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I recently graduated with my MA in history from a state school in the midwest (also where I got my BA) and am looking to find an entry level (or otherwise) job in the DC area. I've been applying for federal jobs since November on USAjobs.gov, having little success. I've also applied to numerous jobs through CL and other career websites and directly through companies' websites. I understand that history majors aren't really in demand but I have great writing/research skills, clean background, high GPA in both undergrad and grad, great references, speak 2 languages fluently (other than English) and have an elementary understanding of 2 more, and have a diverse work experience. Outside of "knowing someone" or doing an unpaid internship somewhere, any advice on how I can find something?
What type of jobs are you looking at? I have my BA in History, but went the teacher route. Are you a licensed teacher or are you looking mainly for government jobs?
Looking mainly for government jobs, but also government contractors and private sector companies that have positions that fit my background/skillset. I realized, after serving as a TA in grad school that teaching isn't for me.
As far as USAJOBS.gov goes, it's all about keyword tuning your resume to catch the "attention" of resume scanning software used by the Fed. Basically, you have to constantly re-tool your resume for each job applied to.......carpet bombing a single resume across the federal hiring spectrum is the absolute worst thing you could do. It's a pain in the ass, but you have write, re-write, and re-write your resume time and again to be consistent with the keywords in the job announcement. Of course i'm not recommending that you lie, but if your experience is such that it actually does apply to the announcement, then you should create your resume in a way that your experience complements the announcement from a keyword perspective. If you don't, then your resume is likely being discarded before it even gets past the keyword scanner, which would be unfortunate if you have the skills needed for the job in question.
I have great writing/research skills, clean background, high GPA in both undergrad and grad, great references, speak 2 languages fluently (other than English) and have an elementary understanding of 2 more
You have all the skills employers say they want, but won't always pay for. My guess is that they don't know what to do with you. As a BA in Economics I was constantly told what a great asset writing/research and "critical thinking" skills would be, but this is nonsense. Lower-end jobs (that you might consider) really think you won't be happy working there, you will quit, or you will be arrogant or want too much money. Employers hire specialists who have done the exact job they're hiring for. Even then, at my current job (almost exactly the same as my former), the owners told me they didn't think I'd even want to work here. Funny.
Again this is a guess but you might consider really tailoring your resume when you initially apply, and this means dropping skills that aren't relevant. Just look like someone who can, will, and wants to do that job. I'm sure there are places that want smart people too. When you get a face-to-face meeting you can mention all your other skills.
You have all the skills employers say they want, but won't always pay for. My guess is that they don't know what to do with you. As a BA in Economics I was constantly told what a great asset writing/research and "critical thinking" skills would be, but this is nonsense. Lower-end jobs (that you might consider) really think you won't be happy working there, you will quit, or you will be arrogant or want too much money. Employers hire specialists who have done the exact job they're hiring for. Even then, at my current job (almost exactly the same as my former), the owners told me they didn't think I'd even want to work here. Funny.
Again this is a guess but you might consider really tailoring your resume when you initially apply, and this means dropping skills that aren't relevant. Just look like someone who can, will, and wants to do that job. I'm sure there are places that want smart people too. When you get a face-to-face meeting you can mention all your other skills.
Thanks for the advice.
My resume speaks to the more "applicable" skills that I have from my work experience in IT, and in non-profit organizations. I wonder if these aren't held in high regard as my educational background doesn't match some of my work experience. I'll have to work on making it very clear that I am willing to take any entry level job, and I won't consider it as being "below me."
Are either of the two foreign languages in which you are fluent "hard languages" or otherwise in demand? If your skills include Farsi, Urdu, Arabic, Chinese, or a number of other rare/difficult/in demand languages (and you can get a security clearance), there are opportunities in government and with contractors, particularly in the security and intelligence communities.
What aspect of history did you focus on? If it was Middle Eastern, Latin American, or an aspect of Asian culture, for example, along with speaking the language(s), you might find an opening in the State Department or their contractors that need expertise in specific cultures.
Cut and pasted from another thread with the same basic question....
there are tons of threads on this, but no one seems to understand the federal employment process except HR people. check out some who have responded in other threads. i am a federal eeo person, so i know some of the rules but not all.
basically, if you are someone who is not a vet or disabled, you will have a very very difficult time getting in from the "outside" right now due to presidential initiatives to hire vets and disabled individuals. are you Hispanic? you might have some luck as many federal agencies have initiatives to increase diversity especially with regard to Hispanic employees.
your resume makes a huge difference as well. forget those one pagers. you better write a book with lots and lots of detail about your experience.
there are no more "recent grad" programs. the new one is called Pathways and it is very competitive. i don't even know if its open for use yet.
managers have a choice when they recruit-- 1. pick from among the current workforce (called merit promotion) or 2. pick a vet who has applied on your announcement open to all US citizens. its actually illegal to choose a nonvet over a vet if both apply and both are qualified. at lower to mid grades, there are TONS of vets for every position, esp in DC. most managers want to have some illusion of options, so they choose from among the current workforce. makes it hard to break in.
i have worked in the field at orgs where everyone is related, so there is some truth to the "who you know" argument, though I find that in DC there is more focus on experience.
i would give up right now, honestly, and focus on working for a government contractor. get your foot in, get to know the organization, build a good resume and then start applying. the climate is pretty closed to "outsiders" right now.
You've probably already checked it, but idealist.org is great for non-profit jobs.
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