We’re back with another mailbag episode, answering listener questions about some very real museum career situations.

In this episode, we talk through what to do when a posted salary range turns into an offer at the very bottom, how early-career museum workers can think about financial stability, and how students can approach internship outreach more strategically.

We also end with a recap from the Midwest Museums Association conference, including why smaller conferences can feel more manageable, how regional conferences can be great networking spaces, and why museum vendors can be an overlooked source of museum-adjacent job opportunities.

If you’ve ever wondered whether a salary range is real, how to make museum work more financially sustainable, or how to reach out for internships without sending your resume into the void, this episode is for you.

Elin and I are taking a short summer break, so we’re bringing back a few episodes that feel especially useful as we head into late summer and the post-Labor Day job search push.

And if your job search feels especially quiet right now? You’re probably not imagining it.

July and August are often one of the slower times of year for hiring. People go on vacation, museums are busy with summer programming and application processes stretch out. You’re left refreshing your inbox wondering, Should I follow up again? Should I keep applying? Is this normal? What am I supposed to be doing while I wait?

That’s why we’re revisiting And Now We Wait..., an episode all about navigating the frustrating in-between periods of a job search.

Because while you can’t control how quickly an organization moves, whether someone responds to your email, or when the next opportunity gets posted, there are still things you can do to keep your job search moving forward.

In this episode, we talk about:

• why hiring processes can take so long—and why the silence isn’t necessarily about you
• when you should follow up during an interview process
• why you shouldn’t stop applying just because one opportunity feels promising
• how to use the waiting period to prepare for potential next-round interviews
• ways to organize and refine your job search systems
• why keeping a workplace diary can make future resumes and interviews much easier
• how to reconnect with and expand your professional network
• how to identify skills you may want to intentionally build
• ways to use courses, volunteering, shadowing, projects, and other opportunities to fill experience gaps
• how slower periods can give you space to strengthen your professional visibility and explore new ideas
• and why sometimes the most productive thing you can do is give yourself permission to rest
  

The waiting game is one of the hardest parts of searching for a job, especially when so much of the process is outside of your control.

If August has you hearing crickets, use this episode as an opportunity to reset. Instead of asking, “Why isn’t anything happening?” consider asking: “What’s one thing I can do now that will make me more prepared when things start moving again?”

Elin and I are taking a short summer break, so we’re bringing back a few episodes that feel especially useful as we head into late summer and the post-Labor Day job search push.

This week, we’re revisiting our episode on one of the biggest questions museum job seekers face: Should I actually apply for this job?

It’s easy to look at a job description, recognize a few responsibilities, and think, “I could do that.” But knowing how to do something isn’t necessarily the same as having done it at the level, scope, or responsibility the organization is looking for.

That’s where our Stretch, Match, or Mismatch framework comes in.

In this episode, we talk about how to look beyond job titles and percentages of qualifications to more honestly assess where your experience aligns, where you might be ready to stretch, and when a role may be better treated as a future goal.

This episode focuses on:

• how to recognize your strongest-match or “anchor” applications
• what makes a role a strategic stretch versus a mismatch
• why years of experience can signal scope and responsibility, not just time
• the difference between participating in, assisting with, and owning work
• how to assess your level of responsibility and autonomy
• why job titles don’t always reflect the work you’ve actually done
• how to identify skill and experience gaps you can intentionally build
• why both overselling and underselling your experience can hurt your job search
• and why applying more strategically can be more effective than simply applying to more jobs
  

Not every job you could apply for deserves the same amount of your time and energy. If you’re getting ready for the fall job search season, this is a great episode to revisit before you start hitting “apply.”

Alli and I are taking a short summer break, so we’re bringing back a few episodes that feel especially useful as we head into late summer and the post-Labor Day job search push.

This week, we’re revisiting our episode on cover letters.

Love them or hate them, cover letters can be one of the most helpful places to connect the dots between your experience and the role you want next... especially if you’re applying outside museums, changing lanes, or trying to explain work that doesn’t fit neatly into one job title.

In this episode, we talk about what cover letters are actually for, how they differ from resumes, and why a strong cover letter should not just repeat everything in your resume in paragraph form.

We cover:

• why cover letters still matter
• what a cover letter can do that a resume cannot
• how to explain why you want this role and this organization
• how to connect your experience to the job description
• how to avoid generic or overly formal language
• how to write about transferable skills
• what to include when you’re changing fields or job families
• and how to make the whole thing feel a little less painful

If you’re refreshing your application materials before the fall job search season, this is a great episode to revisit.

Alli and I are taking a short summer break, so we’re bringing back a few episodes that feel especially useful as we head into late summer and the post-Labor Day job search push.

