by Eric Holdeman: Emergency management in the blogosphere
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President Obama recently highlighted the need for more people to enter the profession of cybersecurity due to the persistent and ongoing threats from overseas and also here in the USA. Tens of thousands of cybersecurity professionals are going to be needed. See Cyberwarrior Shortage Threatens U.S. Security
Earlier today I had the opportunity to discuss the cybersecurity need and educational opportunities with Jeanett Smith-Perrone and Debra Padden who are both with the Tacoma Community College (TCC). They have had two cohorts of students of 18 each in their Networking and Cyber Security Program
We discussed who makes for good cybersecurity candidates. One pool of potential students they are interested in helping are active duty military personnel who are looking to transition out of the Army or Air Force. With Joint Base Lewis McCord (JBLM) nearby there are about 400 personnel who already work in related fields.
Their ideal candidate is an enlisted person, perhaps a non-commissioned officer, with the aptitude and a desire to gain the training necessary to obtain an AA degree and enter the cybersecurity career field. Being realistic about it, a four year degree is probably going to be needed to find a job. But, you have to start somewhere and this is an easy way to get your feet more than wet in this particular field. Their program is all set up so that your credits will transfer to the Western Governors University (WGU). And, if you don't like online courses their program with a mix of afternoon and evening classes is ideal.
No one wants to work flipping burgers for the rest of their lives. To be successful in the 21st Century you need an education and I think technological skills put you ahead of the crowd. Why not explore a career field that is in high demand!
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This is a great position for an experienced emergency manager. You will be working in a top-notch organization with a great regional reputation. A wonderful opportunity for someone who is creative and willing to work with others on a regional basis.
See Emergency Preparedness Operations Manager
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In FEMA Region VII they are recruiting a Regional Disability Integration Specialist (GS-301-11/12).
Marcie Roth shared this job posting.
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Here is another FEMA open position to which you can apply, see Emergency Management Program Specialist (IA). I'm thinking this position is centered on Individual Assistance, thus the (IA) designation.
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The information below was extracted from an email about the availability of internships at FEMA.
FEMA has a summer hire program. The program’s availability each year is dependent on funding. At this point, we anticipate FEMA will have a summer hire program in 2013. The summer hire program will be integrated into the new Pathways Program (https://www.usajobs.gov/StudentsAndGrad). All positions are advertised through USA Jobs, typically in the March time frame, and are paid positions at GS-1 to GS-5 level depending on education and experience. There are usually positions at FEMA headquarters in Washington DC and in the ten Regional Offices. Interested students should start monitoring for FEMA positions on USAJobs.
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The consulting business must be starting to pick up for at least one company, Hagerty Consulting. They have several emergency management Project Manager positions open. Washington, D.C., Chicago, IL, Charlotte, NC, and it sounds like the West Coast is also an option.
They are looking for emergency managers with real-world experience at the local, state or federal levels.
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With Steve Bailey's retirement history, Pierce County has put their recruitment for his replacement on the street, See Pierce County Emergency Management Director, Department of Emergency Management
This is a large and complex organization with many moving parts. It will take a very capable hand to keep all the pieces in place and moving forward. With the continuing reduction in homeland security grant funding it will be a challenging role for someone to undertake.
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In my mind I think FEMA is a bit worried about larger more frequent disasters and that is why they are standing up a new Incident Management Assistance Team Pilot Program
Read the above first and then follow the link to USAJobs
California is way overdue for a significant earthquake and having teams pre-established and trained will give them additional capabilities. The types of positions described are not going to be filled with program people who have other full time jobs. Instead the concept is to have folks dedicated and exercised in doing their duties.
If you are interested, being mobile and willing to move is the key.
Marty Pastula shared the links to this information.
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The use of social media in job searching and candidate finding is a relatively new phenomenon. While I've read many an article that warns college graduates to "clean up" their Facebook account there has been little written about the advantages and not just the liabilities for having a social media presence.
For instance, some companies are not posting jobs, but instead looking for candidates on social media. Not having a social media presence could be damaging because it is expected of people who are actively engaged in public discourse.
Some ideas include:
- Using Twitter and LinkedIn to establish a social media personality.
- Writing a blog helps people understand what you care about and how you think.
- Emergency managers do many public presentations and training sessions. Get some of these up on YouTube so people can see how your present yourself.
- I also like the use of About.me which lets you establish an online bio with links to your social media sites. See mine at Eric Holdeman
- Like a company on Facebook and you might get early notifications of job openings
- Follow company Twitter feeds since they can advertise openings there.
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Sometimes I need to remind myself that people just graduating from college may in many cases never interviewed for a job. In fact, many Gen Y age men and women never worked when they were in school; not even summer employment.
With that in mind, even basic tips might be helpful to someone going to an interview for the first time. These are really basic:
- Empty your pockets
- Put of the mirror
- Negotiate later
The one item I'll disagree with is not taking the interviewer up on something to drink. You can get cotton mouth in a heartbeat and water is fine. If offered--take it.
You can get the basic information in this video: 3 Tips for Interviewing Like a Boss What I like about it is the visual aspect (albeit at 1.5 to make the presentation keep up with the speaker). It provides another way to communicate the message and perhaps make it more "sticky" by having the visual which will appeal to -- visual learners.
Trust me there is a great deal more to interviewing techniques, but this is a starting place.
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Latest Emergency Management News
State officials hope to create a first-of-its-kind comprehensive framework to bolster cybersecurity efforts while maintaining strong relationships with local government and the private sector.
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