23. Why Your Cover Letter Isn't Working (And What to Do About It)

23. Why Your Cover Letter Isn't Working (And What to Do About It)

If writing a cover letter feels like staring at a blank screen while questioning every career decision you've ever made... you're not alone. In this episode, Elin Filbey and Alli Schell tackle one of the most frustrating parts of the job application process: the cover letter. Because despite what many job seekers hope, a cover letter isn't just a formality. In museums especially, it can be the difference between getting an interview and getting passed over. The problem? Most people were never actually taught how to write an effective cover letter. Instead, they rely on outdated templates, generic examples, or end up treating the cover letter like a second resume. Throughout the conversation, Elin and Alli break down: * why cover letters feel so overwhelming in the first place * the biggest mistakes they see museum professionals making * why your cover letter is not a resume in paragraph form * how storytelling can strengthen your application * and why hiring managers are not going to "connect the dots" for you They also dive into: * how to identify the most important themes in a job description * why you should focus on a few strong examples instead of trying to include everything * how to create reusable "core stories" that make future applications easier * why your opening paragraph matters more than you think * and how to explain career transitions and transferable skills more effectively One of the biggest themes throughout the episode is the importance of answering a simple question: Why you? Why this job? Because the strongest cover letters don't just summarize experience. They help the hiring manager understand why you're a fit and envision you in the role. The goal is to make it obvious why you belong there. Whether you're applying for museum jobs, fellowships, internships, or trying to transition into a new role, this episode will help you rethink your cover letter strategy and approach applications with more confidence (and hopefully fewer tears). CHAPTERS 00:00 Why cover letters feel so hard 01:45 What cover letters are actually supposed to do 04:00 Why museum employers still care about cover letters 07:00 Cover letter formatting and length 10:00 The mistake of treating your cover letter like a resume 12:00 Using storytelling to strengthen your application 15:00 Building reusable "core stories" 18:00 Balancing customization with application volume 20:00 Why your opening paragraph matters 22:00 Don't bury the lead 24:00 Answering "Why you? Why this job?" 28:00 Speaking directly to the job description 31:00 Connecting the dots for hiring managers 34:00 Showing impact through stories and examples 37:00 The fine line between too vague and too detailed 40:00 Cover letter alternatives and hiring trends 42:00 Internships, fellowships, and statements of interest 45:00 Final takeaways: clarity, storytelling, and alignment KEYWORDS museum careers cover letter tips museum cover letters museum professionals job search strategy museum job search museum jobs career transitions transferable skills museum internships museum fellowships job applications career coaching museum career coach cover letter mistakes hiring managers storytelling in job applications

22. Live from the American Alliance of Museum Annual Conference: Special Mailbag Episode

In this special live episode of Curate Your Career, Elin Filbey and Alli Schell take the podcast on the road to the American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting for their very first live audience recording. What started as a shared idea between two internet friends became a candid, funny, and deeply honest conversation about the realities of museum careers and the questions museum professionals are actually asking behind the scenes. Using audience-submitted questions, Elin and Alli tackle topics including: * toxic workplaces and difficult bosses * leaving museum jobs without another role lined up * navigating specialization vs. being a museum “generalist” * museum grad school and higher education realities * resume strategy and transferable skills * job searching outside the museum field * networking (or “fellowshipping”) * and how to build sustainable careers in and beyond museums They also discuss: * the emotional realities of burnout and underemployment * why museum professionals often undersell their skills * the importance of hands-on experience in today’s hiring market * and how career conversations in museums are often happening quietly behind the scenes instead of openly on conference stages Throughout the episode, one thing becomes clear: 👉 Museum professionals are incredibly skilled, adaptable, and resourceful 👉 But many are navigating systems that make career growth and sustainability difficult This live conversation creates space for honesty, nuance, and practical advice. Whether you want to stay in museums, leave museums, or simply feel less alone while figuring things out. And yes… there are also several references to fantasy romance novels, networking awkwardness, and museum people being “emotional scapegoats for the board.” ---------------------------------------- ⏱ CHAPTERS 00:00 Live from AAM: introducing the podcast 03:00 Why we started Curate Your Career 05:00 Grad school discourse and the 3-part series 08:00 “Aching in the Archives” — feeling isolated in museum work 15:00 Transitioning from archival work into public-facing roles 16:00 Toxic bosses and leaving difficult workplaces 20:00 References, reputation, and museum world politics 24:00 Being a museum generalist vs specialist 31:00 Career advice for museum studies students 35:00 Grad school myths and “the hustle” 38:00 Leaving museums for full-time work and stability 44:00 Networking, LinkedIn, and building community 46:00 Labor organizing and transferable skills 49:00 Museum job boards and accessibility issues 54:00 Elin’s career transition story 57:00 Why these conversations matter ---------------------------------------- 🔍 KEYWORDS museum careers museum jobs museum professionals museum burnout museum grad school career transitions museum networking museum resumes museum job search museum career advice AAM conference museum studies careers transferable skills leaving museums

