The Wrong Reason (and the Right Ones) to Leave AmeriCorps Early

by Meghan Oakley

categories: Tips for Applicants, AmeriCorps

Published November 05, 2009 @ 03:35PM PT

One question that I get a lot from people interested in applying for AmeriCorps is: "If I find a better job, can I leave early?" Technically, yes. Would I recommend it? No. Of course, there are plenty of situations that would require someone to "honorably" leave their service early. Which ones are which? Read on.

Before I go into the good reasons and the bad reasons to leave your service early, I would like to note exactly how AmeriCorps is different from many full-time jobs in this regard. Specifically, it is a different kind of commitment:

• When you join AmeriCorps, you commitment to 10 months to 2 years of service, and AmeriCorps commits to you. Although you technically can leave early, you take an oath that you won't.

• People and communities are hurt when you leave early. Why? Chances are that a nonprofit has jumped through a lot of hoops to get you to their organization (trust me, I make the hoops). If you leave, they might not be able to get someone to replace you, and the service will go undone.

Photo Attribution: eHow.

Must-Ask Interview Questions

by Meghan Oakley

categories: Tips for Applicants, AmeriCorps

Published November 01, 2009 @ 06:26PM PT

We are all guilty of it. You get into an job interview and you're so nervous that you'll flub the answers to the questions they ask you that you forget to ask them questions in return.

Asking questions during a job interview can show that you are serious about the position, are interested in organization as a whole, and that you are playing attention. (Interviewers never remember to tell you all the things that you need to know, so asking clarifying questions will help you catch something that they have missed.)

For people applying for AmeriCorps positions, asking questions in an interview is even more important. First of all, AmeriCorps positions have a lot of moving parts that are unique to AmeriCorps and unique to individual programs. It's important use the interview to make sure that you have all the information about the position that you aren't able to get in advance.

Second, and most importantly, when you are interviewing with an AmeriCorps program, you are interviewing the program as much as the program is interviewing you. There are a lot of great AmeriCorps positions out there, but only so many highly qualified people. In a lost of cases, the program is working as hard to sell themselves to you as you are working to sell yourself to the program.

With this in mind, here are a few questions that you should ask during an AmeriCorps interview:

1). How does the benefits package work? How much is the living allowance and education award?

2). What is your management style and how do you communicate your expectations?

3). How will my performance be evaluated?

4). What have former AmeriCorps members from your program gone on to do?

5). What professional development opportunities do you provide your AmeriCorps members?

6). What other support do you provide for your AmeriCorps members?

Photo Attribution: BlogCDN

What a Second Year of AmeriCorps Can Do For You

by Meghan Oakley

Published October 22, 2009 @ 02:40PM PT

Why do just one year of AmeriCorps, when you can do two? A growing trend in the National Service Movement is AmeriCorps members committing to a second year of service. Call it a dedication to country or a response to the current econony. Either way, there are significant professional and personal benefits to doing more than just one year of service... here are just three:

• Continuing for a second year in the same program as a member or team leader enables you to build on the momentuem you have created and make an even bigger impact in the community. One complaint that I hear over and over again is that one year is just not enough to feel like you really have made a change. It takes times to learn the ropes. Doing a second year enables you a year of learning and a year to put that learning into practice.

• Build your resume. Conventional wisdom states that a longer commitment in your first professional position (i.e. one year versus two years) can enhance your resume by showing hiring supervisors that you have commitment and dedication and aren't just interested in getting in and getting out in a year.

• By serving in a second year in different program (like doing AmeriCorps*NCCC and then AmeriCorps*VISTA) can give you a chance to serve in a new capacity (like doing capacity building after a year of direct service) and develop whole new set of skills.

Photo attribution: Flickr

3 Ways to Benefit from a Team-based Program

by Meghan Oakley

category: Tips for Applicants

Published October 19, 2009 @ 05:33PM PT

Each AmeriCorps program is unique and offers professional development opportunities to its members. However, there is something to be said for team-based programs--like AmeriCorps*NCCC and CityYear--for what they teach you (by experience) about working with people. These are lessons that don't just maximize your year of service, but are sure to help you become a better professional in whatever you do for many years beyond AmeriCorps. Here are just three of those lessons:

Flexibility I used to think that I was a flexible person ... then I joined AmeriCorps*NCCC. It turns out that I wasn't that flexible after all. Instead, I found out that I had gotten my way for most of the first 22 years of my life. AmeriCorps*NCCC taught me how to work in unpredictable situations, adapting and making the most of the information and resources that I had at the time. It wasn't an easy lesson, but it has served me well in the years after. In each of the positions that I have held since my term in AmeriCorps, I can think of examples of times that I tapped into the flexibility that I learned in NCCC to get me through a challenging work situation.

Communication It's easy to communicate with others when you spend most of your time with like-minded family and friends who you have developed lifelong relationships with. The real test of your communication skills is in working with a group of strangers in physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging situations and circumstances. Team-based service requires that people develop mechanisms for communication that ensure cooperation towards a common goal supersedes personal differences. It is harder than it sounds, but once you develop real-life-tested communication skills, they will serve you for many years to come.

