How to hire curators
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Develop and maintain an institution's registration, cataloging, and basic record-keeping systems, using computer databases. • Inspect premises to assess the need for repairs and to ensure that climate and pest control issues are addressed. • Negotiate and authorize purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections. • Plan and conduct special research projects in area of interest or expertise. • Plan and organize the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections and related materials, including the selection of exhibition themes and designs, and develop or install exhibit materials. • Provide information from the institution's holdings to other curators and to the public. • Study, examine, and test acquisitions to authenticate their origin, composition, history, and to assess their current value. • Write and review grant proposals, journal articles, institutional reports, and publicity materials. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Master's degree] • Strong reading comprehension, speaking, active listening, writing, critical thinking and active learning skills • Working knowledge of English Language, history and archeology and fine arts • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $30.49 an hour ($63,420 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for curators
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to develop and maintain an institution's registration, cataloging, and basic record-keeping systems, using computer databases. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to inspect premises to assess the need for repairs and to ensure that climate and pest control issues are addressed. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to negotiate and authorize purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to plan and conduct special research projects in area of interest or expertise. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
- Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What curators do
- Develop and maintain an institution's registration, cataloging, and basic record-keeping systems, using computer databases.
- Inspect premises to assess the need for repairs and to ensure that climate and pest control issues are addressed.
- Negotiate and authorize purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections.
- Plan and conduct special research projects in area of interest or expertise.
- Plan and organize the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections and related materials, including the selection of exhibition themes and designs, and develop or install exhibit materials.
- Provide information from the institution's holdings to other curators and to the public.
- Study, examine, and test acquisitions to authenticate their origin, composition, history, and to assess their current value.
- Write and review grant proposals, journal articles, institutional reports, and publicity materials.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for curators
- Typical education to start: Master's degree (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 4 to 6 years (O*NET)
- Job outlook: +4.9% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 1,600 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay curators
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| New York | $79,120 |
| California | $78,740 |
| Pennsylvania | $62,100 |
| Texas | $59,990 |
| North Carolina | $49,470 |
See curators pay in every state
Related hiring guides
- Archivists
- Historians
- Museum Technicians and Conservators
- Librarians and Media Collections Specialists
- Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary
- Set and Exhibit Designers
- Anthropologists and Archeologists
- History Teachers, Postsecondary
- Art Directors
- Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary
Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.