Top 12 Historian Skills to Put on Your Resume
In today's competitive job market, historians must showcase a unique set of skills on their resumes to stand out among their peers. Highlighting these top historian skills not only demonstrates your expertise in analyzing and interpreting the past but also your ability to apply critical thinking and research abilities to a variety of professional settings.
Historian Skills
- Archival Research
- Chronological Analysis
- Source Criticism
- Historiography
- Quantitative Analysis
- Qualitative Analysis
- GIS (Geographic Information Systems)
- SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences)
- Nvivo (Qualitative Data Analysis Software)
- Digital Humanities
- Oral History
- Paleography
1. Archival Research
Archival research, for a historian, involves studying and analyzing primary source documents and records stored in archives to gain insights into past events, societies, and individuals.
Why It's Important
Archival research is crucial for historians as it allows direct access to original, primary sources, providing invaluable insights into past events, cultures, and perspectives that form the foundation for accurate historical analysis and interpretation.
How to Improve Archival Research Skills
Improving archival research involves a systematic approach to sourcing, analyzing, and interpreting historical documents. Here are concise strategies for historians:
Preparation: Understand your research topic thoroughly. Familiarize yourself with relevant historical contexts and historiography. Consult secondary sources to identify potential primary source archives.
Locate Archives: Use online databases and catalogs to find archives that hold relevant materials. Websites such as WorldCat, ArchiveGrid, and The National Archives can be invaluable for locating documents.
Digital Archives: Explore digital archives for remote access to documents. Examples include Europeana, Digital Public Library of America, and Internet Archive.
Networking: Engage with other historians and archivists. Professional networks and academic forums, like H-Net, can offer advice and share lesser-known archives.
Archival Visit Preparation: Before visiting an archive, contact the staff with your research interests. They can provide insights into their collections and suggest materials.
Effective Use of Time: Prioritize documents and organize your visit to make efficient use of your time in the archive. Take detailed notes and, if permitted, digital photographs of documents.
Analytical Tools: Utilize software tools for document analysis and organization. Tools like Zotero for bibliographic management and Tropy for organizing and annotating photos can be highly beneficial.
Ethical Considerations: Always adhere to the archive's rules and handle documents with care. Respect copyright laws and cite all sources accurately.
Reflection and Revision: Revisit your research questions as you uncover new materials. Be open to adjusting your thesis based on the primary sources you discover.
By following these strategies, historians can enhance the efficiency and depth of their archival research, uncovering new insights and contributing meaningful scholarship to their field.
How to Display Archival Research Skills on Your Resume
2. Chronological Analysis
Chronological Analysis, in the context of history, is the method of examining events in the order they occurred over time, allowing historians to understand sequences, causal relationships, and the development of social, political, or cultural changes within a specific period.
Why It's Important
Chronological analysis is important for historians because it allows them to understand the sequence of events, identify cause-and-effect relationships, and place historical developments in their proper context, thereby facilitating a comprehensive and accurate interpretation of the past.
How to Improve Chronological Analysis Skills
Improving chronological analysis, especially for a historian, involves enhancing the ability to understand and interpret events in their historical sequence. Here are concise steps with relevant resources:
Master Historical Context: Gain a deep understanding of the broader historical periods related to your study. This BBC History provides a wealth of resources.
Utilize Primary Sources: Dive into primary documents, artifacts, and first-hand accounts to get a sense of the original chronological flow. The Library of Congress offers an extensive collection.
Incorporate Timelines: Construct detailed timelines to visualize and better understand the sequence of events. Tiki-Toki is a tool for creating interactive timelines.
Cross-Reference Events: Compare events across different regions and cultures to understand their interconnectivity. World History Atlas is a great tool for this.
Apply Analytical Tools: Use software like Nvivo or Atlas.ti to organize and analyze data chronologically.
Engage with Historiographical Debates: Understanding different interpretations of events can provide insights into their significance and timing. JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org) is an excellent resource for accessing historical journals.
Continuous Learning: Stay updated with latest methodologies and theories in historical research. Websites like H-Net offer resources and connections to the historical scholarly community.
By following these steps and utilizing the linked resources, historians can significantly improve their chronological analysis skills.
How to Display Chronological Analysis Skills on Your Resume
3. Source Criticism
Source criticism is a method used by historians to evaluate and interpret the reliability, origin, purpose, and context of historical documents and sources, in order to better understand and reconstruct the past accurately.
