The current generation of college graduates has an unprecedented opportunity to quickly move into leadership roles in government and impact the direction of the country.
That is the message that visiting recruiters and exhibitors will bring to campus Nov. 9 at the inaugural “WU Government Career Day: A Call to Service.” The event will be held from 1-6:30 p.m. in Goldfarb and Brown halls at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work.
Undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students are invited to learn about promising careers and internship opportunities available in the public sector.
Agencies represented will include the Environmental Protection Agency, the Export Assistance Center, the National Labor Relations Board, the FBI, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration and St. Louis County government.
The campus-wide event is sponsored by WUSTL’s Gephardt Institute for Public Service, the Brown School and the Career Center. The Federal Executive Board of St. Louis and the Partnership for Public Service provided assistance.
According to Carol Doelling, director of career services at the Brown School, the timing may be ripe for inspiring a young generation to improve the workings of government agencies.
“An unprecedented wave of retirement among baby boomers in the federal workplace translates into great opportunities for today’s graduate and undergraduate students,” Doelling said. “This succession window may be unique to this particular generation of college students.”
Doelling and colleagues Kristin Lappin, assistant director of the Gephardt Institute, and Julie Turner, employer relations specialist in WUSTL’s Career Center, came up with the idea of the career fair after looking for ways to work together to promote careers in the public service sector.
“Business, engineering and Arts & Sciences students may be unaware of all the opportunities available to them,” Lappin said. “For example, the EPA is recruiting management, mathematics, computer science and environmental science majors. Other departments are seeking law graduates and doctoral candidates in sciences.”
Lappin added that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is looking to recruit a high-level mental health and research staff.
The career day organizers note that many students are surprised to find that government agencies offer compensation competitive with the private sector, excellent management training programs, pay incentives and loan repayment.
“Our alumni tend to be terrific advocates for students wanting to work in their regions,” Turner said.
“As is true with so many employers, once we have WU students in a workplace, their work ethic and quality work product stand out, encouraging employers to want more students from our University.”
Government Career Day includes the following sessions:
• 1-2 p.m. Ph.D., J.D., M.S.W. and M.B.A alumni will discuss competitive recruitment programs such as the Presidential Management Fellows Program with graduate and professional students.
• 2-3 p.m. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will discuss the Emerging Leaders Program, which develops graduate and professional students into senior-level management positions over time.
• 3-6 p.m. Undergraduate, graduate and professional students can meet with agency representatives in a traditional-style career fair.
• 3:30-4:30 p.m. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management will educate all students on application processes across agencies and provide resume and interview tips.
• 5-6:30 p.m. A round-table discussion on government and public policy careers will feature WUSTL alumni working in these fields and sharing their experiences in small-group settings.