National Museums Scotland’s Post

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Hiring panels should be held accountable for ghosting candidates and unprofessional hiring practices. I once interviewed with a museum I admired and shared how it inspired my career path. I sent a prompt thank-you email, explaining why I’d be a great fit—yet I never received a response, not even an automated rejection. While I could have sent another follow-up, closure is a shared responsibility. For those involved in hiring, even a brief rejection email can go a long way. If responding to candidates feels challenging, it may be worth reconsidering the team’s approach to hiring.

festivalraver321@gmail.com What would this make you think? Would it affect your first impression of someone? Absolutely! Don't fall at the first hurdle. When applying for jobs, always use a professional email address. Keep festivalraver321@gmail.com for emailing your friends, and use something simple like firstnamelastname@gmail.com for job applications. While festivalraver@gmail.com will definitely catch the eye of hiring managers, it won’t work in your favour! What's the most standout email address you've seen? Comment below 👇 #recruitment #hiring #jobs

We’re hiring – but does anyone really care? We’ve got three open positions at Sonus Events (actually, make that four): - Senior AV/Event Technician - Event Technician – Lighting & Video - Digital Marketer/Social Media Manager - Operations Manager But here’s the thing: we’re not just looking for people who want to trade hours for pay, counting down the clock. We want people who love what they do, who want to grow with us, and who believe in our (slightly mad) vision. I’m not going to go on about “culture” – I know that word can feel overused. But what I do want is to build a team of loyal, motivated individuals who are as invested in our goals as we are in theirs. Are we perfect? No. Do we know it all? Nope. Are we some massive company with unlimited resources? Definitely not. But we have a clear vision, and we’re looking for the right people to join us and make it happen. So, does anyone care? Do employees care about the companies they work for? Do employers care about the dreams, goals, and well-being of their teams? I don’t know for sure – but I’d like to think so.

🗣️STORY TIME 🗣️ When I first asked how to stand out as an applicant in 2022, I was encouraged to get a masters in museum studies. It’s a common sugestion when someone gives advice and I get it because logically it makes sense… right? 🤔 So that was plan for while… to save up and go for a masters. But it became impossible in entry level positions because it is extremely difficult in this economy to afford both school and living expenses. So I figured I would just double down and maybe try just being exposed to as much as I could in a year at a museum. When working as a Visitor Service Associate (entry level customer service position) I worked alongside colleagues who went to Yale, Boston University, or had years of experience in museums… all with advanced degrees. I watched as passionate people made opportunities for themselves, compromise on initial goals by being open, and even sometimes explore new careers. I also watched people openly describe the struggle that can come with selecting jobs in this pay bracket, the pain of endless interviews with dead ends, and feeling like there dreams were on hold. This experience really changed me. After all the reviewing of programs and considering all my options, getting a masters would bring me closer to a job but starting salaries for most positions are like Alli says, 30k to 50k a year. How would I be able to pay off a degree program like that if that was my salary? It made me wonder if it was even worth it. In one of my last interviews this past spring, I shared why I would apply to a smaller museum when I work for a globally recognized institution. It was simple really, I wanted an opportunity in exchange for real experience because I couldn’t afford a masters. This experience could mean real movement in my career and if I was lucky at the end of my contract I could gain employment in something that would allow me to attend school because I could then… finally… afford the risk. Museums are full of passionate people that want to grow and want to succeed. More and more people want to be a part of this industry and it’s inspiring. Recently with the news that art history majors face the HIGHEST unemployment rate it is often confusing to me why there are so many masters programs popping up for museum studies…. and why it’s a requirement to have a masters on applications even though the salary does not support those who are carrying high level debt from their schooling. I’m seeing hope all the time despite this. I look around and see amazing people mid career going back to get advanced degrees. I witness strong people with out degrees in our field bringing in outside knowledge which create new solutions. I share in my friends describing how they set boundaries and won’t settle for in equitable pay even if it’s a major museum. These experiences generate conversations about what we want the future of museums to be and I love it. A change is coming to this! I can feel it. Thanks Alli.❤️

A gap in employment is not a bad thing. It can be due to layoff, family caregiving, illness, or a wide variety of other reasons. The pandemic put a lot of good workers into situations they didn't ask for. It can make the employer look like they value a person's work over the person, which can create a red flag for job seekers. Similarly, if you have a candidate who has to work outside the field for a few years to survive- something I had to do between 2020 and 2023 after losing my museum job during COVID- a better way to approach the shifts is to ask how the time off, and the experiences outside the field, helped them to get to where they are now.

5 things your next event can use to excite your attendees. 1 - Wellness services ↳Exercise ↳Therapy ↳Painting ↳ Rage Room ↳Quiet Room ↳Sensory Room ↳Flower Creation 2 - Live Music ↳ Concerts ↳String Musicians ↳DJ for breaks and during lunch 3 - Activations Check out my post from last week that gives you plenty of examples. 4 - Creative Teaching Formats ↳ DJ on stage ↳Problem solving breakouts ↳Musician playing with Keynote ↳Audience participation in content 5 - Higher Equity for diverse #eventprofs ↳Hire diverse freelancers ↳Actively seek diverse event profs ↳Diversify the RFP hiring committee  ↳Don't haggle minority event professionals ↳Fill decision making positions like Event Planners ↳Offer speaking opportunities to different racial backgrounds Which one of these can you start doing today?

Creatives, art directors & marketing managers: I’ve developed my own opinion on this over the years, but would love your insight: Do you see value in meeting in person at trade shows or is the quality of work and video / email communication remotely enough to hire someone? Year after year, many of the people I “need” to see to get hired, opt out of going to the shows or tell me there’s no point setting time and meeting up even when I’m at a show and then ultimately hire me anyway. (Often my calendar is predominantly filled before show season as it is) So in the creative world, is connecting at shows necessary? Or even beneficial these days? For my first 10 years in business (Pre-2020), I felt the answer was yes. These days? Not so much. Would love to hear your insight!

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