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Bit about myself: Law school graduate with a J.D. and a M.S. in Conflict and Dispute Resolution with emphasis in international conflicts/counter-terrorism (Middle East and South Asia) graduated in summer 2016, I have worked post-graduation in Utah (where I currently am) in the recent elections but have been on the job hunt since Nov. 2016, single, and in my late twenties.
I've been applying for jobs diligently in the D.C. area looking for work in the govt, think tanks, private consultancies, and academia. I have some good friends in D.C. and was there a few months back to network (I met some people in think tanks and the government). I've been networking via email and phone, sent out my resumes, and applied for jobs (as mentioned above). Unfotunately it hasn't gotten the results I was looking for, the applications just seem to disappear into a black hole never to return. I did get some forward movement in a job with the Treasury Dept a few weeks ago, only to go on USAJobs one day and see the dreaded "Not Hired" on my dashboard
At this point I'm contemplating moving to D.C. in the next month or so to continue the job hunt, I've heard from some people in my network and places online that the key to getting the types of jobs I'm targeting in D.C. is to be there. I just want to ensure I'm not making the biggest mistake of my young life by moving to D.C. without a job lined up. Any advice on that front will help greatly! Thanks!
Personally, I think it's a mistake. Get more experience.
And while you may feel your qualifications make you uniquely suited to these types of jobs, there are a billion people here with a similar resume, trying for the same jobs.
Location: IN>Germany>ND>OH>TX>CA>Currently NoVa and a Vacation Lake House in PA
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First, I wouldn't advise moving anywhere without a job for anyone. Second, there are more unemployed attorneys in the DC area than you can imagine. Our office routinely employs "volunteer" attorneys for no pay, just so they can get some experience working as an attorney in a government office. I am constantly blown away by their resumes and qualifications and can't believe they can't find a paying job.
Not sure what you mean by "forward movement" when you applied for the Treasury job, but being "referred" for a position through USAJobs means nothing more than you met the minimum qualifications for the position. Then your application got lumped in with the other 200 in a pile on some poor HR rep's desk.
I have to question why, if you're truly interested in a civil service position, you didn't complete a government internship. If so, you may want to mention it. If not, you lost a valuable opportunity to make real connections and gain valuable experience.
Thanks for your replies, and to answer the question about the internship, I did complete an internship with the State Department last year and it is on my resume, granted it was through their Virtual Student Foreign Service program so no in-person contact and I wasn't in D.C. for it.
Both the replies point to the reasons I'm hesitant to make the move, however, people keep telling me that to get the type of jobs I'm looking for in D.C. you have to know the right people, and to do that one has to be there physically. The other point some of my contacts in D.C. keep bringing up is a lot of places don't hire if they don't see a D.C. address on a resume. I'm wondering if people out there have any experience on this front, have people gotten jobs without a D.C. address on the resume?
Based off the replies to my original post, it seems like the best option is to keep applying for jobs in D.C. from UT and hope for the best. If anyone has tips beyond that I'd greatly appreciate it, thanks!
I moved to DC 2 years ago, without a job lined up and was able to find a position within a couple of months. True, there's no shortage of highly educated, qualified people here. However, the way I see it that strengthens the argument for why a hiring manager will be less likely to look outside of the area for talent esp for careers like yours (and mines) that are in demand here. It matters less what others think. It comes down to how bad do you want this. It makes total sense to make the move first, so you can at least be local for networking purposes.
Hiring slows to a crawl in this region around Oct. So, I would recommend that you continue to apply from where you are for now and see what happens. If nothing happens and you decide to make the move anyway, do it 1st quarter 2018. Meanwhile, save a substantial amount of money to live on in case the job search takes you longer than expected. Also, have a Plan B in the event things don't work out for you in DC. Again, I can't stress the importance of having a good nest egg. I blew thru mines fairly quick. But, once you are employed you can always build it back up again.
Finally, be open to contract work until you find a permanent gig. A google search will lead you to several organizations that staff for contingent roles within your area of expertise. Good luck.
