U.S. Forest Service Employer Information Session

Presenter: Mr. Robin Maes, HR Specialist

Tanya White-Earnest | www.trident4careers.com | trident4careers@trident.edu 714.816.0366 x1943

WELCOME

▪ TODAY’S HOST: Tanya White-Earnest – Director, Center for Career Planning and Workforce Strategies Tanya.WhiteEarnest@trident.edu

▪ TODAY’S MODERATOR: Daniel Sloan – Content Marketing Specialist Daniel.Sloan@trident.edu

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AGENDA

• APRIL 12TH, 2017

▪ Introduction to the Forest Service

▪ Overview of Getting a Job with the Government

▪ Your questions answered

U.S. Forest Service

Employer Information Session

Presenters

Mr. Robin Maes

Human Resources Specialist – U.S. Forest

Service 2011

U.S. Army – Retired

Master’s student – Trident University

International

Are you familiar with the U.S. Forest Service

• Yes

• No

Poll Question

United States Department of Agriculture

Tips for Job

Seekers

National Forests & Grasslands

Agenda

• Pathways Program

• USAJOBs

• Resume Tips

Pathways Programs

Intern

Not-to-Exceed

Eligibility:

• Must be pursuing a degree or

certificate from an accredited high

school, college or professional/

technical/vocational school

• Must be in good academic standing

(defined by the academic institution)

• Enrolled at least full or

half-time (defined by the institution)

Program Details:

• Interns are placed in temporary

assignments and hired to complete

temporary projects, to perform labor

intensive tasks not requiring subject

matter expertise or to fill traditional

summer jobs

• Temporary appointments are made

for a period not-to-exceed 1 year

• Interns may be extended in

increments of up to 1-year for no

more than a total of 8 years, as long as

the intern continues to meet the

definition of a student

Intern

Indefinite

Eligibility:

Must be pursuing a degree or certificate

from an accredited high school, college

or professional/ technical/vocational

school

Must be in good academic standing

(defined by the academic institution)

Enrolled at least full or

half-time (defined by the institution)

Program Details:

• Interns are placed in positions

related to their academic career

goals or field of study

• Interns must complete at least 640

hours of work during the program

• Interns may be converted to a

permanent position within 120 days

of successful completion of program

• To be converted, Interns must

complete degree or certificate

requirements and perform job

successfully

• Interns must meet the qualification

standards for the position to which

the Intern will convert to

Recent

Graduates

Eligibility:

Must apply for program within

two years of completing a

qualifying associates, bachelors,

masters, professional, doctorate,

vocational or technical degree or

certificate

Program Details

• These opportunities are career

ladder positions and

mentorship is provided

throughout program

• Recent Graduates must

successfully complete at least

one year of continuous service

in addition to all other

requirements

• Recent Graduates must

demonstrate successful job

performance and meet the

qualifications for the position to

which they will be converted

Presidential Management Fellows (PMF)

The PMF program is a flagship leadership development

program for advanced degree candidates (e.g., graduate or

professional degree). The PMF program is administered by the

Office of Personnel Management.

Visit www.pmf.gov for more information.

Pathways Student Programs

Questions?

Vacancy Announcement on USAJOBS Pay close attention to the following sections:

Who May Apply

Education Requirements

Vacancy Questions

Required Documents

Note: that each vacancy announcement has specific requirements and different qualifications. Your information should reflect in your resume

and application to meet the specific requirements/qualifications for the position you

are applying for.

Who May Apply

Who May Apply

Preview Vacancy Questions Vacancy Question Preview

It is STRONGLY recommended that you review the questions before you actually answer them. This will allow you to think about the positions you have held and experience which may give your application an edge over others. TAKE THE TIME, BE PREPARED.

• Required Documents

Be sure to read this section of the announcement because every position is different. It will tell you what information MUST be submitted with your application in order to be considered “eligible” for the position.

