"How-to" Get a Job in Anthropology
Written by Anthropology Graduate Student Abby Thomsen
Anthropology is a field that helps you develop skills that are well-suited for any job or career path! Anthropology students can find themselves across a wide variety of sectors depending on their interests and strengths. Read below to find out how your anthropology degree can help you find a meaningful career!
How does anthropology set you up for a successful career?
Anthropology teaches students a broad range of ways to understand and engage with people from different backgrounds, understand differences in cultural patterns, and ask important questions about how people adapt to their circumstances. These critical thinking and interpersonal skills are relevant in almost any workplace.
Skills that anthropology majors have:
- Writing
- Interviewing
- Cultural relativism
- Critical thinking
- Ability to interact with many types of literatures from statistics to biomedicine to the arts
- Data gathering and analysis
- Field work
- Ability to interact well with people
- Laboratory analysis
While your degree can take you anywhere, here are some common pathways for graduates in Anthropology’s subfields. See more from the American Anthropological Association and from our Alumni webpage. The SBS Pathways website also has great resources for finding jobs across all SBS degrees.
Biological Anthropology:
- Medicine (doctor, medical writer, medical anthropologist, epidemiologist, physical therapist, nurse, forensic researcher)
- Biotech research (lab technician, research associate)
- Zoology (wildlife rehabilitation technician, wildlife biologist)
- Education (K-12 teacher, professor, post-doc, administrator)
- Museums (curator, collections manager, lab worker)
Cultural anthropology/Linguistics:
- Nonprofit (project manager, policy analyst, outreach coordinator, marketer)
- Corporate (UX, UI Designer; Human resources, consultant)
- Museums and Libraries (curator, collections manager, archivist, librarian, exhibit designer, outreach coordinator)
- Government (urban planner, policy analyst, lawyer, foreign affairs specialist)
- Urban planning, policy analysis
- Education (K-12 teacher, professor, post-doc, administrator)
- Museums (curator, collections manager, education and outreach professional)
Archaeology
- Government (park archaeologist or historian, state historic preservation officer, Tribal liaison)
- Private sector (cultural resource management archaeologist)
- Forensics (medical examiner, forensic anthropologist)
- Education (K-12 teacher, professor, post-doc, administrator)
- Museums (curator, collections manager, archivist, librarian, lab technician, NAGPRA officer)
You can also create your own path! UMass Anthro PhD Candidate Claire Gold started her own traveling workshop on human origins that she takes to K-12 classrooms.
Having a social science degree doesn’t have to limit you from jobs in medicine and the sciences. UMass Anthro Alum Althea Turley (biotechnology) says: “I'd also encourage the student not to be discouraged if a job application asks for a degree or qualification that they do not have; my role required a chem/bio/biochem degree, but I spun my public health and anthropology degrees into a case for how I was actually more prepared for the role because of the varied experience. I did have science coursework however, which did help my case.”
What careers are you suited for?
Before beginning the job search, it’s important to reflect on your skills, what brings you joy, and where you see yourself in the future. Here’s an exercise to help you prepare to write your resume and/or cover letter.
- Take 5 minutes and write down the activities you most enjoy from your undergraduate and professional experience. Did you enjoy lab work, conducting interviews, presenting research findings, writing, etc?
- Take 5 minutes and write down what skills you feel confident in. Do you like writing, designing research protocols, presenting findings in an accessible way, data analysis, etc?
- Take 5 minutes and write down what appeals to you in an ideal job. Would you be working with others or independently? Would you be in person or remote? Would you stay in one place or would you travel? Would you prefer to be outdoors or inside?
- Other questions to consider: Are there skills you still need to build for your ideal career? Are there training opportunities here at UMass?
Having done some reflection, you can now look for jobs that fit what you enjoy, match your skill set, and reflect your ideal conditions.
Meet with an advisor! Sarah Reedy, the Anthropology Undergraduate Program Director, would love to help you brainstorm your pathways.
SBS Pathways is a one-stop-shop for all things job-related. They have career advisors with whom you can schedule an appointment to discuss possible directions for your post-grad life, from graduate school to potential jobs.
*NB: It’s never too early to start thinking about your career. The SBS Pathways team has a great year-by-year guide to set you up for success.
The Informational Interview
One of the best ways to understand different career pathways is to talk to people currently in them. As a student at UMass you have access to a wide alumni network. Reach out to people in jobs that sound interesting to you. Ask them to meet for a coffee or a short zoom. Most alums are happy to talk to students. You can do this at any point–while you’re in school, when you’re looking for jobs, and if you are contemplating a career change.
Introduce yourself and a few of your interests. Say you’d like to understand what their career entails as you get ready to enter the job market.
Here are some questions to consider asking:
- Ask about what a typical day looks like for them
- What are the projects they’re currently working on?
- Options for professional development?
- How did your degree prepare you for your work? What was missing?
- How did you decide to go in this professional direction? Did you pursue other options?
- Did they require extra education/training for this career?
- Ask them to keep you in mind if they hear of any job opportunities
After you meet, remember to thank them with an email or a card. And stay in touch! You are expanding your professional network.
Resumes and Cover Letters
Your resume and cover letter are where you showcase the skills you have and why you are a good fit for a certain job.
Writing your resume:
For each course and extracurricular activity or internship, write a list of the skills you learned or used. If you still have classes left to take, think of each class as an opportunity to learn or practice a skill. At the end of the semester, add a line to your resume explaining what skills you built through your work.
Examples for drafting your resume
- Collaborated with peers to design and implement a pilot study exploring “XXX”
- Reviewed and summarized the existing literature on “XXX”
- Developed a “survey and interview” to assess “XXX”
- Recruited participants through “social media posts, email, in-person”
- Analyzed “qualitative/quantitative” data “using [name specific software/tests] and/or thematic analysis methods”
- Disseminated study results through a final presentation
- “Contributed to /facilitated” the timely submission of several brief research reports
SBS Pathways has tons of resume and CV-writing resources. Check them out here.
Our very own Beverly Morrison hosts Career Development Workshops for anthropology students in the spring semester where you can actively look for jobs, write your resume and cover-letters, practice mock interviews, and get one-on-one feedback!
Writing a cover letter:
A cover letter is where you describe why you are a good fit for a job and the company culture. This is where you get to show off.
When writing a cover letter, make sure you write to the specific job you are applying for. Don’t use the same cover letter for different applications. To structure your cover letter, look at the qualifications and duties listed in the job posting. Compare them to your skills and abilities on your resume. Show that your skills–like critical thinking, project management, writing, etc. can transfer from a classroom setting to a workplace setting.
Don’t worry if you do not meet every single qualification on a job posting. If you meet more than 50% and you are interested, you should apply. Studies have shown a gendered difference in applying for jobs, where men tend to feel confident applying for jobs for which they are 60% qualified, while women tend to feel confident applying for jobs for which they are closer to 100% qualified. (Harvard Business Review 2014).
Searching for Job Listings
The number of job postings on the internet can be overwhelming. Here are some places to start.
Anthropology-specific job boards:
- Washington University in St. Louis Anthropology has a great list of job boards organized according to sub-field.
- General and cultural anthropology:
- Biological Anthropology:
- Archaeology:
- Shovelbums.org
- Here is a list of contract archaeology companies in the US with links to their websites
- Society for American Archaeology
Remember that jobs suited for anthropology majors are rarely labeled as “anthropologist.” In addition to searching the above job boards, look at these wider resources. Remember the skills you articulated on your resume and note keywords companies use to list job postings requiring those skills.
- SBS Pathways has a list of reputable job boards to look for jobs and internships.
- Indeed.com