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Welcome
A Student’s Guide to the Workforce Recruitment Program
2013 Workforce Recruitment Program
Put Your Abilities to Work
● Questions for our experts should be emailed to [email protected]
● Answers to questions we are unable to address during the webinar will be posted on the WRP
website at www.wrp.gov and at www.dol.gov/odep/wrp
● The entire webinar also will be placed on the website at www.dol.gov/odep/wrp
Webinar Logistics
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● Business Development Specialist, Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
● Co-Director of the WRP
● Master of Arts from Ball State University in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education
Your Hosts
Sara Mahoney
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● Director of Disability Programs, Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
● Co-Director of the WRP
● Senior disability policy advisor to the Secretary of Defense
● Responsible for the development of training for DoD’s vast cadre of Disability Program Managers
● Extensive experience in targeted recruitment and outreach
● Graduate of Bellarmine University
Your Hosts
Stephen M. King
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● Background
– Origins of the WRP
– What WRP offers Students
– How the WRP works
● Preparing Your Application
● Effective Interviewing
● Self-Advocacy and Self-Disclosure
● Additional Tips for A Successful Interview
● Resources
Webinar Topics
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● Started in the 1970s by the Department of Navy
● Expanded in 1995 by the Department of Defense (DoD) and the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities
● Now managed jointly by DoD’s Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity (ODMEO) and DOL’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
● The WRP:
– Is a free recruitment and referral program
– Connects employers with highly motivated postsecondary students and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to prove their abilities in the workplace
WRP Background
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● The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) serves individuals
– who have disabilities AND
– are enrolled at an accredited institution of higher learning on a substantially full-time basis (unless the severity of the disability precludes the student from taking a substantially full-time load) to seek a degree OR
– are enrolled at such an institution as a degree-seeking student taking less than a substantially full-time load in the enrollment period immediately prior to graduation OR
– have graduated with a degree from such an institution within the past year.
● Because this program is sponsored by the federal government, all participants must be United States citizens.
Who is Eligible for the Program
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● The opportunity to be placed in a database of college students and recent graduates with disabilities that is examined by more than 40 federal agencies and many private companies
● In-person, professional interview experience with a federal recruiter
● Accommodation support from the Computer/Electronics Accommodations Program (CAP) for summer positions in the federal government: (http://www.cap.mil/)
What the Program Offers
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Employment opportunities worldwide and in a wide variety of career fields, such as:
• human resource specialist
• equal employment opportunity specialist
• administrative support
• information technology specialist
• technical writing
• research physical scientist
• clerical assistant
• budget analyst
• contract specialist
• safety specialist
• engineering technician
• realty specialist
What Jobs Are Open to You
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• logistics management
• chaplain assistant
• psychologist
• archives technician
• park ranger
• marketing specialist
• legal technician
• public affairs
• paralegal specialist
• health aide
• audit technician
• transition manager
• management assistant
• library technician
• medical records technician
• accounting technician
• environmental protection assistant
• transportation assistant
• supply technician
• acquisition support technician
• education technician
• mechanical engineer
● Students and recent graduates apply online and must complete the online application prior to interview
● College Disability Services Office/Career Center confirms and helps eligible candidates apply and prepare for interviews
● Trained recruiters from participating agencies visit campuses and interview candidates in Oct-Nov timeframe
● For those candidates determined by the recruiter to be eligible for the program, candidate information will be made available in the database
● Database is opened to all agencies and private employers nationwide each December
● Agencies directly hire candidates for summer, temporary, or permanent positions
● Private companies work through DOL’s contractor, EARN, to select candidates
How the Program Works
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● Recruiters interview candidates and give them a rating of 1-5 on:
Qualifications (assessed through review of transcripts/academic background, job/internship/volunteer experience, resume, and discussion of other relevant experience)
Maturity (responsible, self-reliant, decisive, appropriate interview attire, arrive on time with materials in hand, ask suitable questions)
Communication (proficiency in conveying and receiving both written and verbal information, resume well laid out and informative, ask and answer questions clearly and concisely)
Direction (well-defined goals, confidence in abilities, realistic and practical, ability to prioritize responsibilities as you work towards your goals, high expectations for your future)
Overall Rating
How the Program Works continued
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● Candidates must receive a rating of 3.0 or better on the overall rating to be entered into the database, but may receive a rating lower than 3.0 on the other criteria.
