Does any Returned Peace Corps Volunteer feel that the experience of being in the Peace Corps and all the beneficial and worthwhile experience we've gained means very little to any possible employer?
Emagick
07/09/03 00:36 AM
exPeace Corps Volunteer..but who seems to care
Maybe it's just me, but does any Returned Peace Corps Volunteer feel that the experience of being in the Peace Corps and all the beneficial and worthwhile experience we've gained means very little to any possible employer?
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AnnieHoweB
07/09/03 01:21 PM
Re: exPeace Corps Volunteer..but who seems to care [re: Emagick]
This really interests me. Sorry, i haven't been in the peace corps. but was surprised to see what you wrote. any more info? did you think it was a god program but just the follow up or or??
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Emagick
07/10/03 10:53 AM
Re: exPeace Corps Volunteer..but who seems to care [re: AnnieHoweB]
For me the Peace Corps was a wonderful program, it was an experience that changed my life and my outlook on many things. It was extremely worthwhile and the gave me many skills I would think employers would like to see in their employees. Since I came back though no hiring employers seem to even want to hear about it, Many want to know what experience I have had here in the "real world" or that's too bad that I didn't get my Masters after college. It seems as if many, the ones who haven't been in the PC, now think of the Peace Corps as a vacation.
Well I'll still keep plugging away, and if you are interested in going into the Peace Corps, I still very strongly recommend it. In the least it will be a worthwhile experience for yourself.
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Pandora
07/14/03 01:16 PM
Re: exPeace Corps Volunteer..but who seems to care [re: Emagick]
I'm not a former Peace Corps volunteer, but I once worked for a man who preferred to hire them. (I belonged to his other preferred category, former residential service workers.) He believed that both experiences developed employees who were solution oriented, adaptable, curious, and had reasonable people skills.
As an employer, I am less interested in what you did in the Peace Corps than how it will benefit me. I suggest you package your Peace Corps experience around abilities to adapt, engage others, work with diverse populations, cope with difficult circumstances and minimal resources. Employers may find those skills very valuable!
Good luck
Pandora
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Maggie624
07/19/03 07:13 PM
Re: exPeace Corps Volunteer..but who seems to care [re: Emagick]
I wouldn't doubt the marketability of your peace corps experience just yet!
If you're job-hunting now and encountering this problem, take comfort (sort of) in the fact that the non-profit job market is crummy, crummy, crummy right now, and everyone's experience seems to be a little less valuable lately
. I'm not even sure I could get MY old job back, because people with an extra degree and a few more years experience are applying for it now! But Pandora's advice is good - you have to be able to "sell" it to your prospective employer, and you have to keep in mind that some experience will be more valuable in some situations than in others. PC work in, say, Bulgaria, will be more valuable to an organization focused on CEE issues than one working on South Asia, or working with public schools in Virginia.
Don't despair - those PC years were not in vain
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knotheadusc
07/31/03 09:22 PM
Re: exPeace Corps Volunteer..but who seems to care [re: Maggie624]
I hear ya... I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Armenia and I just finished master's degrees in social work and public health. I'm still having a rotten time.
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santamaria
08/05/03 10:47 AM
Re: exPeace Corps Volunteer..but who seems to care [re: Emagick]
I've been back over a year and still am not in the field I wanted to be in. I don't know if it is the current economy, but it has been impossible to even get interviews at international development organizations. I don't have my master's yet, and I think that is the problem I have. I think being an RPCV got me my current job, but the skills I learned in-country are not being put to use here.
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maimouna
08/18/03 10:24 PM
Re: exPeace Corps Volunteer..but who seems to care [re: Emagick]
I am a returned peace corps volunteer and have been job-searching for about 7 months... I've had a few interviews and no job offers, but in the interviews I did have, the interviewers were very interested in my pc experience, and seemed to take my experiences more seriously than even I do sometimes. That said, they are after all the ones who interviewed me, and there were countless others who didn't -- how much pc played a factor in any of this, I can't say. I have the impression that employers with close connections to the peace corps (either served themselves or know it well) are more inclined to be interested in rpcv candidates. I also think that employees who are not looking for "international experience" don't necessarily see pc experience as relevant, though of course the experience is valuable in many ways to many different situations.
These are just some thoughts. Yes, sometimes I definately feel as you do, that no one cares about pc experience. I was told that being a pc volunteer would open so many doors, and now I wonder... I can only hope it's just the economic situation we're in.
When I joined pc it was a great time to find a job, and I returned to a horrible time to find a job. So for those who might be interested in pc service, I'd say it's a great time to join the peace corps!!
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anolah
09/04/03 04:19 PM
Re: exPeace Corps Volunteer..but who seems to care [re: Emagick]
I agree with you... I've been looking for a job for nearly a year. I came back from PC in '02. I've been doing silly administrative things since then, but nothing really satisfying. But we have no choice but to keep plugging away! I find that corporate companies certainly have no interest in PC work. They seem to equate it with those who serve meals in soup kitchens on Christmas -- not that that isn't worthwhile volunteer work. But PC is a full time job and we must market it that way. For one, I never write the word volunteer on my cover letter or resume. I gave myself an appropriate title and quantified the work I did in various areas. I show how my accomplishments show that I'm persistent in impossible situations, can work with little resources, creativity, etc. You have to remain excited about your job search and make sure you tailor each and every cover letter for the specifications of the job. I notice I get more replies when I pay attention to the cover letter more than anything else.
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kismet
02/10/04 10:45 PM
Re: exPeace Corps Volunteer..but who seems to care [re: Emagick]
I've experienced the opposite- I have a Master's, but not Peace Corps experience. I did research for 6 months in west Africa, but that is ignored against folks who have sacrificed 2 years + in country. I see employers that want that experience- so I guess it's a catch 22- hard for those who did PC and difficult in other ways for those who didn't. I have heard that recent PC status gives you a leg up on govt jobs- if those interest you at all. Something akin to veteran status, as far as service to the country, even though it's not military. Either way- please don't discount your experience over there. All the Master's degrees in the world can't teach you what it's like to live in a developing country.
