Are Internships Really Necessary?

I am asked this question time, and time again! Of course, there is not a simple “yes” or “no” answer to it. Here’s why:

Having experience in the field in which you hope to make your career is very important. If you don’t have relevant experience, an internship or a volunteer position will help you fill that gap. If you already have relevant experience, maybe you don’t need an internship – but consider (given the current job market) whether having more experience could in any way be a negative. I don’t think so!  Anything that makes you more competitive is a “plus.”

That said, why limit yourself to a traditional internship? Most online students or career changers are working full-time, have families, responsibilities, and challenges that they feel precludes them from participating in internships of any kind. But let’s explore a few options that might just work for them (or you!):

·         Virtual Internships

·         Volunteer

·         Join Local Environmental Groups

·         Hold Office or Head a Committee

Virtual Internships can work very well for full-time, working adults. How does it work? A virtual internship usually consists of a project with a finite project that can be done remotely. There are many ways to do this, one of which is to find somewhere near where you live that is too far to commute to, or where office hours are typically during the week and not accessible on the weekend (which often is when you have free time). In this case, you can meet with your internship supervisor initially, and then work on your project independently, on your own time. Another option is a true virtual internship situation, where you are far from your sponsor and communicate through email or via telephone. The key to a successful virtual internship is to define the duties or project very clearly. Make sure you build in a series of drafts or partial product submission dates to make sure your work meets the needs of your sponsor – online students know that sometimes what you think is your assignment turns out not to be – best to clarify with questions and rough drafts! 

           

I have brokered quite a few virtual internships for students and they have worked out well. In one case, a student translated science briefs from English to Spanish. In another, a student performed extensive research on a planned waste-to-energy facility and mailed the results on a usb drive to the sponsor. The possibilities are endless, really!

Volunteering in the traditional sense is another great way to gain field experience. National parks and refuges, zoos, state and local parks, and many other federal and state agencies accept volunteers. In fact, federal agencies count time worked as a volunteer the same as paid time! The challenge, of course, is having the time, but if you take care in selecting a volunteer sponsor, you can find opportunities that do fit in your busy schedule. For example, most national parks employ hundreds of volunteers (thousands nationwide), many of which work on weekends. Many students have found local non-profit organizations for which to volunteer, such as watershed groups, hiking or garden club chapters, and others. Think about calling local federal agencies; EPA, USFWS, USNPS, BLM, and USFS all rely heavily on volunteers to accomplish their mission. If you get a cool reception from an individual, keep trying! I have one student that I helped to connect with a military base in Japan prior to her move there and she worked out a great volunteer situation (she’s now an employee!). Sometimes, the person you call is not the one that needs the help – don’t give up with one phone call! Try to find the “worker bee” folks, where your help is most likely needed.

Another option is to get involved in a local environmental organization. As a member, you gain experience working on projects. For example, many watershed organizations have water sampling volunteers. Learning how to be a “watershed monitor” as an example, translates very well to the position of hydrologic or water resources technician.  In addition to gaining hands-on skills, you also should consider taking on additional responsibility by serving as an officer or on a committee. Think about how many non-profit organizations there are in the environmental field – experience you gain working on committees, special projects, or supervising “cleanup” days transfers readily to paid employment in the non-profit world. Managing volunteers is a critical skill that you can then add to your resume! So are the skills of organizing, planning, and holding special events or activities for group members or the public. Lots of opportunities are out there!

Below are some great places to start your quest for the “perfect” match for volunteer or internship opportunities – good luck!!

Dr. Carol A. Pollio

www.volunteermatch.org

Search by location, keyword, and narrow to virtual or local volunteer opportunities – a great place to start!

www.internmatch.com

A great source for internships (make sure you have an up-to-date browser!)

Federal government volunteer site: www.volunteer.gov

BLM Volunteer page:  http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/res/Volunteer.html

NPS:  http://www.nps.gov/getinvolved/volunteer.htm

USFWS:  http://www.fws.gov/volunteers/

USFS:  http://www.fs.fed.us/fsjobs/forestservice/volunteers.html

EPA:   http://water.epa.gov/type/rsl/monitoring/index.cfm

http://www.thesca.org/serve/internships

SCA is a great organization, but expect to take off several months to participate in their intern positions.

Easy Ways to Add to Your Resume – Many of them Free!

Often, students and career changers struggle to “fill out” their resumes. Lacking field experience is often their challenge.  I’ve collected my best tips here for adding to your resume with a variety of free and cost-money-but-worth-it resume enhancing activities. 

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Free Online Courses

Environmental Protection Agency Free Courses and Certification

Eppley Institute Free Park Management Courses

HAZWOPER Certification Courses

Wildlife Field Courses

Free or Low Cost Extension Service or NGO Offerings (rain garden workshops, etc.)

