Global Washington organized its third Global Happy Hour on October 13th. A group of Young professionals got together to talk about global health issues and career opportunities within the global development sector. Our guest speaker KJ Zunigha, Special Projects Coordinator, Corporate Services at PATH, gave insightful advice and led a thoughtful discussion.
- Here are the top 10 tips that KJ discussed that can help energize your research:
1. Join the next PATH Community Coffee to meet with staff members, recruiters from HR team and learn about PATH’s role in improving health and well-being in communities around the world. The next Community Coffee is Thursday, December 8, 2011 from 8-9 am. Email Molly Haas at events@path.org to RSVP for the event!
2. Be persistent, keep applying! Despite possible rejections you may have received in the past, don’t hesitate; keep applying for different positions at your favorite organizations.
3. Find a mentor, (a teacher, a co-worker etc.), who can advocate for you. You don’t have to go the road alone, find someone who already has an “in” to advocate on your behalf. People love to mentor. Chances are they have had some great mentors in their careers and would feel honored to mentor a passionate young professional like you!
4. Network, Network, Network. Networking can happen anywhere at any time. Not only are there more formal networking events available for young professionals, but some of the best networking can occur when you strike up a conversation with someone at a global development talk, conference, happy hour, or your favorite Peruvian restaurant. You never know when a casual conversation over your shared love of pisco sours will land you an interview at a great organization! Don’t be shy, network away!
5. Participate in informational interviews with different staff members from an organization that you like. Through informational interviews you can discover what skills you still need to improve and how to make it in a given industry.
6. Volunteer in the sector you are interested in. Even if you haven’t landed your dream job yet, you can still gain valuable skills. This will give you some field experience and will help you realize what career opportunities exist within your desired sector.
7. Believe in your potential. Don’t feel discouraged by typical job requirements such as, “5 years experiences required”. Through a short experience abroad, internships, volunteer or extra-professional activities, in addition to your past job experiences, you have accumulated valuable experience and transferable skills!
8. Keep learning. If you just graduated, stay in touch by reading blogs and articles related to the fields you like. If you are in a work transition period, go online and gather as much information as you can. You have to show that you are passionate about the field you want to work in. Showing recruiters that you are well informed increases your credibility.
9. Be creative. If you have a great idea, share it with your peers; look for collaborators or people who have the same interests as you. (e.g. participate in global social enterprises competition like GESEC).
10. Be positive and RELAX. Your dream job might be right around the corner, so don’t give up and keep looking!
Global Washington’s happy hour events are once a month in different places in downtown Seattle (restaurants, café). Each time, a global issue will be covered and a young professional (A Global Washington member organization) will be invited to share his/her experience and provide information on challenges, opportunities and trends in the field of global development work. Come join the dynamic and energetic conversation with inspiring young professionals. There is a lot to learn from each other! The Global Happy Hour event is a great and fun way to network and get useful tips to advance young professionals’ carrier in global development.