How to hire a Museum Curator

How to hire a museum curator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step museum curator hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a museum curator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new museum curator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a Museum Curator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the museum curator you need to hire. Certain museum curator roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A museum curator's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, museum curators from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of museum curators.

   Type Of Museum Curator	Description	Hourly Rate
   Museum Curator	Archivists appraise, process, catalog, and preserve permanent records and historically valuable documents. Curators oversee collections of artwork and historic items, and may conduct public service activities for an institution... Show More	$12-37
   Archivist	An archivist is an information professional who assesses the value of information and then stores them in such a way that people can access the information and make sense of it. Archivists are required to have a great understanding of the historical context of the records, such as the relationship of a record to other records and why it was created in the first place... Show More	$11-45
   Curator	A curator is primarily in charge of spearheading and overseeing exhibits and collections in art museums and similar establishments. Their responsibilities include handling acquisition procedures, conceptualizing plans, designing exhibits and presentations, liaising with internal and external parties, setting goals and timelines, managing the budgets and fundraisers, and developing strategies to market the museum's events... Show More	$12-40

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Collections Management
   • Art Collections
   • Museum Exhibits
   • Fine Arts
   • Educational Programs
   • Cataloging
   • Exhibit Design
   • Educational Materials
   • Docents
   • Promotional Materials
   • Historic Sites
   • American Indian
   • Graphic Design
   • Press Releases

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Review and edit listing photography and source photographers in various markets to capture unique accommodations and cover special assignments worldwide.
   • Fashion and coordinate historical costumes for first person interpretation

   More Museum Curator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your museum curator job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A museum curator can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, museum curators' average salary in wyoming is 50% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level museum curators 68% less than senior-level museum curators.
   • Certifications. A museum curator with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a museum curator's salary.

   Average museum curator salary

   $44,309yearly

   $21.30 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level museum curator salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated March 28, 2025

   Average museum curator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	District of Columbia	$56,686	$27
   2	Connecticut	$54,176	$26
   3	California	$50,437	$24
   4	West Virginia	$47,889	$23
   5	Pennsylvania	$43,642	$21
   6	New Mexico	$40,317	$19
   7	Colorado	$36,413	$18
   8	Missouri	$33,818	$16
   9	Arkansas	$32,843	$16
   10	Florida	$32,049	$15
   11	Wyoming	$27,792	$13

   Average museum curator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Smithsonian Institution	$80,620	$38.76
   2	Stanford University	$75,678	$36.38
   3	National Park Foundation	$62,477	$30.04
   4	West Virginia University	$45,293	$21.78	1
   5	Town of Windsor	$40,654	$19.55
   6	San Bernardino County	$40,347	$19.40
   7	University of Florida	$37,427	$17.99
   8	Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania	$37,165	$17.87
   9	City of Las Cruces Government	$36,864	$17.72
   10	Wyoming	$35,082	$16.87	1
   11	City of Greeley	$34,993	$16.82
   12	Florida Department of Transportation	$31,787	$15.28
   13	Arkansas State University, Mountain Home	$24,353	$11.71

4. Writing a Museum Curator Job Description

   A job description for a museum curator role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a museum curator job description:

   Museum Curator job description example

   *Position Title: *Curiosity Collaborators
   
   *Department: * Education and Experiences
   
   *Reports to: *Manager, Program Delivery
   
   *FLSA Classification: * Part time (minimum 12 hours per week) non-exempt, weekends preferred
   
   *Salary Range: *$15.00 - $18.00 pending experience and skills
   
   *Job Summary: *
   
   Do you like the creativity and curiosity of science? Are you enthusiastic about engaging with others and facilitating their learning and exploration? The Museum of Science and Curiosity is looking to build a diverse team of Curiosity Collaborators to bring our museum to life by animating content and delivering programs. You will inspire guests on their learning journey and exploration throughout the museum, and collaborate with them to achieve the learning, activation, and participation goals for MOSAC. Collaborators are responsible for providing interactive experiences of science, technology, and creativity, enhancing visitor engagement with exhibits and carts, presenting stage and planetarium shows, and facilitating during special events. Our guests are all ages and knowledge levels - help them unlock their curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving skills. This role contributes to the overall mission of MOSAC as a fun, active, and knowledgeable representative.
   
   Skills & Talents:
   
   • Experienced and effective talking with members of the public and staff of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities in one-on-one conversations or large group presentations
   
   • Ability to work well with children of all ages, experience with children of diverse backgrounds and abilities preferred
   
   • Ability to be flexible in open-ended situations and comfortable with open-ended questions, exploration and play
   
   • Understanding of the role of play and inquiry in learning
   
   • Excellent personal communication skills, uses humor and is seen as accessible and can adjust communication styles easily and quickly based on visitor need
   
   • Ability to work well and communicate within a diverse team
   
   • Experience teaching in a formal or informal setting or recreation environment preferred, including following a lesson or activity program or script
   
   Duties/Responsibilities:
   
   • Collaborators are responsible for prompting engagement with, and facilitating all daily exhibit and program experiences inside and on the grounds of the museum
   
   • Stimulating children's curiosity and questioning, problem-solving and creativity, and active participation of all knowledge levels
   
   • Balancing the changing conditions of a multi-learner environment with safety, daily scheduling, and group/individual needs.
   
   • Following and enforcing any general safety protocols, assisting with daily museum operations and customer service
   
   Education and Experience:
   
   • High school diploma or equivalent
   
   • Experience or education in science, education, or child development at the college or jr. college level
   
   • Two years of college is an asset
   
   • Understanding of early childhood learning, in an informal learning environment is an asset
   
   • Formal Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Accessibility training is an asset
   
   Physical Requirements:
   
   • May require standing and walking 75-100% of the time, lifting up to a maximum of 25 pounds, and other physical actions that include stooping, kneeling, bending, standing
   
   • Work may involve outdoor activities in addition to programs within the facility
   
   • Physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.
   
   In order to protect our team members, volunteers, students, and guests, MOSAC requires that all employees be fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccination series approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the World Health Organization (WHO). Reasonable accommodation will be made for a qualified disability or sincerely held religious belief.
   
   This position is at-will, hourly, part time.
   
   APPLICATION PROCEDURES: A complete job profile is available upon request. Please submit a cover letter, CV or resume addressing your qualifications as they align with the job description, and names with contact information of two to three references by email. No phone calls will be taken for this application.
   
   Job Type: Part-time
   
   Pay: $15.00 - $18.00 per hour
   
   Schedule:
   * Day shift
   * Holidays
   * Monday to Friday
   * Weekend availability
   
   COVID-19 considerations:
   All employees must be fully vaccinated and wear a mask.
   
   Work Location: One location

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5. Post your job

   To find museum curators for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any museum curators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level museum curators with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your museum curator job on Zippia to find and recruit museum curator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting museum curators requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new museum curator

   Once you've found the museum curator candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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