This one is all about resumes... because before you start applying to everything, it’s worth asking whether your resume is actually doing its job.

In this episode, we talk about why museum resumes often don’t land the way people hope, especially when applying outside the field or trying to communicate complex experience clearly.

We cover:

• why your resume is not your full life story
• the difference between a resume and a CV
• why formatting matters more than you think
• how to write for the person actually reading your resume
• why museum jargon can get in the way
• how to focus on outcomes instead of tasks
• why tailoring matters
• and how to make your experience easier for a hiring manager to understand

If you’re planning to refresh your materials, get back into the market, or apply more intentionally this fall, this is a great episode to revisit.

You prepared your stories.
You researched the organization.
You landed the interview.

Now... what actually happens once the interview begins?

In Part 2 of this interview series, Elin Filbey and Alli Schell walk through what actually happens during the interview process, from the initial screening call to panel interviews, presentations, final-round conversations, and everything in between.

Interviews are more than just having the perfect answers, it's also knowing how to tell your stories with confidence and remembering that you're evaluating the organization just as much as they're evaluating you.

Throughout the conversation, Elin and Alli discuss:

• what to expect during first, second, and final-round interviews
• who you'll likely meet throughout the hiring process, and what each person is looking for
• strategies for navigating panel interviews with confidence
• why employers care just as much about your thought process as your final answer
• interview presentations, projects, and how to think about unpaid interview work
• thoughtful questions to ask that reveal an organization's culture
• interview red flags and what they might tell you about the workplace
• how to follow up professionally after an interview
• whether you should ask for feedback after a rejection and when it may or may not be worth it

Whether this is your very first interview or your fiftieth, understanding how the interview process works can help you walk in feeling more prepared, less overwhelmed, and better equipped to show why you're the right person for the role.

And perhaps just as importantly, it can help you decide whether the organization is the right fit for you.

#MuseumCareers #MuseumJobs #MuseumProfessionals #CareerDevelopment #InterviewTips #JobSearch #MuseumLeadership #CurateYourCareer #MuseumStudies #CareerCoaching

You got the interview. Amazing. Exciting. Slightly terrifying.

Now what?

In this episode, Elin and Alli kick off a new series on interviews, starting with everything that happens before you ever enter the Zoom room or walk into the building: the preparation.

Because interview prep is not about memorizing perfect answers. It’s about understanding the role, researching the organization, knowing what stories you want to tell, and walking in with more confidence and less panic.

We talk about:

• what to ask when you get the interview invitation
• how to prep differently for first round, final round, Zoom, and in-person interviews
• why interviews are not pop quizzes
• what you can and cannot control
• how to research the organization
• why the job posting is your answer key
• how to anticipate likely interview questions
• why notes are allowed
• what to do if you ramble, freeze, fidget, or over-explain
• and how to build a pre-interview confidence ritual

We also get into the reminder that you are interviewing the organization too.

Yes, you want the job. But you also deserve to know whether the role, team, culture, and organization are actually a good fit for you.

If interviews make you nervous, this episode will help you feel more grounded, prepared, and ready to show them why you.

This episode is Part 2 of our conversation about leadership skills.

In the previous episode, we talked about how to identify and define your leadership experience, especially if you don’t have a formal leadership title yet.

In this episode, we’re getting practical.

Once you know where you are and where you want to go, how do you actually build the leadership skills you need?

Because here’s the thing: leadership experience does not always arrive neatly packaged in a promotion, title change, or direct report.

Sometimes you have to create the opportunity yourself.

Elin and Alli talk through concrete ways museum professionals can start building leadership experience, whether you’re an emerging leader, hoping to move into management, advocating for a raise or title change, or trying to strengthen your resume for the next step.

They also talk about why it is okay to be a little selfish about your professional growth.

Museum professionals are often deeply mission-driven, generous, and very good at over-functioning for the good of the organization. But your growth matters too. If you need a skill for the next role you want, it is okay to look for ways to build it. If your current job is not giving you the challenge or experience you need, it is okay to create opportunities elsewhere. And if something benefits both you and the organization? Great.

But you do not have to pretend your own career goals are irrelevant.

• Leadership experience is not limited to managing direct reports.
• Projects, committees, task forces, boards, and working groups can all help build leadership skills.
• You need to know where you are and where you want to go before you can build the right experience.
• It is okay to create opportunities for yourself instead of waiting for your organization to hand them to you.
• Strategic volunteering can help you build skills, relationships, and context.
• Your museum is not the only place where you can gain leadership experience.
• If your current role is not challenging you, look for ways to create your own “extra credit.”
• You are allowed to pursue opportunities because they benefit your career.
• In a field that often rewards self-sacrifice, looking out for yourself is not selfish. It is necessary.

