International Students in the Workforce

 

On October 2^nd 2012, the Center for Career and Professional Development at John Jay College hosted an event that focused on the professional development of international students. Four guest speakers were invited to the event. Among the four panelists, two of them were international students who were able to obtain full time positions and internships in the U.S after graduating. The panelist included Ms. Laurie Woog an Immigration Attorney, Ms. Ruth Kamona Director of International Student and Scholar Services at CUNY, Ms. Maureen Brady Coyle Director of International Studies and Programs at John Jay College and Mr. Darshan Gosalia a Business Development Intern at InrexTest.

The panelists gave the students key pieces of information to help them understand the difficulties that international students face in obtaining full time jobs in the U.S after completing their degree. Nonetheless, the panelist also advised the students to be optimistic when trying to secure a job in the U.S. However, some of the most important information they shared were based on their own personal experience. The Director of International Student and Scholar Services at CUNY made reference to her own experience as an international student and advised the audience to take advantage of the opportunities that CUNY offers for international students. She also stated that international students should always show strong initiative when trying to secure full time jobs or internships in the U.S.

Mr. Darshan Gosalia the Business Development Intern advised the students to do the following:

·         Network with individuals who were also international students.

·         During an interview always show interest in the company, do not focus on how the company can help with your Visa status.

·         Apply for internships that will help demonstrate your skills and knowledge.

 

Both the Immigration Attorney and the Director on International Studies and Programs at John Jay advised students on the legal aspects of their Visa status, and how it might affect their intentions of securing full time jobs. They stated that international students should be aware of the type of Visas they hold and the restrictions of those visas before applying for or considering an internship or a full time position. However, they also advised students to be confident regardless of their Visa status.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Information Session

            A Federal Bureau of Investigations agent visited John Jay College of Criminal Justice on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 to give students interested in careers within the FBI information and advice.  He gave the audience key pieces of information to help answer questions about the rigorous application process with the FBI.  He began by telling students to visit the website www.fbijobs.gov. He stated that this website would provide crucial information about applying for full time employment positions as well as the internship program.  This website contains all applications for open positions, lists of criteria for positions and areas to upload your resume for consideration (www.fbijobs.gov/events).   

Below is an overview of the key pieces of information covered during the session:

           

The application process is described below.  It could take anywhere from 7 months to a year to complete the hiring process:

 

The FBI Volunteer Internship Program was also discussed during the information session.  The deadline is quickly approaching (October 22) but the agent warned to not wait until the last day as the offices often end the submission process early.  This program allows you to apply to any field office of the FBI throughout the country.

A John Jay student who went through the program stated that it was “the best ten weeks of my life.”  It is an incredible opportunity.

            Some last advice from the FBI agent? “Do well period.”  Also, “Once you start working for us, you are held to a higher standard.”  Keep this in mind as you apply to positions within the FBI, or any government agencies. 

Color Blindness and Careers

              In working with students the Center has recently been confronted with the issue of color blindness impeding on career choices. Some professions may ban or restrict applicants due to color blindness. A few of the more common career fields that have color vision requirements are firefighting, aviation, law enforcement and the military.

                Since law enforcement is an area of interest for a large number of our students this can be especially important for those who are embarking on this career path at John Jay. We highly suggest getting tested early on for color blindness especially if you suspect that you may be even slightly colorblind. In order to get tested you need to make an appointment with an eye doctor and specifically request testing for color blindness. General practitioners do not typically test for color blindness so it would be best to see an eye doctor.

                If you are diagnosed as colorblind this does not necessarily mean you have to give up on your career dream of working in law enforcement. Requirements differ by agency and state. Some are more flexible depending on how severe the color blindness. However, the New York State Police Department does disqualify any candidates who are considered to be colorblind. So if you are interested in working with a certain agency it would be best to call ahead and see what their regulations are.

Career Advice From a Recently Graduated MPA Student

Mary Ann Triest

Dear Aquaina, Please post on JJCO Blog: http://jjcccpd.blogspot.com/ , I have attached Melia’s phone which is a separate upload in the post. I look forward to seeing it online – thank you! Career Advice From a Recently Graduated MPA Student Melia Polynice,

Wed 1:38 PM

  Melia Polynice, Former President of MPASA

We would like to profile Ms. Melia Polynice and share her career advice with you as a recently graduated MPA student. She is past 2011- 2012 President of the Masters of Public Administration Student Association (MPASA) and May 2012 MPA Program Graduate and winner of the Graduate Student Award.Melia Polynice recently graduated with an MPA-IG degree with a dual concentration in organization assessment and monitoring and fiscal policy analysis. She was also the immediate past-president of the MPA Student Association, an organization that received the Phoenix Award from the Office of Student Life for efforts in revitalizing club and engaging graduate students.