● Interview notes summarizing recruiter’s assessment are provided in database for employers to review.
● The resume and transcript you upload with your application will become a part of the database and will be visible to employers.
How the Program Works continued
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● Over 100 Recruiters from 20 Federal agencies (250 Recruiters for 2013)
● More than 270 college campuses (300 campuses for 2013)
● 2,770 candidates, including undergraduate, graduate, and law students were accepted into
database
● About 600 total hiring actions for 2011 in more than 20 agencies world-wide. These were mostly
summer positions, with over 70 permanent hires.
Information about the WRP WebsiteFor WRP 2012:
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● Candidates must register with the school in which they are interviewing via the following link: https://wrp.gov/registerstudent (Step 1).
● Once your school’s campus coordinator approves the candidate, the candidate will then get an automatically generated email (from [email protected]) with their username (email address) and password to log into the WRP site (www.wrp.gov) (Step 2).
● From here, the candidates will have the ability to complete the entire online application (Step 3).
The Job Application Process
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● Identification and Contact Information - SSN is kept in a secure and separate server apart from the application, but is a required field
● Resume
● Transcript (official or unofficial)
● Academic Information including major, degree, GPA, number of credit hours, credit type, etc.
● Disability Category (for statistical purposes only, not shown to employers)
● (Optional) Supporting documents, such as letters of recommendation, writing samples, and Schedule A Certification letter. (Additional documents must be uploaded on the Manage Documents Page of the online application as recruiters will not accept documents to be uploaded or updated during the interview.)
Required Information on the Application
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Student Registration Page (Step 1)
Student Application (Step 3)
Student Application (Last page)
● Candidates who participated in the WRP last year and want to participate again this year must complete the online application, sign up for an interview, and be interviewed again by the recruiter.
● All candidates are highly encouraged to go to their school’s Career Center for resume review and mock interview prep sessions
● All candidates must complete their applications prior to their interview date (NO EXCEPTIONS).
● Just because candidates are approved to begin filling out the online application doesn’t guarantee them an interview slot. All program requirements must be fulfilled as outlined by the campus coordinator and an interview must be scheduled with the coordinator.
Important Reminders
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● Think about what jobs you want and the geographic areas where you want to work.
● Perform Mock Interviews: Find someone to help you practice discussing your skills and the
accommodations you may need in the workplace.
● Review the Informational Materials packet given to you prior to your interview.
● Remember to bring your resume to the interview.
Helpful Resources:
● Interviewing Do’s and Don’ts: http://www.shrm.org/Research/SurveyFindings/Articles/Pages/InterviewingDosandDonts.aspx
● Soft Skills: http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/softskills.htm
Preparing for the Recruiter Interview
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Anticipate this question and practice the answer: “Can you tell me about yourself?”
Prepare a 90 second response focusing on:
● Academic experience
● Professional experience
● Extra-curricular experience
● Why are you interested in and qualified for a position?
● What is the most impressive and substantiated thing you can say about yourself?
What do you do best? What is your proof?
● Give highlights of your successes, focus your answer on the positive results, and
how you solved problems for a former employer
Preparing For the Recruiter Interview
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This isn’t exclusive to WRP employers, this is a good rule of thumb for all employers…
Know What All Employers are Looking For
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● Honesty/Integrity
● Motivation/Initiative
● Communication skills
● Self-confidence
● Flexibility
● Interpersonal skills
● Strong work ethic
● Teamwork skills
● Leadership skills
● Enthusiasm
● Personal Responsibility:
• Understand what your disability is and how it affects you in your daily life
• Understand how your academic accommodation needs will transfer to the workplace
• Communicate what type of accommodations you will need in order to complete the essential duties of the type of job you want during your interview
● Employer’s Responsibility
• Provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations enable individuals to participate in the hiring process, perform the essential functions of jobs, and/or offer equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment.
