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February 28, 2005

Lessons From Washington: Alumni Say, "Help Us Help You"

"I am living proof that you can get a job from this type of event," declared John Greco, F’88, to a room full of eager Fletcher students at last week’s career trip to Washington, D.C. Greco, who is currently working as a producer for the Discovery Health Channel, said he has found many jobs through Fletcher connections in the Washington Area.

Thursday and Friday classes were cancelled, allowing Fletcher students to descend upon Washington armed with business cards and nametags. The career trip offered students the opportunity to visit a wide array of D.C.-based organizations including the Department of State, the National Democratic Institute, and the Department of Commerce. In addition to site visits, other panels were organized by field with topics including Corporate Social Responsibility, International Development, and Conflict Resolution. Panels of Fletcher grads from each organization or field gave overviews of their careers and answered questions for students. Over the course of two days, more than 20 panels were organized by the Office of Career Services throughout the Washington metro area in order to showcase Fletcher connections to current students and to remove the negative stigma sometimes associated with the word "networking."

Washington is a special place for Fletcher as it is home to more than 1500 Fletcher alumni—more than any other city in the world. In the parlance of the Office of Career Services, there are many "Fletcher-Friendly" jobs and internships as a result of this dense network. "Use the Fletcher network, it works!" proclaimed Dr. Richard Feen, a F’75 Ph.D., now a professional speechwriter working as the Manager of Corporate Communications at the Freddie Mac Corporation. Feen’s advice was echoed by many other alumni on various panels who attested to the power of the "Fletcher Mafia," a network of alumni around the world that is particularly strong in Washington. At a cocktail party hosted by the Australian embassy on Friday evening, the Fletcher Mafia gathered to sip wine, catch up on old times, and meet their newest members.

In addition to networking, many alums offered specific advice to job-seeking students. "Focus your MALD thesis on something directly related to where you would like to work" suggested Colum Garrity, F’98, an Extended-Term Consultant for Public Sector Governance at the World Bank and Co-Chair of Fletcher’s Alumni Association of Washington. "Know the structure of the organization you are targeting and "google" the person you are meeting with," said Rachel Kyte, GMAP’02, Principal Specialist Ombudsman at the IFC/MIGA-World Bank Group. "Arm yourself with information" offered Dan Green, F’91, Producer for Nightline ABC News, as a method for impressing your future interviewer. Other general tips emphasizing the importance of proofreading resumes and using proper grammar in e-mail correspondences were echoed by alumni on various panels.

The career trip also offered students a glimpse of alternatives to more traditional career paths in international policy or economics. "Fletcher is a wonderful place to launch yourself in a career in journalism," said NY Times Pentagon Correspondent Thomas Shanker, F’82. Chairing the Media and Communications panel, Shanker urged students to write early and often to build a repertoire for future employers. Journalism is a trade, he explained, but a Fletcher degree will allow graduates to excel as generalists in the profession.

Many students went beyond the organized events and contacted Washington-based alumni on their own. Mike Kugelman, a second year student at Fletcher said, "The career trip helped me appreciate the strength of the Fletcher alumni network in Washington. Knowing I would be in DC for several days, I contacted quite a few alums about getting together for informational interviews while I was in town. Most responded within hours, and when I met with them during the trip, they were very open and helpful." According to Tamara Golden, Associate Director of Career Services, this career trip was "one of the most successful trips we've had to date."

Article by Anna Tiedeman, MALD '05

Posted by jessica at February 28, 2005 12:24 PM