Museum Docent Resume Guide

Museum docents are tour guides who work in museums. They give tours and provide information about exhibits to museum visitors. Museum docents may also lead educational programs and help with event planning.

You have a passion for art and history, and you love sharing your knowledge with others. But museum employers don’t know about your docent skills and experience. To get their attention, you need to write a resume that highlights your strengths.

This guide will walk you through the entire process of creating a top-notch resume. We first show you a complete example and then break down what each resume section should look like.

The guide is divided into sections for your convenience. You can read it from beginning to end or use the table of contents below to jump to a specific part.

Full Resume Example Summary Experience Skills Education Certifications Contact Info Cover Letter Templates

Museum Docent Resume Sample

Delpha Schaden
Museum Docent

[email protected]
324-297-9336
linkedin.com/in/delpha-schaden

Summary

Passionate museum docent with 5+ years of experience providing educational tours to school groups and adults at art museums. Experienced in creating engaging tour experiences, developing relationships with patrons, and training new docents. Seeking a position at the XYZ Museum where I can share my knowledge of art history and contribute to the public education mission.

Experience

Museum Docent, Company ABC
Henderson, Jan 2018 – Present

Formulated and delivered engaging, educational tours for school groups and families visiting the museum; increased repeat visitors by 25%.
Coordinated with other departments to ensure that exhibits were properly manned at all times and that visitor flow was maintained throughout the facility.
Hosted special events such as holiday parties, member appreciation days and themed celebrations; handled all aspects of event planning including budgeting, marketing and on-site management.
Substantially increased membership sales through aggressive promotion of membership benefits and discounts; generated $15,000 in new revenue last quarter.
Spearheaded successful fundraising campaigns that resulted in the acquisition of several key artifacts for the museum’s collection.

Museum Docent, Company XYZ
Cleveland, Mar 2012 – Dec 2017

Introduced over 500 visitors to exhibitions and facilitated tours that effectively communicated the history and cultural significance of each piece on display.
Facilitated tours in English, Spanish, French and German; prepared educational materials for school groups upon request.
Prepared exhibit rooms for opening days, ensuring that all safety procedures were followed and that displays were correctly labeled & positioned.
Effectively communicated with museum staff, volunteers & guests from diverse backgrounds on a daily basis.

Skills

Art History
Public Speaking
Customer Service
Organizational Skills
Time Management
Patience
People Skills
Active Listening

Education

Bachelor of Arts in History
Educational Institution XYZ
Nov 2011

Certifications

Museum Docent Certification
American Alliance of Museums
May 2017

1. Summary / Objective

A resume summary/objective is like a teaser for the rest of your resume – it gives the hiring manager an overview of who you are and why you would excel in the role of museum docent.

This is where you can sell yourself; for example, you could mention the extensive knowledge of art history that you have, the high level of customer service satisfaction ratings you’ve received in past positions, or how motivated you are to engage with museum visitors.

Below are some resume summary examples:

Detail-oriented museum docent with 2+ years of experience providing engaging and educational tours to groups of up to 20 visitors. Passionate about art history and fostering appreciation for the arts in others. Seeking a position as a museum docent at the ABC Museum where I can share my knowledge and love of art with visitors from all over the world.

Amicable and engaging museum docent with three years of experience providing educational tours to school groups and the general public. Enthusiastically leads tour groups through a variety of interactive exhibits while highlighting key information about each piece. Proven ability to engage with diverse groups, build relationships, and inspire repeat visits.

Skilled museum docent with 6+ years of experience delivering engaging and informative tours to groups of up to 60 people. Expertise in ancient Egyptian, medieval European, and early American history. Seeking to join a museum that will value customer service skills honed through years of working with the public. At XYZ Museum, increased repeat visitors by 23% via excellent customer service ratings.

Dependable museum docent with three years of experience providing tours and information to visitors while ensuring the safety of museum artifacts. At XYZ Museum, provided tours to groups of up to 30 people per day, managed a team of five docents, and created educational materials for school groups. Recognized as an excellent communicator with a deep knowledge of art history.

Accomplished docent with 7+ years of experience giving educational tours at museums and historical sites. Seeking to share ABC Museum’s collection with the public while providing an engaging and interactive experience. At XYZ, increased tour attendance by 34% through innovative programming such as themed days and pop-up exhibits.