One of my favorite resume enhancers are the free online courses offered by FEMA.  Here are some of the better titles:  An Introduction to Hazardous Materials, Managerial Safety and Health, Hazardous Materials Contingency Planning, Coordinating Environmental and Historic Preservation Compliance, Overview of FEMA's Environmental and Historic Preservation Review, Introduction to Residential Coastal Construction, Introduction to Hazard Mitigation, Technical Writing, Building Partnerships with Tribal Governments, Introduction to Public-Private Partnerships, Applications of GIS for Emergency Management. Also, if you want to target positions that include emergency response, there are at least 20 courses that are essential to adding this knowledge to your resume. New courses are added several times each year:  http://training.fema.gov/is/crslist.asp?page=all

EPA provides a lot of resources on its website. There are many watershed courses offered online through the EPA Watershed Academy page:

http://cfpub.epa.gov/watertrain/index.cfm

If you follow the guidelines on the following site, you can become “certified” by completing the EPA Watershed Management Certificate Program:    

http://cfpub.epa.gov/watertrain/module.cfm?module_id=56&object_id=608

EPA’s Air Pollution Training Institute offers a long list of air quality courses at no cost online:

http://www.epa.gov/apti/index.html

To find self-study courses (meaning free online ones):

http://www.epa.gov/apti/course_format.html#self

RCRA Training at your Desktop is found here:

http://www.epa.gov/wastes/education/train.htm

There are other training webpages at EPA, however, some are in transition. If you spend some time using their search engine, you will likely find more free online courses in your specific area of interest.

The Eppley Institute provides online training courses in park and public land management, many of which are free. Some examples are Wilderness Management, Interpretation, Safety, and Leadership.

http://www.eppley.org/elearning/

A key piece of advice is that if you decide to spend money on training, I highly recommend that you do it to obtain a marketable skill. One example is 24 hour or 40 hour HAZWOPER Certification.  This is a credential that is much desired in the hazardous materials field. Yes, it does cost a bit of money, but it does lend credibility to you and strengthens your resume. One vendor I have used is National Environmental Trainers:  http://www.natlenvtrainers.com/courses.htm

This vendor also provides other training that is very useful in the environmental field. If this is your area of focus, these courses would be very helpful, as well.

If you are interested in fish and wildlife management, the Northeast Chapter of the Wildlife Society offers an outstanding Wildlife Field Course every year.  It will definitely help you gain the field experience you need and the instructors are outstanding!

http://joomla.wildlife.org/NE/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=191&Itemid=302

Some universities also offer summer field courses. Here is one example:

http://www.warnell.uga.edu/undergrad/field-courses.php

Finally, don’t forget about local environmental organizations and your County Extension Office. They often hold free rain garden workshops, or dune restoration workshops, etc.  You may get a day of volunteer experience from their workshop, in addition to learning how to install a rain garden or plant dunegrass, but it’s all worth it to add these skills to your resume! 

Here are some examples:

http://clark.wsu.edu/volunteer/ws/workshops.html

http://www.27east.com/news/article.cfm/Sag-Harbor/437206/Eelgrass-Restoration-Workshop-To-Be-Held-On-Saturday-September-15

http://stjohns.ifas.ufl.edu/ExtensionCalendar.shtml

http://ccesuffolk.org/marine-meadows-program-in-sag-harbor/

http://www.12000raingardens.org/rain-garden-workshops.html

I hope these suggestions are helpful! Please comment below if you have additional suggestions!

Dr. Carol A. Pollio

Dealing with Rejection - 5 Ways to Bounce Back

This is a tough topic this week – how to deal with rejection in the job market. I will share with you that I’ve applied for many jobs in my 35 year career that I didn’t get. Sometimes up to 100 each time I wanted to move on. Discouraging? Yes. Hopeless? No. Here are some of my best tips for dealing with rejection:

You’re Not Alone

Follow up

Retool

Network

Consult an Expert

You’re Not Alone. Everyone fails at something. Abraham Lincoln went to war as a Captain, only to return a Private. Walt Disney was fired early in his career, because he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” Stephen King’s manuscript for the book “Carrie” was rejected 30 times (and he threw it in the trash!). As mentioned earlier, I’ve seen plenty of job rejection in my time. I used to keep a file of rejection letters – some say that’s depressing, but it actually helped me past more than one self-doubting moment. When I felt rejected, I would pull out those letters and read through them. I would think about each job and the information I had learned since then. Sounds strange, but I always felt that better things were coming after reading those letters; that the best “fit” for me must still be out there. Choose to move on (mentally and emotionally), but make every effort to learn from the experience!