Why It's Important
Source criticism is crucial for historians as it enables them to assess the reliability, authenticity, and bias of historical documents and accounts, thereby ensuring the accuracy and objectivity of their interpretations and reconstructions of past events.
How to Improve Source Criticism Skills
To improve source criticism as a historian, follow these concise steps:
Understand the Types of Sources: Familiarize yourself with primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. Each has a different value and reliability. The National Archives provides a clear explanation.
Evaluate Authorship and Purpose: Assess who created the source and why. Understanding the author's background and intention helps in determining bias or perspective. The Library of Congress offers guides for analyzing various sources.
Check for Authenticity and Accuracy: Verify the authenticity of a source and cross-check facts with other credible sources. The Internet Archive can be a valuable tool for finding historical documents.
Consider the Historical Context: Place the source within its historical context to understand its significance and potential biases. Fordham University’s Internet History Sourcebooks provide a wide range of historical texts within context.
Analyze the Form and Content: Look at the structure, language, and what is (and isn't) included in the source to uncover more about its reliability and perspective. Purdue OWL offers guidance on evaluating sources of information.
By following these steps and utilizing these resources, historians can significantly improve their source criticism skills.
How to Display Source Criticism Skills on Your Resume
4. Historiography
Historiography refers to the study of how history is written, including the methods, interpretations, and debates that shape our understanding of the past. It involves analyzing different historical perspectives and the development of historical narratives over time. For historians, it is the practice of critically examining and writing about history, focusing on how historical knowledge is constructed and communicated.
Why It's Important
Historiography is important for historians because it provides a critical examination and interpretation of how history has been written, allowing them to understand the biases, methodologies, and perspectives that have shaped historical narratives. This awareness helps historians to construct more accurate and nuanced accounts of the past.
How to Improve Historiography Skills
Improving historiography involves enhancing the methods and perspectives used in historical research and writing. Here are concise tips for a historian seeking to improve their historiographical skills:
Diversify Sources: Utilize a wide range of primary and secondary sources to gain multiple perspectives. The Library of Congress offers a vast collection of primary sources.
Critical Analysis: Develop critical thinking skills to analyze sources for bias, perspective, and context. The Critical Thinking Community provides resources for improving these skills.
Engage with Historiography: Study the historiography of your topic to understand how interpretations have evolved over time. JSTOR is a great resource for accessing academic papers on historiography.
Interdisciplinary Approach: Incorporate methods and insights from other disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, and geography. Project MUSE offers interdisciplinary academic journals.
Effective Writing: Focus on clear, analytical writing that accurately conveys your findings and interpretations. Purdue OWL provides guides on academic writing styles and techniques.
Peer Review: Engage with peers for feedback on your work to gain new insights and identify potential biases. Academia.edu is a platform for sharing research and receiving feedback from the academic community.
Continual Learning: Stay updated with the latest research and historiographical debates in your field. Google Scholar is useful for tracking recent publications.
By integrating these approaches, historians can significantly enhance their historiographical skills and contribute more effectively to the understanding of history.
How to Display Historiography Skills on Your Resume
5. Quantitative Analysis
Quantitative analysis, in the context of a historian, involves the systematic statistical examination of historical data to identify patterns, trends, and relationships. It quantifies historical evidence using numerical values, allowing for a more objective interpretation of past events and phenomena.
Why It's Important
Quantitative analysis is important for historians because it enables the systematic examination of measurable and verifiable data, facilitating the identification of patterns, trends, and correlations in historical events, thereby providing a more objective and precise understanding of the past.
How to Improve Quantitative Analysis Skills
Improving quantitative analysis, especially for a historian, involves enhancing skills in statistical methods, data interpretation, and critical thinking. Here’s a concise guide:
Strengthen Statistical Knowledge: Familiarize yourself with basic statistical concepts and tools. Khan Academy offers comprehensive statistics and probability courses.
Learn Software Tools: Acquire proficiency in data analysis software like Excel, R, or SPSS. Coursera provides a useful course on Data Analysis and Statistical Inference which can be beneficial.
Practice Data Interpretation: Regularly analyze and interpret historical data sets. Practice makes perfect. The Programming Historian offers tutorials relevant to historians looking to enhance their quantitative analysis skills through practical examples.
Enhance Critical Thinking: Engage in critical analysis of statistical studies in historical contexts. This skill is vital for questioning and understanding the data you work with.
