PDCA Career Chat Sparks Ideas for Future Chats, By Sherry Lee Mueller and Marci Falck-Bados
The first PDCA Career Chat took place on February 13. This series of Zoom meetings was envisioned to provide career advice and share tips with PDCA Rising Professional members who are entering the field of public diplomacy as well as to demonstrate multigenerational leadership.Former PDCA co-president Sherry Mueller, PhD, and former PDCA Hans “Tom” Tuch Fellow Marci Falck-Bados, a Rising Professional, decided to host the first PDCA Chat to discuss the nuances of networking and share their own experiences of connecting with other practitioners in the field; both in-person and via social media platforms.
However, just as the landscape of public diplomacy is changing with the new Administration, so are the needs of Rising Professionals who are entering, or just recently entered, the field. We had a relatively small group. Consequently, the Zoom meeting morphed from a facilitated discussion of networking (although some valuable networking tips were shared) into a focus group to address what format and topics would be most valuable to address in future Career Chats. The Rising Professionals who participated shared their thoughts and feelings on the state of public diplomacy and the current rapidly changing job market. They also shared their own experiences and suggestions for future PDCA Career Chats. Here are a few of their recommendations:
- The New Landscape: Job Search Tactics Revised
- Transferable Skills: What They Are and How to Describe Them
- Resume Building and Crafting Cover Letters
- Starting the First Conversation: Landing Information Interviews
- Finding a Mentor