Seasoned museum docent with over 10 years of experience in providing educational tours to visitors from all walks of life. Highly knowledgeable in the area of art history and eager to share this passion with others. Recognized as an excellent communicator with a knack for making complex topics interesting and easy to understand.

Committed museum docent with a passion for teaching and helping others learn about history. 3+ years of experience working in museums as a tour guide and customer service representative. Seeking to leverage excellent communication skills to become the next museum docent at ABC Museum. In previous roles, increased visitor satisfaction ratings by 22% and contributed to a 12% increase in ticket sales.

Well-rounded museum docent with extensive experience in providing educational tours and leading public programming at art museums. Skilled at developing creative content, delivering engaging presentations, and working with diverse groups of people. At XYZ Museum, increased tour bookings by 25% through proactive marketing efforts.

Energetic museum docent with extensive experience providing engaging tours for a wide variety of museum visitors. 5+ years of experience crafting tour experiences, interacting with the public, and delivering educational content in an engaging way. At ABC Museum, increased group bookings by 42% through excellent customer service and keen attention to detail.

2. Experience / Employment

In the experience section, you talk about your employment history. This should be written in reverse chronological order, which means that your most recent job is listed first.

When discussing what you did in each role, use bullet points to make it easier for the reader to understand. Each bullet point should include specific details about what you did and any quantifiable results achieved.

For example, instead of saying “Gave tours of the museum,” you could say, “Delivered engaging tours to groups of up to 30 people, highlighting key exhibits and providing interesting facts.”

To write effective bullet points, begin with a strong verb or adverb. Industry specific verbs to use are:

Led
Presented
Guided
Explained
Facilitated
Interpreted
Demonstrated
Organized
Coordinated
Hosted
Trained
Volunteered
Fundraised
Recruited
Wrote

Other general verbs you can use are:

Achieved
Advised
Assessed
Compiled
Developed
Expedited
Formulated
Improved
Introduced
Mentored
Optimized
Participated
Prepared
Reduced
Reorganized
Represented
Revised
Spearheaded
Streamlined
Structured
Utilized

Below are some example bullet points:

Recruited and trained new docents, orienting them with museum policies and procedures.
Expedited the flow of visitors through the exhibits by providing clear and concise directions.
Mentored junior docents in effective customer service techniques and conflict resolution strategies.
Advised guests on exhibit information and assisting with questions or concerns they may have had.
Confidently handled large groups of people while providing an engaging and educational experience for all.

Presented educational and engaging tours to groups of up to 30 students, seniors and foreign visitors, ensuring that all museum rules were adhered to at all times.
Thoroughly researched the background information of each exhibit in order to be able to answer any questions that arose during the tour.
Organized and led educational workshops for school groups on a weekly basis, teaching children about various aspects of art history and appreciation.
Demonstrated excellent customer service skills when dealing with enquiries from the public, providing them with accurate information in a friendly and helpful manner.
Led special interest tours for adult groups upon request, focusing on specific topics such as Impressionism or Baroque Art movements.

Optimized the museum docent tour schedule to reduce wait times for visitors and increase overall satisfaction ratings by 17%.
Streamlined the intake process for new docents, reducing training time by 20%.
Resourcefully developed a system to track inventory of educational materials, saving the museum an estimated $600 per year.
Structured tours around specific themes or exhibits to appeal to diverse groups of visitors, resulting in a 5% increase in attendance among target audiences.
Improved communication between docents and exhibit staff, leading to smoother operations and a more positive working environment.

Actively engaged with museum guests, providing them with information and context about the exhibitions on display.
Compiled weekly reports on visitor feedback and suggestions for improving the museum experience.
Achieved a 97% satisfaction rating from guests in post-visit surveys.
Represented the museum at community events and outreach programmes.
Wrote articles for the museum blog, highlighting upcoming exhibitions and discussing key themes in the collection.

Reorganized the museum’s layout to increase foot traffic flow by 25% and reduce congestion in popular exhibits.
Reduced wait times for visitors by 20 minutes on average by developing a new tour schedule that better utilized the docent team.
Utilized excellent customer service skills to proactively engage with visitors, answer questions and provide directions; received positive feedback from over 500 guests.
Diligently followed all safety procedures when handling artifacts, setting up displays and leading tours; no accidents or incidents reported in 3 years of employment.
Developed strong relationships with other local museums, galleries and historical societies; increased number of cross-promotional opportunities by 50%.

