How to hire museum technicians and conservators
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 • Clean objects, such as paper, textiles, wood, metal, glass, rock, pottery, and furniture, using cleansers, solvents, soap solutions, and polishes. • Determine whether objects need repair and choose the safest and most effective method of repair. • Install, arrange, assemble, and prepare artifacts for exhibition, ensuring the artifacts' safety, reporting their status and condition, and identifying and correcting any problems with the set up. • Perform tests and examinations to establish storage and conservation requirements, policies, and procedures. • Recommend preservation procedures, such as control of temperature and humidity, to curatorial and building staff. • Repair, restore, and reassemble artifacts, designing and fabricating missing or broken parts, to restore them to their original appearance and prevent deterioration. • Specialize in particular materials or types of object, such as documents and books, paintings, decorative arts, textiles, metals, or architectural materials. • Study object documentation or conduct standard chemical and physical tests to ascertain the object's age, composition, original appearance, need for treatment or restoration, and appropriate preservation method. 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: Bachelor's degree] • Strong reading comprehension, active listening, speaking, critical thinking, monitoring and writing skills • Working knowledge of chemistry, fine arts, history and archeology and English Language • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $24.73 an hour ($51,440 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for museum technicians and conservators
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 clean objects, such as paper, textiles, wood, metal, glass, rock, pottery, and furniture, using cleansers, solvents, soap solutions, and polishes. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to determine whether objects need repair and choose the safest and most effective method of repair. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to install, arrange, assemble, and prepare artifacts for exhibition, ensuring the artifacts' safety, reporting their status and condition, and identifying and correcting any problems with the set up. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to perform tests and examinations to establish storage and conservation requirements, policies, and procedures. 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?
- 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?
- Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
- 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 museum technicians and conservators do
- Clean objects, such as paper, textiles, wood, metal, glass, rock, pottery, and furniture, using cleansers, solvents, soap solutions, and polishes.
- Determine whether objects need repair and choose the safest and most effective method of repair.
- Install, arrange, assemble, and prepare artifacts for exhibition, ensuring the artifacts' safety, reporting their status and condition, and identifying and correcting any problems with the set up.
- Perform tests and examinations to establish storage and conservation requirements, policies, and procedures.
- Recommend preservation procedures, such as control of temperature and humidity, to curatorial and building staff.
- Repair, restore, and reassemble artifacts, designing and fabricating missing or broken parts, to restore them to their original appearance and prevent deterioration.
- Specialize in particular materials or types of object, such as documents and books, paintings, decorative arts, textiles, metals, or architectural materials.
- Study object documentation or conduct standard chemical and physical tests to ascertain the object's age, composition, original appearance, need for treatment or restoration, and appropriate preservation method.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for museum technicians and conservators
- Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 2 to 4 years (O*NET)
- Job outlook: +3.6% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 1,600 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay museum technicians and conservators
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $76,110 |
| New York | $74,550 |
| California | $61,550 |
| Missouri | $49,170 |
| Texas | $45,880 |
See museum technicians and conservators pay in every state
Related hiring guides
- Curators
- Set and Exhibit Designers
- Archivists
- Historians
- Craft Artists
- Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
- Painters, Construction and Maintenance
- Forest and Conservation Technicians
- Chemical Technicians
- Librarians and Media Collections Specialists
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.