Graduate Art History Association

Cover letter advice 1: Now
- Including a cover letter with your Resume/CV is always a plus. Including one when it is not required is better than not including one when it is.
- write a good master draft cover letter, name & date it (cover_letter_10_28_08), keep it in a folder called “Cover Letters,” and keep that folder in another folder called “Resume and Cover Letters.”
- Your master cover letter should include:
- good strong opening sentence
- paragraph or two about who you are and a bit about your background
- summary of skill sets
- polite and professional closing and signature
- could make signature slightly larger (11 text, 12 signature)

Cover Letter advice 2: Applying for a job
- Make a copy of your master cover letter
- Review the letter before adding new things
- add necessary paragraphs - more specific about what makes you an ideal candidate for the particular position
- keep it to one page (until you’ve had more experience)

Cover Letter advice 3: Before you send your cover letter with the resume
- Call the place you are applying to, and ask who you should specifically send the letter/resume to. Even if it ends up going to the HR department, the fact that you called will show you put in some extra effort.
- Proofread your cover letter at least three times.
- Remember – spell checking is not a substitute for proof reading!

How it looks and works on Holly’s end (a.k.a. the person who reads the cover letter/resume)
- first impressions are made both in paper and in person
- Things you should avoid: colored paper, misspellings, grammatical errors, inappropriate or unprofessional language
- Don’t apply if you aren’t qualified.
- 40/60 ratio – paper/intangible ratio
- 40% paper: your cover letter and resume
- 60% intangibles: Do look me in eyes? How is your handshake? Are you dressed nicely? Are you able to articulate yourself well on your feet? Are you acting nervous or keeping your cool?

Documents its good to have and keep updated:
- For finding jobs:
- resume and or CV
- master cover letter
- Once you have the job:
- brief biography
- recent photo
- one page resume or CV ( especially when applying for federal grants)
- brief job descriptions for the jobs you’ve held in the past, and the one you have now

Theresa asked: Are the CVs only for museums?
Holly: The director and curatorial jobs usually do CVs, but for the ones Holy hires for, she doesn’t see a great distinction between CVs and resumes. Especially at this stage in our career, there won’t be a big different between the CV and resume, except maybe different formats.

Theresa: Will a long CV end up in the way too long pile?
Holly: Only if the information is not articulated in a concise and brief manner – excessive repetition isn’t good. Holly also said you don’t lose if you have a slender resume – again, at this stage in our careers, people expect it.

Theresa: What if you have professional skills not in museum world ( for example, experience working with budgets)? Should you include this on your Resume/CV?
Holly: Absolutely – It’s important to let anyone you working for know and see that they can hand you all kinds of tasks to do (computer skill or workplace skills, ability to work with others or on your own). Holly gave an example: Only a small minority of curators can create and manipulate Excel sheets. Knowing this could get you the good bonus points needed to get the job.

Bethany: What kind of computer-related skills should you list? How should you list them?
Holly: You could say something like – complete familiarity of Microsoft products – BUT only if it’s true. Curatorial assistants will most likely need a decent grasp and knowledge of Photoshop and Power Point, in order to create competent presentations.

Rebecca: Is there a specific length we should try for with a cover letter? A lot of undergrad programs suggest something under a page.
Holly: It depends on the job you’re going for, and level of the job, and your experience. Don’t try to sugarcoat it too much.

Theresa: How do you best articulate your involvement in such volunteer activities as GAHA or the Cleveland Symposium? How is this different for a CV and a Resume?
Holly: This kind of experience is appropriate for both. You would usually list these activities under professional organizations and volunteer work. BTW, never use acronyms (write out the full name first and put the acronym next to it in parentheses. Don’t use out of place terms that stops the reader reading – keep a good flow – you want the person reading the application to like and respect you at the end.

Dr. Helmreich
Holly touched on a lot of the stuff Dr. Helmreich wanted to say about the composition of resumes and CVs. She went more into resources available to us:

- Resources close to home
- you need to look at the resources available to you in a wide and inventive way
- you need to take advantage of such events as special talks and lectures
- Cleveland Foundation exhibitions
- both those interested in museum studies, and more specifically those looking to pursue curatorial positions, should apply to curate a show at the Cleveland Foundation. Going to the exhibition openings at the Foundation can help you understand what goes into the exhibtion, and whether or not you would be interested in participating.
- Resources outside of the art history department (University Resources)
- Career center
- free (although you’re technically paying through your tuition)
- always available
- someone there will gladly look at your CVs, resumes, and cover letters
- no, it’s not just for engineers – we need to use it to change that misconception
- testing is also available if you’re not sure what you’re interested in
- get to know the people at the resource center – they are great people!