Required Documents: The following documents are required for your application

to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software,

illegible fax transmissions, delays in mail service, your system failure or downtime,

etc. Encrypted and digitally signed documents will not be accepted. Failure to

submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

Resume must include: 1) personal information; 2) education; 3) work experience

including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; and title,

series and grade if applicable; 4) supervisor's phone number, e-mail address for

each work period listed, and whether we may contact for reference checks; and 5)

other qualifications.

Required Documents (Cont.)

Pay close attention to the items in red:

“College Transcripts if education is required for meeting basic qualifications

and/or used as a substitute for specialized experience. An unofficial copy is

sufficient; however, if selected, an official transcript will be required prior to

entering on duty. Education must have been successfully completed and

obtained from an accredited school, college, or university. Foreign education

must be evaluated by an approved organization. For additional information,

refer to the U.S. Department of Education website at http://www.ed.gov. All

transcripts must be in English or include English translation.

What Happens Next?

Agency notifies you that application was received

Agency reviews eligibility and qualifications

Agency may conduct interviews

Agency selects the best candidate for the job

Applicant is given tentative job offer

Other applicants notified of non-selection

USAJOBS

Questions?

Resume Writing Tips

• Ensure that you read the job announcement in it’s entirety and

provide requested information.

• Resume must reflect the duties of the position in which you are

applying for.

• Federal resume may be several pages in length as opposed to the

private sector employer. Remember your resume will be used

to determine 1 year of specialized experience.

• PROOFREAD!

Use Measurable Results

Quantify your accomplishments:

Planned four controlled burns in a 6 month period

Quantify monetary impacts:

Identified monetary saving of $25,000….

Quantify time (“Time is Money”):

Organized quarterly stakeholder meetings…

Good versus Great

Good information to include in resume:

My communication skills are excellent.

I am often asked to help out in this regard and have

been commended for my work.

I have typed business letters, office memos, and

several quarterly reports.

Good versus Great

Great information to include in resume:

In the past 10 months, I have taken over a number of

writing assignments previously held by my supervisor.

These include:

o Drafting monthly reports on leasing activities in our

District. These are routinely approved by my

supervisor without change and are circulated to the

Forest.

o I have assumed the responsibility of the facilitator for

the quarterly meetings of all District Staff. Reports of

these meetings are reviewed by the District Ranger

prior to distribution to all participants.

U.S. Forest Service

Pathways Program

U.S. Forest Service

Pathways Program

How to Search for Positions

Save the Date:

Current students, high school through Ph.D. level, are

eligible to apply for paid summer internships in the

following fields:

-General Support

-Admin Support

-Forestry/Recreation/Natural Resources Support

-Engineering/Architecture/Surveying Support

-Geology/Hydrology Support

Internships are available throughout the country and

may last up to one year. Government housing may be

available.

Visit www.fs.fed.us/WorkForNature for more

information, including position details, locations,

qualification information and application dates.

Q&A

UPCOMING WEBINARS

Don’t forget to mark your calendar for other upcoming Center for Career and Workforce Strategies events including:

April 26th – Team Building in the Workplace

May (dates to be determined)

Employer Information Session – FBI

Careers in Non-Profit Organizations

The Wage Gap & How it Affects the Workplace

CONNECT WITH CPWS

• Call Career Services at:

714-816-0366 x1943

• Email us at:

trident4careers@trident.edu

• Contact Daniel Sloan at: daniel.sloan@trident.edu 714-816-0366 x2554

• Contact Dr. and Mr. Lint at

https://www.facebook.com/SecretsToGettingaFederalGovernmentJob/

THANK YOU! We appreciate you joining us today for:

Employer Information Session The U.S. Forest Service

We hope you enjoyed and learned something new from the session

Watch for the email containing the link to the recording and the Slide deck for today’s webinar

Please be sure to leave your comments and suggestions as you log out

See you next time!

▪ Career Planning

▪ Job Search

▪ Self-Assessment

▪ Career Transition/Advancement Assistance

▪ Resume Review/Critique and Preparation

▪ Mentoring and Networking Opportunities

Experience the Trident University CPWS Advantage

Thank You For Attending