FACT #2: STUDENTS CAN USE A LITTLE-KNOWN PROGRAM TO CONVERT THEIR FEDERAL INTERNSHIP TO A FULL TIME JOB.

FACT #3: THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NEEDS 1,000’s OF TALENTED PROFESSIONALS AND WILL BE HIRING SOON. (SEE ARTICLES AT BOTTOM)
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Finding Opportunities in the Federal Government Without Using USAJobs.gov

Working in the federal government can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. BUT finding the right opportunities can be a long and frustrating process, especially when using USAJOBS.gov, the central place to find and apply for federal openings.

FORTUNATELY, there are several opportunities for current students, undergraduates and recent grads that are not part of the competitive hiring process and are not listed on USAJobs.gov.

This document will introduce you to two growing federal hiring programs for students and recent graduates: the Student Employment Experience Programs (SEEP) and the Federal Career Internship Programs (FCIP).  This email includes slide show with info and downloadable documents including an agency-by-agency listing with key details and contact info.

1. Introduction to the Student and Federal Career Internship Program

Students interested in federal government employment must know two acronyms: STEP and SCEP. The STEP (Student Temporary Employment Program) and the SCEP (Student Career Experience Program) make up the federal government’s SEEP. The purpose of both programs is to give undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to participate in substantial, career-enhancing, paid, internship-like positions. Both the STEP and SCEP offer other benefits to the student depending on the hiring agency, like vacation, health insurance, and retirement, and they are not part of the competitive hiring process.

What about opportunities for alumni? Don’t let the word “Internship” turn you off from Federal Career Internship Program (FCIP) opportunities as you don’t have to be a current student for these particular FCIP opportunities. The federal government created the FCIP hiring authority to help agencies bring in the best and brightest graduates. FCIPs are professional training programs often given names like “Emerging Leaders Program” or “Administrative Fellows Program.” Regardless of the names, the FCIP hiring authority is the closest thing federal recruiters have to “on-the-spot” hiring, and they don’t have to be posted in USAJobs.gov.

The first section of the following slideshow will give you the basics of the SEEP opportunities, and is followed by an outline of the FCIP.

View the slideshow

Download the document

2. Listing of Specific Federal Agency Internship, Application Info & Contact Details

This is an agency-by-agency list of basic SEEP and FCIP descriptions, application details and contact info. It is by no means comprehensive or exhaustive. New positions are created every day, often at the suggestion of students and alumni. Please send your updates to Paul Binkley via email at tscareer@gwu.edu and he will add them to the listing.

View the slideshow

Download the document

THREE HELPFUL HINTS IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR FULL-TIME FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT

1. Focus on SCEP internships. Why? Most often are paid and you can possibly convert it to a full-time federal job once you graduate.

2. If you do a SCEP internship in one agency you can convert that experience to a full-time job in a completely different agency.

3. You can get half of the required hours needed for a federal job waived by superior performance in your internship. (Supervisor can waive if they agree)

RECENT NEWS ARTICLES ON FEDERAL HIRING:

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HIRING FOR THOUSANDS OF JOBS

HELP WANTED IN PUBLIC SERVICE

HOW TO RIDE THE FEDERAL HIRING WAVE

THIS EMAIL MESSAGE BROUGHT TO YOU BY NASPAA

This Federal Career Info Message is from the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). Your school is a member and that is why you are able to receive this message. Please see www.NASPAA.org. You can also join us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

If you have any questions or suggestions please email Scott Talan, Director of Communications at NASPAA, at Talan@naspaa.org.

THANK YOU TO GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Information and slide show were created by:
Paul Binkley, Director of Career Development Services
Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration
The George Washington University
Washington, DC 20052
Web: www.gwu.edu/~tspppa

*Citation for 85% of federal jobs being outside of Washington DC is from Partnership for Public Service who tracks and works with federal agencies in helping provide better and clearer ways to recruit new people to federal service.

1) In the Administrative side of the portfolio site, click on the Site Management tab.

2) Choose Design Center from the list of Site Management Tools.

3) In the Category drop-down menu, choose “Custom Design Engine.”

4) Click on 2 to go to the second page of designs. Select the icon labeled, “MIIS2.” On the right side of the screen, click on “Choose This One!”

5) You’ll be asked to enter your site information. If you like, you can add a title for your site (such as Britt Humana’s Portfolio) and change the school name to Graduate School of International Policy and Management. This will appear on the right side of the header.

6) Click on Finished, and you’re done!

Some Job Search Engines/Listings to Try
JuJu
Philanthropy News Digest
ReliefWeb (humanitarian assistance)
Opportunities in Public Affairs
NextBillion (Development through enterprise)
Corporate Social Responsibility Jobs
GlobalCorps (PSC’s for USAID/OFDA and OTI)
NonprofitJobs
OpportunityKnocks
National Association for Environmental Education
Careers in Nonprofits
MakingtheDifference (federal jobs/internships)
GreenBiz
Green Dream Jobs

Resources for Job Searching
Directory of Development Organizations
InsideGood Nonprofit Ratings

Articles and Blogs on Career Development, Job Searching, etc.
Tips for Staying Afloat in Job Market
Professional Associations: Membership Has Rewards
Best Cities for Jobs
Stimulus Package to Increase Government Hiring
20 Things Grads Need to Know to Boost Job Search Mojo
Careerealism
Candidates Must Learn to Be a Little Flexible
Clever ways to research Employers and Positions
Five Reasons Your Job Search Isn’t Getting the Results You Want
It’s All About You – Or Is It?
Long Distance Job-Search Tips
Ten Things You MUST Understand When Looking for a Job
Are you a passive job seeker? You might be, but don’t realize it!

