A total of 187 NOVA students waited for the chance of a lifetime: a 15-minute interview with representatives from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on Oct. 7. The line in Annandale’s McDiarmid Building wrapped around two corners. An additional interview room had to be added to deal with demand, and chairs were brought into the hallway for students who had been standing for over  30 minutes. Interviews were initially conducted by an individual but that quickly changed to groups of five. Two departments were  presented: the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and both made it clear that they were looking to hire. ODNI came to the career center last year and  had spent time forging a relationship with NOVA as a place for potential hires. In addition to the basic rundown of the skills and experience, ODNI was looking for representatives,  as well as talked with students about obtaining security clearances and activities for potential employees to avoid.

“I expected about 140 students, but this is the biggest turnout we’ve had in our history,” says Felicia Blakeney, the Career Services Technician. “Annandale campus is the only one with a career center, but I think it’s important that students from other campuses are invited and have the same opportunities.”

Before 2009, NOVA conducted job fairs, but Felicia has come to recognize the value of giving students the chance to meet prospective employers in a more formal setting: “It’s good for the students to have that hands-on interaction. It gives them more of a real-world taste.” 2008 saw a dip in the number of students interested in attending employer interviews, a slowdown which Felicia attributes to the economic recession. Things are picking up, however, both in the nationally economy and locally at NOVA.  This year has already seen several organizations come to speak with students, among them M.A.C. Cosmetics, DavCo Restaurants (which runs the Wendy’s fast-food chain), and United Parcel Service. Next up is the Fairfax County Police Department on  Oct. 22, at which Felicia expects another large turnout. As for whether or not the Career Center has proven to be a valuable resource, Felicia says, “We’re still getting thank you emails from students.”

By: Contributing Author

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