Why do members need Life After AmeriCorps support?

With summer upon us it is the season when AmeriCorps members are preparing to exit their terms of service and seek out employment or higher education. We want AmeriCorps members to be prepared for Life After AmeriCorps.

Why?

First and foremost because we care about them and want them to succeed.

Second, it’s good for our program and for National Service in general to have AmeriCorps serve as a strong stepping stone for jobs, school, or more service. As we tell the story of service, this pipeline bolsters our recruitment and retention.

Whether it’s a job, school, or service next step, AmeriCorps members need to be confident introducing themselves to new people and telling their story of service. That’s why we’re hosting Making A Great First Impression on July 19th. In this workshop we’ll be covering key concepts of how to translate their AmeriCorps experience to people who may be unfamiliar with AmeriCorps. We’ll also give them time to reflect on what skills they gained through service that they would want to highlight in an interview or networking situation.

One interview strategy we highlight is strategic storytelling. Stories are powerful in job interviews because they are memorable. Members should prepare for an interview by thinking about what strengths, skills, or experience they want to highlight and then brainstorming stories in which they demonstrated those strengths, skills, or experience. In an interview it is much more impactful to show your strengths rather than telling them. This will set members apart from other candidates. If you don’t prepare, you may end up sharing the first story that pops into your mind and there’s a good chance that story doesn’t highlight the strengths you want to demonstrate. Preparation is key and we’ll help members during this workshop so they are ready when the time comes.

We hope that your members can join us on July 19th at 2 pm Eastern Time for Making a Great First Impression.

Do you have members that have exited already? No worries, we welcome AmeriCorps alumni as well. Feel free to share this opportunity with them.