1. Life After AmeriCorps AmeriCorps National Best Practices Conference May 5- 7, 2009

2. Agenda Session Outcomes Non-Profit Career Exploration oIssue/ Process/ Job Planning Transitions oSkill Assessment oSkill Transfer Celebration to Action! Panel Translating Service oResume Writing oInterviewing oNetworking Eli Segal Education Award / My AmeriCorps Closing Remarks Evaluation

3. Session Outcomes This workshop will help participants to: Plan transition to the next step Reflect upon personal and professional growth Assess skills and accomplishments Weigh choices for what next Identify resources and strategies for the transition

4. Nonprofit Career Exploration

5. Oh, The Places Youll Go Dont cry because it is over. SmileSmile because it has happened.

6. Issue Focus Housing Mental Health Child care/Early Childhood Education Job Training Youth Development Legal and Civil Rights Environmental Justice Urban Planning Public Health Homelessness Immigrants Economic Development

7. Process Focus Provide Service Coordinate Services Improve infrastructure Provide funding Research Advocacy/Policy Organizing Education

8. Job Focus Administrator/Director Accountant Project Manager Coordinator Case Manager Property Manager Fund Developer Researcher Lobbyist Advocate Organizer Educator Counselor Facilitator Trainer Strategic Planner Evaluator Program Officer

9. Jobs: Divisions of Labor Direct Services BOTH Administrative

10. Pros & Cons of Direct Service PROS Not a desk job Lots of interaction with others Can make an impact every day Professional victories feel more personal CONS Risk of burnout Salaries tend to be low Funding for positions is often unstable Advancement usually means you go into supervisory jobs and may stop doing direct service to clients

11. Pros & Cons of Management PROS More opportunities for those with generalist skills Opportunities for advancement Higher salary levels Skills directly transfer to and from different kinds of workplaces CONS No or little contact with beneficiaries of your efforts Jobs feel similar to those in private sector but pay less May have very limited resources to get the job done

12. Planning the Transition My AmeriCorps service can land me a Job? YOU BETCHA!

13. Assessing & Transferring Skills How do you get skills? Jobs Volunteering Sports What skills do you have? What skills can you use on the job? Reflect and transfer!

14. Reflect Complete these statements...From my AmeriCorps service I discovered that I… I learned that I… (Or I relearned that I…) I intend to…

15. What Next? AmeriCorps Experience – What did it do for me?

16. Identifying Resources Building a Resume What goes into a Resume & Cover letter Interviewing How AmeriCorps service can work for you in the resume and interview process!

17. Resumes & Cover Letters Resumes should: Highlight your skills Show off your accomplishments Show how you are qualified for the job Show where you want to go in your career

18. Chronological vs. Functional Chronological Shows what jobs you held, for how long, in order from most recent Preferred method – most straightforward for employer Functional Highlights skills and accomplishments Consider if you dont have strong work experience (+10 years) Consider if you are transitioning fields Can mix with chronological

19. Resumes MUST Include Complete and Current contact information Name, phone number, e-mail address Work experience Volunteer and leadership experience Education

20. Resumes MAY Include Objective make sure it matches job! Other experience Research/publications Interests/hobbies Computer skills Language skills

21. Things to Remember... Tailor to the job or type of job One page or less Exceptions: oYou have more than 7 yrs experience oYou have many publications Do not lie about your experience Do not furnish references in resume

22. Things to Remember... Use action verbs that quantify your accomplishments AmeriCorps goals accomplished Skill clusters Use succinct language Use consistent tense Make it clean, organized, and readable with ample white space Proofread! Use TWO sets of eyes

23. Cover Letter Goals Provide more details than the resume Showcase you as a person Demonstrate writing ability Demonstrate your knowledge of the organization Tailor specifically to each job/ organization

24. Cover Letter General Guidelines Address to a specific person – and spell his/her name correctly Limit to one page Use cover letter to highlight resume and provide additional details – tell a story Refrain from listing salary requirements Proofread!

25. Cover Letter Structure When writing a cover letter, examples of recommended paragraphs include: Why I am interested in this job How does this job fit into my career plans My relevant skills and experience; some ideas I have for the job Why I support the organizations mission and values/how I can contribute Always conclude with: I would like an interview, heres how to contact me. However, if you can follow-up do so - it shows INITIATIVE!

26. The Informational Interview

27. How To: The Informational Interview BEFORE E-mail, phone, letter Name dropping helps Ask for 20-30 minute meeting; be flexible Send resume in advance Do background research Prepare questions Bring pen and paper AFTER Pay if youre at a cafe Ask if they know of any job openings Ask for referrals for other informational interviews Send a thank you note Keep in touch

28. Preparing for a Job Interview Research the organization Think in advance about what you want the interviewer to know about you Anticipate questions they are likely to ask Develop questions you would like to ask Bring resume and anything they asked for Bring pen and paper Arrive early

29. Networking Successful networking depends a lot on your attitude, your etiquette and your mindset. Who are some people/ groups you may have already networked with? LISC AmeriCorps Alums Civic leaders

30. Impact of Social Networking LinkedIn MySpace & Facebook Blogging Personal Web Pages

31. Dream of the Possibilities Talking about your service Think in the positive What did you discover during service? Where do you intend to go? What new action can you take?

32. Resource: Education Award Test your knowledge of the Eli Segal Education Award

33. Student Loans FAQs Repayment Options Payment on Principal Advance Payments oAlways submit your voucher with instructions on how the repayment needs to be applied! oCase Study of Lindsay & Marcus

34. Non-Traditional Ed Award Uses Im not going to college, so why would I want an AmeriCorps Education Award?

35. www.AmeriCorps.org Logon to www.americorps.org Look under the third heading Select My AmeriCorps/ AmeriCorps Online Payment System

36. My AmeriCorps

37. Member/Alum Registration

38. Im registered- now what? Once you have registered, youre set! You can use this site To get tax forms To complete your interest accrual request for your student loans To submit payments to your loan lender or to the school of your choosing

39. How to Navigate My AmeriCorps:

40. Focusing on My Requests: This section identifies payments that you have made through AmeriCorps. You can track if your school or loan has received payments. You also can review the process of your interest accrual form.

41. My Education Award

42. View Interest Accrual

43. View Ed Award Payment

44. Payments from My AmeriCorps Create an interest accrual request You must have your loan information on hand. Youll need the name, address, and zip code of your lender.

45. Interest Accrual Request

46. School Search

47. Using the Education Award After you have created your Interest Accrual, youll have access to your Education Award. You can create an account with your school or lender, then choose the amount you would like used at that time.

48. Resources

49. Questions & Evaluation Plus/Delta Formal Evaluation