Question:
I am seeking a career change after having worked as a teacher
assistant for nine years. I have a B.A. in economics. I would like to work
in state government but am having a hard time figuring out where to begin.
Any thoughts?
First Answer:
You are going to need a more specific target. There are literally
hundreds of thousands of career options in government available for one with
your experience. Try first exploring one of the links in this directory of
government career options:
http://myjobsearch.com/cgi-bin/mjs.cgi/options?ByIndustry=Government
Then, research specific job openings in your state through this link:
http://myjobsearch.com/cgi-bin/mjs.cgi/specialty.html?BySpecialty=Government
If after spending some time researching your options and perhaps
finding something that appeals to you, start to identify people already in
the sector in which you want to work. Make an effort to connect with them to
talk about your career options and what kind of future there might be in
government for you.
Also make an effort to learn the processes you will need to go
through to obtain a state government job. It can differ by state but often
there is a screening process, an interview process and multiple layers of
bureaucracy that you will need to navigate over a period of time to obtain a
desired position. Find out what these processes are by talking to people
that have already gone through them.
A great research tool for finding contacts is this list of
associations related to government work:
http://myjobsearch.com/cgi-bin/mjs.cgi/assoc?ByIndustry=Government
-- Kelly Stone, myjobsearch.com
Second Answer:
Start with what you'd like to do -- what skills do you want to use? Your
background in teaching would make you qualified for a position counseling
or training people, while your economics degree would qualify you for
positions requiring analytical or financial skills.
Jobs in state government are always posted publicly, so call the government
office where you'd like to work and ask to receive their listing. If your
city has a state- or federally-run employment agency, they'll probably have
such a listing. They can also advise you on what jobs in government might
suit your skills.
Finally, if you live near the school where you got your degree, call their
job placement center to see if you still qualify for career counseling or
some kind of assistance. You might find someone there to help you with your
decision.
Once you've chosen a job to pursue, you should revise your résumé to
emphasize the transferable skills you can bring to that next job. Your
résumé shouldn't portray a teaching assistant who wants to change careers.
It should show a multi-talented individual who wants to continue usig the
skills he/she has sharpened over the last nine years.
Best of luck to you!
-- Kevin Donlin, Guaranteed Resumes
Third Answer:
The first thing I would do is to do some informational interviewing with different
people in government to get an idea what area might be right for you and also where
your experience would be of value. Additionally you will learn who to contact and
hopefully get around some of the potential bureacracy.
Start with anyone you know in state government or someone who knows someone and tell
them you're not asking for a job but that you are in the process of trying to learn
more about the areas of state government in which you would best fit, and just want to
ask them a few questions.
If it would help, use your current position as a teacher to see if they would talk with
you, for your students benefit. The point is to arrange a meeting with different people
who are in state government who can give you information to help you in your search.
More information is what you need and these contacts will make you smarter in terms of
how and where to start your job search.
-- David E. Gordon, Advertising/Promotions
Internship Office, Columbia University in Chicago, Illinois;
