[BCMA] Advice

Tue Oct 14 14:03:25 PDT 2014

Hi there,

This may or may not be of interest to you but we are currently seeking a permanent, full time Administration and Operations Manager for the Kelowna Museums Society.  I’ve attached a copy of the posting.  Feel free to share it with anyone you know who might be interested.  Thank you.

Yours truly,

[Debbie_email-tags]

From: bcma-bounces at lists.vvv.com [mailto:bcma-bounces at lists.vvv.com] On Behalf Of Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.
Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2014 12:51 PM
To: bcma at lists.vvv.com
Subject: Re: [BCMA] Advice

Julie,
Like you, I am on a quest to find that job in a museum. I graduated in 2012 with my Masters and since then I have continuously looked for a permanent job in the field.
1. Volunteer whenever possible. I realise you said that your time is limited with working full-time and completing volunteer work for your daughter. But I know from places I've volunteered at, any time that you can offer is welcomed by the staff there. It also helps develop your network and quite often I get sent job opportunities that I've might have missed on my searches.
2. Be flexible (whenever possible) on your job location, Vancouver generally has a very competitive market for museum and heritage jobs. The first (paid) job I had in the field meant I had to move to Edmonton, which was a very rewarding experience and I gained both experience and friends while working. That was an entry-level position which led towards an internship and then followeda 6 month contract as Assistant Manager at a National Historic Site.
3. Don't be afraid to cross-train. You can spend a long time searching for that perfect job that you studied for and won't consider other jobs in the field. I've continually worked at becoming more rounded as an employee so I've never turned down the opportunity of gaining whatever experience I could get.
4. Be prepared for contract work. Finding a permanent position is extremely difficult and quite often positions are only offered during summer months and generally last from May to September.
5. Most importantly, don't get downhearted. I feel that trying to break into the museum field is one of the hardest professions to crack. You might be sending resume after resume on applications and not having any response or you may get an interview but become the 2nd best candidate. Sometimes it's a frustrating adventure, but I believe that at the end of it is a rewarding career.
Although I am still in search of a permanent position, it has been following what I recommend that got me that contract work. I wish you the best of luck on your search, if you would like to know anything more from a fellow job searcher, feel free to contact me.
Gareth Evans
gevans.ca at gmail.com<mailto:gevans.ca at gmail.com>
Tel: 604-317-3450
Website: thankevansitshistory.wordpress.com<http://thankevansitshistory.wordpress.com>

On Sun, Oct 12, 2014 at 6:43 PM, Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv. <bcma at lists.vvv.com<mailto:bcma at lists.vvv.com>> wrote:
Hello all,

I hope I have done this right, it is my first time posting to a listserve.

I am looking for advice on finding a job in a museum. I graduated from university last December with a degree in archaeology with a minor in museum and heritage studies. I would really like to work with artifacts again curating and researching. I am just unsure how to break into the museum scene. I do not qualify for YWC employment so the only experience I have at the moment is my practicum and field school I did for my degree.  I wish I had time for lots of volunteer work, but as I now live in Vancouver I am working full time and I do volunteer work for my daughter so my time is limited.

I could really use some advice on what avenues any of you may have taken to have gotten any sort of entry level work in a museum.

Thank you so much,
Julie Thomas

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