Self Advocacy and Disclosure
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● Schedule A is an accepted appointing authority for people with disabilities that consists of two parts -
Proof of Disability and Certification of Job Readiness. See www.opm.gov/disability and
http://www.usajobs.gov/EI/individualswithdisabilities.asp#icc for more information.
● Employers tend to prefer to hire students categorized as schedule A, and often specifically seek
them out in the database. Thus, obtaining a schedule A letter could give you an edge in the hiring
process.
● You can access a sample Schedule A Letter and Certification of Job Readiness on OPM’s website
at: http://www.usajobs.gov/individualswithdisabilities.asp and
http://media.newjobs.com/opm/www/usajobs/infocenter/Sample_Sch_A_Certification_Letter.docx
Schedule A and the Benefits of Disclosure
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● Be as upfront as possible about the accommodations you will need to do the job.
This will help to ensure that the right employer will choose you for their open position.
● If you have a Veterans Affairs disability rating of 30% or greater, it can be helpful to disclose this
to the recruiter.
● If you are looking for a permanent position, indicate to the recruiter that you are interested in both
an internship and a permanent position. (Internships could lead to permanent positions).
● Only indicate that you are interested in a permanent position if you will receive a degree prior to the
start date of the position. If you are going back to school next semester, then you should not indicate that you are eligible for a permanent position since you have not yet completed your degree.
Some Additional Interview Tips
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Glenda Crunk’s Story
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Glenda received an internship through WRP in 2008 after receiving a Master’s degree in Public Administration at Georgia State University. Following her internship she was hired as a full time employee by the Army Civilian Training, Education and Development System (ACTEDS), a formal career development program for civilian Army employees at Fort McPherson, GA. Glenda is currently an Affirmative Employment and Disability Program Manager at the U.S. Army Garrison, West Point.
Bob applied for a summer internship through WRP while studying international relations and literature at American University.
He interned at the US Agency for International Development’s Bureau of Legislative and Public Affairs in 2009, where he had a variety of writing responsibilities.
Bob also worked with the Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) after graduation in 2010, and is currently a Technical Writer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Arlington, VA.
Bogdan “Bob” Vitas III’s Story
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● Schedule A via OPM: http://www.opm.gov/disability/
● ABC’s of Schedule A : http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/initiatives/lead/abcs_of_schedule_a.cfm
● Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP): http://www.dol.gov/odep/
● National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/
For More Information…
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● The Partnership for Public Service: http://www.ourpublicservice.org/OPS/
● Youth, Disclosure, and the Workplace: http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/ydw.htm
● Interviewing Do’s and Don’ts: http://www.shrm.org/Research/SurveyFindings/Articles/Pages/InterviewingDosandDonts.aspx
● Soft Skills: http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/softskills.htm
● Vault: Career Intelligence: Fortune called Vault "The best place on the Web to prepare for a job search.” www.Vault.com (WRP doesn’t endorse this website over others)
● The Occupational Outlook Handbook is the government's premier source of career guidance: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/
For More Information…
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● Employers will begin contacting candidates about jobs as early as mid-December, and will continue
through June for summer jobs, and up to one year later for permanent jobs.
● Employers will contact candidates directly. If you are contacted with a job offer, be sure to get the
name, phone number or email address of the person contacting you. This will be your only means
of getting back in touch with that person. In addition, you should also ask about the location of the
position, the job title, and job duties.
● Neither your recruiter nor the WRP office will be tracking your application. Employers will contact
candidates directly without going through the main WRP Office.
After the Interview
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● If you have accepted a job from an employer, be sure to request confirmation of the job offer in
writing, and ask for the employer’s contact information.
● Stay in touch regularly with the employer after you have accepted a job to ensure that you have
submitted all necessary materials to them, including information on your job accommodation needs.
● If an issue arises that will prevent you from keeping your commitment to a job you have already
accepted, immediately contact the employer to inform them.
● Do not accept jobs from more than one WRP employer at the same time. If you receive multiple
job offers, keep all of the employers informed about your situation and come to a decision as
quickly as possible.
You Got A Job Offer! What Now?
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A Student’s Guide to the Workforce Recruitment Program
Answering Questions
Put Your Abilities to Work
A Student’s Guide to the Workforce Recruitment Program
Thank You for your attention!
Put Your Abilities to Work