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Networking and informational interviews will help you with several phases of your career exploration program. Early on when you are exploring options and locating target positions they will give you insight into varied career paths. Notes are an important part of this effort and they can take many forms, from simple written outlines and bullets to recorded tapes. Many people simply don’t like to write or take notes. If you fit that description tape summaries of your discussions after the meeting or call and then at a later date play the notes back and write down the key facts that you want to hold on to. The Federal workforce talks the jargon (agency slang) and they use acronyms like they are going out of style. Your notes will capture key words and phases that you may want to incorporate into your application package. Don’t hesitate to ask for clarifications when talking with other federal workers. If they are talking about the MBO initiatives and you don’t know what MBO stands for, ask. It can mean a number of things depending on the agency. To many MBO means “Management by Objectives" to others it may mean something else entirely. Every contact you make is a potential gold mine of information that can be used to your benefit. Take Charge of Your Federal Career has a comprehensive networking section that outlines the process for you, provides templates to follow, and lists numerous resources to help you make a connection. Networking has mostly been associated with the private sector but it has always been a factor in the federal sector as well. Those who master these techniques can expand their opportunities far beyond what they imagined. Early in my federal career I used networking, it wasn’t called that back then, to explore a number of related government occupations. Within two years of beginning my search I landed a better job in a desirable occupation that eventually lead to a top management position. On another occasion I and a number of fellow federal workers organized a local Toastmasters club. One of our new members was a former engineer from the Corp of Engineers. Through her affiliation with our group she discovered that we had a job vacancy in her specialty and she landed the job. Twenty-five years later she is at the top of her field and a manager of a large government organization. Chapter Eight is devoted to networking techniques and informational interviews and provides the following additional information:
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