human resources – American Alliance of Museums

When HR is the Barrier: Identifying Problems and Solutions

By Michelle Martin Bonner

After more than two decades of experience in human resources (HR) and diversity, inclusion, and belonging roles, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing the inner workings of these departments across a diverse array of sectors, …
Making Professional Development Work for Small Museums

By Aimee E. Newell

“We had been talking about going to different conferences for years, usually in a joking, musing way, so it is awesome to be able to do it.” When I asked my colleague Mark Riccetti, our organization’s director of operations and programs, …
Hiring Tips to Create Value and Inclusion for all Disciplines in Museums

By Ayanna Reed

There are qualified and diverse candidates out there who may not be aware that museums are a sustainable career option for them—it’s our job as a field to recruit and retain this virtually untapped market. One important way to achieve this …
Handy Hobbies: Why diverse skillsets are an advantage to every institution

By Francesca Tronetti

Diversity is a popular buzzword right now: diversity in staff, in teaching methods, and ideas. However, one aspect of diversity I have never heard mentioned is diversity in skillsets. It’s worth considering the hobbies employees (and …
Leaving the Museum Field

By Sarah Erdman, Claudia Ocello, Dawn Estabrooks Salerno, and Marieke Van Damme

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Workplace Culture – Face the Facts!

By Shawn VanDerziel

Shawn VanDerziel is the Chief Human Resources Officer at The Field Museum in Chicago. This is the second in a series we’ll be presenting that discusses the Field Museum’s staff culture and engagement initiative. Are we ready to hear the …
The Question of Gender: The “Unseen” Problem in Museum Workplaces

By Joan Baldwin

Joan Baldwin is Curator of Special Collections at The Hotchkiss School. Why is it important? Because for too long women–and more recently those openly identifying as women–have experienced both hostile and benevolent sexism in the museum …
Where Do Generation X Museum Professionals Fit In?

By Tara Young

I distinctly remember being at a museum conference about 10 years ago, when I was a department manager but not yet at the senior level, and scanning the program to figure out where I fit in: the director sessions weren’t open to me, and …
Leadership, and Why You Need a SWOT Analysis (and a Personal Board of Directors)

By Greg Stevens

Recently, I was poking around on LinkedIn, and found a couple of short posts that caught my attention. One was How to Do a SWOT Analysis on Yourself (and Why You Need One) by speaker, professor, and author Andy Molinsky; the other was Why …
10 Things We’ve Learned About Unbiased Hiring Practices at AAM

By Katherine McNamee

Last fall, I was a guest presenter in an AAM Webinar on unbiased hiring where I shared some blind screening techniques that we have begun incorporating into our hiring practices at AAM. With several recruitment efforts now concluded, my …