- The department and university resources should be where you go first, but there are also other external resources to help you develop a CV/resume and cover letter, as well as tell you about important opportunities. The two most important organizations to join are the College Arts Association (CAA) and the American Association of Museums (AAM). These organizations have student rates and can provide you with several useful features on their websites, including:
- professional listing
- job listings
- (CAA) – examples of CVs and resumes on their sites
- fellowships and internship
- Dr. Helmreich also recommended the Academic Job Search Handbook. Although this is technically an academic book, many of the methods explained are analogous to those found in the museum world. Although the examples come from PhDs about to enter the work force, you can look at what kinds of skills they reference and how they organize their CVs/resumes. This book is available in the KSL reference collection.
- So what should you do if you’re havin a career crisis, and you don’t know what you want to do? There is a career alternatives website for art historians through Notre Dame by Charles Rosenberg (http://www.nd.edu/~crosenbe/jobs.html). This is a good site to look at if you’re thinking of recasting your job search net.

Cover letters
- A cover letter is not intended to be a reiteration of your resume. These people are looking for a certain set of skills – what are they looking for, and do you have these skills? For example, if you’ve done object research with a curator or in methods, that’s a specific job skill that can be applied to other fields.
- There are three kinds of categories for skills:
- work content: A set of skills particular to a specific class of jobs. This is especially relevant in the museum environment.
- functional: broader range of application for skills; this could include computer skills
- adaptive: a wide range of application in different fields: i.e. leadership roles such as those learned as a co-chair in GAHA. These skill sets are important and can be applied in many museum and academic related jobs.
- The speakers suggested you start a word document and use these three categories as a guide to answer the following question - what are the skills I have? This can help to jump start the creative process resulting in a good cover letter and CV/resume. Holly suggested you read through this document before going into an interview.
- It’s important to let people know about your leadership skills, ability to work in team projects, and your willingness to take the initiative.
- Dr. Helmreich gave the example of a story from a man who had to read through 650+ letters for a job. Here are some of the things he got sick of: 7 page cover letters; redundant description of the position your applying for (they already know it, they wrote it); 3 or 4 complementary sentences in the first paragraph (if you’re reciting info you can find on the webpage, that just shows you know how to use google)
- In your cover letter, make sure you describe yourself and what you can bring to the company or organization you’re applying for.
- Writing as an important vehicle – make sure your writing is concise. You can form a support network of people who can look at your materials and give you their opinions and advise.
- Don’t make cover letter like detective novel. If you’ve done something, don’t hint at it – say you’ve got that experience. In the same token, don’t say you’re qualified for something you aren’t qualified for. Don’t just say you’re committed – you can be committed to a lot of things and not be experienced in them.

References
- Dr. Helmreich next brought up the issue of when it is most appropriate to list references – always. Just make sure you’ve told the person before sending out the application.
- Holly said to make sure it’s a blanket permission (you can use it later without having to ask again). Although it’s always a good idea to send a note to the person beforehand, attaching the resume and a description of the job you’re applying for.
- Dr. Helmreich likes to provide more articulate information for people calling in. She keeps a folder for everyone who asks her to be their reference – this file includes such things as performance reports from internship supervisors. Otherwise, she’s kind of working in the dark. She may give generic statements like “we’re proud of our students that come through our program,” but that’s not very impressive.

Dr. Scallen added on some other useful information.
- Many initial application are done through email these days. Make sure if you apply for a job this way that you take out any cutie signatures and make sure to mail in the application from a professional-looking email address. Also, even though it’s an email, you need to treat the correspondence as professionally as you would a cover letter.
- A CV and resume are more blended at the outset of someone’s career.
- CVs are usually more descriptive than resumes.
- When creating a CV or resume, you want to make sure you have clear categories.
- Also, don’t switch chronology between sections. The most recent dates should go first in each category in a ‘place,’ ‘date’ format (easier to read).
- separate out experience not directly related to the job you’re applying for
- can add on a category for such achievements as full tuition scholarship. This category might be called something like: awards, honors, fellowships
- don’t make stuff up!
- noting your leadership roles in professional organizations is important (even if it’s a volunteer organization)
- It is also important to list the languages you know, but be sure you don’t pad (particularly in museums), you can say you have reading and not speaking knowledge

