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Re: What is a good archivist's resume???



Even though I've not sought a new position for over  30 years, I take a
stab at responding to your inquiry.  I might add that I've served on
committees that looked at applicants and have had a voice in
recommending which person should be hired.  This has usually been after
another committee has decided which applicants should be interviewed.
In this role I have looked at large numbers of resumes and application
letters.

Perhaps the first thing that you need to realize is that your resume is
only one part of your application for any job.  Your application letter
is also a significant part of the package.

If you want to use the one size and one emphasis simplistic resume fits
all approach then you really need to craft individualized application
letters to go with the resume.  You need to pay very careful attention
to what is said in the job advertisement and stress all how you meet the
wants of the hiring institution.

Somewhere in the application documents you do need to explain what
experience you have had if you have had any at all.  A summary of duties
you have performed would probably be helpful.  A record of any special
skills you have would also be useful.

Educational background might possibly be of greater importance in an
academic institution than in some other types of archives.  It has
always been my feeling that an archivist in a large academic institution
should have a Ph.D.  Does it make you a better archivist?  Possibly not.
 It does, however, give you greater status in that it puts you on an
equal basis with faculty members (or other faculty members in cases in
which archivists hold faculty rank and are involved in traditional
promotion and tenure).  It has been my experience that academic
archivists frequently deal with staff who are not faculty.  That staff
is more likely to see the archivist in a more favorable light when
he/she is referred to as Dr. Archivist rather than Mr. or Ms. Archivist
just as they see teaching faculty different than they see other staff
members.  I doubt that this holds true in corporate, museum, or some
other archival positions.

I suspect that writing, editing, teaching would not be of a great deal
of interest for most institutions hiring an archivist.  An academic
institution might be interest in any publications especially if the
archivist is to be a tenure track faculty member.  I am sure that most
employers would be interested in successful grant writing experience.
Having written several unsuccessful grant applications might not be an
asset however.

Association memberships would likely be more important in an academic
archives than in most others.  Being a certified archivist or certified
records manager would likely be most important in a corporate setting
although some other employers sometimes list certification as desirable
if not required.

In most situations other than corporate I think that community
presentations would be of some interest.  I'm not sure the same can be
said for membership other than in professional organizations.

I doubt that anyone can say how long a professional resume should be.
The length will have to be determined by what the applicant has
accomplished.  A padded resume is probably fairly easy to spot.  At best
a resume might help you get an interview.  It will not get you a job.
If you have not been getting any interviews, then perhaps there is
something wrong in the way you have presented yourself in either your
resume or your application letter of perhaps both.  If you have gotten
interviews and still no job offers, then perhaps there are other causes.
 One of them could be the number of folks out there who are looking for
archival jobs.  It could also be the result of how you present yourself
at the interview.

Hopefully some other new or recently hired archivists will be willing
to share their resumes with you.

Finally, I suggest that you find yourself a new title on your email
address.  Your own name would, in my opinion, be preferable to
"youngarchivist."  It is great that you seem to want to showcase your
profession, but were I searching to find new employee I would likely not
be impressed by that identification.



Dr. Charles R. Schultz, CA, SAA Fellow
Clements Professor and Clements Archivist
Cushing Library
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX  77843-5000
c-schultz@tamu.edu
979-862-1555
FAX 979-845-1441

State-of-the-art automation will never beat the wastebasket
when it comes to speeding up efficiency in the office.
Ann Landers Gem of the Day, July 27, 1994

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