Follow Up. One important way to learn from the experience is to follow up. Call the Human Resources (HR) Office and ask for insight on your resume and qualifications. Identify gaps, make sure you’re applying for the right level position, ask questions about what they feel you’re missing (experience, training, etc.). If you were interviewed, call and ask the interviewer for feedback. Find out what made the selectee the “best candidate” and what you could do to improve your chances of being selected the next time. Recognize that few people like to talk in negatives, so be prepared by having some specific questions to ask. It is easier to answer a direct question, than to respond to “What did I do wrong?” If you really want to work for this agency or company in the future, the follow up call should be treated the same as a second interview – be gracious, yet purposeful in the conversation.

Retool.  Whether you’ve gained some new information or not, take time to step back and evaluate where you are in your job search. Do you need more experience? training? Are there unexplained gaps in your resume? Think about ways to address any issues. In short, retool your image. Think about finding a volunteer position in your chosen field, if you’re lacking experience. Consider taking some training – there are many online resources that offer free training courses to enhance your resume.  Join local environmental organizations. If in school, join student chapters of professional organizations. In short, find ways to fill in any gaps you’ve identified. Remember, it is a tight job market, and it may not be that you lack anything – it may be that the competition is just too stiff. In that case, you aren’t hurting anything by continuing to develop your skills and experience, so why not do it?

Network. Use your personal and professional network to find job leads. One way to do that is to completely fill out your LinkedIn profile and include the link on your resume. Believe it or not, I’ve had quite a few potential employers check my LinkedIn page – ask work and school contacts to endorse you on the site.  Join local or student chapters of professional organizations. These often have monthly meetings and periodic networking activities. Make up simple business cards that you can hand out when you meet people at these events, or when you’re out doing other errands. Go to local environmental organization or agency events. In short, make as many connections as you can. I remember reading a book about being unemployed and it said that looking for work was a full-time job – they recommended putting together a weekly “to do” list. On this list, put down how many contacts or activities you are going to do each week – and get out there and do them!

Consult an Expert. I hesitate to recommend this, only because like any good advice, one must be careful to select a trusted source for it. If you have access to a trusted source, such as a university career counselor, use it! It is in their best interest for you to get a job, so they are focused on your success, not your consulting fee. Likewise, many professional organizations offer career mentoring for free, linking you to a mentor in your field of interest. If you know someone in your career field (a friend or relative, a professor), ask their assistance. Use your resources (and your money) wisely!

I know rejection isn’t easy! I hope that these tips help you rebound and have you finding your dream job soon! 

Dr. Carol A. Pollio  

P.S. Please comment and provide me with feedback my blog!

Thanks!

Acing the Phone Interview!

Phone interviews are very common in the environmental field. Often, this is because candidates are not local and in some cases, if there are a lot of applicants, phone interviews are used to narrow down the field of candidates. Most of my career opportunities have involved a phone interview – I’ve probably done 50 or more phone interviews, and I’ve held hundreds of them.  So what makes for a great phone interview?  Here are my tips to help you navigate through this process:

Minimize Distractions

Print it Out

Use Technology to Your Advantage

Take Your Time

Dress the Part

Smile

Minimize Distractions. Selecting a place to make the call is critical.  I once did a phone interview in a borrowed rental car at the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill – that was a challenge! If you have distractions during the call, best to mention them to the interviewer(s). In the interview I mentioned, the interviewer was very understanding. Had I not mentioned my situation, there would likely have been some awkward moments that went unexplained -- phone interviews mean that sound is important! Try to use a land line to minimize drops and static. Avoid anywhere there are pets, people, or other things that can distract you (or bark in the background). Turn off call waiting and if your computer is nearby, silence sounds, such as email notifications and other “dings.”  Personally, I prefer using either a headset or Skype, so that I can mute the call at will. And do keep a glass of water nearby, in case you need it (but no eating, chewing gum, or pacing)!

Print it Out. Whenever I have a phone interview, I set up a card table (do people still have those?) next to my computer desk. On this table, I arrange my papers for the interview. I print out the resume submitted, position announcement, any documents I submitted in the application process (cover letter, special qualifications statement, transcript, etc.), and my list of training/courses completed.  I also write down a variety of standard interview questions and any that I can think of from the job announcement and write short bullets under each as a reminder of how I intend to answer them. I spread all of these out on the table in a logical way, usually covering most of the table’s surface. That way, I can look at them without rustling papers – that would not be something the interviewer(s) should be hearing. It also eliminates forgetting your answer when you’re really nervous!

Use Technology to Your Advantage. One advantage of a phone interview is that you can do it in front of (or nearby, in my example) a computer.  Open just a few windows on your computer – one being the company or agency’s website, Google or a search engine page, and any other relevant pages. Not too many, though! Close email windows and shut down any program that is running that might be distracting. This way, you can do quick searches online if you need to! Of course, if you do this, you need to have a mute function available, so no one hears you typing!

