In doing my research for two papers focusing on outreach and education, I have found one theme that seems to reappear. In planning for future development directors should look to hire staff members that can bring unique skill sets to the position. There is a value to be found in looking to hire staff that bring public speaking skills, tech backgrounds, or design skills to the field.
Earlier I was looking around the blogs that have been written and saw Mitchell's post about Dungeon and Dragons and the skills that you use as a Dungeon Master (story telling, quick thinking, and problem solving) can be applied to work in a museum. how dungeons and dragons can help you. I played a lot of D&D through out high school and agree with his point. It did however make me think a bit about the kind of experiences we each can bring to our future jobs that may or may not qualify as skills that would be regarded as being note worthy on a resume.
What kind of skills might you be able to develop or discover when doing activities at leisure? Maybe you understood the value of teamwork and cooperation in sports, learning to think several steps ahead in a board game, quick thinking skills in a videogame, or became tech savvy from managing your own website or forum. I think a few skills I picked up came from my art background.
I took all kinds of art classes growing up in school and even took up the hobby of building and painting models to play a strategy board game called Warhammer. In college I built up a design background also before I dropped out of architecture. Some skills:
- Hand eye coordination and dexterity in handling small delicate items and tools
- Learned the importance of caring for and preserving my models
- A general knowledge of tools and how to use them in crafting
- Money Management!!! Models, paint, and tools are expensive
- Design classes emphasized discussion, presentation, and the perspective of multiple viewers
Skills and experience can be found and developed from a possible multitude of sources. What skills have you found that have helped you to this point in becoming public historians that maybe can not be truly measured from just an academic standpoint?
I agree! And not just because you referenced me. What I wonder, however, is if there is an appropriate way to convey those hobbyist skills we've learned on a resume limited to work experience. People are, after all, more than their jobs...
ReplyDelete