2020 Flash Mentoring Career Fair

2020 SID-Washington Career Fair "Flash Mentoring"

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

The George Washington University Marvin Center

800 21st Street NW
Washington, DC 20052
 

Flash Mentoring 

Room 308

11:00 AM-12:00 PM

3:00 PM-4:00 PM

 

NOTE: Participants MUST be registered for the Career Fair in order to sign up for mentoring.

SID-W will offer Flash Mentoring to help professionals seeking employment opportunities at any stage of their careers. Like speed dating, Flash Mentoring is meant to be quick and to the point, requiring concise and targeted questions and answers from both mentors and mentees. Speaking with one of our mentors will allow you to gain more insight into what works and what doesn't in an interview. It will also help you think about your own career path and goals in different ways. We hope that you will gain insight into what skills you might need, what sectors you might consider, and what approaches you might take to be successful in international development.

Our mentors have experience in a wide range of sectors and positions and can advise Career Fair attendees on how best to present themselves, approach potential employers, and help you identify your long range career goals. You can see a list of our mentors below, along with the shift that they will be in (either 11:00-12:00, or 3:00 - 4:00). Please note that our mentors are not recruiters and cannot offer you a job. What they can offer is advice.

 

How it Works

Mentors will be seated at tables in a room and mentees will line up 10 minutes before their assigned time slot. When their slot begins, they will sit with their mentors and engage in discussion about their career plans and job search. After 10 minutes, everyone will be instructed to end their conversations, mentees will leave, new mentees will take their seats with their mentors, and the next round will begin.

 

How to Sign Up

All registered attendees as of January 22nd received a direct link to sign up via SignUpGenius. If you registered after January 22 and did not receive the link, please email [email protected].

If the slot you want is full, you can sign up as an alternate. If you are an alternate, on the day of the Career Fair we will contact you 10 minutes before your time slot if the original mentee does not show up. At this point you may take their slot. We will notify all mentees and alternates of their time slots once all slots are full and Flash Mentoring registration has closed.

 

Meet Our Mentors

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Betsy Bassan, President and CEO, Panagora Group
Jacob Grover, Senior Policy Advisor, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)
Ann Hudock, President and CEO, Counterpart International 
Carla Koppell, Distinguished Fellow, Georgetown University Institute for Women, Peace and Security 
Andrea Leiker, Talent Acquisition Lead, PAE
Josh Mandell, Lead for Global Development, IBM Services 
Jeffrey Singer, Senior Vice President, Nathan Associates 
 
3:00 - 4:00 PM
Sharon Cooley, Senior Vice President & Senior Director, Business Development Division, Creative Associates International 
Sarah Helmstadter, Vice President, Human Resources (U.S), DAI
Jay Knott, Chief Business Officer, Abt Associates 
Andrea Leiker, Talent Acquisition Lead, PAE
Melissa Logan, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, Chemonics International 
Wade Warren, Chief Strategy Officer for International Development, Deloitte Consulting
Chris Watson, Business Development Manager, Premise Data
Jamila White, Senior Africa Representative, Mercy Corps
 
 

Flash Mentoring FAQs

Q: How long will each mentoring session be? 
10 minutes long
 
Q: How do I register? 
All registered attendees as of January 22nd received a direct link to sign up via SignUpGenius. If you registered after January 22 and did not receive the link, please email [email protected].
 
Q: What Types of Questions Should You Ask Your Mentor? 

You can ask any questions you have about how to advance your career. Here are some ideas to get you going:

  • In your experience, what sets candidates who are truly extraordinary apart from candidates who are good?
  • Looking ahead to the next five years, what’s the number one skill/quality you’d like to see in candidates?
  • What is information that candidates don’t typically include in a cover letter, but that is important to you in the hiring process?
  • Thinking back on successful candidates, how did they concretely demonstrate the quality you were looking for?
 
Q: How do I prepare? 

Be prepared to start your session by providing your mentor with your resume and key information about you in a concise manner:

  • Name
  • Years of Experience
  • Education
  • Present Occupation or Situation
  • Single most important problem, challenge, or question you want help with

Q: What else should I know?
  • There will be two one-hour sessions (11-12pm, and 3-4pm). 
  • All registered attendees as of January 22nd received a direct link to sign up via SignUpGenius. If you registered after January 22 and did not receive the link, please email [email protected].
  • You may only sign up for one slot. 
  • We will send communications regarding late starts or waitlist updates via text with the number you provide on our form. 
  • Please arrive at least 10 minutes before your session begins. If you have not checked in at this time, your slot will be given to the alternate. 
  • Each slot will be 10 minutes.
  • Research your mentor so that you know his/her areas of expertise. See links to bios above. 
  • Please have your resume, elevator pitch, and questions ready to go!