The Gettysburgian
By Casey Chwiecko
The Center for Career Development, as part of their desire to involve more students in their activities, hosted a panel discussion by alumni and others about getting a job in the federal government.
This is part of their new 'campaign' to show students all the Center has to offer, which they are achieving through more digest posts, having a prominent place on the Current Students page of the website, and other methods of advertising. Another part is a newly formed relationship between the Center and the Gettysburgian's Features section to cover their events. This is the first of such events.
Bowen Auditorium held a full house last Wednesday as a panel of seven past or present federal employees spoke about their different positions. Five of these were Gettysburg alumni.
George Selim, who works for Homeland Security, opened the discussion with a speech on behalf of the Partnership for Public Service, which partnered with Gettysburg's Career Center.
He stressed five points in getting any job, but especially one in the federal government, saying that risk, preparation, setting goals, being fully focused and finding a mentor all helped him a lot in his search for a job. He told students not to be afraid to take a chance and to always, always be proactive about their job search.
Selim added that networking was absolutely critical and that students should never underestimate the importance of reading and writing. Gettysburg alum, who spoke after him, unanimously agreed that Gettysburg College had prepared them very well on this aspect. Lance Graef, a '64 graduate and one of the panelists, adding that being able to listen is also a critical skill in the job force.
Wrapping up, Selim mentioned the importance of setting goals, figuring out exactly what 'cause' you want to support and reminded students that nothing in life is easy. You need to try to get what you want.
Neil Ryder, class of '82, is the Director of Internal Review within the Department of Justice. He, like Selim and the other panelists, stressed just how critical networking can be. He added that there are three main reasons, in his opinion, to get a job with the federal government.
First, the government needs good leaders. Second, it is a more flexible and competitive employer and third, the government needs top people to be able to best serve people. Ryder added caution, however, that it is not the perfect employer because of the bureaucratic slowness and the cost of living in the D.C. area.
Ed Williams, class of '81, and Marc Savine, both work for the FBI. The two stressed that there are lots of opportunities in the FBI besides just the FBI Agent job, which is highly competitive.
Positions in the FBI, according to Savine who works to make contact with colleges, are very diverse. Support positions are just as important to the daily workings of the Bureau and also allow for easier transfer to being an agent, if that is what someone really wants to do.
Dr. Thomas DeLoe, class of '86, works for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention within the Department of Health and Human Services. He seconded Selim's message of taking risks. Just try things, he asserted, but added that you are never going to get rich in a federal job. Despite this, he added that it is very motivating because you are actively helping people and the country.
Lance Graef no longer works in the public sector but spent his early years there, starting as a volunteer for the Peace Corps in Somalia. It was his job with the government, however, that opened the doors to him to get his dream job with a couple called Nathan Associates, a very prestigious economic consulting firm.
Over the years, he has been to 90 countries and been sent to a third of those for his job. Modestly, he said that all he ever did was accept "interesting assignments".
The last member of the panel was Keith Talbert, an '85 graduate, who is now a Criminal Investigator in New York City under the Department of Justice. He spoke about his job and then said that the thing about a job with the government, as Ryder and Deloe both mentioned before, was that you could really make a difference in people's lives.
He added that there are so many jobs available with the federal government that there literally has to be a match of some sort with every person out there. Talbert said he would not do any of it differently because it was so challenging. His final advice was to cultivate communication skills, talk to people and always think critically.
After each of the panelists had spoken, there was a Question and Answer period in which a few students asked general questions about topics such as women in the government and opportunities for foreign students.
The panelists laughed and said there were many chances for women but admitted that non-citizens were not allowed to work at any level of the government. Graef added, however, that most federal jobs have a counterpart job within the private sector.
Following this the panel wrapped up with a question and answer opportunity.
