Tinisha Agramonte started her career in public service as an Air Force spouse working drug demand reduction programs (or, in her words "Pee Queen") to SES as the Director of the Office of Civil Rights at Dept of Commerce. She is an eloquent advocate for first generation professionals in federal service, people like her who are the first in a family to work an office job or attend college. Many of us entering the workforce don't have insight into social norms of the workplace or resume writing if we come from a socioeconomic background devoid of examples we can follow. She created the First Generation Professionals Initiative for that group of people to ensure the nation gets the diverse, savvy, hard-working public servants it deserves, people who truly represent the full spectrum of our population. If you are curious about her work or setting up a program like this in your department or agency, listen now. I hope you have as much fun listening to this episode as I did recording it with TInisha.

https://www.commerce.gov/cr/programs-and-services/first-generation-professionals-initiative

If you've ever been asked to create social media content for your agency, this episode is for you. Here's what's probably run through your head:

Who's my target audience?

What's the strategy here?

Is this going to sound cheesy?

Will I get in trouble if I say this?

I interviewed Kristy Dalton of Government Social Media to get best practices for government social media posts. Kristy created an online community for govvies working social media issues that you can join for free.

https://www.governmentsocialmedia.com/

If your new to the DC area or thinking about moving here to pursue a federal career, Tommy Pevehouse is here to help. He make the move from Arkansas, full of optimism and enthusiasm, only to encounter a variety of professional obstacles. He created a resource for young feds to get help learning basic professional skills and avoid the pitfalls he experienced. And he reminds those of us with a few years under our belts that we need to support the next gen of feds in a variety of ways we might not have considered.

If you get asked by friends and family how someone's child/cousin/friend can get a job with the government and how to start, DC Hopefuls, Tommy's community of newbies, is a great place to start.

https://dchopefuls.com/

If you're like me, you've heard the ads for WAEPA and wondered what it is and how it actually compares to FEGLI. Listen to Shane Canfield, the CEO of WAEPA, describe what it is and why you might want to run the numbers to compare WAEPA to your current insurance. This is NOT an ad.

Want to learn more? https://www.waepa.org/

The Federal Vacancies Reform Act impacts all federal employees - some more than others. Stanford Law faculty member and federal bureaucracy expert Anne Joseph O'Connell outlines what the Act is and why we should care, as well as how it impacts us.

Her bio:

https://law.stanford.edu/directory/anne-joseph-oconnell/

A summary of the Act:

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44997.pdf

Ever felt a little awkward about networking? Public sector career coach Alex Tremble dishes advice for feds and has a special offer for FedUpward listeners. He's offering his networking training at 20% off and a free 30 minute coaching call to YOU. Listen for details.

https://alextremble.com/

Not on the FedUpward mailing list? Find out what you're missing.

https://view.flodesk.com/pages/5e5da1e45fc9a50026db6d8a

FedUpward listeners can get $25 for opening an account with FedChoice Federal Credit Union right now. Courtney Brown of FedChoice talks about the benefits of credit unions and how FedChoice has a very long history of supporting feds when we need it most.

https://www.fedchoice.org/

This episode is sponsored by FedChoice Federal Credit Union.

Ever considered hiring a company to write your SES package? There are pros and cons. Lee Kelley of Career Pro Global walks you through the process and what boards are actually looking f or.

https://try.careerproplus.com/

Joint the FedUpward mailing list here:

https://view.flodesk.com/pages/5e5da1e45fc9a50026db6d8aNe

If you like the podcast, consider supporting me here:

patreon.com/fedupward

Frustrated with resume updates in USAJOBS? Trying to get the format right but struggling to make the certs for positions you really want? Lee Kelley of Career Pro Global has advice for you. If you've ever considered getting professional help to land the government job you're looking for, check out the link below.

Career Pro Global

GovExec posted an article last week that started the conversation about protesting and what federal employees should keep in mind if they engage in political activity or support to causes. This interview goes one step deeper to answer your questions about what you can and cannot do as a fed.

GovExec Article on protesting rights for feds