Teamwork I have always thought that "Teamwork" was the most nebulous term ever. It always conjures up images of a group of good Samaritans lifting a rafter out of a piece of rubble to free a trapped earthquake victim. I don't doubt that this is, in fact, teamwork, but it is not the kind of teamwork that people encounter in their daily lives (except for firefighters maybe). Instead, the understanding and appreciation of diverse perspectives, skills sets and work styles is key to a healthy team in the workplace. Working in a team-based program, you get the chance to learn about what you bring to the table, what others bring, and how they all come together to produce your desired outcomes.

Photo Attribution: Flickr

How to Get Taken Seriously in Your AmeriCorps Position

by Meghan Oakley

Published October 15, 2009 @ 03:43PM PT

I call it putting on my pointy shoes. At one point in my life, it was actually a pair of pointy, tan BCBG mules that I wore when meeting people for the first time or presenting at a conference. My theory? I might look like I'm 12 years old, but my shoes would remind people that I've been out of college longer than Grey's Anatomy has dominated Thursday night TV.

AmeriCorps members often struggle with getting taken seriously by colleagues and community members in the first few months of their service. I don't know if it is because AmeriCorps members don't get a traditional salary, or if it is because a large percentage of AmeriCorps members are recent college grads. Either way, AmeriCorps members serve as professionals... here area few tips on how to get treated like one:

Wear your pointy shoes. I know what you are thinking... really? Okay, they don't have to be pointy shoes, per se, but take some time to put together a clean, business casual look. You don't have to have fancy clothes (we all know you aren't getting paid enough to buy them). It's not what you wear, but how you wear it. Focus on clothes that are clean, appropriate, and one notch above what you would wear out to lunch.

Check your personal life at the door. We all have days when we want to share a part of our personal lives with our co-workers, and that is a healthy thing. However, silencing personal phone calls, curbing your Facebook time, and keeping Saturday night's funny story to yourself can all go a long way in showing that you mean business. Treat work time like it's work time and people will take you for the professional you are.

Act the part. As Dr. Phil (and later Liz Lemon) said, "We teach people how to treat us." If you want people to talk to you like you are a professional, communicate like one. If you want people to trust you, be trustworthy. If you want to be taken seriously, take yourself, your work, and your colleagues seriously, too.

And pointy shoes can't hurt, either.

Photo attribution: Flickr

AmeriCorps Alum Feature: Meet Brianna

by Meghan Oakley

Published October 08, 2009 @ 03:38PM PT

Name: Brianna Schultz
Program Served In: AmeriCorps*VISTA, Michigan Campus Compact
Location Served: Central Michigan University

What made you want to join AmeriCorps?

I had always wanted to do some type of AmeriCorps program after learning about it in college since service has always been a big part of my life.  After college, I knew I wanted to have a career in the nonprofit sector and thought it would be a great opportunity to serve and also gain some professional experience in the field in which I wanted to make a career.

What your experience serving like?

I served during the first year of the Michigan Campus Compact VISTA* program so I had the opportunity to do a lot of trailblazing.  I was able to lead volunteers in a tutoring program, organize a conference on social issues and also founded a new mentoring program that pairs college students and elementary students together.  There were definitely some challenges - living on a stipend with a lot of credit card debt and being in "limbo" between being a college student and a staff member on a college campus were two of the greatest.  Despite these challenges, the professional development I received was well worth it...the education award was pretty nice too!

How did your experience in AmeriCorps relate to your career path?

After my year of service was complete, I took a job with City Year Cleveland (www.cityyear.org)as a Program Manager in which my responsibilities were almost identical to my responsibilities as a VISTA.  I truly believe that my experiences as a VISTA were the selling points on my resume.  I still work with City Year, but have since been promited to Program Director.  I love it.

What advice would you give to people considering or going into AmeriCorps?

DO IT!!  It will be a year full of challenges, but it will be worth it if you immerse yourself in that year of service.  Your year of AmeriCorps will be as great as the energy you put into it.  Milk it for all that it is worth.

Picture provided by Brianna Schultz

What the Face of AmeriCorps Looks Like

by Meghan Oakley

Published October 06, 2009 @ 06:31AM PT

In previous posts, I have mentioned the magnitude and diversity of the AmeriCorps program, and I've even featured AmeriCorps Alums who have translated their year of service into a lifetime career.

Despite this, it is still sometimes hard to put a face on what AmeriCorps is. But that is exactly what AmeriCorps Alum and Program Consultant for Volunteer Florida, Ericka Zdenek is trying to do.

Zdenek's goal is to collect half a million photos of AmeriCorps members, alumni, and support staff holding "I AM AMERICORPS" signs. The idea came out of the AmeriCorps Alums parade at the Inauguration, when AmeriCorps Alums marched with "I am AmeriCorps Alums" signs.

How can you get involved?

• Check out the "I AM AMERICORPS" Facebook Page developed by Zdenek.
• Post your own "I AM AMERICORPS" Photo on Flickr.
• Join AmeriCorps and become a part of a national movement.

Photo from Facebook.