Why My Museum Guide Tour Assessment Was a Job Interview in Disguise

I did it!

Shelley Piedmont in the Great Room of Ca’ D;’ Zan

I passed my assessment tour to be a museum guide at the historic home Ca’ D’ Zan on the grounds of the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Fl. Ca’ D’ Zan was the winter home of John and Mable Ringling, of circus fame.

This culminated several months of intense preparation, including 24 hours of Zoom and on-site training, weekly written discussion questions to answer, multiple quizzes, and a final test. It was a lot.

The assessment tour was the final hurdle. In this 70-minute tour, I led five people (and a security guard) through the first floor entertainment space, the second and third floor private spaces, and up to the fifth floor tower and the beautiful view of Sarasota Bay.

I likened it to preparing for a job interview as I got ready for my tour. We were given a rubric of how we were going to be assessed. It was very similar to the areas where I assessed candidates as a recruiter.

Content

For a job interview, you need to be able to show your value. You must provide examples that best tell the interviewer you can do the job. The information should connect the dots for the interviewer, and the information should be specific and make sense to the interviewer in the context of your story.

Here is what I had to do regarding the content in my museum guide assessment.

1. Provide clear communication of the storyline and themes of the tour.

2. Provide quality information that is accurate and factual.

My preparation: 

1. I made sure to stick to three main themes as I talked, 1) the story of the owners, 2) the story of the house and furnishings, and 3) the story of Sarasota in the 1920s. I did not talk about other subjects, though I had a wealth of new information.

2. I memorized the crucial facts and dates that support the three themes. I didn’t have to search for these in my memory; I wrote them down so I would remember.

Structure

For a job interview, structure your answers to tell a story that makes sense to the interviewer. Too many job seekers start answering, then ramble or do not address the question, which confuses the interviewer. Job seekers must tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Several formats for answering questions, including the CAR (challenge-action-result) and STAR (situation-task-action-result), tell a complete story.

Here is what I had to do regarding structure in my museum guide assessment.

1. There is a clear tour structure with a beginning, middle, and end.

2. Each room has a clear structure with only the allotted time used to speak in each room.

My preparation: 

1. I decided which of the three themes I would discuss in each room. Sometimes it was one or all three.

2. I practiced how to tell each room story best. That meant what to say at the beginning, middle, and end.

3. I practiced timing, so I knew how long the story I told in each room took and made it conform to the time limits.

Procedures

For a job interview, procedures would fall into following directions, showing up on time, and dealing with unexpected situations. It is essential to read all your directions to ensure you understand what is required. If you do not understand what you are tasked to do, ask. Also, unexpected activities might happen or even an unexpected question. Be prepared for the unexpected and how you might handle that situation.

Here is what I had to do regarding my museum guide assessment procedures.

1. Manage the group's movement and behavior appropriately.

2. Take adequate and appropriate steps to ensure the safety of the collection.

3. Exhibiting flexibility and showing good judgment in dealing with unexpected situations.

My preparation: 

1. Be aware of keeping the group together in each room, and don’t start talking until I have everyone’s attention.

2. Asking about unexpected events that other museum guides had experienced. I learned about a marriage proposal, a guest fainting, etc.

My unexpected event: During my tour, a cleaner vacuumed in one room. Due to the noise, I had to speak to my tour in a different spot than I anticipated so that they could hear me over the noise. I had to adjust my room description of the room to accommodate my new location.

Audience Engagement

For a job interview, it is extremely important to keep your interviewer engaged. Doing so demonstrates your enthusiasm for the position and the company. It allows you to effectively showcase your communication skills, conveying your ability to communicate ideas and understand what others want to know. Engaging the interviewer helps establish rapport, creating a positive interview environment that can contribute to your being selected for the role. Lastly, by actively listening and addressing any concerns or doubts, you can clarify points, provide additional examples, and alleviate reservations they may hold.

Here is what I had to do regarding audience engagement in my museum guide assessment.

1. Being welcoming and helpful to visitors.

2. Speaking loudly enough to be heard.

3. Friendliness of body language.

4. Encouraged questions/comments/feedback.

5. Responded appropriately to questions.

6. Held the interest of the group.

My preparation: 

1. Making sure I remembered to smile.

2. Show my enthusiasm for the subject. Remembering to look each person in the eye when speaking to them. Using hand gestures to support the stories I was telling.

3. Relating stories to their lives. For example, saying that I was not a breakfast eater but could come down for breakfast if I had this fantastic view.

4. Answering questions as best as I could but also said when I did not know the answer (and yes, I did get a question for which I had no answer).

The Result

Did I do everything 100% right during my assessment tour? No. I misread my watch, so I thought I had more time than I did. I had to shorten some of the information I told in the final rooms. Since I knew my material well, this was a relatively easy thing to do.

But I was well prepared for this tour. I knew how I would open it (like preparing for the Tell Me About Yourself question), my stories, and how I wanted to end the tour with a thank you to my guests.

This is why my museum tour assessment was a job interview in disguise. 

I had to prepare similarly to what I would do in a job interview. I also had to perform on tour in a way to make the time together with the guests successful, just like in a job interview.

Instead of getting a job offer, I got an email congratulating me on joining the museum guide group.

This was part of my feedback.

Overall, you did a great job, Shelley! Your warmth and friendly disposition shined throughout your presentation. You have a great speaking voice, and your pacing made it easy to follow the tour. All your hard work has paid off, as you were clearly prepared for the tour. I am so happy to have you join the Ca'd'Zan Guide group! You will be a great asset to the team. Thank you for the time and effort you have put into this process. The visitor will enjoy having such a friendly and knowledgeable guide.

So if you are ever in Sarasota, FL, and want to see the winter home of John and Mable Ringling, you never know. I may be the one giving your tour!