She is also the recipient of the 2012 Graduate Student Service Award for dedication to inspiring and engaging students of public administration. She considers herself a role model at John Jay, emphasizing the importance professionalism and compassion in public service. Melia was inducted in to Pi Alpha Alpha National Honor Society for Public Administration June 2011. She is a graduate of City College of New York with Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. While attending City College, she received the Professor Abraham Bernstein Class of 1930 Award in Creative Writing.

Ms. Polynice has over five years of professional experience working in the public sector. As a Project Administrator at the Center for Practice Innovations, she provides support for OMH policy driven mental health training initiatives; she participates in both a learning management system and website design workgroup; in addition she is the main technical support staff for NYS Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams. Before joining the Center for Practice Innovations, she was a Grants Associate at Program Design and Development, LLC. She was responsible for daily office administration duties, grant evaluation and compliance, grant proposal development, and collaborations on special projects. The experience of working with professional in the public and private sector motivated her to pursue a Master of Public Administration.

1) As a recently graduated MPA student, what advice would you offer new and continuing students?

• New students: Set goals – Have clear goals, what is the exact thing that you want from this program? Being specific helps you to stay on track and keep focused.
• Continuing students: Re-evaluate the goals you set when you started your program, are they the same, or have they changed? If they have changed, how will you meet your new goals?

2) What are some of your more memorable moments from the program?

Spring 2011 was my most memorable semester in the MPA Program. I had just joined the MPASA leadership team and immediately doors began to open. I had the opportunity to attend the American Society of Public Administration (ASPA) Conference in Baltimore. During that semester, I took one the most challenging, yet rewarding classes- PAD 740 with Professor Palm, who retired this year. The final project, a meta-analysis of Inspector General Reports, helped me gain a new perspective on how to address chronic systematic deficiencies that increase vulnerability. My project focused on the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS). I reviewed their auditing process and how limited audit scopes did not address medical necessity on excessive (increase) claims. What’s the connection between the ASPA Conference and PAD 740? I was steadily working to finish my meta-analysis on the trip.

3) Tell us a little about what do you now – how has the MPA helped you in your current role? How do you see the program affecting your future?

I am a Project Administrator at the Center for Practice Innovations at the NYS Psychiatric Institute, which is a part of the Division for Mental Health Services and Policy Research. Simplified, I provide administrative and operational support for the Center.

- One of my main roles is assisting with the implementation and daily support of a learning management system, which educates mental health professionals on national scale. The MPA program has helped me in my current role in many ways. For example, my current position is grant-funded, and when my grant location was switched from a small non-for-profit to a large organization, the information I learned in the Organizational Performance Assessment and Human Resource Management courses helped me to adapt to this new transition. These courses also helped to clarify the importance of having a holistic perspective of human capital and the importance of performance management in understanding how organizations function.

4) Were there any resources at John Jay that you would recommend that students take advantage of?

Using the library, especially the online journals and databases. When you are down to the wire and you need to conduct research all night, it’s a life saver to know how to conduct searches.

5) Any final advice for students?

• Assess your top skills and apply to internships and jobs that utilize these skills and strengths. Research the culture of the organization to ensure that there is a strong fit.
• Get involved in organizations like MPASA, a leadership role will prepare you for a role in managing and administering programs in any sector or industry. This is a great training ground. If you make a mistake, you are not going to get fired!

John Jay College MPA Student Summer Intern Profile: Mayuri Saxena

Mayuri at the United Nations!

 Mayuri Saxena is a currently pursuing her Masters of Public Administration in Oversight and Inspection and is specializing in Investigations. Mayuri holds a BA and MA in International Affairs and decided to go into investigations because of her passion in fighting corruption in the public sector. 

Recently, Mayuri completed a coveted internship in the United Nations Management Reform office at the US Mission to the United Nations (USUN) in New York addressing wasteful spending in UN Peacekeeping Missions through analysis of proposed budgets. While working at USUN, she had the opportunity to not only work on budgetary issues in office, but also attend budget negotiations during the Fifth Committee at UN Headquarters. Since completing her internship, Mayuri was accepted as an Investigative intern at the NYC Department of Investigations. Her future aspirations include either working as a public sector investigator or becoming a Foreign Service Officer. 

Mayuri will also be serving as the President of the MPA Student Association from this Fall, Congratulations Mayuri on being elected and we look forward to working with you!