Dr. Helmreich, Dr. Scallen and Holly made some helpful general comments:
- When you list that you were a TA, clarify what your roles were, since they may vary depending on where you go to school, what course you TA for, and what teacher you TA for
- Any lecture experience you have might be helpful to list, especially if you’re interested in curatorial assistantships (you might give a lot of tours in this role)
- Use the active voice, not passive, in both the cover letter and resume. A cover letter should be short and sweet (again, using active cuts down on verbiage).
- Look at yourself critically: what do you do well, enjoy doing well, and have experience doing well?
- Mention such transferable skills as an ability to research.
- Know your and your own strengths. Sometimes its an issue of not giving yourself enough credit – be objective, but be postive too.
- Say I am willing to work hard, and I enjoy working hard by myself and in groups.

Theresa: How do you best approach someone for a written letter of recommendation?
- Do it in person. Make sure you tell the person what you need and when you need it by (give them enough time – take their priorities into consideration). For example, Dr. H has a very busy schedule, and needs at least a month’s notice in advance. Whatever the timeline, make sure you honor it.
- Have a follow-up conversation
- Writing recommendations for students is part of the professors’ jobs, so don’t feel as though asking them is an imposition. It’s more annoying when you ask at the last minute.
- Take an honest rejection, accept it, and move on. Don’t take rejection personally, it may also be circumstances (i.e. you didn’t work with the person long enough).
- Be direct – ask if the person will be able to not only give you a letter, but a positive one.
- When thinking of who to ask, consider who will remember you, who have you developed a good relationship with. will you write me a positive letter? – bluntness is appreciated
- Holly says she usually sends the student a copy of the letter.
- There’s no problem with asking a person whose received a recommendation from someone you want to write you one, whether or not the person writes a good recommendation.
- By picking someone who knows you best, you get a much more detailed and personal letter, emphasizing your strengths.
- Make sure to follow up, because the person may be very busy. Some people don’t mind an email a week, but make sure they initiate that kind of frequent reminder.

Rebecca: What about applying?
- Holly says think “here’s what I’m looking for.” She also reminded us that your mentors, advisors, etc. are also there if you need advice.
- Every Sunday evening the AAM posts new jobs – most jobs up for two months, so there rarely is a need to scramble.
- Do you know anyone at the institution, and can you have call them contact someone for you
- Pay attention to Debby’s forwards, some of which come from the organizations your teachers are affiliated with.

Bethany: What about generic recommendations?
- Every recommendation needs to be dated and addressed to someone specific
- Personalized letters are more effective. For example, Holly says if she knows someone at the institution you’re applying to, she will cc: her recommendation to that person.
- Ask for the letter right away, when you are still fresh in their mind
- If you go through the process of writing a qualifying paper, and want the teacher to comment on that, make sure to save different versions of the paper, so they can refresh themselves on your progress
- When you contact someone you haven’t seen for awhile, make sure to let them know what you’re doing now, and where you’re applying to

Concluding comments:
- Part of your education is being exposed to other art historians with other points of view. Even if you’re pressed for time, you need to try and go to as many lectures as you can. You can go to that person later on and say ‘I heard your lecture, and...’ Good networking. You can also learn more of where the field is going.
- Dr. Scallen and Dr. Helmreich are willing to look at CVs and resumes – as long as you give them enough time
- The first and second year students are considered ‘MA candidates,’ and should include their expected year of graduation
- Getting many internships, as well as at least one solid language is a good idea – it’s a lot to handle, but this extra stuff is what gives you a leg up when you’re trying to find a job.
- When jobs are looking for 1-2 years of experience, they realize it’s going to be a hodge podge of smaller internships
- Think about what some of your peers will have, and what can give you that special edge
- Dr. Scallen gave a good example of the different skills you need when you come into the filed as opposed to what you are expected to learn once you enter it. When looking at possible PhD candidates to take on, Dr. Scallen expects these students to at least know German well enough to use it to find sources, etc. But she doesn’t expect the student to really know Dutch until you get into the program.
- Pay attention to your subfield, and what the requirements usually are to get into it
PhD programs – certain ways to train, certain to hit ground running