Just before COVID-19 really caught the government's attention, I finished the whole application and approval process to begin working as a volunteer for the Bird House(s) at the Smithsonian National Zoo. Unfortunately, DC will be in quarantine for quite a while. So, it will also be some time before I can officially start, but what an amazing opportunity!
I will be participating in a one year volunteer trial period before the bird house committee decides whether or not I will be a good fit as an intern, or maybe one day as an employee. Regardless, I'm thrilled for the chance to even volunteer at the national zoo while working with animals. The volunteer position, for me, will take place only one day per week, and I'm still working on finding a paying job somewhere that also grants animal husbandry experience.
Thus far in my journey, I've had so many experiences under my belt. I actively pursued opportunities I thought would greatly benefit my future and I don't think much has changed. To be fair, COVID-19 has... honestly been a bit discouraging as I apply for jobs with excellent experience and references, and either, I'm rejected or I just never hear back.
Sure, I hear back from small places like an animal shelter and such, but they never know a start-date and even before the quarantine, with my years of laboratory experience and a bachelor's degree in Zoology, I was rejected from every "Bio 1" position I applied for. I think, for a little while, I did honestly give up a bit... I stopped looking, stared at all the job postings and thought "Well clearly none of them want me so what's the point?"
I wrapped myself up in a lot of sadness and discouragement, and then the world came to a halt with the quarantine. I have one ray of hope right now, I will be a volunteer in one of the most interesting (in my opinion) animal houses at the Smithsonian National Zoo... which is a huge highlight, don't misunderstand me. I suppose it's fair to be frustrated with how difficult it has been so far to land a job when I have nearly as much time-based experience as some people pursuing their masters degrees. Most of the positions I've applied for are government jobs and what HR in a govt. occupation look for in a resume is just... different from what you might expect.
I had a beautiful resume. It had a professional looking layout, proper heading placement, all the information was easy to find and quick to read while highlighting the most important aspects of the topic I was presenting, etc., but I soon found out that most government positions do not care about how nice your resume looks. They also don't care about whether or not it fits the "one page rule". I actually called one of the ladies from usajobs.gov and asked her what I should be focusing on in my applications.
Her largest suggestions: use the usajobs.gov resume builder (it won't look pretty and you can pack as much (relevant info) as you possibly can into that thing), if they ask for an "optional cover letter" always submit one, and when you fill out the surveys of your skills, if you have any experience at all with that thing you're an expert (e.g. If you have done the thing at least twice, you are now an "expert" and can do it without supervision).
One of the most difficult things to do when you're tired, uncertain, and/or borderline hopeless, is to keep accepting different opportunities just to see where they take you. Although, to be fair I knew some people who had trouble saying no to opportunities and were unable to manage their time well, so don't tear yourself to shreds either. Always be anticipating a future though. If you think you want to do research some day, find a professor you like and ask if they would be willing to let you gain some in-lab experience. Email people who have a career path that looks similar to the one you think you want and ask them how they got there. Reaching out to people who are already in a spot you want to stand in some day is a pretty fast-track way to gain advice when you're not sure where to go next.
Anyway, despite the quarantine, I'm thankful for how far I've come and I'm very interested to see what's next.