Layla Bloom
Curator, Stanley and Aubrey Burton Gallery
MA Cultural Studies, 2005
"Study what you're passionate about, not what you think will get you a job."
Layla speaks about gaining experience in the cultural sector:
"My main obstacle to entering the sector was getting practical experience on my CV – something which remains relevant today. For my area, this meant things like condition checking, filling in exit, entry and loan forms, art handling and packing, installation skills, etc. There are museum skills training courses available, but in my opinion, the best way to learn these is on the job - as a volunteer at first, normally. With so many requests from potential volunteers, it was hard to get museum staff to take me on as a volunteer at first, but once I had some experience, it really began to open doors to other opportunities - so it is worth being persistent (but polite!) in your requests. Also it helps to share what useful skills you can bring to the organisation (eg writing, design, IT, finance, etc) to show that you will be a valuable member of their volunteer team
Study what you’re passionate about, not what you think will get you a job. Volunteer with organisations you’re interested in (if you can), or try to develop useful paid experience that will be helpful (eg marketing, customer service, design, etc). Be proactive about asking your employer or volunteer manager to give you tasks that develop practical experience for your CV. Try as many things as you can, as this will help you understand what you really enjoy and want to do more of. What you imagine you’ll enjoy the most is not always where you’ll actually be happiest!"