#informationalinterview

Try this simple way to onboard new employees and build team cohesion One of the things that set my best internships apart is something that most of my jobs since then have failed to do. And considering it’s an exercise that costs zero dollars, relatively little time, and has the potential to radically improve the way that organizations do onboarding, that’s a real shame.Read more... https://qz.com/how-interviews-can-onboard-employees-and-teams-1850078747

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3bmOlhlSAQ)

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 I also learned that there are many American students there studying as undergraduates, and postgraduate. As I later learned during my time in London, this is vital to begin the process of being about to work and live in the UK. Jason and Richard both emphasized the internationality of Imperial and how competitive it is in the world as a STEM institution. Which was good news, personally, because when I asked if people tend to move around in the field, like they seem to in the US, they said it can be done, as long as the person has the skills and qualifications needed. I thoroughly enjoyed my first informational interview, gained two contacts in the UK, and learned a great deal about Higher Education and Career Services in the UK.

                        USAID, or the United States Agency for International Development, and OFDA, the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, are agencies funded by the United States government and United States citizens’ tax dollars to provide relief for many people in foreign countries who become affected by natural disasters.  They assist with providing short-term aid after these disasters have struck for people who may have lost little or people who lost everything they own.  There are USAID and OFDA locations in every continent, but we visited the offices for Latin America and the Caribbean (or LAC) located in San Jose, near the United States Embassy.  Tim Callaghan is the Senior Regional Advisor and manages the offices for the LAC.  He showed us many incredible pictures of hurricanes, floods, volcanic eruption and ash, fires, earthquakes, and more, proving that USAID is an important element for many people in the LAC area.  My interview was with Patrick O’Marr, who works at USAID and is the regional administrative management specialist.  Patrick started his journey in the Peace Corps when he landed in Costa Rica.  He met his wife in Costa Rica and decided to stay and worked with a couple of non-government organizations. He is currently on a five-year contract with OFDA and has not decided if he is going to be continuing on after the five years are finished.  He did say he is happy with what he is doing to help, but wants to be more involved with people rather than doing the behind the scenes office work.  Patrick has also learned lots of Spanish while he has been in Costa Rica.  He said he never saw himself working for the US government, but he is glad he took the opportunity to work at OFDA.  I am very interested in working for the government or any other organization, especially internationally.  For my whole life, I have always volunteered with local churches and charities because I like helping people who need it and I enjoy giving back to my community.  I think working with United States government-funded agencies or non-government organizations in a foreign country would be very interesting and a great fit for me, because I am very outgoing and I work well with others.  I have experience volunteering with homeless and I have also worked with children.  I think I could help a lot of people, and that is what I want to do, whether I work with the government or continue to volunteer.  I also have great problem-solving skills, so I think I could handle the many tough situations that may arise.  I asked Patrick:  How did you get into the USAID field?  What made you interested in the Peace Corps?  How do you feel about hiring someone who was not in the Peace Corps?  What do you think about NGOs?  Is there anything you wish you could change about your job?  What is one thing or piece of advice you wish you knew before entering the “real world”?  Patrick was asked to join OFDA because of his experience in Peace Corps and his background in Forestry studies.  He decided to work on a five-year contract with the United States government at OFDA.  He was interested in Peace Corps because he wanted to experience life and culture in other parts of the world.  He believes that Peace Corps would be beneficial for anyone looking to get involved or work with the United States government.  Peace Corps can give you valuable experiences that you will not find many other places (other than the army maybe).  Although we both jokingly agreed that I am probably not the ideal candidate for the Peace Corps.  But Patrick also said you could also get considerable experience working with non-government organizations.  I would love to work with Save the Children or Save the Animals (both are NGOs) because I work well with children and I know how to relate with them.  I also have a lot of compassion towards all animals, and I care for them with lots of love as if they were my own.  I also asked Patrick what is his favorite thing about his job and he said it was being in Costa Rica and being able to help other people.  His least favorite (or what he wishes he could change) is that he would like to be out in the field more often.  He spends most of his time doing office work rather than traveling to other countries and working on site with the rescue teams.  I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with Patrick (and Tim also).  They gave me some great advice about how to apply for a government job and told me to not give up.  Tim said he applied for a job many, MANY times, and that sometimes it takes time before you will find the right job.  It opened my eyes to the things that government agencies can do for people, and I want to help with that.  The United States government takes a certain about of money from their budget to be used as aid, and I think it should be well spent.  I hope I can go back down to Costa Rica sometime in the future and revisit USAID and also see the US Embassy.  I am also considering becoming a Foreign Service Officer or working with the US State Department as well.  This was a great experience and a wonderful opportunity for me to explore the idea of working internationally, or even working with international employees.  I am still not sure where I will end up in the future, but I am hopeful that it will be somewhere that is beneficial not only to my own conscience but also to other people’s lives.  I am trying to find what I like to call “the invisible road to change” – or the place where I will feel like I am making a difference with my life.