life after americorps americorps national best practices conference may 5- 7, 2009
TRANSCRIPT
Life After AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps National Best Practices ConferenceMay 5- 7, 2009
Agenda
Session Outcomes Non-Profit Career
Explorationo Issue/ Process/ Job
Planning Transitionso Skill Assessmento Skill Transfer
Celebration to Action!
Panel
Translating Serviceo Resume Writingo Interviewingo Networking
Eli Segal Education Award / My AmeriCorps
Closing Remarks Evaluation
Session Outcomes
This workshop will help participants to: Plan transition to the “next step” Reflect upon personal and
professional growth Assess skills and accomplishments Weigh choices for “what next” Identify resources and strategies for
the transition
Nonprofit Career Exploration
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
Don’t cry because it
is over.
Smile because it
has happened.
Issue Focus
Housing Mental Health Child care/Early
Childhood Education
Job Training Youth
Development Legal and Civil
Rights
Environmental Justice
Urban Planning Public Health Homelessness Immigrants Economic
Development
Process Focus
Provide Service Coordinate Services Improve infrastructure Provide funding Research Advocacy/Policy Organizing Education
Job Focus
Administrator/Director
Accountant Project Manager Coordinator Case Manager Property Manager Fund Developer Researcher Lobbyist
Advocate Organizer Educator Counselor Facilitator Trainer Strategic
Planner Evaluator Program Officer
Jobs: Divisions of Labor
BOTH
Direct Services
Administrative
Pros & Cons of Direct Service
PROS Not a “desk job” Lots of
interaction with others
Can make an impact every day
Professional victories feel more personal
CONS Risk of “burnout” Salaries tend to be
low Funding for positions
is often unstable Advancement usually
means you go into supervisory jobs and may stop doing direct service to clients
Pros & Cons of Management
PROS More opportunities
for those with “generalist” skills
Opportunities for advancement
Higher salary levels
Skills directly transfer to and from different kinds of workplaces
CONS No or little
contact with beneficiaries of your efforts
Jobs feel similar to those in private sector but pay less
May have very limited resources to get the job done
Planning the Transition
My AmeriCorps service can land me a Job?
YOU BETCHA!
Assessing & Transferring Skills
How do you get skills? Jobs Volunteering Sports
What skills do you have? What skills can you use on the
job? Reflect and transfer!
Reflect
Complete these statements . . .From my AmeriCorps service I discovered that I… I learned that I… (Or I relearned that
I…) I intend to…
What Next?
AmeriCorps Experience – What did it do for me?
Identifying Resources
Building a Resume What goes into a Resume & Cover
letter Interviewing How AmeriCorps service can
work for you in the resume and interview process!
Resumes & Cover Letters
Resumes should: Highlight your
skills Show off your
accomplishments Show how you are
qualified for the job
Show where you want to go in your career
Chronological vs. Functional
Chronological Shows what jobs
you held, for how long, in order from most recent
Preferred method – most straightforward for employer
Functional Highlights skills
and accomplishments
Consider if you don’t have strong work experience (+10 years)
Consider if you are transitioning fields
Can mix with chronological
Resumes MUST Include
Complete and Current contact information Name, phone number, e-mail
address Work experience Volunteer and leadership
experience Education
Resumes MAY Include
Objective make sure it matches job!
“Other” experience Research/publications Interests/hobbies Computer skills Language skills
Things to Remember . . .
Tailor to the job or type of job One page or less
Exceptions: oYou have more than 7 yrs experienceoYou have many publications
Do not lie about your experience
Do not furnish references in resume
Things to Remember . . . Use action verbs that quantify your
accomplishments AmeriCorps goals accomplished Skill clusters
Use succinct language Use consistent tense Make it clean, organized, and
readable with ample white space Proofread! Use TWO sets of eyes
Cover Letter Goals
Provide more details than the resume
Showcase “you as a person” Demonstrate writing ability Demonstrate your knowledge
of the organization Tailor specifically to each job/
organization
Cover Letter General Guidelines
Address to a specific person – and spell his/her name correctly
Limit to one page Use cover letter to highlight
resume and provide additional details – tell a story
Refrain from listing salary requirements
Proofread!
Cover Letter Structure When writing a cover letter, examples
of recommended paragraphs include: Why I am interested in this job How does this job fit into my career plans My relevant skills and experience; some ideas I
have for the job Why I support the organization’s mission and
values/how I can contribute Always conclude with:
I would like an interview, here’s how to contact me. However, if you can follow-up do so - it shows INITIATIVE!
The Informational Interview
How To: The Informational Interview
BEFORE E-mail, phone, letter Name dropping
helps Ask for 20-30 minute
meeting; be flexible Send resume in
advance Do background
research Prepare questions Bring pen and paper
AFTER Pay if you’re at a
cafe Ask if they know of
any job openings Ask for referrals for
other informational interviews
Send a thank you note
Keep in touch
Preparing for a Job Interview
Research the organization Think in advance about what you want
the interviewer to know about you Anticipate questions they are likely to
ask Develop questions you would like to ask Bring resume and anything they asked
for Bring pen and paper Arrive early
Networking
Successful networking depends a lot on your attitude, your etiquette and your mindset.
Who are some people/ groups you may have already networked with? LISC AmeriCorps Alums Civic leaders
Impact of Social Networking
LinkedIn MySpace & Facebook Blogging Personal Web Pages
Dream of the Possibilities
Talking about your service Think in the
positive What did you
discover during service?
Where do you intend to go?
What new action can you take?
Resource: Education Award
Test your knowledge of the Eli
Segal Education
Award
Student Loans
FAQs Repayment Options
Payment on Principal Advance Payments
oAlways submit your voucher with instructions on how the repayment needs to be applied!
oCase Study of Lindsay & Marcus
Non-Traditional Ed Award Uses
“I’m not going to college, so why would I want an AmeriCorps Education Award?”
www.AmeriCorps.org
Logon to www.americorps.org
Look under the third heading
Select My AmeriCorps/ AmeriCorps Online Payment System
My AmeriCorps
Member/Alum Registration
I’m registered- now what?
Once you have registered, you’re set!
You can use this site To get tax forms To complete your interest accrual
request for your student loans To submit payments to your loan
lender or to the school of your choosing
How to Navigate My AmeriCorps:
Focusing on “My Requests”:
This section identifies payments that you have made through AmeriCorps.
You can track if your school or loan has received payments.
You also can review the process of your interest accrual form.
My Education Award
View Interest Accrual
View Ed Award Payment
Payments from My AmeriCorps
Create an interest accrual request You must have your loan information on
hand. You’ll need the name, address, and zip code of your lender.
Interest Accrual Request
School Search
Using the Education Award
After you have created your Interest Accrual, you’ll have access to your Education Award.
You can create an account with your school or lender, then choose the amount you would like used at that time.
Resources
Questions & Evaluation
Plus/Delta Formal Evaluation