Take Your Time.  One of the biggest mistakes in a phone interview is rushing. Take time to respond to a question – don’t rush to fill in every pause. Since you cannot read body language or get other non-verbal cues, sometimes asking a question will help you better understand what they are asking you and it buys you a little time, if you’re struggling to think of your best answer. Make sure your answers are direct and clearly spoken. Always try to give concrete examples of things that you’ve done – don’t answer with “yes” and “no” and leave it at that. Don’t (!) drone on and on – answer the question directly, and then use a verbal cue to signal when you’ve finished your answer, so the interviewer(s) know you’re done. That verbal cue can be a summary sentence, or just using tone to indicate that you are at the end of your answer. Practice doing this, if it doesn’t come naturally to you. Ending an answer well is the sign of a great (and confident) interviewee!

Dress the Part. I know this sounds a bit over-the-top, but years ago I received this advice. I tried it…and it worked! There was definitely a difference between doing a phone interview in fuzzy slippers and a nice outfit. Somehow, it put me in the right frame of mind for the interview, and it will do the same for you. Maybe a 3 piece suit is not necessary, but sweatpants are out! 

Smile.  Like dressing the part, smiling when you talk is important. Most of us know when someone we’re talking to on the phone is smiling – you can hear it in their voice. Likewise, interviewer(s) know that you are comfortable talking to them if they “hear” you smile. Remember that it’s difficult to see the human side of you on the phone, so consider how you will convey your personality, values, and work ethic to the interviewer(s). You may want to call someone you trust and do a “mock interview” on the phone. They can point out any habits that are distracting and help you put your best foot (or voice) forward!

Over the years, I’ve come to think that a phone interview can actually be easier than an in-person one, IF you are well prepared for it. While the challenge is always the lack of eye contact and body language with the interviewer(s), the plus is that you can have all of the information you need at your fingertips!

Happy interviewing!

Dr. Carol A. Pollio

Why Writing a Stand-Out Cover Letter Is So Important!

Several incidents in the past few weeks have dramatically changed how I view cover letters.

First, a good friend of mine recently applied for a job where I work. He had been out of the environmental field for 15 years. He did not submit a cover letter, which would have explained that he took this time away from his career to care for his children, who were quite ill at the time. He could have communicated that, now that they are grown, he is able to return to his passion and career of choice. But, instead, the Selecting Official (SO) mentally filled in the blanks with negative information.  To be fair, the SO didn’t out-and-out reject him, but it tainted the process and made for a challenging, uphill battle for my friend.  My thought was, “this could all have been avoided with a great cover letter!”

The second thing that changed my mind was an email I received about the importance of cover letters when competing with lots of applicants for the limited jobs we’re seeing in our slow economy. While I had thought about my cover letter more as a summary of my skills and talent, I had not thought about the challenge faced by career changers or those returning to the environmental field after a long gap. So, here are some helpful hints for creating a stand out cover letter:

• Show Enthusiasm

• Share Your Philosophy

• Explain Gaps

• Explain Why You Are the Best Candidate in the Crowd!

Show Enthusiasm. I know that we always hear that our enthusiasm should come across in our cover letters, but there’s more to this than just using “happy words.”  If you are changing careers or face stiff competition, you need to demonstrate very specific enthusiasm that not only shows your specific interest in the company or position, but also differentiates you from all of the other candidates – in other words, express yourself!  Being generally enthusiastic won’t make you stand out the way a very specific statement will!

Share Your Philosophy. A cover letter is a great place to share your philosophy. Employers want positive attitudes, but be sure to direct your positivity and share it in a way that speaks to your character. For example, if you feel strongly about lifelong learning, leadership development, or some other area of interest, share it. 

Explain Gaps. As I mentioned earlier, I recently had a friend apply for a position after he had been working outside of his chosen career field for quite a long time. He took that career diversion to care for an ill family member. The selecting official was not able to get past the idea that something was wrong with him – in the absence of information, people make up their own “stories” to explain the unexplained. If you have a gap in experience, or are changing careers, it might be best to briefly explain it in your cover letter. Had my friend done this, he would have provided his own “story,” it would have kept the selecting official from “filling in the blanks.”

Explain Why You Are the Best Candidate in the Crowd! Companies are receiving several hundred applications for each job vacancy. Competition is intense!  Use your cover letter to demonstrate why you are a “better fit” than others. Do your homework on the company or agency for which you wish to work. Use that information and the keywords from the vacancy announcement to briefly state why your background meets their needs. If you are a student without relevant experience, highlight your academic achievements and any experience you have that might translate well to the desired experiences listed in the announcement.  Don’t be afraid to be bold and speak highly of yourself and your accomplishments – who else will, if you won’t? And, remember that your competition will be bragging, so being too humble may hurt your chances!  Don’t over sell yourself, but don’t undersell yourself, either.

Let me know if these insights are helpful and good luck on your job hunt!

Dr. Carol A. Pollio

Director, Capstone EcoServices

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