Curate Your Career

Leadership isn't just about becoming a manager. In museums, many professionals are already leading long before their job title reflects it. You might be managing projects, mentoring colleagues, solving problems across departments, influencing decisions, or becoming the person everyone turns to when something goes wrong. In Part 1 of this two-part series, Elin Filbey and Alli Schell explore what le...

What happens when the career you've worked so hard for no longer aligns with the life you want to live? In this special episode of Curate Your Career , Alli turns the microphone on co-host Elin Filbey to explore the story behind Deaccessioned Coaching , the ONLY coaching business dedicated specifically to helping museum professionals navigate careers beyond museums! They discuss what led Elin to l...

What We Learned at AAM Fresh off the American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Elin and Alli are reflecting on their biggest takeaways. It's not from the sessions, but from the conversations, connections, and unexpected moments that happened in between. In this informal recap episode, they discuss what it was like attending AAM as independent museum professionals, how networking...

For two years, Will did everything he thought he was supposed to do. He applied for museum jobs. He followed up. He networked. He hired a resume writer. He earned a master's degree. He volunteered. And still...nothing. In this episode, we sit down with Will Turner, a former high school history teacher who spent two years trying to break into museums before finally landing his current role as Curat...

We get asked about resumes. We get asked about cover letters. We get asked about interviews. And we get a lot of questions about LinkedIn. How often should you post? Do recruiters actually find people there? Do you need LinkedIn Premium? Should you be networking with strangers? And what does it actually mean to have a "personal brand"? In this episode, Elin Filbey and Alli Schell break down what L...

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 dif...

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 ar...

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 commun...

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 t...

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 gr...

If you’re considering museum grad school, this is the episode where things get real. In Part 1, we talked about whether grad school makes sense in the first place. In this episode, we’re assuming you are considering it and walking through how to actually evaluate programs so you can make a smart, informed decision. Because here’s the truth: Grad school is not just an academic decision. It’s a fina...

This is one of the most common questions in the museum field: Should I go to grad school? And the honest answer is… it’s complicated. In this first episode of a three-part series, Elin Filbey and Alli Schell break down what actually goes into that decision... beyond the default advice to “just get the degree.” Drawing from their own experiences (both GW grads), insights from the Museum Pros subred...

There’s a kind of work happening in museums that doesn’t show up in job descriptions, annual reports, or performance reviews, but it shapes everything. The way you calm a frustrated visitor, hold space for a volunteer going through a hard time, how you navigate conflict, or carry the emotional weight of your community. It’s the work beneath the work. In this episode of Curate Your Career , Alli Sc...

A few weeks ago, Elin shared a LinkedIn post about an alternative career path for museum professionals... and it struck a nerve. What if you could keep working with objects… just not in a museum? In this episode of Curate Your Career , Elin Filbey and Alli Schell sit down with Ryan Jelso, a former curator at The Henry Ford, who pivoted into estate services, appraisal, and personal collections work...

In this third Mail Bag episode, Alli Schell and Elin Filbey answer listener questions about navigating early vs. mid-career roles, breaking into (or moving up within) the museum field, and what it really takes to stand out in today’s job market. They unpack the nuance behind “Am I qualified enough?”, especially for those with transferable skills and dive into the realities of freelancing and consu...

Who gets to shape the future of museums? For a long time, advocacy in the museum field has focused on institutions (funding, preservation, and public programs). But what about the people doing the work? In this episode of Curate Your Career , Elin Filbey and Alli Schell are joined by members of the National Emerging Museum Professionals Network (NEMPN) board to talk about Museum Workers Advocacy D...

Getting fired, laid off, or unexpectedly losing a job can feel devastating. Especially in a field where so much of our identity is tied to the work we do. In this episode of Curate Your Career , Elin Filbey and Alli Schell tackle a difficult but incredibly common experience in museum careers: what happens when a job ends before you expected it to. They talk openly about the emotional fallout, the...

What if one of the best ways to build new career skills… didn’t involve getting another job? Volunteer work is often overlooked as professional experience, but when done intentionally it can be a powerful way to develop leadership, explore new fields, and expand your network. In this episode, we’re joined by Angela Williamson, CVA , a Certified Volunteer Administrator and volunteer engagement cons...

Are you applying for jobs you could do… or jobs you’re actually ready for? In this episode of Curate Your Career , Elin and Alli tackle one of the most common (and emotionally charged) questions they hear from clients: “Should I apply if I don’t meet everything?” Together, they break down: Why the “apply if you meet 60%” advice often backfires How hiring managers actually read years of experience...

In this second Mailbag episode, Alli Schell and Elin Filbey answer listener questions about graduate school investments, career pivots, and the emotional weight that often comes with choosing or leaving museum work. They unpack why not all museum studies programs offer equal opportunity (and how to think critically before enrolling), and how transferable skills can open unexpected doors. They also...

What happens when your passion for museums isn’t enough anymore? In this episode of Curate Your Career , Elin and Alli sit down with Mary Culler to talk honestly about her decision to step away from the museum field and into a new role in a new field. Mary shares what it looked like to confront financial instability, emotional labor, and work-life imbalance and how she navigated the fear, grief, a...

Alli and Elin delve into the fears and misconceptions associated with negotiation. The episode covers unsuccessful negotiation experiences, rescinded job offers, and negotiation dynamics. It also discusses advocating for yourself and reaching a mutual agreement, as well as preparation for negotiation and the value proposition. The conversation covers the topic of negotiation in job offers, emphasi...

In this episode of Curate Your Career , Alli Schell is joined by Sierra Van Ryck DeGroot , Associate Educator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, for an honest conversation about internships in the museum field: what works, what doesn’t, and what should change. Together, they unpack their own formative internship experiences, the role of mentorship and representation, and why meaningful, paid inter...

In this episode, Alli and Elin are joined by Melody Caban , a museum gift shop consultant, to unpack the often-overlooked role of museum retail and the people who power it. Melody shares her pathway into the field, how museum store work builds highly transferable skills, and why frontline staff deserve a seat at the table in institutional decision-making. We explore how museum stores contribute to...

This episode tackles the challenges of waiting during the job application process, particularly in the museum field. Hosts Elin and Alli discuss strategies to stay proactive and positive while navigating long hiring processes, offering tips on networking, skill-building, and maintaining motivation. Takeaways: Waiting during job applications can be stressful but manageable. Networking doesn't have...