21. Why Your Resume Isn’t Working (And What to Do About It)

If you’ve been applying to jobs, getting auto-rejected, or hearing absolutely nothing back… this episode is for you. Elin Filbey and Alli Schell break down the biggest resume mistakes they see museum professionals making and why so many resumes fail before a hiring manager even seriously looks at them. Because most of the time, it’s not that you’re unqualified. It’s a strategy issue. It’s a communication issue. Or your resume simply isn’t making it easy for someone to understand why you’re a fit. Throughout the conversation, they unpack: * why a resume is a marketing document, not a full record of your career * the difference between resumes and CVs * how museum professionals often write for the wrong audience * and why hiring managers are not going to “connect the dots” for you They also dive into: * tailoring resumes to specific job “lanes” instead of sending the same one everywhere * why focusing only on tasks (instead of impact) hurts your applications * how to better communicate scope, leadership, and responsibility * and why so many museum professionals undersell the complexity of what they actually do The episode also tackles one of the most common areas of confusion in today’s job market: ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) Elin and Alli explain: * why overly designed templates often backfire * why Canva/Etsy-style resumes can create technical issues * what actually makes a resume easy for both humans and software to read * and why “standing out” visually is outdated advice in a digital hiring landscape Throughout the episode, they come back to one core idea: The goal of your resume is not to sound impressive. It’s to make it obvious why you’re a fit for the role. If your resume hasn’t been getting traction lately, this episode will help you step back, rethink your strategy, and understand what might actually be getting in the way. **If you want to meet up with Elin and Alli at AAM in Philly, fill out this short form [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19wDvd6uPBU63Bbg5eUWOKXCCVGuzC8BNVz5pmeYVzsw/edit#responses] to be included in updates on where we'll be. ---------------------------------------- CHAPTERS 00:00 Why resumes get auto-rejected 02:00 Resume myths and “standing out” advice 03:30 A resume is a marketing document 05:00 Resume vs CV: what’s the difference? 08:00 One page? Two pages? Resume length debates 13:00 Who are you actually writing for? 15:00 Tailoring for museum vs non-museum audiences 18:00 Why you need to “connect the dots” 20:00 Don’t bury the lead: highlighting relevant experience 23:00 Tasks vs impact in bullet points 28:00 Showing scope, outcomes, and responsibility 31:00 ATS systems and resume formatting mistakes 35:00 Why Canva/Etsy templates can hurt your applications 38:00 Keyword stuffing vs strategic alignment 39:00 Why generic resumes don’t work 43:00 Leadership resumes and organizing complex experience 45:00 Final takeaways: clarity, strategy, and alignment ---------------------------------------- KEYWORDS museum careers museum resumes resume tips museum professionals ATS resume tips job search strategy museum job search career transitions resume formatting transferable skills museum jobs resume mistakes career coaching museum career coach

