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Career Development and Job Fair |
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| 2009 SRM Rangeland Job Fair, Sunday, February 8, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM | Rangeland Careers held in conjunction with the 2009 SRM Annual Meeting & Trade Show, February 8-13, 2009 | |
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Just as rangelands and grasslands are diverse, so are related careers. Just look at the SRM membership as an example of this diversity. In order to better match job opportunities with job seekers, SRM will again expand employment efforts at the 62nd Annual SRM Meeting and Trade Show in Albuquerque, New Mexico. SRM announces the second annual 2009 SRM Rangeland Job Fair scheduled for Sunday, February 8, 8:00 AM-6:00 PM. This is a free service for SRM members and Trade Show participants.
The mission of the 2009 SRM Rangeland Job Fair is to match prospective employers from the federal agencies, state and provincial governments, private industry, academia, and conservation organizations with the high caliber of educated and enthusiastic prospects from SRM. We are also hoping to recruit potential employers from non-traditional sources such as the military. Attendance at the annual meetings at the Albuquerque Convention Center this year is expected to be between 1000-1500 people. Approximately 25 percent of attendees will be students and young professionals.
The job fair will involve a full day on Sunday, February 8th, 2009. Employers will be provided space to display employment information, distribute vacancy announcements, and interact with job seekers. Registered participants will be provided with one 6-ft table for displays in a large exposition area. For an extra charge, we will also provide 4' X 8' display boards (see registration form). We will encourage all interested meeting attendees to drift through and browse the Job Fair between other scheduled activities, meetings, and workshops. We do expect that all participants staff their tables/displays and be prepared to answer questions.
Members of the SRM Young Professionals Conclave (YPC) will be assisting with outreach efforts to employers and employees. If you are interested in this program, or know of prospective employers who may be, please feel free to contact a YPC member (see http://www.rangelands.org/ypc/index.shtml) or the Job Fair Coordinator, Linda Coates-Markle, BLM Liaison to SRM at lcmarkle@rangelands.org and/or 303-986-3309.
To register for the 2009 SRM Rangeland Job Fair, please complete the registration form <http://www.rangelands.org/pdf/AM09_jobfair_reg_form.pdf> and return it to the address at the bottom of the form. Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, and space is limited. The deadline for receipt of all registrations is Friday, January 16, 2009. On-site registration may be accepted depending on available space and will require payment of a $100 late fee.
AGENCY ON-THE-SPOT HIRING
Sunday, February 8, 2009, through Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - Several federal agencies have successfully coordinated On-the-Spot Hiring programs at the SRM annual meetings in past years. For example, at the SRM 60th Annual Meeting in Reno, Nevada, the USFS and BLM successfully filled 18 Rangeland Management Specialist (GS-454) entry level vacancies. Several more positions were filled subsequent to the meetings using the same applicant pool. And at the Joint Annual SRM/AFGC meetings in Louisville, Kentucky last year, BLM and USFS successfully filled 17 Rangeland Management Specialist entry level positions.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
In addition to the successful Student Employment Workshop (now called the Rangeland Employment Workshop), where you can ask questions on how to really succeed in the job market, SRM is planning to host workshops on: "What are Employers Looking For," "What are Agencies Looking For," and "Thinking about Graduate School." All workshops will be one-half hour to two hours in length and will be offered concurrently with the 2008 Rangeland Job Fair on Sunday afternoon, February 8, 2009. Top professionals from both the private and public sectors of rangeland management have volunteered to guide these workshops to benefit SRM members.
THE FUTURE OF THE RANGELAND PROFESSION
1:00 - 2:00 PM;
Facilitator Linda Coates-Markle, BLM Liaison to SRM
The intent of this general session of the workshops is to set the stage as to what different sectors of the rangeland profession see as the future needs and trends for the profession. We hope to have representatives of the full diversity of the SRM membership including professionals representing the federal agencies, universities, producers, consultants, and others within rangeland management (and other related professions) at all stages of their careers. Members of the SRM Young Professional Conclave and Leadership Development Committee will also be invited to play a role. These individuals will be asked to speak to their perspectives of the changing demographics of the profession, needed training for new professionals, how to establish credibility within the profession, and the types of job opportunities they see as being available in the future. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions related to any aspect of the profession for which they have concerns, need guidance, would like feedback on or are just plain curious. We expect lively discussions!
