GPP Podcast: Career Coaching for Budding Advocates, Politicos, Policy Wonks & Social Entrepreneurs

Are you law school curious? Join Susan and special guest Ahmar Ursani to learn about how to think about and prepare for the possibility. Here are some of the resources referenced: WashU Pre-Law Advising - sign up for the emails!Law School Admission CouncilEmail Susan if you'd like her letter of recommendation handout or access it on the Canvas GPSi page here.

In this short episode, Amy and Susan offer a few tips for how to learn about yourself, your interests, and what environment you work best in while you're doing whatever it is you're doing this summer.  Here's the Career Center's resource on how to succeed in your summer experience: https://students.wustl.edu/succeed-summer-experience-post-graduation-job/

In this episode, Amy and Susan share tips on handling offers for internships and jobs in government, policy, advocacy, nonprofits, and international affairs. Some resources you might consider using:Office of Personnel Management (OPM) General Schedule (GS 7 is the rate most undergraduates will enter at while graduate students will enter at GS 9 for MA/MS/Law and GS 11 for PhD).WashU Career Center's handout on Negotiation - Not specific to these fields, but a great introduction. National Association of Colleges and Employers Salary Survey: Note that this is not specific to GPP fields. Pew Research: Facts about Pay GapsUS Census QWI Explorer

Do you have a LinkedIn profile? Wondering how to get more out of the platform? You can mine it for much more than internship listings, but first you should be your profile in order. Amy and Susan provide tips and tricks to getting the most out of LinkedIn. The Career Center has several resources on LinkedIn. Check out: Connecting with Alumni, Job Searching Using Social Media, Networking series on YouTube.However, LinkedIn has a course on how to get started as a student as well! 

How do you figure out your path when careers in government, policy, advocacy, and international affairs are remote and opaque, sometimes intentionally so? Season 2 of the GPP Podcast launches with this episode recorded at a workshop Amy gave on how to explore these career paths. While perhaps not as slick as our other podcasts, it's jam-packed with insights and is a great first step for anyone from a first year to an alum. Careers only make sense in retrospect, but take your first step toward a dynamic career by listening to and taking one action step from this episode.From the outset, our mission at Government and Public Policy Work Group has been to increase knowledge about and access to internships and jobs in  government, policy, advocacy, and international affairs. While most GPP employers do not recruit on college campuses like many other industries, our alumni network is a key partner in paving the way for WashU students to land internships and jobs in GPP fields. The Government and Public Policy Work Group at the Washington University in St. Louis Career Center leverages and connects students to WashU networks with aim of increasing transparency, accessibility, and diversity, one policy wonk and change agent at a time.  

Amy and Susan provide insight and skills to help you prepare for your interview and land that internship or job. Whether it's your first interview or your tenth, there is something here for you. Some great resources from the Washington University in St. Louis Career Center:Tips for Online InterviewsInterviewing SkillsBig InterviewFeedback? Ideas for episodes? Email us! We are podcasting for you so we'd love to hear from you. What's the toughest question you've been asked? What do you wish you'd known before you had your first interview?

Our 2021 grads asked us to produce an episode just for the parents, family, and friends of students interested in government, policy, advocacy, nonprofit, or international affairs. Amy and Susan explain what you need to know to best support your student! 

Many applications ask you to submit a writing sample with your resume and cover letter. What should you send? Amy and Susan discuss your options, how to interpret what the hiring manager is looking for, and how to prepare in advance so that you're ready. ResourcesMemo on Memos

In this episode we talk about how to make your cover letter stand out from the stack. We'll offer some tips so that your cover letter is as much about the organization you're applying to as it is about you, demonstrates your commitment to the organization's mission, and reflects holistically on how your experiences relate to the job to which you're applying. Writing cover letters is not easy! We're here to help.Here is the resource we reference:Resume and Cover Letter Handout

When you imagine yourself searching for an internship, you likely see yourself scrolling through internship listings on a job board, but surprise! This isn't the most effective use of your limited time. You should be selective about the job boards and limit the amount of time you spend on them. We'll tell you more in the final episode of our series on internship search strategies. Some resources mentioned in this episode:WUSTL Career Center's CareerLink Web siteJobs that are Left (as in left-leaning)GOP Jobs in the HouseTom Manatos JobsDome WatchGlobal JobsDevExReliefWeb

Internship Search Strategies for Government, Policy, & Advocacy Part 2: Targeting!In the last episode, Amy and Susan discussed internship search strategies for government,  policy, advocacy, international affairs, and nonprofits. They detail the three elements of a solid search strategy: TargetingNetworkingListingsIn this episode, they detail how to create, track, and share your target list. If you haven't listened to the first episode, start there. 

Internship Search Strategies for Government, Policy, & AdvocacyAmy and Susan discuss internship search strategies for government, policy, advocacy, and international affairs. They detail the three elements of a good search strategy and how to spend your time for maximum results. Some of the resources they mention in this podcast:Success Stories - an interactive database where you can search for examples of internships and research experiences held by fellow WashU students.Washington University in St. Louis's (WUSTL) Alumni & Student page on LinkedIn - find out what others have done with your major, in a particular city, or at a particular employer. Useful for expanding your target list too. Simply look up the organization you're interested in and scroll down a bit to find similar organizations. WUSTL Stipends for Unpaid Summer InternshipsWUSTL Academic Credit for Internships

In this episode, Susan and Amy describe the four phases of the career development process (Assess, Explore, Search, and Launch). They provide insider tips for how these phases unfold in government, policy, advocacy, and international affair searches. Washington University in St. Louis student can join the Government and Public Policy Work Group to gain inside tips and connect with alumni through our weekly meetings. No matter which phase you're in right now, check out the wealth of open access resources at our Web site: careers. wustl.edu.  Have questions, comments, or feedback? Email us at gppcareers@wustl.edu.

Susan and Amy discuss the document that's central to internship and job applications: the resume. They cover why the resume is central to government, policy, and advocacy applications, how to format it, and the difference between a resume and CV. Applying for federal positions through USAJobs? You’ll get the scoop on how a federal resume differs and a few tips on beating the algorithm. Best of all, you'll learn how to get started and what resources are available to you for reviews.Need help with your resume? Have a quick question or need feedback on written materials? Take advantage of the new Live Chat feature on our website. It is staffed by real, live, super helpful, highly trained Career Peers every weekday and most evenings and weekends. For tricky questions or reviews of application materials, Career Peers can quickly & smoothly transition your chat to an on-the-spot Zoom conversation. We are thrilled to offer this excellent new resource, and we hope you’ll give it a try! 

Networking! Just the idea provokes dread in the most steadfast of hearts, but networking isn't mingling. The core tool in networking is informational interviewing, which is almost like a qualitative research tool you deploy to figure out what you want to do and how to get there. It pays big dividends on the search--taking you from being reactive (looking at listings) to being proactive (hearing about positions before they are listed). In our method, your target list and networking list go together. Listen in and learn more! And remember... "Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What's important is the action. You don't have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow." the late, great Carrie FisherSome helpful resources:Success Stories: First years and sophomores really should start with talking to juniors and seniors. This database can help!Washington University in St. Louis Career Center Networking handout has sample language to use when reaching out over LinkedIn and some sample questions to get you started. Our colleagues, Jen Meyer, has a great networking handout geared to Sam Fox students, but many of her tips apply to us too. She is the origin of the idea of the "super fan" that we use so often. Ready to take it to the next level? Mingling is, in fact, an important professional skills. Take the plunge with Jessica Hische's series Non-Creepy Networking.