Join Workshops and Seminars: Participate in quantitative methods workshops or seminars targeted at historians. These can provide hands-on experience and networking opportunities. Keep an eye on announcements from historical associations and academic institutions.
Consult Academic Journals: Read scholarly articles focusing on quantitative analysis in history. Journals like the Journal of Interdisciplinary History often publish studies that employ quantitative methods, providing insights and examples of how to integrate these techniques into your research.
By combining these strategies, you can significantly improve your quantitative analysis skills, making your historical research more robust and insightful.
How to Display Quantitative Analysis Skills on Your Resume
6. Qualitative Analysis
Qualitative analysis, for a historian, involves examining non-numerical data such as texts, documents, artifacts, and interviews to understand historical events, contexts, and perspectives, focusing on meanings, themes, and patterns.
Why It's Important
Qualitative analysis is crucial for historians because it enables them to interpret and understand the complexities of human behavior, societal changes, and cultural contexts through detailed examination of primary sources, narratives, and symbols. This approach allows historians to construct meaningful explanations of past events and trends beyond mere quantitative data, enriching our comprehension of history.
How to Improve Qualitative Analysis Skills
Improving qualitative analysis, especially for historians, involves enhancing the rigor and depth of interpretive methods. Here are concise strategies with relevant resources:
Refine Research Questions: Develop focused, nuanced questions that guide your investigation. This sharpens the analysis by concentrating on specific aspects of historical phenomena. Developing Research Questions.
Diverse Sources: Utilize a wide range of primary and secondary sources to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the historical context. This diversification can introduce multiple perspectives. Using Primary Sources.
Critical Source Evaluation: Critically assess the reliability, bias, and perspective of each source. This critical approach to sources is essential for a nuanced analysis. Evaluating Historical Sources.
Thematic Coding: Organize data into themes or categories related to your research question. This helps in identifying patterns or trends in the historical narrative. Thematic Analysis.
Theoretical Framework: Apply relevant historical theories or models to interpret your findings. This framework can provide a deeper understanding of the forces at play. Choosing a Theoretical Framework.
Peer Review: Engage with peers for feedback and critique. This collaborative process can refine your analysis and expose overlooked aspects. The Importance of Peer Review.
Iterative Analysis: View your analysis as an ongoing process. Revisit and revise your interpretations as new evidence or perspectives emerge. The Iterative Process of Qualitative Research.
By applying these strategies, historians can enhance the depth, reliability, and complexity of their qualitative analyses.
How to Display Qualitative Analysis Skills on Your Resume
7. GIS (Geographic Information Systems)
GIS (Geographic Information Systems) is a digital tool that captures, stores, analyzes, and presents geographical and spatial data, enabling historians to visually analyze and interpret historical events, trends, and patterns in relation to geography.
Why It's Important
GIS is important for historians because it provides powerful tools to visualize, analyze, and interpret spatial and temporal data, allowing them to uncover patterns, trends, and relationships in historical events, movements, and developments over time and space.
How to Improve GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Skills
Improving GIS skills, especially for historians, involves a blend of enhancing technical proficiency, integrating historical context, and leveraging the right resources. Here's a concise guide:
Enhance Technical Skills: Start with mastering GIS software like ArcGIS or QGIS. Online tutorials and courses are available on platforms like Coursera and Udemy.
Historical Data Analysis: Focus on incorporating historical datasets, understanding spatial relationships over time. The Old Maps Online portal can be a valuable resource for finding historical maps.
GIS Methodology for Historians: Apply GIS methodologies specific to historical research. The Programming Historian offers lessons on digital tools for historians, including GIS.
Spatial Thinking: Develop spatial thinking by studying how historical events are influenced by geography. Books and articles on historical geography can provide insights.
Networking and Collaboration: Join GIS and history forums or groups, such as H-Net, for discussions, advice, and collaborative opportunities.
Attend Workshops and Conferences: Look for workshops and conferences that focus on the intersection of GIS and history, such as those hosted by the Social Science History Association.
By following these steps, historians can significantly improve their GIS skills, enabling them to analyze and visualize historical events and patterns more effectively.
How to Display GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Skills on Your Resume
8. SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences)
SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) is a software tool used for statistical analysis, particularly useful for historians in analyzing quantitative data to uncover trends, patterns, and relationships within historical datasets.