Networking
Networking and Informational Interviewing Templates
Tuning in to the network: Tips for successful networking
Informational Interviews
Social Networking For Professionals

Personal Branding and Self-Marketing
Discovering your Value Proposition
What the Heck Is an Elevator Speech?
Recommended reading: Tell Me About Yourself
Career Truth #1: Brand or Be Branded (Are YOU Willing to Risk What Shows on the Top Fold?)
When Passion Meets Expertise Your Brand Succeeds

Social Media and the Job Search
30 Ways to Lose a Job on Twitter
Job Sites and Career Experts on Twitter
RiseSmart Career100 (top 100 career related blogs)
HOW TO: Find a Job on Twitter
People to follow on Twitter to accelerate your job hunt
10 “Must Use” Websites For Your Job Search!!!

Cover Letters
Tell me about yourself (part 1): Cover letters

Resumes/CVs
Tell me about yourself (part 2)
Targeted Resume: How to Write a Targeted Resume

Interviewing
Acing the phone interview (part 1)
It’s for You-HOO! (phone interviews)
How Not To Get Stumped By Behavioral Interview Questions
A Checklist to Nail Behavioral Interviews
Interview Tips – Behavior Based Interviewing
The Weakness Question
22 Reasons You Bomb the First Interview
Nailing the Second Interview
When Interviews Don’t Go Well

Follow-up
When And How To Follow-Up On Your Job Application

Salary/Package Negotiations
Some Things to Know Before Negotiating Salary with a New Employer
How to Evaluate a Job Offer
Job Offer Checklist
Salary Talk During the Job Interview

Finally, we would love to share your stories on the Monterey Institute website. The format will be similar to last year’s posts. A question at the end of the survey asks whether you would like us to share your professional development story. If so, we will confirm the wording with you before it is made public. We hope you will share your experience with your fellow students, prospective students, and the rest of the Monterey Institute community!

Click here to link to the survey.

Thanks so much for providing this invaluable information!

But not everyone knows the brighter side to the equation: deep in the maw of the deepest recession since the Great Depression, millions are still being hired…

Link to the full article here

As you may know, the US Fulbright program website is comprehensive but sometimes confusing and overwhelming. Here’s a way to get a lot of information about what’s new to the program in a quick and easy format.

• Links to two online Middlebury career resources, the “Careers in the Common Good” newsletter and the “Immediate Job Openings” page of the Middlebury website, which contains positions for those with a few years of professional experience
• A Resource section on Social Entrepreneurship
• A link to nonprofitjobs.org, a site with postings similar to those of idealist.org (though note that there are currently no internship/volunteer positions posted!)

You can find the course by logging in to the Moodle site at elearning.miis.edu. Click on “International Policy Studies,” then the “Advising” subcategory, then the “Advising” course.

*This is a paid summer opportunity that could lead into a fall semester workstudy position.

The Leadership Development Program Assistant (LEAD PA) for the Management Assistance Program (MAP) assists with the Leadership Education and Development program, which will provide professional development and organizational capacity-building activities to strengthen and increase the number of qualified executive-level staff for nonprofit organizations in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties, especially those from communities of color.

The position may involve research, proposal writing, planning, promotion, administration, record keeping, communication, and reporting of diverse recurring and one-time activities. This position will also assist in other MAP activities. The LEAD Program Assistant works under the supervision of the Management Assistance Program Officer.  Based on the duties described below, this is a part-time non-exempt (hourly wage) position without benefits.  This is a summer job, 15-20 hours/week, to cover the period from mid-May to late August 2009.
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Summer Internship Position in rural El Salvador: Program Evaluation and Youth Empowerment

In accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding established between La Coordinadora del Bajo Lempa y Bahía de Jiquilisco and the Monterey Institute of International Studies, CEPAE requests a maximum of two (2) MIIS students to enhance the surveying and evaluation skills of its staff and youth participants.  By cultivating these skills among its youth, La Coordinadora hopes to establish local capacity to evaluate the success of its programmatic reach in sustainable development.  Such capacity would likewise serve to strengthen the ongoing partnership between MIIS and La Coordinadora, forming a youth base capable of assisting future Team Monterey groups with their work.

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Summer Internships with the USAID Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) in the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA)

…”This solicitation is recruiting interns for the summer of 2009, as well as Academic Year 2009-10 interns, to support USAIDs Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) in the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA). OTI is looking for several interns to support its Field Programs Division (Program Assistant), and Information and Technology Team (a Jr. Systems Analyst). Depending on space available, OTI may bring on two interns or more. Interns can expect to have a substantive and rewarding experience as part of the DCHA/OTI team – once on board, interns are treated as full staff members and are expected to perform as such…”

For more information, check the First Class IPS Employment folder!

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Tuesday May 5th, 2009

What: “Running One MIIS” Open Session on Advancement; Facilitator – Beth McDermott
When: Tue May 5 12pm – 1:30pm
Where: McCone Board Room
Description: Part of a series of open meetings for the MIIS community to ask questions and provide input on reorganization and integration changes.

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Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something!
–Henry David Thoreau

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