Curate Your Career

You got the interview. Amazing. Exciting. Slightly terrifying.

Now what?

In this episode, Elin and Alli kick off a new series on interviews, starting with everything that happens before you ever enter the Zoom room or walk into the building: the preparation.

Because interview prep is not about memorizing perfect answers. It’s about understanding the role, researching the organization, knowing what stories you want to tell, and walking in with more confidence and less panic.

We talk about:
what to ask when you get the interview invitation
how to prep differently for first round, final round, Zoom, and in-person interviews
why interviews are not pop quizzes
what you can and cannot control
how to research the organization
why the job posting is your answer key
how to anticipate likely interview questions
why notes are allowed
what to do if you ramble, freeze, fidget, or over-explain
and how to build a pre-interview confidence ritual

We also get into the reminder that you are interviewing the organization too.

Yes, you want the job. But you also deserve to know whether the role, team, culture, and organization are actually a good fit for you.
If interviews make you nervous, this episode will help you feel more grounded, prepared, and ready to show them why you.

This episode is Part 2 of our conversation about leadership skills.
In the previous episode, we talked about how to identify and define your leadership experience, especially if you don’t have a formal leadership title yet.

In this episode, we’re getting practical.

Once you know where you are and where you want to go, how do you actually build the leadership skills you need?

Because here’s the thing: leadership experience does not always arrive neatly packaged in a promotion, title change, or direct report.
Sometimes you have to create the opportunity yourself.

Elin and Alli talk through concrete ways museum professionals can start building leadership experience, whether you’re an emerging leader, hoping to move into management, advocating for a raise or title change, or trying to strengthen your resume for the next step.

They also talk about why it is okay to be a little selfish about your professional growth.
Museum professionals are often deeply mission-driven, generous, and very good at over-functioning for the good of the organization. But your growth matters too. If you need a skill for the next role you want, it is okay to look for ways to build it. If your current job is not giving you the challenge or experience you need, it is okay to create opportunities elsewhere. And if something benefits both you and the organization? Great.
But you do not have to pretend your own career goals are irrelevant.
Key Takeaways
Leadership experience is not limited to managing direct reports.
Projects, committees, task forces, boards, and working groups can all help build leadership skills.
You need to know where you are and where you want to go before you can build the right experience.
It is okay to create opportunities for yourself instead of waiting for your organization to hand them to you.
Strategic volunteering can help you build skills, relationships, and context.
Your museum is not the only place where you can gain leadership experience.
If your current role is not challenging you, look for ways to create your own “extra credit.”
You are allowed to pursue opportunities because they benefit your career.
In a field that often rewards self-sacrifice, looking out for yourself is not selfish. It is necessary.
Chapters
00:00 Picking up from the last leadership episode
01:20 What does successful leadership look like?
03:30 Leaders who support, explain, and model the work
05:20 Advocating for people and helping them grow
06:30 How to start building leadership experience
07:30 Know where you are and where you want to go
08:55 Leading projects from start to finish
11:25 Creating opportunities for yourself
13:25 Joining or leading committees
15:00 Professional associations, networks, and peer groups
16:00 Why it’s okay to be strategic about your own growth
18:00 Getting involved outside your organization
19:20 Boards, nonprofits, and volunteer leadership
20:30 Using outside opportunities to support career pivots
21:30 Working groups, task forces, and focused leadership experience
22:15 Building management skills outside the museum field
Keywords
museum leadership
museum careers
emerging leaders
leadership skills
museum professionals
career development
museum management
professional development
nonprofit leadership
museum career growth
leadership experience
career advancement
museum jobs
transferable skills
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 leadership actually looks like in museums and why so many professionals underestimate the leadership experience they already have.

Together, they discuss:
why leadership and management aren't the same thing
how to recognize when you're already operating at a leadership level
the different levels of responsibility that exist throughout museum careers
why job titles often fail to capture the complexity of museum work
how small museum professionals build leadership experience in unique ways
the many forms leadership can take beyond supervising staff

They also break down different types of leadership, including:
strategic leadership
budget and financial leadership
project leadership
people leadership
institutional leadership
thought leadership

Whether you're hoping to become a manager, preparing for senior leadership, or simply wondering if you're ready for your next career move, this episode will help you start looking at your experience through a different lens.