Proficiently trained 50+ new docents on museum history, policies and procedures.
Revised the museum’s audio tour guide script to improve clarity and reduce customer confusion.
Guided groups of up to 30 visitors at a time through various exhibits, pointing out key artifacts and sharing interesting facts and stories.
Participated in monthly staff meetings to provide feedback on exhibit changes, visitor comments and suggestions for improvement.
Wrote 2 blog posts per month highlighting different aspects of the museum’s collection for the website’s “Docent Corner” section.

Interpreted meaning and historical context of artwork to 200+ museum visitors daily, providing engaging commentary that led to positive feedback ratings from over 85% of guests.
Assessed the value of potential new acquisitions for the museum collection, collaborating with other staff members to make recommendations on purchasing decisions.
Explained the significance of exhibitions and gallery displays to patrons, increasing foot traffic into the museum by 15%.
Fundraised $50,000 from private donors to support restoration projects for damaged artworks in the collection.
Successfully planned and executed 5 special events at the museum related to major exhibitions, attracting an average attendance of 400 people per event.

3. Skills

Skills required for docents will differ from museum to museum. For example, one institution might place an emphasis on customer service while another emphasizes knowledge of the exhibits. The best way to determine which skills are most important for the position you’re applying for is to look at the job posting.

This is essential because many employers use applicant tracking systems these days, which scan resumes for certain keywords before passing them on to a human. By tailoring your skills section to each job you apply for, you stand a better chance of getting past this initial screening process.

Once listed here, you should also discuss your skillset in more detail in other areas of your resume – such as the summary or experience section – to give employers a better sense of why you’re qualified for the position.

Below is a list of common skills & terms:

Active Listening
Art History
Critical Thinking
Customer Service
Organizational Skills
Patience
People Skills
Public Speaking
Time Management

4. Education

Including an education section on your resume will depend on the extent of your experience. If you have just completed a training program to become a museum docent and have no prior experience, mention your education below your resume objective. However, if you have been working as a museum docent for years with plenty of different responsibilities to showcase, omitting the education section is perfectly fine.

If an education section is included, mention courses and subjects you studied related to the museum docent job you are applying for. Examples include “Courses included Art History I & II, Museum Studies I & II” and “Trained in customer service skills, effective communication techniques and art history.”

Bachelor of Arts in History
Educational Institution XYZ
Nov 2011

5. Certifications

Certifications may be essential when applying for a museum docent position. If you have been certified by a recognized body, include this information in your resume, as it may give you an edge over other candidates.

Museum Docent Certification
American Alliance of Museums
May 2017

6. Contact Info

Your name should be the first thing a reader sees when viewing your resume, so ensure its positioning is prominent. Your phone number should be written in the most commonly used format in your country/city/state, and your email address should be professional.

You can also choose to include a link to your LinkedIn profile, personal website, or other online platforms relevant to your industry.

Finally, name your resume file appropriately to help hiring managers; for Delpha Schaden, this would be Delpha-Schaden-resume.pdf or Delpha-Schaden-resume.docx.

7. Cover Letter

Cover letters are an important tool in the job application process. They give you a chance to sell yourself to the hiring manager and demonstrate why you’re the best candidate for the role.

A cover letter should be 2 to 4 paragraphs long and include information that’s not already mentioned in your resume. When writing one, make sure to focus on how your skills and experience can benefit the museum.

Below is an example cover letter:

Dear Selena,

I am interested in applying for the museum docent position at the Museum of Modern Art. As an art history student with experience working in customer service and a passion for art, I believe I would be a perfect fit for this role.

In my previous job as a sales associate at an upscale clothing store, I was responsible for providing excellent customer service to our clients. This involved greeting customers, answering their questions, and helping them find what they were looking for. My outstanding communication skills and ability to provide helpful information made me one of the top-selling employees at the store. I am confident that I could use these same skills to provide an enjoyable and educational experience to visitors of the museum.

I am also passionate about art and have spent many hours exploring different museums around the city. My knowledge of both classic and modern art styles would be beneficial in leading tours or giving presentations to groups of people. Additionally, my artistic background has taught me how to look at artwork from different perspectives, which would be useful when discussing artwork with visitors who may not have any prior knowledge about it.

Overall, I believe that my customer service experience, passion for art, and willingness to learn make me uniquely qualified for the position of museum docent. I look forward to discussing this opportunity with you further and thank you for your time & consideration.

Sincerely,

[Your name]