CORO Civic Leadership Awards Dinner, May 17, 2012

                                                         (Melia Polynice and Mary Ann Triest)

President Travis kindly invited a few staff from the Center for Career & Professional Development, Declan Walsh (Director of the Office of Community Outreach and Service Learning), and 2 students, Melia Polynice (MPA '12 Graduate), and Ipsan Gonzalez (BA, Forensic Psychology student), to attend the CORO Civic Leadership Awards Dinner on the evening of May 17th.    We met CORO fellow program alumni who spoke to the many career & professional development opportunities that they gained as a result of their training in leadership skills, problem solving and communication skills that are vital for future success.   The overwhelming support of professionals from the government, legal, and corporate worlds was also evident in the large numbers of people in attendance from these professional areas.  Overall, we were quite impressed with the opportunities that this program presents for learning and making strong professional connections with others in the public service world.  This would be a wonderful opportunity for our John Jay students as a post-graduate fellowship experience!

The following people were honored for their commitment to public service:

• William J. Bratton, Chairman of Kroll Advisory Solutions
• Christopher J. Williams, Chairman, CEO, and founder of Williams Capital Group, L.P and Williams Capital Management, LLC.
• Susan Feldman, Founder and Artistic Director of St. Ann's Warehouse
• Jill Eisenhard, Founder and Executive Director of the Red Hook Initiative (CORO Alumna)

What is the CORO Fellows Program? 

 

 The Coro Fellows Program is a nine-month, full-time, graduate-level leadership training program that prepares diverse, talented, and committed individuals for effective and ethical leadership in the public arena. Fellows participate at each of Coro’s five regional centers: Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and San Francisco.  Sixty four fellows each year engage in field placements, group interviews, seminars, focus weeks, individual and group projects, which develop project management experience, an in-depth understanding of complex public issues.  

Recruitment for the 2013-14 class of Fellows will begin in September 2012, and stay tuned for an announcement from the Center for Career & Professional Development for when we will host the Recruitment Manager from the CORO Program.  A must attend event if you're interested in this excellent opportunity!

More information can be found here:  http://www.coro.org/

First Mentorship Initiative with Dr. Paul Viollis - John Jay College Alum & President and CEO of Risk Control Strategies, Inc.

Careers in Corporate Security and Understanding Employer Background Checks

 Wednesday, May 2nd in L 72, Center for Career & Professional Development

You may be wondering, what is the Mentorship Initiative?!

It is a new event series where we host successful alumni and other professionals in a variety of career fields with the goal of building career bridges for our John Jay students and alumni.  Experienced professionals share valuable information about their career paths and offer solid advice on how students can get their careers off to a great start.

The Center for Career & Professional Development was proud to host Dr. Paul Viollis, a John Jay alum and CEO of Risk Control Strategies, Inc. for our first annual Mentorship Initiative day!

Prior to assuming his current position, Dr. Viollis’ professional business resume includes President & CEO of Corporate Risk Consulting, Senior Managing Director for Citigate Global Intelligence & Security and Vice President at Kroll where he served on their post September 11^th Threat Assessment Team.

Over Paul Viollis’ storied career in both law enforcement and security, he developed a diverse base of expertise in various areas of the criminal justice system ranging from his position as Supervisor for the New York County’s District Attorney’s Office Criminal Court Unit and Security Specialist/Supervisor under the United States Space Command to Chief Officer of a Florida State Police Academy.  Dr. Viollis has been involved in thousands of investigations and specializes as a security advisor for the affluent community as well as in workplace violence behavioral analysis of which he is currently recognized as one of the foremost experts in the world.

Dr. Viollis sat down with a group of undergraduate, graduate students and alumni from all different academic areas that had one goal in mind: they wanted his advice on pursuing corporate security and government work, and how they should go about it.
Dr. Viollis brought great energy, experience and knowledge to our group and emphasized the importance of building analytical skills no matter what area of work you are interested in, and to feel confident in your ability to utilize your comprehensive John Jay College education.  For example, let employers know what your favorite classes were, and how you feel it prepared you to work in their organization.  Talk to them about where you see yourself in the next 5-10 years, and what tangible skills and talents you can bring to the table.

  After the morning presentation, students were able to meet with Dr. Viollis for one-on-one sessions to gain his perspective on their individual situations. In the afternoon, he discussed how employers conduct background checks and how students can be ready for this - especially important for students interested in government and public service work.   Overall, a wonderful event where many students walked away with valuable advice and inspiration to stay strong in their internship and job search.

Keep your eye on our weekly Newsletter in the Fall to learn about who we will be hosting for the next  Mentorship Initiative and we hope you can join us!!