Bit about myself: Law school graduate with a J.D. and a M.S. in Conflict and Dispute Resolution with emphasis in international conflicts/counter-terrorism (Middle East and South Asia) graduated in summer 2016, I have worked post-graduation in Utah (where I currently am) in the recent elections but have been on the job hunt since Nov. 2016, single, and in my late twenties.
I've been applying for jobs diligently in the D.C. area looking for work in the govt, think tanks, private consultancies, and academia. I have some good friends in D.C. and was there a few months back to network (I met some people in think tanks and the government). I've been networking via email and phone, sent out my resumes, and applied for jobs (as mentioned above). Unfotunately it hasn't gotten the results I was looking for, the applications just seem to disappear into a black hole never to return. I did get some forward movement in a job with the Treasury Dept a few weeks ago, only to go on USAJobs one day and see the dreaded "Not Hired" on my dashboard
At this point I'm contemplating moving to D.C. in the next month or so to continue the job hunt, I've heard from some people in my network and places online that the key to getting the types of jobs I'm targeting in D.C. is to be there. I just want to ensure I'm not making the biggest mistake of my young life by moving to D.C. without a job lined up. Any advice on that front will help greatly! Thanks!
Everyone's financial situation is different. I'd only take the risk if I could afford to live comfortably without a job in DC for at least 6 months. I believe that would give you enough time to find a job if you were physically here.
How is your language proficiency. That specialty degree is only useful with foreign language proficiency. It is also unbelievably common for people to have an international focus. That side of the market is over-saturated. If you had a STEM focus, and did domestic regulatory law or policy, or patent law, I would say the JD would be useful. The dryer subjects always have demand. But everybody wants to do international stuff, and it is a hyper-competitive field.
Again this is not to knock you, but know you are up against a market where the fed is cutting State dept positions. My real advice is to do the JAG route, then come to DC when you are done with your service, and have a veterans preference lined up. The veterans preference is a very big deal, and it is the best bet for a federal job if you decide you want to go that route.
Law firms are a different story, again, I am not sure how you would look to them.
But everybody is right, JDs are dime a dozen out here. 1/3 of the population has a graduate degree too. You are not unique.
Also the address does matter, and addresses outside the DC area can hurt you, but not all the time.
This is tough. I think that if you have the money to live for a few months, come out in January and give it a go. It's not like you have a family to take care of and you don't have anything to lose by trying. But these jobs are super competitive, and like previous commenters said, EVERYONE here has an impressive resume.
I will tell you this. My husband just left Treasury after 7 years working in counter-terrorism finance issues. For the last few years, they were considering literally NOBODY who didn't already have a top secret security clearance, because there has been such a backlog of clearance renewals and applications. Like, his 5-year renewal didn't even get done until right before he left at 7 years. So it makes no sense for them to hire people without clearances--those people won't be able to work for two years. So if your application on USA Jobs made it through the initial screening process (where they essentially just make sure you meet the minimum qualifications), it probably got tossed out when they saw you didn't have a clearance. It sucks, but it's how it is right now.
Also, my husband just told me USA Jobs is the worst way to get a job out here. Most people he has worked with over the years got their foot in the door some other way (and so did he). USA Jobs is a craps shoot because it's you against hundreds of other people who essentially look the same on paper. It really is all about who you know, and the way you get to know (and most importantly, IMPRESS) the people who matter is through those internships Robert mentioned.
It really is your address. I just went through this with my fiancee. He couldnt get anything (even transferring from an international company) because recruiters will just roll their eyes and say you aint really moving across the entire country. The minute he did move across country -- he got multiple offers. I have family that does HR too and I can tell you most people will throw your resume right in the trash can.
If you can afford it, I would try to find roommates and find short term service work in the meantime.
And this is government intern season in the federal government. Even if the job listing is to expire September 30th, believe me the government can and will keep you on if they like you.
I would make the jump. Everytime i've done it, its worked out, but it wont be easy.
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