Posts

Museum Wannabe: One Year On

 Blimey, it’s been a while since I published a blog. So let’s talk about that.   In May 2021, I logged into Twitter for the first time as the Museum Wannabe. The thoughts and feelings behind my first post had long been brewing, and as I sent off my application for what would become the first of three jobs I held that year, I also bit the bullet and said a big hello to Museum Twitter. I wasn’t a stranger to online networking and spent a good deal of 2020 attending conferences and contributing to niche networking groups. Before the pandemic, I’d participated in the odd bit of Twitter discourse, but I never really strived to make connections or exclusively present myself as a ‘museum person’ online. Then, fuelled by pandemic boredom and a post-graduation job hunt, I began to make a conscious effort to network in the hopes of finding application advice and like-minded 20-somethings starting out in the sector. However, I often felt like a cuckoo in a nest of experienced mus...

What I Wish I Knew Before I Started Job Hunting

There was no way I was going to land the first museum job I applied for. I wasn't expecting to: I was unsure how to structure my writing, what experiences to include, or how to sell myself. These things, I trusted, would come with practice. However, one year on and two paid museum jobs later, I doubt I could make a much better operation of that first application. I was under-qualified, under-experienced and trying to shoot my shot with a role that was ~certainly not~ an entry-level position. But I didn't know that at the time. There are lots of things I'll do differently next time I peruse the job market. I learnt much from the advice of experienced professionals, but, mostly, I learnt by screwing up. Given the infrequency of application feedback and the fact that most wannabes lack industry contacts, I've decided to compile a list of some useful things I discovered while job hunting. It's by no means exhaustive, and I'm sure I'll make more mistakes during f...

For the Love of Volunteering

Let's be honest, my first two blogs are a tad grim. It's hard to sugar-coat job hunting & I would be doing a disservice to the purpose of this blog if I did. But... I felt writing three sad blogs in a row might be a bit much so, this month, I'm sharing something a bit different. A bit happier. A reminder of what keeps us Wannabes going through the repeated applications, rejections & seemingly hopeless requests for feedback. Also, an opportunity to let you know a bit more about myself besides "I want to work in a museum". Here's the story as to how I ended up chasing this wonderful heritage dream: When I was 5, I wanted to be a pop star. When I was 10, I wanted to be a scientist. When I was 16, I wanted to be an audio engineer. Although I loved visiting cultural sites, my childhood self would be quite surprised to learn I’ve set my heart on working in a museum. Into my teens, I misguidedly assumed that all museum work was monotonous and solitary. Howeve...

Mistakes were Made: Applying for My Dream Job

Oh boy, did I screw up. I've been drafting and re-drafting this blog for a while now. Whenever I had a spare second or remembered a classic blunder from those early applications, I'd make a note. Write a paragraph. I was all good to go & shoot this baby off into the universe. I had a nice little intro about how I was totally unqualified for the first position I ever applied for and... Then I saw it. My. Dream. Job. I think every museum professional has that one place they'd drop everything to work at. Perhaps it's where you did a traineeship. Perhaps the collection really suits your interests. Perhaps it's somewhere you loved visiting as a child. I'll let you imagine what mine is. Only days before had someone asked about my aspirations and I replied offhandedly, "Work at [ Insert Dream Here ]." Days later, that throwaway comment had become a tangible possibility. When I first saw this position advertised, 1% of me didn't want to go for it. I di...

The Museum Mountain

The first thing you learn when you begin your museum journey is getting your foot through the door is hard. Unimaginably Hard. Anyone starting out has this reiterated to them whenever volunteering, networking, or participating in online discourse. Whenever I got a second to engage in the industry, I was reminded that I was standing at the foot of a mountain that, while trodden by many, poses each walker individual challenges. I naively believed I had planned my route: I would rack up hours of volunteering until I landed a job or traineeship and, after one year, sign up for a relevant MA if job hunting had proven fruitless. It was by no means a water-tight plan (looking back now, I have no idea how I was planning to support myself while volunteering or studying), but this post-graduation fantasy kept me optimistic. It may take longer than a year. It may take a lot of unpaid work. It may take further study. But, I was determined to eventually land a paid job in a museum. I'll never k...