20. When Leaving Isn’t a Choice: Chronic Illness, Motherhood, and Letting Go of a Museum Career

Leaving the museum field is often framed as a choice. Better pay. Better work-life balance. A new career path. But sometimes… it’s not a choice at all. In this episode, Elin Filbey and Alli Schell talk with Sam McLaren-Fahey about what it looks like to leave museum work because life requires it, not because you want to. Sam spent years working in museum education and nonprofit programming before transitioning into real estate. But her decision to leave the field wasn’t about career growth or dissatisfaction with the work. It was shaped by: * chronic illness * physical limitations * becoming a parent * and needing to build a life that was actually sustainable This conversation gets into what that looked like in real time, including navigating years of undiagnosed illness, pushing through work while her health declined, and ultimately having to make a decision she didn’t feel ready for. They also talk about: * the emotional impact of losing your professional identity * what it means to grieve a career you loved * and how museum work can stay with you—even after you leave Sam shares what it was like to: * move from a physically demanding museum role into more sustainable work * navigate job loss during maternity leave * and eventually build a new career in real estate—one that still reflects her values around education, empathy, and helping people Throughout the conversation, one thing becomes very clear: 👉 Leaving doesn’t mean you stopped caring 👉 And it doesn’t mean that part of you is gone It just means something in your life needed to change. This episode is for anyone who has ever felt like they were pushed out of a career they loved or had to make a decision they weren’t ready to make. ---------------------------------------- ⏱ CHAPTERS 00:00 When leaving isn’t a choice 02:00 Sam’s background in museums and education 05:00 Early health challenges and undiagnosed illness 08:00 Working through severe physical decline 12:00 Medical gaslighting and finally getting answers 17:00 Adjusting roles and leaving museum work 20:00 Losing professional identity 25:00 Becoming a parent during a pandemic 28:00 Forced career break and mental health challenges 32:00 Finding real estate (and why it made sense) 36:00 Building a new career from scratch 41:00 Transferable museum skills in a new field 46:00 Collaboration vs competition in different industries 50:00 Money, value, and mindset shifts 55:00 What Sam still misses about museum work 58:00 Flexibility, health, and redefining success 1:00:00 Advice for people navigating similar situations ---------------------------------------- 🔍 KEYWORDS museum careers leaving museums career transitions museum professionals chronic illness and work nonprofit careers career identity working with chronic illness museum education careers career change stories

19. Museum Grad School Series (Part 3 of 3): Alternatives & What the Field Gets Wrong

If you’ve made it this far in the series, you’re probably sitting with a big question: If I don’t go to grad school… what are my options? In Part 3 of this series, Elin Filbey and Alli Schell break down what it actually looks like to build a museum career without relying on a graduate degree and why that path is more viable (and necessary) than the field often acknowledges. Because while museum grad school is often presented as the “next step,” the reality is: * it’s not the only path * it’s not always the most effective path * and it’s definitely not a guarantee of a job * This episode explores: * how the museum field has shifted (but expectations haven’t kept up) * which roles actually require degrees and which don’t * how to use job descriptions to reverse-engineer your career path and necessary education * and how to identify the difference between “required” vs. “preferred” qualifications They also get candid about where the field itself needs to do better... from over-reliance on degrees to lack of training, inaccessible internships, and unrealistic hiring expectations. Because this isn’t just an individual problem. It’s a structural one. ---------------------------------------- 🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS * There is no single path into or within museum careers even if it’s often presented that way * A graduate degree is not a “silver bullet” and does not guarantee a job * Many roles value hands-on experience more than degrees * Job descriptions are your best data source. Look for patterns, not one-offs * “Required” vs. “preferred” qualifications matter when evaluating roles * You can build skills through targeted, lower-cost alternatives instead of full degree programs * Transferable skills (project management, communication, collaboration) are highly valuable across roles * If you’re investing time in learning, you need to reflect that on your resume * The museum field still has major gaps in training, accessibility, and hiring practices * Choosing not to go to grad school is not opting out, it’s choosing a different strategy ---------------------------------------- ⏱ CHAPTERS 00:00 Where you might be after Parts 1 & 2 02:30 The disconnect between degrees and ROI 05:00 The “grad school or nothing” mindset 08:00 How the field has shifted (but expectations haven’t) 12:00 Roles that do require degrees 15:30 Starting with job descriptions (your data set) 20:00 Identifying patterns: requirements vs preferences 24:00 Using AI, spreadsheets, or manual tracking 28:00 Certifications and targeted training programs 34:00 Webinars and free/low-cost learning 39:00 Libraries, online learning platforms, and YouTube 45:00 Transferable skills and broad skill-building 52:00 Strategic volunteering as professional development 55:00 Internships and fellowships (and their limitations) 59:00 Mentorship, networking, and informational interviews 1:03:00 Conferences, vendors, and hidden opportunities 1:06:00 Where the field needs to do better 1:12:00 Rethinking grad programs (trade school model) 1:18:00 Final reframes and decision-making ---------------------------------------- 🔍 KEYWORDS museum careers museum grad school alternatives museum jobs museum professionals career development museums museum education careers transferable skills museum job search strategy GLAM careers professional development museum internships career transitions