FEDERAL CAREER CONNECTION

News brief: Polk officially takes lead over program

Arizona native Amethyst K. Polk assumed lead over Federal Career Connection Friday, with hopes to expand outreach and recruit additional volunteers.  She brings much energy and enthusiasm to the program and will oversee the 2012 Winter/Spring workshops.

Through the support of City Impact's Career Network Ministry, Federal Career Connection provides facilitator led workshops equipping job seekers with information on how to target federal jobs, build marketable federal job applications, and search and apply for jobs on USAJOBS.

This is a great free resource for job seekers who want to serve in the federal government, while helping the government recruit individuals who possess high standards of integrity, conduct, and concern for the public interest.

Three (3) workshops are scheduled for the 2012 Winter/Spring calendar (January thru April):

• “Cracking the Code: Your Federal Job Search” with Corliss Jackson (1st Tuesday: 6:30-8 p.m.)
• “Ten Steps to a Federal Job™” with Lex Levin (2nd Tuesday: 6:30-8 p.m.)
• “Federal Job Search Series” with Alex Harrington (3rd Tuesday: 6:30-8 p.m.)

For more information, contact Bob Korzeniewski at 703-887-3000 or e-mail: careernetwork@mcleanbible.org.

# # #

Polk takes over program in January 2012

Starting in January 2012, Amethyst K. Polk will take the lead over the Federal Career Connection program. A native of Arizona, Polk brings a solid background in education and community development to Federal Career Connection.

"It is such a huge blessing to be able to have such a wonderful network of friends, colleagues, speakers and volunteers at Career Network Ministry. I would absolutely love to help maintain, create and develop programming for the Federal Career Connection," she said.

McLean Bible Church’s Career Network Ministry introduced the Federal Career Connection Program on April 5, 2011 for people in career transition. The Federal Career Connection program is a free resource for job seekers who want to serve in the federal government, while helping the government recruit individuals who possess high standards of integrity, conduct, and concern for public interest.

# # #

DOL Secretary Solis stopped in for a visit

Tuesday evening Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis  visited Career Network Ministry at McLean Bible Church to learn how we are helping our community members in the job search process. 

During our workshop, "Targeting Federal Jobs", Secretary Solis stopped in with her team to observe our session. It was truly an honor to have someone like her visit our workshop.

I took the following excerpt from the Department of Labor's News Brief.

-----------------------------------------

"This community has its act together," praised Secretary Solis Tuesday evening at a meeting of more than 250 job seekers and volunteers of the Career Network Ministry at McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Va. The ministry provides networking support, training in the latest social media tools such as LinkedIn, and emotional and spiritual counseling that is available to all members of the community. Solis illuminated key provisions in the American Jobs Act that will benefit the many out-of-work middle class professionals served by the ministry, including wage insurance, work-sharing, and self-employment assistance. She was heartened by the displays of commitment and faith among those gathered at the weekly session, "You are all here tonight because you believe in your community and your country that puts people and families first, which is why we must pass this jobs bill on behalf of working families from communities just like this one."

Read the Secretary's Blog Entry

View the Slideshow

[Photo: Dr. Mallard Owen, CNM co-leader (left), stands by while DOL Secretary Solis greets Teresa Harrington, volunteer, at the Federal Career Connection information table.]

 

DOL's Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships highlights CNM

The Department of Labor’s Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships paid a visit to the Career Network Ministry (CNM) (http://www.mbccareers.org/) at McLean Bible Church in Northern Virginia.  Our program, Federal Career Connection, serves under CNM.  It's amazing how much CNM and our program has been growing.  I took the liberty to repost the writer's blog below.

---------------------------------------------------------

By: Cindy Huynh

Earlier this month, I joined some colleagues at the Department of Labor’s Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships on a visit to the Career Network Ministry (CNM) at McLean Bible Church in Northern Virginia. The visit was made in conjunction with the Center’s efforts to identify job clubs across the country and connect them to one another and to the workforce investment system. CNM is one of the most successful and celebrated job clubs in the country, so there was much anticipation for our visit. To continue, click here.

Federal insider offers marketing techniques for job seekers

Learn from an insider on how to successfully market your skills and experiences for a federal job.  Carol Davison, certified in performance technologies and a human resources specialist in performance and development at the U.S. Department of Commerce, will be speaking for the Federal Career Connection Tuesday, July 26, 7pm. Davison specializes in optimizing performance through leadership development and leading change. Prior to arriving at the Department of Commerce, Davison managed training for the U.S. Navy and for the State of Maryland's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. For more information about this event, e-mail: info@federalcareerconnection.com

Three new workshops scheduled for 2011

A lot of work has gone into developing three new workshops for 2011.  I owe a debt of gratitude to those individuals who have helped me build a federal job service program for McLean Bible Church's Career Network Ministry, a program that provides caring support to individuals during career transitions.

The following workshops, scheduled for 2o11, are designed to equip job seekers with information on how to target federal jobs, build marketable federal job applications, and search and apply for jobs on USAJOBS:

 

• CRACKING THE CODE: YOUR FEDERAL JOB SEARCH
  This introductory session is designed to inform prospective government employees about the federal application process and the intricacies involved with the preparation of application materials. For more information, click here.

 

• NAVIGATING THE FEDERAL JOB SEARCH PROCESS
  This workshop is designed to give a brief overview of the opportunities and benefits that the federal government has to offer, including how to find federal job openings and the requirements to apply for them. For more information, click here.

 

• TARGETING FEDERAL JOBS
  This workshop is designed to help job seekers conduct a successful job search by introducing various techniques to effectively target federal positions. For more information, click here.

 

FCC hosts first guest speaker

Cortez Puryear Jr., a veterans employment program manager with the U.S. Department of Justice, will present a workshop titled, "The Federal Jobs Process." This is the first guest speaker for the Federal Career Connection program. Puryear's professional career outside DOJ includes 28 years of combined Army active duty and Army Reserve time as a personnel officer, along with over 17 years working for the Department of the Army’s transition program (Army Career and Alumni Program) at Headquarters, Army Human Resources Command, Alexandria, Va.  For more information about this workshop, contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Aracely Stephenson, at 703-901-3306. 

For more information about Federal Career Connection, please email: info@federalcareerconnection.com.

CNM debuts new federal job service program

McLean Bible Church’s Career Network Ministry introduced a new job service program April 5 for people in career transition.  Through the support of CNM, Federal Career Connection provides facilitator led workshops equipping job seekers with information on how to target federal jobs, build marketable federal job applications, and search and apply for jobs on USAJOBS. This is a great free resource for job seekers who want to serve in the federal government, while helping the government recruit individuals who possess high standards of integrity, conduct, and concern for the public interest. There will be three main workshops given throughout this year:

• Cracking the Code: Your Federal Job Search
• Targeting Federal Jobs
• Navigating the Federal Job Search Process

For more information about this program, please email: info@federalcareerconnection.com.

Season two begins

Last year, I must have given more than 30 workshops on how to apply for a federal job. On April 5, before a group of more than 150 people, I introduced a new job service program called Federal Carer Connection. The experience of building a community program has given me great satisfaction; albeit it has been tiring. Starting in May, we will be giving facilitator-led workshops equipping job seekers with information on how to target federal jobs, build marketable federal job applications, and search and apply for jobs on USAJOBS. And all this while holding down a full-time position with the federal government. For more information on this new program, check out the presentation below:

Federal Hiring Reform on Prezi