Why It's Important
SPSS is important for a Historian because it offers powerful statistical analysis tools that can uncover patterns, trends, and relationships within historical data, aiding in more accurate interpretations and understanding of past events and societal changes.
How to Improve SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) Skills
Improving your skills in SPSS as a historian involves focusing on data management, statistical analysis, and interpretation relevant to historical research. Here are concise steps to enhance your SPSS expertise:
Learn the Basics: Start with understanding the SPSS interface, data entry, and basic functions. IBM’s official SPSS tutorials are a great starting point.
Explore Historical Data Analysis: Concentrate on statistical techniques common in historical research such as time series analysis, crosstabulation, and chi-square tests. The Programming Historian offers guides that, while not SPSS-specific, can help conceptualize analyses relevant to historians.
Advance Your Statistical Knowledge: Enhance your statistical skills with resources tailored to historians. Books like "Quantitative Methods for Historians" (available on platforms like Amazon) can be very helpful.
Use Online Tutorials and Courses: Platforms like Coursera and Udemy offer courses on SPSS tailored to various skill levels. These can help you understand both basic functions and more complex statistical analyses.
Join SPSS Forums and Communities: Engage with other SPSS users by joining forums such as the IBM SPSS Community. Sharing experiences and solutions can provide insights specific to historical data.
Practice with Historical Datasets: Apply your skills to historical datasets. Websites like The National Archives often provide data suitable for analysis with SPSS. Practice will help you understand the nuances of applying statistical analysis to historical research.
By focusing on these areas, you can significantly improve your proficiency in SPSS for historical research, enhancing both your data analysis capabilities and the quality of your research outputs.
How to Display SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) Skills on Your Resume
9. Nvivo (Qualitative Data Analysis Software)
Nvivo is a software tool designed for qualitative data analysis, enabling historians to organize, analyze, and find insights in diverse data types such as interviews, open-ended survey responses, articles, social media, and archival documents. It facilitates the coding process, helps in identifying themes and patterns, and supports the development of evidence-based conclusions, aiding historians in their research and interpretation of historical narratives.
Why It's Important
Nvivo is important for historians as it allows for the efficient organization, analysis, and synthesis of vast amounts of qualitative data, such as historical documents, interviews, and multimedia sources. This facilitates a deeper understanding of historical contexts, trends, and narratives.
How to Improve Nvivo (Qualitative Data Analysis Software) Skills
Improving your proficiency in NVivo, particularly from a historian's perspective, involves enhancing your skills in data organization, analysis, and interpretation of historical data. Here are concise steps with relevant resources:
Master the Basics: Begin with NVivo’s own Getting Started Guide to understand the interface and basic functionalities.
Advanced Coding Techniques: Delve into more sophisticated coding strategies to manage complex historical data. The NVivo Advanced Tutorial can be immensely helpful.
Integration with Historical Sources: Learn to integrate diverse historical sources (texts, images, videos) by consulting resources on managing sources in NVivo.
Use Queries for Deep Analysis: Utilize NVivo’s query functions to explore patterns and themes within your historical data. This Queries in NVivo guide provides insights into creating and refining queries.
Visualize Data: Enhance your interpretation of historical data through NVivo’s visualization tools. The guide on Visualizations can help you present your findings effectively.
Engage with the NVivo Community: Join the NVivo Community to share insights, ask questions, and learn from other historians and researchers.
Continuous Learning: Keep updated with new features and methodologies by subscribing to the NVivo Blog, which often features expert advice and case studies.
By focusing on these areas, you can significantly improve your usage of NVivo as a tool for historical research, making your data analysis more efficient and insightful.
How to Display Nvivo (Qualitative Data Analysis Software) Skills on Your Resume
10. Digital Humanities
Digital Humanities is an interdisciplinary field that leverages digital tools and methods to analyze, interpret, and present historical data, enabling historians to uncover new insights, visualize trends, and engage with broader audiences.
Why It's Important
Digital Humanities is important for historians because it enhances research, analysis, and dissemination of historical information through the use of digital tools and methods, allowing for more comprehensive and innovative approaches to understanding the past.
How to Improve Digital Humanities Skills
Improving Digital Humanities, particularly for historians, involves leveraging technology to enhance research, interpretation, and dissemination of historical information. Here are key strategies:
Embrace Digital Archives: Utilize and contribute to digital archives for broader access to historical documents. Websites like Internet Archive and Project Gutenberg are valuable resources.
