USDA Internships. Act Now!

The U.S. Forest Service is preparing to advertise an agency-wide vacancy announcement for the student internship positions on USAJOBS next week, November 18^th.  As we understand it, the application period will be very short (5 days) closing on Friday, November 22, 2013.  As such, it will be imperative that students be prepared to react quickly and get their application submitted before the deadline.  Attached is a preliminary list of the intern positions that will be announced next week.

Students should begin:
·         Checking USAJOBS on November 18, 2013 for the announcement of available Internships within the US Forest Service.
·         Recognize that “NTE Intern” (Not to Exceed) are considered temporary appointments and is equivalent to the former Student Temporary Employment Program.“Indefinite Intern” is equivalent to the former Student Career Experience Program; offering indefinite appointments during their period of eligibility under the Internship Program. Although indefinite, noncompetitive conversion to a permanent or term position is not guaranteed.
·         Ensure all their application documents are already uploaded in USAJOBS (resume, transcript(s), letters of recommendation, and all other supporting documentation).  Click on the following link for more resume building guidancehttp://www.fs.usda.gov/main/r3/jobs/outreach·         Pay particular attention to the category job series.  For example, posting for all natural resources & biological services may be grouped in to a “499” series as opposed to breaking it out by major (i.e. wildlife sci., range mgt, botany, etc.)
·         Need to apply for positions that match their academic and career goals and choose what duty locations they’re willing to accept.  Note: there are over 700 work locations across the nation.  Again, students should be encouraged to be mobile, which will help increase their internship opportunities.
·         Attached are some Pathways documents that are helpful in understanding the program and the application process.

Students are welcome to contact me should they have any questions in regards to submitting their application to USAJOBS.

Best Regards,
Julio

Julio C. PuentesRegional Director - Illinois/Midwest
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Hispanic-Serving Institutions National Program
773.442.4235 (P)