So, I have been a stay at home mother for the past 4 years. I am going to be finishing my bachelors degree by next summer and was wondering how I should go about being marketable when it is time for me to start applying for a job? I am volunteering for a program called citizen corps to get some exposure into the emergency management field, which is my major. I am so new to this entire process and Im hoping that this volunteer opportunity will help me make a few connections. I have been a reservist in the Navy for the past 5 years, so hopefully that helps a little, although I am not working in the field of my degree. I guess I really need to start looking at ways to improve my resume for when the time does come for me to start looking for a job. Any advice??? Thanks in advance ladies!
Also contact the unemployment office. I believe they have free seminars, education, etc. that you could take advantage of.
Maybe check to see if there is any PT work at your local American Red Cross.
Your college most likely has a career center. Start there. Also, your Professors/Advisers should be able to help...maybe an internship. My daughter starts college at the end of the month and at her school internships are strongly encouraged, even mandatory for some degrees.
Most colleges have career centers to help with this type of thing. They can point you in the right direction to assist you in getting experience or maybe an internship. You could also talk to your adviser who would be able to help you figure things out. My oldest daughter is finishing up a degree in accounting and she has gotten a lot of wonderful ideas from school.
This final year of college you need to talk to your professors and start doing projects with them. Anything they will allow you to be part of. A good first resume is all about what you did in college. If you can get an internship do that too.
If you are going into emergency management go to the local red cross and see if you can volunteer. Any reference is good if it's at all in your area.
There should also be some head hunters that come to your university or college that will take your resume and send it to people that may find you a prospective employee.
Is there anyone at the place that your are volunteering that you could ask for advice from. People love to help and you will probably get some great advice as well. Hopefully you will also get leads or at least introductions to this person's contacts in the business.
You have a lot of good suggestions. I just wanted to add that you should also stress that you have great organization and time management abilities. Work well under pressure. Look for things that you do every day such as get everybody up and off to where they need to be, do dishes, a load of laundry and get to school and do your homework and your Navy responsibilities. That takes a lot and many people fail under the pressure.
Sometimes those "little" things can be what sways an employer between two prospective employees.
Have you heard of an informational interview? You make an appointment to talk to someone in the field that you want to into and then keep the appointment. Dress like for a job interview and ask them questions like this. Go with a good list of important things you want to know. Today is all about networking, and so the more places you can get your name know and seen the better. Also, these people who are doing what you want to do are the best resources for asking these types of jobs. A lot of times there are special classes, skills, etc. that you need to have that you don't necessarily know about until you try to get a job. This will give you that heads up so that you are ready. Great idea thinking ahead of time. Oh, and you can do this to as many people as you want, but try to be flexible on time because they are not getting anything out if it; they are helping you!
My husband is in this field and got his degree in it as well several years ago. He interned at 3 places... FEMA, the city EOC and county EOC's. Your internships are crucial... do more than one, networking is absolutely crucial... it's all about who you know. You can become a volunteer firefighter, though internships at fire stations aren't usually very fruitful in hiring. Volunteer at every flood, fire, tornado, fire drill, airport disaster drill... everything you can to get experience and make networks. Do all your FEMA and CERT trainings that you can. Even after the internship there are no guarantees you will be hired, pay isn't great unless you have 10 years experience. Many/most places hire out of gov't grants, so jobs are typically only assured for the life of the grant, usually about 3 years, though most cities will have grants renewed. You can also volunteer for Red Cross or work there, but there is very little money. Join IEAM... go to their job boards, you can post your resume on there too. It's an extremely difficult field to get into, most veterns in this field warn newbies to stay away from it, but also a lot of older folks are retiring from it so that's a small plus for college grads. My husband would tell anyone looking to get into the field to stay away from it... we know several college grads who majored in the field who could never get their foot in the door and aren't working in the field at all. But once you are in it can be very rewarding... you just have to keep working and networking and well, smoozing your way up. Your Navy experience will help out a lot... FEMA has veterans preference when they hire, so that's a very good thing. If you can take courses in grant writing and maybe minor in public administration, that will help your chances in this field too. You can go the gov't route, or the private sector route. More money can be made private sector, but you usually have to have lots of experience before you can get in there. Good luck!
