First Pathways Student Internship Opportunity Posted!

First Pathways Student Internship Opportunity PostedFirst Pathways Student Internship Opportunity PostedFirst Pathways Student Internship Opportunity PostedNew Student Internship Opportunities for Fall 2012 at the Department of Interior, Washington, DC On July 16, 2012, the Department of the Interior (DOI) became the first agency to post a Pathways Student Internship vacancy announcement. This internship program is part of the Pathways initiative- signed by President Obama on December 27, 2010 and made effective starting July 10, 2012- for recruiting and hiring students and recent graduates. The internship program was developed for current students and replaced the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) and Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP).First Ever Pathways Student Internship Opportunity Announcement Summary Department Department Of The InteriorAgency Office of the Secretary of the InteriorJob Announcement Number Intern-12-MM703692SALARY RANGE $13.00 to $21.22 / Per H ourOPEN PERIOD Monday, July 16, 2012 to Monday, July 23, 2012SERIES GRADE GS-0326-03/05POSITION INFORMATION Multiple Schedules InternshipsDUTY LOCATIONS Many vacancies in the following locationWashington DC, DC United StatesFacts About the Pathways Student Internship AnnouncementThe internships last 90 days, or 3 months, from September 4 to December 31, 2012.Pay is flexible between $10 and $20 per hour, depending on the applicants experience and skills. Benefits include vacation and sick days.DOI is hiring multiple student interns for several offices in DC. Many of DOIs offices and programs reside in their large, beautiful, and historic headquarters building.The position title is Office Automation Clerk, but the individual positions may include additional responsibilities or be more challenging than the Duties listed in the announcement. The actual duties will be determined by each office.Students will apply on the USAJOBS and ApplicationManager websites.The announcement states th at it is strongly recommended that students use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to submit their resumes.A one-page narrative must also be included to indicate why the applicant wants to get the internship with DOI.The applicant must sign a Pathways Agreement.The student must be over the age of 16, a U.S. Citizen, and either be in school full-time or have a letter demonstrating they are enrolled full-time.There is no promotion potential with these positions. This will be a learning and networking opportunity.There are no particular knowledge, skills, or abilities required for this position. There is a list of basic qualifications included in the announcement.Veterans preference will apply for these applications. A veteran will need to upload the Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD214) and SF-15 (if required) to get veteran preference.How to Apply for This InternshipCreate online accounts at both USAJOBS.gov and applicationmanager.gov. Be aya to carefully navigate the Profile section in both systems and answer all of the required questions. Many questions are not directly related to the student internship but are nonetheless required by the USAJOBS resume system.Submit your resume using the USAJOBS Resume Builder. This is going to be a challenge, and many students will not be prepared for how complicated it is to apply for a three month internship. BUT, consider the application process a TEST, and you can get through it.Fill out the questionnaire on applicationmanager.gov. This portion of the application consists of just a few basic questions.Upload your documentation stating that you are a full-time student or proof of enrollment in a high school, training program, college, or other educational institution.Upload your one-page narrative explaining why you want the Internship with DOI.Check back to track the status of the application.How to Stand Out and Qualify For This PositionYour resume can be two or three pages. Length is not the most import ant part. But it will be at least two pages, because the USAJOBS builder format takes up extra space.Make your computer skills very clear, particularly with word processing software or other office automation software. Describe what you have produced, such as a database or a survey.Highlight your administrative skills. If you are organized in school, your employment or internships, add details about reports, correspondence, or tracking support skills.Include your communication skills. If you were a kollektiv lead in college, or on a team in an internship or work, write about your team experiences. If you are a coach, debate team member, actor, singer, teachers assistant, customer services rep, add details about these kinds of experiences to demonstrate your communication skills.Make the resume grammatically perfect. Ask someone, or more than one person, to proofread the resume for you before you copy and paste it into the USAJOBS builder.Samples of student federal resumes are availa ble in the Students Federal Career Guide 2nd Ed., which is available in print, eBook (pdf), and Kindle.Writing Your Best One-Page NarrativeDo some homework. Read the description of the program in the announcement. Research DOI and the Office of the Secretary to see what they do and their scope of work.Make it personal. Then you could demonstrate your personal interest in their mission. For example, you could write about your experience in one of the U.S. National Parks, about your hobby as an outdoor enthusiast, about your skills as an outdoor leader, or about your interest in caring for the environment. Or, you could write about your knowledge about a particular park, such as a recent renovation or upgrade.Another idea for an angle could be to write about aspects of the business side of operating the National Parks, such as managing finances, accounting, fee-for-service payments, salaries for Park personnel, or operations to support National Parks.Sample One-Page NarrativeBelow is sample content for the one-page narrative for this vacancy announcement. The narrative should explain why the applicant wants to apply for this particular internship.Dear Ms. Jones,I am applying for the Pathways Student Internship Program in Washington, DC at the Department of the Interior. I am available to work full time for three months. I am a full-time high school student at Catonsville Senior High School, and I can take the three months off from classes in order to work an internship during my senior year.I have a passion for National Parks, indigenous species, and Department of the Interior programs to support parklands, species, and provide interpretive programs for the public. I would love the opportunity to understand the mission, environmental concerns, and operations of National throughout the US.While on vacation last week, I visited the new National Park Kealia Pond Interpretive Center Pond in Maui, Hawaii. Kealia is famous for managing the indigenous species Pink leg Birds and the Coots in Maui. After reviewing the interpretive signs in the building, I drove to the ponds to see the birds. The park ranger said there are about 1,500 of the pink leg birds at the pond. However, very surprisingly, there were no other visitors there, and I could only find 6 birds total. The water is disappearing there, and I would be curious to know more about the Pond and the birds. There is a small street sign for the new National Park on the main road. The Park Ranger told me that she was hired to increase community interest in the Pond, the Pink Leg Birds and the new facility. I will be interested to see how it goes for the Kealia Pond in Maui. I can see all kinds of challenges there funding, lack of water, where are the birds, where is the water, community interest (so far, very little), costs for the facility, and general boredom for the staff.For the Pathways Student Internship in the Office of the Secretary, I can offer you the clerical, administrative, comput er, communications, scheduling, and research skills that you require for the Office Automation position. As a senior in high school, I am maintaining a GPA above 3.1, and my outside activities include drama and photo club.I live in Baltimore and can take the Marc Train to DOI everyday. This would be a wonderful opportunity for me to fulfill my high school student internship, learn about DOI, and open doors for public service careers for my future. I look forward to your response soon.Thank you for your consideration.Sincerely, Chris ThompsonFinding More Pathways Internships on USAJOBSOnce you have completed one Pathways Student Internship application, the next one will be much easier. You can look for PATHWAYS positions on USAJOBS on the home page. Just font in the word PATHWAYS and hit search. You will find some announcements that are not for students, but in the coming months and years, you will also find some exciting opportunities to become a part of this government studen t internship program.Give It a TryIn summary, if you are a full-time student, at least 16 years old, a U.S. Citizen, and able to work full time in Washington, DC this fall, then you could apply for this opportunity and SEE WHAT HAPPENS It could be the beginning of a new federal government public service career.Good luck with your resume, one-page narrative, and on-line application efforts. If you land a Pathways Student Internship, let me know at kathrynresume-place.com