00:00 Picking up from the last leadership episode
01:20 What does successful leadership look like?
03:30 Leaders who support, explain, and model the work
05:20 Advocating for people and helping them grow
06:30 How to start building leadership experience
07:30 Know where you are and where you want to go
08:55 Leading projects from start to finish
11:25 Creating opportunities for yourself
13:25 Joining or leading committees
15:00 Professional associations, networks, and peer groups
16:00 Why it’s okay to be strategic about your own growth
18:00 Getting involved outside your organization
19:20 Boards, nonprofits, and volunteer leadership
20:30 Using outside opportunities to support career pivots
21:30 Working groups, task forces, and focused leadership experience
22:15 Building management skills outside the museum field

museum leadership
museum careers
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museum professionals
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museum management
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transferable skills
Curate Your Career

Leadership isn't just about becoming a manager.

In museums, many professionals are already leading long before their job title reflects it. You might be managing projects, mentoring colleagues, solving problems across departments, influencing decisions, or becoming the person everyone turns to when something goes wrong.

In Part 1 of this two-part series, Elin Filbey and Alli Schell explore what leadership actually looks like in museums and why so many professionals underestimate the leadership experience they already have.

Together, they discuss:

• why leadership and management aren't the same thing
• how to recognize when you're already operating at a leadership level
• the different levels of responsibility that exist throughout museum careers
• why job titles often fail to capture the complexity of museum work
• how small museum professionals build leadership experience in unique ways
• the many forms leadership can take beyond supervising staff
  

They also break down different types of leadership, including:

• strategic leadership
• budget and financial leadership
• project leadership
• people leadership
• institutional leadership
• thought leadership
  

Whether you're hoping to become a manager, preparing for senior leadership, or simply wondering if you're ready for your next career move, this episode will help you start looking at your experience through a different lens.

Part 2 will focus on how to intentionally build leadership skills and communicate them effectively on your resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letter, and during interviews.

• Leadership is about more than supervising people or having a management title.
• Many museum professionals are already demonstrating leadership without realizing it.
• Your job title doesn't always reflect your actual responsibilities.
• Leadership can include strategic thinking, budgeting, project management, mentoring, institutional planning, and thought leadership.
• Small museums often provide opportunities to develop broad leadership experience earlier in your career.
• Understanding your leadership experience is the first step toward communicating it effectively.
• Before you can convince hiring managers you're ready to lead, you first have to recognize the leadership skills you already have.

00:00 Escape rooms, cooking & museum trivia
02:20 Introduction: Are you already leading?
05:45 Leadership vs. management
10:00 Signs you're already operating as a leader
16:00 Levels of responsibility in museum careers
28:00 Small museums and leadership experience
34:00 Strategic leadership
40:00 Budget and financial leadership
43:30 Project leadership
48:00 People leadership vs. management
54:00 Institutional leadership
56:00 Thought leadership
59:30 Why this became a two-part series
1:00:30 Preview of Part 2

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museum management
museum careers
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museum career development
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museum managers
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museum leadership development
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museum career coaching
career advancement
leadership in museums

What happens when the career you've worked so hard for no longer aligns with the life you want to live?

In this special episode of Curate Your Career, Alli turns the microphone on co-host Elin Filbey to explore the story behind Deaccessioned Coaching, the ONLY coaching business dedicated specifically to helping museum professionals navigate careers beyond museums!

They discuss what led Elin to leave the field herself, how she built a business helping others through the same transition, and why leaving museums doesn't have to mean leaving behind the passion, skills, or identity you've built over the years.

Whether you're actively considering a career change, feeling unsure about your next step, or simply curious about what other opportunities might exist, this conversation offers practical advice, reassurance, and a reminder that your career can evolve as your life and values evolve.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• Why Elin started Deaccessioned Coaching after leaving museum work herself
• The common reasons museum professionals begin considering careers outside the field
• How values, not just salary or burnout, often drive career transitions
• The transferable skills museum professionals bring to other industries
• Building confidence during a career change
• Why leaving museums doesn't mean you've failed
• The surprising careers former museum professionals have gone on to pursue
• How to stay connected to museums even if you leave professionally
• The idea of finding your own "Tuscan villa" and defining success on your own terms
  

If you've ever wondered what comes next after museums, or simply needed permission to imagine a different path, this episode is for you.

Learn more about Elin Filbey and Deaccessioned Coaching:
https://deaccessionedcoaching.com

Connect with Elin on LinkedIn for career transition tips, transferable skills advice, and museum-friendly job opportunities.