CONCURRENT SESSION - OPPORTUNITIES IN GRADUATE SCHOOL
2:00 - 4:00 PM;
Facilitator Ben Baldwin, Utah State University
This two-hour workshop will be offered for the first time at the 2009 meeting. Many undergraduate students as well as younger range professionals find themselves unsure whether they should pursue or continue in a job in the profession or whether they would be better off earning a graduate degree. The answer will vary for each person, but this workshop will offer viewpoints that address the question from various angles. In fact, the workshop will focus on two important questions: How do I choose the right path for me? and Graduate school or professional experience? And if I choose graduate school, how do I find the right program, funding, and faculty advisor?
These questions will be addressed by a panel of speakers who will make brief presentations and field questions from the audience. Included on the panel will be university professors, current or recent graduate students, and field professionals who hire range graduates.
The target audience for this session is expected to include members of the Young Professionals Conclave as well as college juniors and sophomores who are just beginning to think about what might happen after graduation.
CONCURRENT SESSION - RANGELAND EMPLOYMENT WORKSHOP
2:00 - 4:00 PM (formerly Student Employment Workshop);
Facilitators:
Jack Alexander, Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc., Belgrade, Montana and
Randy Reichert, USFS, Greeley, Colorado
Employers are looking for ethical, motivated, hard working persons who can think, solve problems, communicate effectively (all modes), work effectively on a team, and have good leadership skills. Yes, they want certain specific technical knowledge and skills, but they generally assume that a person has ample technical ability so that they can train them in the technical components of their job.
At this workshop each participant will be asked to bring a specific job application along with a cover letter and their resume that they developed for that specific job. The workshop will help students analyze their materials with discussions on how they may improve it. Further discussions will concentrate on the process of evaluating job announcements, gathering information, preparing check lists, and then writing the resume and cover letter, submitting the application, follow-up, and preparing for the interview.
Also at this workshop you can ask the questions on how to really succeed in the job market. This is a confidential and discreet workshop. You can ask the hard questions without potential employers present. Expect to get honest, straight-forward answers on what employers really look for.
Did you know that the average time spent on a resume by a future employer is 20 seconds? At this workshop a team of experienced range professionals will offer critical real life resume assessments with usable suggestions to help you learn how to become one of the people that get 20 minutes of a future employer's time rather than 20 seconds.
Potential employees that attend this workshop will also learn about appropriate interview attire, the importance of networking, and having a business card. Attendees also will find out why people that serve on committees as students typically get job offers when they graduate. If you would like to learn more about these things, we would like to see you at the Rangeland Employment Workshop.
RECRUITMENT AND HIRING WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
4:00 - 5:00 PM;
Facilitators: Linda Coates-Markle, BLM-SRM Liaison, Wheat Ridge, Colorado;
Cindy McArthur, USFS-SRM Liaison, Washington, DC;
Dennis Thompson, NRCS, Washington, DC;
Leonard Jolley, NRCS, Beltsville, Maryland; and other federal and state agencies
Students and professors alike often ask, "What are agencies looking for?" and "How does the agency hiring process work?" These are good questions and the agencies are very interested in the opportunity to address these questions. Human Resource and/or Range Specialists from different agencies will be present to explain the hiring process from vacancy search to selection. Details will be covered regarding registration with the different on-line application sites, inputting quality, easy-to-read resumes, and tips for strong responses to the vacancy questions. They will discuss the OPM classification series specific to rangeland management positions and how to interpret mandatory qualification requirements.
Land managers from different agencies will be present to discuss desired attributes of highly qualified applicants. Good grades are important but field experience and communication skills are even more important. Also addressed will be: "What does a hiring official look for in a potential applicant?" and "What types of questions are typically used during interviews and why?"
The intent of this workshop is for interested participants to walk away with a good general knowledge of the agency hiring process, and perhaps remove some of the mystique and intimidation that may have previously surrounded it. We will also introduce the Agency Hiring-on-the-Spot program and discuss how this process will work.