Data Visualization Tools: Use tools like Tableau or Gephi for visualizing historical data, making complex information accessible and engaging.
Digital Mapping: Employ GIS and mapping software like ArcGIS or StoryMapJS for spatial analysis of historical events, trends, and movements.
Text Analysis Tools: Apply text analysis tools such as Voyant Tools to examine patterns, themes, and frequencies in historical documents, providing new insights.
Collaborative Platforms: Participate in collaborative digital humanities projects or platforms like Zooniverse which offer opportunities for public engagement and crowdsourced research.
Continual Learning: Keep updated with digital humanities trends and tools through resources like Digital Humanities Now and Programming Historian.
By integrating these digital strategies, historians can enhance their research capabilities, engage with wider audiences, and contribute more effectively to the field of Digital Humanities.
How to Display Digital Humanities Skills on Your Resume
11. Oral History
Oral history is a method used by historians to gather firsthand accounts from individuals about their experiences, memories, and perceptions of historical events, through recorded interviews. This technique supplements written records, offering a more personal and diverse perspective on the past.
Why It's Important
Oral history is crucial for historians as it provides personal, firsthand accounts of events, cultures, and experiences that may not be documented in written records, thus offering unique insights and perspectives that enrich our understanding of the past.
How to Improve Oral History Skills
Improving oral history involves enhancing both the collection and analysis of oral testimonies. Here's a concise guide:
Preparation: Deeply research your topic to formulate insightful questions. The Oral History Association offers resources on best practices.
Ethics: Obtain informed consent, ensuring interviewees understand the purpose and use of their testimony. The Oral History Society provides ethical guidelines.
Technical Quality: Use high-quality recording equipment to ensure clear audio. The British Library suggests equipment and techniques for high-quality recordings.
Interviewing Skills: Develop strong listening skills and the ability to ask follow-up questions. The Smithsonian Folklife and Oral History Interviewing Guide offers tips on conducting effective interviews.
Transcription and Preservation: Accurately transcribe interviews and store them in a format that ensures long-term preservation. The Library of Congress provides guidelines on digital formats for preservation.
Analysis and Interpretation: Contextualize the oral histories within broader historical narratives, critically analyzing them for biases and perspectives. Columbia University's Oral History Master of Arts teaches methods for analyzing oral histories.
Accessibility and Sharing: Make your findings accessible to both the academic community and the public. The Digital Public Library of America offers a platform for sharing digital oral history collections.
By focusing on these aspects, historians can significantly improve the quality and impact of their oral history projects.
How to Display Oral History Skills on Your Resume
12. Paleography
Paleography is the study of ancient and historical handwriting, enabling historians to read and interpret manuscripts and documents from the past.
Why It's Important
Paleography is crucial for historians as it enables them to decipher, read, and interpret ancient manuscripts, thus providing direct access to original sources and insights into historical contexts, cultures, and languages, enhancing the accuracy and depth of historical research and understanding.
How to Improve Paleography Skills
To improve paleography skills, a historian should:
Study Transcriptions: Start by examining transcribed documents alongside their originals. This practice helps in understanding the common forms of letters and abbreviations used in different periods. Websites like Medieval Writing offer valuable resources.
Take Online Courses: Enroll in online courses or workshops that focus on paleography. The National Archives provides an excellent introduction to reading old handwriting.
Practice Regularly: Regular transcription practice is crucial. Try to transcribe a few lines of a document every day, gradually increasing complexity. Websites like The Latin Library contain numerous texts for practice.
Learn Historical Context: Understanding the historical context of the documents you're studying can provide insights into their content and language usage. This knowledge can be gained through academic books, journals, and online history resources.
Utilize Software: Certain software, such as Adobe Photoshop, can be used to enhance difficult-to-read documents, making transcription easier. Learning basic image editing skills can be beneficial.
Join Forums and Groups: Online forums and social media groups dedicated to paleography can offer support, advice, and resources. One such forum is the Paleography and Manuscript Studies group on Facebook.
Attend Workshops and Seminars: Look for workshops, seminars, and conferences on paleography and manuscript studies. These can provide hands-on experience and networking opportunities with experts in the field.
By integrating these strategies, historians can substantially improve their paleography skills, enhancing their research capabilities and understanding of historical documents.
How to Display Paleography Skills on Your Resume
