more you have to widen your starting point. It's one strategy but, as the course progressed, speaker after speaker confirmed the value of taking time and trouble to make your applications count by making them specific.

Applying for a job in the world of museums and galleries is more more difficult than in some professions in that the number of applicants vastly outweighs the number of jobs on offer. It's a much better strategy to make every single application count or as one potential employer said of a poorly drafted application: 'If you don't care, why should I?' difficult than in some professions in that the number of applicants vastly outweighs the number of jobs on offer. It's a much better strategy to make every single application count or as one potential employer said of a poorly drafted application: 'If you don't care, why should I?'

Chapter 14

How to put together a job application for an advertised post

The first task is to find a job advertis.e.m.e.nt to reply to. Some are advertised through general websites (see Appendix for details), others will appear within the staff requirements for an umbrella organisation, thus the advertis.e.m.e.nt used as a case study in this chapter, for an a.s.sistant Keeper for Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museum appeared on the Aberdeen City job page on the website along with advertis.e.m.e.nts for a Housing a.s.sistant, a Senior Cook and a Driver/Handyperson.

Enlist others to help you in your search. If you are studying for an MA in Museum Studies or Curators.h.i.+p, your lecturers may well try to circulate information on openings that reach them, but of course these will then be made available to the entire cohort, including some of last year's students who are not yet employed. Many people find their parents and wider family a useful job-searching resource, and they can often pick up references in local papers which may be worth pursuing (if you wish to return to your home area). Flexibility is important: 'In logistic terms, a career in this world does require you to be mobile, and to fit your friends.h.i.+p and family patterns to that mobility and I mean internationally, not just within the UK. Jobs are rare and need to be moved to, whether in the UK or overseas.'

DAVID FALKNER, DIRECTOR, STANLEY PICKER GALLERY, KINGSTON Once you have found a job to apply for, note the date by which you must apply, read the person specification carefully and note the process by which to progress your application (if you send in a CV and a covering letter and they have asked you to contact them for an application pack, then you have shown that you are not particularly detail-orientated).

Before you even think about completing the application form, or sending in your own application, you must devote careful attention to the role for which you are applying. Remember that time and effort is put into drafting job descriptions and advertis.e.m.e.nts, so respond with similar care. Some employers now use computer programs to do a first sift of applications; these programs look for a match between the verbs used in the job advertis.e.m.e.nt and the verbs used in the applicant's response in other words has the applicant based their application on the information provided about what the organisation is looking for? A useful tip is to follow the advice commonly given to those preparing for oral examinations in foreign languages at school listen out for the verb and deliver it back, with an example attached.

For an example of this process in practice, here's an advertis.e.m.e.nt that appeared on the website www.museumjobs.com/uk/

Organisation: National Media Museum National Media Museum Salary: 13,343 p.a. 13,343 p.a.

Type: Full-Time Position Contract: 12 months fi xed term Full-Time Position Contract: 12 months fi xed term Location: Bradford, England Bradford, England Closing Date: Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 Job Ref No:

Job Description: Job t.i.tle: Collections Access a.s.sistant Salary: 13,343 per annum Full time, 36 hours per week 12 months fixed term Closing date: 23rd April 2009 Award winning, visionary and truly unique, The National Media Museum embraces photography, film, television, radio and new media, including the Web. Part of the NMSI family of museums, it aims to engage, inspire and educate through comprehensive collections, innovative education programmes and a powerful yet sensitive approach to contemporary issues.

Insight is the Collections and Research Centre of the National Media Museum. Joining the Collections team, you will research, identify and repatriate archived material to facilitate and encourage public access. Specifically, your work will focus on the Zoltan Gla.s.s project.

Gla.s.s was a Hungarian photographer who specialised in doc.u.menting the pre-war German car industry and also undertook glamour and advertising photography. The Museum holds over 12,000 images of his, some of which are currently being catalogued, digitised and sequenced.

Required Skills: Demonstrable experience in collections care/management and access gained within a museum/heritage environment is essential. Keen to learn, you will be able to understand and engage with the Zoltan Gla.s.s project, as well as embracing the broader access and outreach philosophy of the Museum. An up-to-date knowledge of cataloguing and doc.u.mentation best practice is also important ideally supported by a natural, ongoing interest in photography and other media.

Application Instructions: To apply, please write with full CV and covering letter to: The HR Department, National Media Museum, Bradford BD1 1NQ or email: We regret that we can only respond to successful applicants.