Bring on the Jobs

It seems to be on every Fellow’s mind at the moment, and conversations among us usually wind up there sooner or later: what are your plans after the fellowship? There are four months to go which makes it a good time to start thinking about our next move. Ten fabulous volunteers with the inside scoop shared their valuable information with us at the 2011 Knauss Career Workshop on Friday.

Resumes and Interviews

Ida Buffone, Recruitment Manager for the contracting company IMSG, kicked things off by providing some tips for constructing an optimal resume and how to impress during the interview that (hopefully) follows.
After lunch a panel of hiring professionals explained some ins and outs of applying to federal jobs and contractors –

•    Ida Buffone, IMSG
•    Jim Saulsbury, 2020
•    Christine Carpino, NOAA

Two take-home messages stood out: be sure your application materials highlight the experiences you have that explicitly satisfy the job description, and network! You never know when who you know will come in handy.

Advice from Knauss Alums

Two panels of Knauss alumni sat down to share their post-fellowship stories. The Senior Managers Panel included two fellows from the class of ’92 and one from the class of ’82 -

•    Lauren Wenzel, Acting Director of the National Marine Protected Areas Center
•    Russell Callendar, Acting Director of NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
•    Christophe Tulou, Director of the District Department of the Environment

None of these successful Knauss grads entered their current positions or organizations directly after their fellowship. In fact, they had pretty circuitous and diverse paths to their current careers, but they gained unique perspectives along the way. So ask yourself – what skills to I need? You’re not expected to land your dream job in February, just start the path to get there.

Our final panel included former fellows from ’00, ’03, ’05 and ’09 and led to some candid conversations about work-life balance and techniques for advancing your knowledge base (or “pie”) -

•    Jason Goldberg, Fish and Wildlife Biologist in Aquatic Invasive Species USFWS
•    Amanda Leland, National Policy Director of the Environmental Defense Fund’s Oceans Program
•    Kirsten Larsen, National Habitat Science Coordinator in the NMFS Office of Science and Technology
•    Jeb Berman, Director of Government Relations for the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation

This panel stressed again the importance of getting your face, your name and your handshake out there. So if you didn’t have the opportunity to meet our fine panelists on Friday, track them down at the next oceans event, introduce yourself and make a connection. They took time out of their hectic schedules to sit down and help us. The least we can do it take them up on the offer.