Kelly Klobucher | Museum Executive | Cultural Tourism Strategist | Non-Profit Leader

Why We Need to Talk About the State of Museum Employment

There is something energizing about a museum conference.

For a few days, we step away from our daily responsibilities to reconnect with colleagues, visit museums, discover new ideas, and debate the future of our field. We leave inspired by keynote speakers, thoughtful panel discussions, innovative exhibits, and the reminder that we are part of a profession dedicated to preserving our shared heritage.

That was certainly my experience last week at the Association of Midwest Museums Conference in Chicago.

I had the opportunity to reconnect with friends and colleagues from museums across the Midwest. As always, the conversations were stimulating, the sessions were informative, and the museum visits reminded me why I entered this profession in the first place.

But between those sessions, another conversation kept happening.

It wasn’t on the conference agenda.

It wasn’t discussed from the main stage.

Yet it was the conversation I heard most often.

“I’m looking for work.”

A Different Kind of Conference Networking

Nearly every gathering eventually turned to employment.

Experienced museum directors.

Curators.

Educators.

Interpretive planners.

Marketing professionals.

Development leaders.

Exhibit designers.

People who have spent decades building respected careers.

People I personally admire and look to as leaders in our field.

Many of them were unemployed.

Others were worried they soon might be.

Several colleagues reported applying for dozens, and sometimes hundreds of positions without receiving interviews.  Most applications never even got a response. Others described long hiring processes that ended without communication.

Emerging professionals shared stories of applications disappearing into online applicant tracking systems with no acknowledgment. Senior leaders wondered whether artificial intelligence, automated screening systems, or shifting organizational priorities were making it harder for experienced candidates to even reach a hiring manager.  People who are over “a certain age” discussed a a recent LinkedIn post written by a recruiter who described Gen X and older as “an expensive burden” for employers, due to salary and benefit expectations.  Experience has always had a financial cost, but no longer feels like it is valued.

In more than fifteen years* in this field, I cannot remember another moment quite like this. *Even people as young as 35 have been advised to only list up to fifteen years of experience now, and have taken to performing “Resume Botox” – the act of removing experience to appear younger.

Even during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was at least an understanding that museums were responding to an unprecedented global crisis.  We knew we would re-open one day, and we would all come back to work.

Today’s challenges feel different.

They feel structural.

They feel…permanent.

A Profession Under Pressure

Museums, libraries, archives, and historical societies are facing extraordinary financial and operational pressures.

Some institutions continue to struggle with attendance recovery following the pandemic.

Others are confronting rising operating costs.

Public funding remains uncertain in many states, while recent federal actions affecting cultural agencies have created additional instability. Competition for philanthropic support has intensified, forcing organizations to make difficult choices about staffing and priorities.

Many institutions have responded through reorganizations, hiring freezes, layoffs, and departmental restructuring.

Just two days before the AMM conference started, the Indiana Historical Society announced significant organizational changes that included the elimination of much of its education, library and exhibit staff. While every institution must make decisions based on its own financial realities, these reductions are part of a broader pattern that many museum professionals are witnessing across the field.

The result is an employment market unlike any many of us have experienced.

Behind Every Résumé Is a Person

It is easy for museums to think about hiring in terms of budgets, organizational charts, and position descriptions.

It is much harder to remember that every application represents someone’s career.

Someone’s mortgage.

Someone’s family.

Someone who has devoted years—often decades—to preserving collections, developing educational programs, raising funds, welcoming visitors, and strengthening communities.

Museum work has never been a profession people choose because it promises wealth.

Most choose it because they believe in the mission.

That makes unemployment particularly painful.

It isn’t simply the loss of a job.

For many, it feels like losing a calling.

We Can Do Better

None of this suggests that museums should hire people they cannot afford or create positions that do not fit their strategic needs.

But we can—and should—treat job seekers with greater professionalism and respect.

The hiring process is often one of the first experiences someone has with your institution.

It reflects your organizational values just as much as your exhibitions or educational programs.

1. Acknowledge Every Application

An automated confirmation takes seconds to send.

It tells applicants their materials were received and valued.

Silence should never be the default.

2. Communicate Timelines Honestly

If interviews will take two months, say so.

If the search has been delayed, let candidates know.

People understand organizational realities.

What they struggle with is uncertainty.

3. Close the Loop

Perhaps the most common frustration I heard was simple:

Applicants never learned the position had been filled.

No email.

No phone call.

No update.

Just silence.

Every candidate deserves to know when a search has concluded.  If a candidate is no longer being considered for a role, museums should let them know.

4. Respect the Time Candidates Invest

Preparing a museum application often requires tailored résumés, cover letters, writing samples, portfolios, strategic plans, presentations, and multiple interviews.

That represents hours—sometimes days—of work.

Respecting that investment means communicating throughout the process.

5. Be Transparent About Expectations

If you are conducting an internal search, say so.

If salary flexibility is limited, publish the range.

If relocation is unlikely to be supported, make that clear.

Transparency saves everyone time.

6. Remember That Reputation Matters

The museum field is remarkably small.

How organizations treat applicants becomes part of their reputation.

Candidates talk. (Several museums who ghosted candidates were discussed in the hallways at this conference.)

Board members talk.

Consultants talk.

Graduate students talk.

A respectful hiring process strengthens an institution’s reputation long before a new employee begins work.

Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Hiring

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of recruitment across many industries.

Applicant tracking systems can screen résumés before a human ever sees them. AI tools can help identify keywords, rank candidates, or streamline administrative tasks.

Used thoughtfully, these technologies can improve efficiency.

Used carelessly, they risk filtering out qualified professionals whose experience does not neatly match an algorithm.

Museums should be especially cautious.

Our profession values nuance, interpretation, context, and human judgment.

Our hiring practices should reflect those same values.

Technology should support decision-making—not replace it.

We Cannot Afford to Lose a Generation of Talent

Perhaps my greatest concern is not today’s unemployment numbers.

It is what prolonged instability means for the future.

If talented educators leave museums for more stable careers…

If experienced leaders retire early…

If emerging professionals decide the field offers too little opportunity…

Museums will lose institutional knowledge that cannot easily be replaced.

The effects may not be fully visible for years.

But they will be felt.

Our Greatest Resource Is Our People

Museums often describe collections as their greatest assets.

I disagree.

Collections matter because people care for them.

Historic houses matter because educators bring them to life.

Artifacts matter because interpreters connect them to visitors.

Buildings matter because staff welcome communities through their doors.

The museum profession has always been about people.

As we navigate financial uncertainty and organizational change, we cannot lose sight of that truth.

The conversations I had last week reminded me that behind every organizational restructuring is a human story.

Behind every vacant position is someone hoping for an opportunity.

Behind every application is someone who still believes museums matter.

They deserve our respect and dignity—even when we cannot offer them a job.

If our institutions are dedicated to preserving history and serving communities, then surely we can also lead by example in how we treat the people who want to dedicate their careers to that mission.

About the Author

Kelly Klobucher is a museum executive, public historian, and creator of The Backyard Tourist, where she explores museums, historic sites, and unforgettable road trips across the Midwest and beyond. With more than 20 years of experience in museum leadership, marketing, and nonprofit management, she writes about history, heritage tourism, museum leadership, and the stories that connect people to place. Follow her at kellyklobucher.net for thoughtful perspectives on museums, preservation, and cultural travel—and discover more adventures at The Backyard Tourist.