Co-authored by Neha Bhalla

Looking to apply for environmental jobs in the federal sector? 

As the environmental job outlook grows, it’s important to remember that a significant number of those jobs are in government. If you’re coming from the private sector or straight out of university, you will quickly realize that the process for applying to a federal job and a corporate/non-profit one is extremely different. 

I recently sat down with Nancy Segal, Professional Federal Resume Writer & Consultant, to discuss those differences and gain insight into some common questions I receive about applying in the federal sector. Nancy has over 30 years working in federal HR and has incredible resources for federal applicants on her website and YouTube channel. This blog article would not be possible without her help, so please check her out!

Without further ado, here is what every federal applicant needs to know: 

The Application Process: 

...

Co-authored by Neha Bhalla

Take a deep breath - you’ve made it through 2020. I hope you had a relaxing holiday season, no matter how you celebrated it, and here’s hoping for a lockdown-free, mask-off 2021!

As the new year starts, here is what you need to know to reinvigorate your job search!

1. Stop Doubting Yourself 

Half of the job-search-battle is your mindset, and after a difficult job market in 2020, it’s easy to feel frustrated or defeated. However, if you’re going into interviews thinking “I’m unqualified for this job” or “I don’t want to be here,” you might as well not show up. Confidence and enthusiasm are everything; acting down-in-the-dumps during an interview or blasé about a job is a massive red flag for a hiring manager.   

If you do find yourself saying “I’m unqualified for the types of jobs I want,” there are plenty of ways to become qualified - whether...

As with most questions about job searching the answer to the question, should I work with a recruiter, is not a simple straight-forward answer. 

Plenty has been said already about what recruiters do, who they are, and the pros and cons of working with one. That said, I am not going to reiterate that info here but rather share some articles that will be helpful to you to help you make an informed decision as to whether or not you want to try to work with a recruiter. 

The biggest thing to note is that aiming to work with recruiters is not a short-cut, thus, it should not be used to try to circumvent doing your own job searches and networking. 

Here are a few articles we think cover all the bases with the specific topics each contains: 

This article from Mac’s List answers the following questions:

• What do recruiters actually do?
• What do I get out of working with a recruiter?
• What are recruiters not telling me?
• Should I work with a recruiter?
• What is the best...

Here’s the truth:

Most people don’t know how to network.

They either don’t do it at all — or do it with no real plan or strategy.

You already know job networking is important.

It’s ESSENTIAL to not just getting a job — but also building your career.

If you want to be effective at job networking.

And I mean truly effective…

 You have to put together a plan.

Here are 5 proven steps you can follow to put together a job networking plan to land your dream job.

Step 1: Figure out WHY you’re networking

First — you have to figure out WHY you’re networking in the first place. 

You’re probably thinking “Duhhh, to get a job.” but that’s not enough. Because if you’re trying to meet someone who’s going to give you a job — that’s probably not going to happen.

 You need to form a strategy. And the first part of that is figuring out your networking goals.

One of the biggest hurdles for people looking to break into an environmental career is skills gap. It doesn't matter if you are a recent grad or looking to change careers, skill gaps are a plague nearly everyone looking for a job faces. It's important as it always is to see challenges as opportunities. Regardless if you believe that your skill gap is because your university program didn't prepare you or if you spent too long being comfortable in the first era of your career, or if you just woke up one morning and decided it was time for a change. Having the need to fill a skill is an opportunity. Here's what I mean. 

You see the skill gap as a hindrance, and it is, for now. It will only continue to be an obstacle if you don't do anything proactive about it. It's only when you decide to do something about it that it becomes an opportunity. The opportunity can come in many forms such as: 

• An excuse to network - you'll now have a valid reason to seek persons of...

You’re excited — but also nervous. 

You got the interview, now it’s time to get ready.

13 quick tips to help you prepare for your upcoming job interview.

Before the Interview Tips:

1. Research the company

Awaken your inner stalker. Do some research into the company you’re interviewing for. 

Look at the company’s website, check out their LinkedIn, Google them, Bing them, read news articles, and keep researching until you have a thorough understanding of the company’s culture, mission, and values.

2. Dress for success

Making a good first impression is EVERYTHING.  

Research the company’s dress code and make sure you dress accordingly. You don’t wanna be wearing basketball shorts when everyone else is in suits. 

3. Prepare a few relevant short stories

Don’t just regurgitate what’s on your resume.  

Instead — highlight your skills with short stories explaining how you got them, why you...

Keep Hope Alive

I hope that you and your family and friends are well during this uncharted time. I wanted to share some encouragement and suggestions for staying productive and shifting your career search at this time. 

Many of you may have been looking when things started to shut down, others may have had jobs and are fortunate to still be working - be safe out there! If you know someone who could benefit from this info please share. 

Suggestion #1

Use this time to fill gaps in your resume, explore new skills, read, or take a course. We're offering 50% rebate back for anyone who completes the Online Job Search Action Plan Course. We are not making it free because it has been shown that free courses have a 90% drop in completion rate due to lack of incentive. Finish the course and get rewarded for your effort!

START COURSE NOW

Suggestion #2

Focus on networking. People are seeking connection at this time. It is the perfect excuse to invite a stranger to a video chat....

Does anyone want to give me a job? Anybody? Hello?

Does asking for an informational interview feel a little like begging to you?  Experts keep saying that informational interviews are getting harder to get yet those same experts are encouraging career seekers to keep asking for them. Let’s put an end to the informational interview, shall we? Or, at least, let’s define them better.

The most difficult aspects of asking for an informational interview are:

• Being unsure who to invite
• Being unsure what to say in the invite
• It just feels awkward 

I believe a lot of that comes from the use of the term “interview”. My suggestion is that we stop calling these things informational interviews as they have come to be known - attempts to cheat the systems and get hired without waiting for a job to be posted. It is for that reason, people are becoming less and less likely to accept your invitation. 

Instead of asking the VP of the environmental firm...

I refer to your resume, LinkedIn profile, and networking plan as your job search essential. Each of these works together to help ensure your best chances of getting invited to interview. Often times job seekers focus on just the resume. You might have a killer resume but if you end up getting compared to someone with a great networking reference or a professional looking LinkedIn profile, you’ve essentially devalued your resume.

The jobs search essentials are the tools in your toolbelt for getting an interview and you won’t likely get an interview without some combination of the three so let’s dive into each of these in more detail.

I don’t think anyone would argue that a resume is a must for every job seeker. There will always be a counter-advice argument that so-and-so’s cousin got an awesome job without ever handing in a resume but that doesn’t translate into good advice for you. Your resume should be succinct, I personally recommend 1 page...

I occasionally receive messages like this: “I am currently studying environmental policy. I've done research with elephants, noise pollution, and ocean studies. I want to make a positive impact for global climate change. There's so many paths I could take, how do I know what to do?” 

Career seekers struggle with a few areas more than others. One of those struggle areas is coming up with an answer to the seemingly simple question, “What do you want to do?” Some struggle with the fear of making a choice. Once the choice is made the pressure of making it happen causes a high amount of anxiety from fear of failure. Others struggle with being interested in too many things. No one environmental-related degree equates to a single career path so even if your degree is in policy, you might find your interest crosses over into conservation or ocean science. 

Your career search will go much smoother if you have an idea of the direction you want to go in....