Part 2 will focus on how to intentionally build leadership skills and communicate them effectively on your resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letter, and during interviews.
🔑 Key Takeaways
Leadership is about more than supervising people or having a management title.
Many museum professionals are already demonstrating leadership without realizing it.
Your job title doesn't always reflect your actual responsibilities.
Leadership can include strategic thinking, budgeting, project management, mentoring, institutional planning, and thought leadership.
Small museums often provide opportunities to develop broad leadership experience earlier in your career.
Understanding your leadership experience is the first step toward communicating it effectively.
Before you can convince hiring managers you're ready to lead, you first have to recognize the leadership skills you already have.
⏱ Chapters
00:00 Escape rooms, cooking & museum trivia
02:20 Introduction: Are you already leading?
05:45 Leadership vs. management
10:00 Signs you're already operating as a leader
16:00 Levels of responsibility in museum careers
28:00 Small museums and leadership experience
34:00 Strategic leadership
40:00 Budget and financial leadership
43:30 Project leadership
48:00 People leadership vs. management
54:00 Institutional leadership
56:00 Thought leadership
59:30 Why this became a two-part series
1:00:30 Preview of Part 2
🔍 Keywords
museum leadership
museum management
museum careers
museum professionals
museum career development
leadership skills
museum managers
museum career growth
museum job search
museum resumes
museum leadership development
professional development museums
museum career coaching
career advancement
leadership in museums

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 leave the field herself, how she built a business helping others through the same transition, and why leaving museums doesn't have to mean leaving behind the passion, skills, or identity you've built over the years.

Whether you're actively considering a career change, feeling unsure about your next step, or simply curious about what other opportunities might exist, this conversation offers practical advice, reassurance, and a reminder that your career can evolve as your life and values evolve.

In this episode, you'll hear about:
Why Elin started Deaccessioned Coaching after leaving museum work herself
The common reasons museum professionals begin considering careers outside the field
How values, not just salary or burnout, often drive career transitions
The transferable skills museum professionals bring to other industries
Building confidence during a career change
Why leaving museums doesn't mean you've failed
The surprising careers former museum professionals have gone on to pursue
How to stay connected to museums even if you leave professionally
The idea of finding your own "Tuscan villa" and defining success on your own terms

If you've ever wondered what comes next after museums, or simply needed permission to imagine a different path, this episode is for you.

Learn more about Elin Filbey and Deaccessioned Coaching:
https://deaccessionedcoaching.com
Connect with Elin on LinkedIn for career transition tips, transferable skills advice, and museum-friendly job opportunities.

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 feels different when you're no longer representing an institution, and why some of the most valuable conference experiences happen outside the convention center.

Elin shares her strategy of walking the expo hall and talking directly with vendors to uncover career opportunities for museum professionals. Along the way, she discovered hiring trends, museum-adjacent industries looking for talent, and new possibilities for professionals interested in staying connected to the field in different ways.

Alli reflects on the power of peer-to-peer networking, reconnecting with colleagues, and finding inspiration through conversations with other independent museum professionals. Together, they explore how conferences can create meaningful opportunities for collaboration, problem-solving, and professional growth.

The conversation also covers:
How to approach networking when you don't know anyone
Why smaller gatherings can sometimes be more valuable than large networking events
The importance of planning for rest and recharging during conferences
How to follow up after a conference so those connections don't disappear
The value of attending conferences outside your immediate field
Emerging ideas for building community beyond annual conferences

Plus, Elin and Alli introduce an early concept they're exploring: Curate Your Community, a potential initiative focused on creating more opportunities for museum professionals to connect in person throughout the year, not just at conferences.

Whether you attended AAM this year, are considering a conference in the future, or simply want to build stronger professional connections, this episode offers practical advice and honest reflections on what makes these gatherings meaningful.
In This Episode
Elin's "conference floor hustle" and what she learned from museum vendors
Museum-adjacent industries hiring right now
The surprising value of informal networking
Why knowing your personality matters when planning conference experiences
Post-conference follow-up strategies that actually work
The role of community in sustaining museum careers
Early thoughts on Curate Your Community
Mentioned in This Episode
American Alliance of Museums (AAM)
Museum Archipelago
American Association for State and Local History (AASLH)
Science History Institute
African American Museum in Philadelphia
Museum Workers Advocacy Day
Curate Your Community (in development)
We'd Love to Hear From You
Did you attend AAM? What was your biggest takeaway?
And what do you think about the idea of Curate Your Community? We'd love to hear your thoughts, feedback, and ideas as we continue exploring what meaningful connection and community could look like for museum professionals.