The UPP is dedicated to fostering connections between USGS researchers and PSU faculty, students, and staff to advance water science and inform decision-making around Oregon’s water resources. One of the key goals of this partnership is to “create a skilled and diverse pool of PSU graduates” who are knowledgeable and prepared to work at USGS and beyond. To accomplish this, the UPP hosts free networking events, seminars, and professional development opportunities for students to attend.
The UPP Student Career Workshop is a critical piece of our student engagement process, and is where undergrad and grad students pursuing STEM, social sciences, and non-science majors can learn:
- how to navigate the federal application process
- how to use the main online portal for federal employment, USAJobs
- how to write a resume
- about upcoming career and internship opportunities
For some students, these workshops have helped them get their foot in the door at USGS or other water science careers. After attending a career workshop last year, Melanie Greenfield, a graduate student pursuing a certificate in Hydrology, landed a position as a Hydrologic Field Assistant (HFA) with the USGS Oregon Water Science Center.
“Attending the student career workshop helped me feel less intimidated by USAJobs. It drilled in the importance of paying attention to all of the details and adding things to my resume such as information about my high school that I would not have included on any other resume.”
In addition to learning about federal jobs, students have the opportunity to network with PSU faculty and USGS staff at these events. “Most importantly,” Melanie says, “it was a low-pressure way to meet and socialize with current employees of USGS that may have a say in the decision to hire you.”
The Application and Onboarding Process
Students and recent graduates interested in applying for a USGS or federal job should be aware of the application and onboarding process. Once a job listing opens, applicants usually have one week to submit their resume and other relevant documents.
“Applying for the job was a quick turnaround for me. I attended the career workshop where I learned about the job, the job opening went live a few days after, and closed within a week. I remember having to drop all priorities to focus on it. I updated my resume to meet the requirements I learned about at the career workshop, and then, I submitted my resume and cover letter to the hiring manager.”
Then, the process slowed down. A week after submitting her application, Melanie was invited to interview for the HFA position. Although employees at the ORWSC knew they wanted to hire her relatively quickly, she did not receive an official offer letter until two months later.
“Once I had an official offer letter, I needed to complete a background check and submit paperwork from a physical examination. All in all, I started working three months after my interview. There has been a lot of effort this year to reduce that timeline, but only so much can be done, so one should be prepared for a long process.”
Day-to-Day of an HFA
A Hydrologic Field Assistant with the USGS has some specific duties, including:
- Assisting in the routine collection of surface-water, ground-water, and quality-water data from gaging stations, wells, or QW monitoring stations.
- Assisting in performing laboratory analysis of water samples to determine specified sediment, chemical, or biological concentrations or physical characteristics.
- Maintaining scientific data collection equipment and infrastructure
- Reviewing, compiling, and entering field data into USGS databases
Melanie states that there are two halves of the ORWSC; the data side and the studies side. “The data side is responsible for maintaining the many surface water gages, recording parameters such as discharge and gage height.”
Melanie is a HFA on the studies side and works for the hydrotech team. They are responsible for gathering data that supports scientific studies conducted by different cooperators.
“The biggest chunk of my work and the work of the studies technicians is to maintain continuous water quality monitors. We maintain the sensors and equipment that collect parameters such as pH, water temperature and dissolved oxygen in streams. I have also worked on projects that collect discrete water samples that are then sent to other labs to be analyzed.”
Melanie loves the flexibility of her day-to-day responsibilities; there is no typical day and each day of the week, she could be working at a different location. On the other hand, the most challenging aspect of a HFA is the newness of it all.
“I have never done anything like this before! I didn’t have any experience with the specific equipment or methods beforehand, so it can feel like I make small mistakes all the time. But my coworkers have been very understanding–it is all a learning process, most mistakes are fixable, and they all help you understand the methods better.”
If you are interested in sharing events and career/internship opportunities like the UPP Student Career Workshop with PSU students, feel free to direct them to the UPP Student Mailing List. After filling out the form, they will receive information about upcoming professional development events, job or internship listings, seminars, and other engagement opportunities.