Lessons From the Possum
I once had a possum on my sorting line. Weird way to start an article I know but bear with me. The possum had come in the back of a garbage truck with a load to my transfer station. Who knows how he got there, one can only guess it was in the container when the...
Improve your LinkedIn Profile
Everyone has probably been told many times now that job seekers should be on LinkedIn. It’s a great networking tool and can help build your digital presence, impressing an employer when they Google you. It can also help you get found by recruiters and introduce you...
Find Your Federal Job Fit
The road to a federal job is sometimes rocky, never smooth, but navigable if you can follow their instructions. Some folks apply without really knowing what they are doing and give up in a pique of frustration. Below are steps to help you stay focused and, if you...
Service is Not a Dilemma
Each of us within our professional roles have a fundamental responsibility to support our organization to the extent that we must also support our colleagues and peers if we are truly dedicated to the greater success of the company. But, when exactly does that...
Achieve Your Dreams With Higher Education
As a first generation daughter of Salvadorian immigrants, raised in the predominantly Latino community of East Los Angeles, fulfilling my educational dreams has come with many struggles, which have nonetheless allowed me to grow as an individual. At a very young age,...
Branding Tactics for Local Government Managers
A question city managers need to ask themselves is: Why should my city set itself apart from others? The clearest answer is increased economic opportunities such as an influx of residents, businesses, and tourists. Place branding and marketing are becoming growing...
The Benefits of Hiring Military Veterans
Employing our nation’s military veterans has been an important topic for many years. Occupation and job training is one important aspects in order to end unemployment among veterans as well as homelessness. However, the men and women whom have served our country...
An International Relations Degree Can Advance Your Military Career
There are universal qualities that make a good leader. But in the military, a more specific skillset is needed—especially when operating in international settings. International relations master’s degree programs can help you develop the following qualities and gain...
Banks Go through Stress Tests. Why Not Your Career?
This is not a post about burnout or stress management. This is a conversation about a different kind of self-care. Time to time, we hear about banks undergoing stress tests to determine how they would fare in the face of difficult economic scenarios. What if you put...
Federal Government Trends: Contracting, HR, Budget & IT
While it is valuable to know what is trending, it is critical to contemplate what benefits your future and what empowers you to fulfill your personal potential. Assess viable options. The Federal Government offers opportunities in Contracting, Human Resources, Budget...
New Learning at a Higher Level
“Each of us are the Chief Executives of our learning.” - Dr. Terrence Roberts For each of us, the process and opportunities to advance come with some form of a requisite series of achievements. These can be accomplishing advanced college degrees, new certifications,...
Outsourcing Can Lead to Increased Government Efficiencies
Nothing drives innovation like challenge. The silver lining in the cloud of fiscal strain facing many local governments is that nothing drives innovation quite like challenge. The great recession has produced buzz phrases that are already growing tired, from “doing...
Treat Your Professional Identity Like Metadata
Big data is a hot topic. Mega corporations like Google and Amazon glean huge volumes of information about their customers’ interests and spending patterns. The furore over the Edward Snowden revelations propelled the word metadata from the private lexicon of IT...
Working for USAID
A master’s degree in international relations provides the foundational knowledge and professional skills you will need for a career in the field—which may include a service career in the government and nonprofit sectors. Students in these programs gain an in-depth...
New Technologies Graduates Need to Know for Government Employment
We have all become increasingly aware of the use of data by the federal government. From national security to health care to education, data and new technologies are playing increased roles in what federal agencies do. But increasingly, municipal governments are also...
5 Tips for GRE Preparation
It’s definitely not the SAT. As the portal for entry into most graduate programs, the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is another academic animal altogether—and something you’d better be sure you’ve prepared for before you pull up that first question. As Neil Seltzer, the...
Putting the Meat in Team
There is a growing trend in the private firms of staff development which has shown signs of success. The lunch meeting with a potential new team member to see how the person interacts with potentially new coworkers has been on the rise. The theory behind the concept...
To Gap Year or to Not Gap Year?
Gap Year. Recently these two words have been used, thought about, and planned around more than ever, but what is a gap year actually? Most people understand a gap year to be time spent post-graduation before pursuing more schooling, jobs or other exciting...