Friday, November 5, 2010
Tectonic Plates Break Apart Creating the Gregosphere
Folks, it's an exciting time in the Gregosphere. Either things will happen to you, or you can make things happen. I have chosen the latter. What am I making happen? I am getting myself outta the country without joining the armed forces. I will accomplish my goal in two simple steps. Step 1. Submit Peace Corps application. Step 2. Leave home country to volunteer in Peace Corps. Why am I still not overseas? I submitted the application two days ago. Ok, so the process takes a little time. But I am anxious to see how things play out. I'm trying to get some things in the works to help my chances. I volunteer teaching English every week and I may be able to work in a pharmacy once a week. That could help if the PCs is looking for someone with a healthcare background. If you should read this and have applied/been accepted: What have you done to increase your chances of placement?
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Honestly, there is very little that I did to better my chances of placement. I minored in Spanish in college so I narrowed my geographic preference to Central and South America. If you speak Spanish then you have a better chance of getting placed somewhere in the Americas but if you do not speak Spanish then you stand little chance of being placed there. So although I narrowed the areas where I wanted to serve (ordinarily the Peace Corps frowns on that) it didn't hurt my chances of being placed.
ReplyDeleteAs far as actively increasing my chances no one thing stands out to me. Be sure to be courteous when you get emails and phone calls from the Peace Corps. Return them as fast as you can. Do not ignore phone calls from the 212 area code. That's the DC office.
When you set up your interview with a recruiter be sure to ask them questions too. They'll be happy to tell you about their time in the Peace Corps and it'll give you a better picture of what you're getting yourself into.
Above all, have patience. This application process is a long one! It took me 12 months from when I submitted my application until I received my invitation. And as with any bureaucracy be prepared to play Hurry Up And Wait. Hence, have patience.
Until you hear back from the Peace Corps read peacecorpswiki.com . There is a wealth of information there. Make sure this is really what you want to do.
Best of luck, Greg!
Hi Greg.. My advice to you is volunteer often and build up your skill set once you have an idea of your program nomination. Your Placement Officer wants to see that you've got some experience and volunteer service, which shows your commitment to service. I also suggest you have a cheat sheet to study before an interview that you can use to go over things you've done that might show you're suitability for PC.. did you volunteer in college? Have you lead or been a leader? Were you involved in any campus activities or service learning stuff? The more the better.
ReplyDeleteIt's a whole lot of waiting and red tape, but it will most likely work out in the end.
-Jesse, PCV in South Africa
Hey Thanks for these comments. Somehow I never got an email alert when comments were posted. I'm talking with a recruiter now and should have an interview soon.
ReplyDelete