How This Candidate Landed Her Dream Role
Whether it’s The Windy City, The City by the Bay, or our nation’s capital; Careers In Nonprofits recruiters work to place the best people with the best causes across the country.
This week, Careers In Nonprofits Alumnus, Estefany Paniagua-Pardo dropped by—and we asked her some questions about her dream placement with the HACU National Internship Program, and what it was like working with CNP Senior Recruiter, Jamie Jensen.
- Estefany thank you so much for doing this with us! Â Can you tell us a story about what brought you to Careers In Nonprofits and this specific career path?
As a political science major, I knew that Washington D.C. was the right place to launch my career after graduation because of the abundance of opportunities offered in the hub of political affairs. As a mid-western native, I was unfamiliar with the area or the ins-and-outs of job hunting; specifically with my area of interest which happens to be Latino non-profit organizations. Shortly after moving to Washington D.C., many individuals that I came across, highly recommended Careers in Nonprofits and had nothing but positive remarks to say about the organization. After much extensive research, I made the career-changing decision to contact Careers In Nonprofits, and was matched to my amazing recruiter Jamie Jensen, who listened to my career aspirations, and found the perfect placement for me.
- Estefany, your temporary recruiter Jamie Jensen was beaming with joy when you were placed in a permanent role at HACU. Is it true that HACU had been on your radar well before your move to Washington, D.C.?
Yes, HACU had been on my radar well before my move to Washington D.C. I was made aware of HACU while I was still living in Michigan during my junior year in college when I was looking for internship opportunities in the D.C. area. I was very impressed with the organization and its overall mission of being the champions of Hispanic success in higher education. This mission was very significant to me because HACU is helping thousands of young Latinos through their internship opportunities, scholarships, college retention, and advancement programs, pre-collegiate support, and career development opportunities and programs.
- Can you share a story about the most interesting experience you’ve had working at HACU so far?
While working at HACU, I have had many unique opportunities. However, one of the most interesting experiences at HACU other than helping recruit and place students from all around the United States, has been meeting directors, department heads, and liaison officers of federal agencies across Washington D.C.
- Can you explain to our readers and any potential job-seekers what was the greatest thing you have learned in starting and executing a new job search?
The greatest thing that I have learned in starting and executing a new job search is having clarity. I strongly believe that what helped Jamie be able to perfectly match my career aspirations to a position, is that I had a clear and narrow picture of what exactly I wanted to be working in. After I had made the decision that I was going to be making the move from Michigan to Washington D.C., I started looking at non-profit organizations in the area that were focused on specifically aiding the Latino community. After I narrowed the organizations down, I targeted HACU as my number one organization that I would love to work for. When I met up with Jamie, she was able specifically to target HACU and similar organizations, which made the new job search quick, seamless, and hassle-free.
- Are there any current projects at HACU you are particularly excited about? Anything we should be on the lookout for?
There are currently a lot of projects at HACU that I am really excited about including new recruitment strategies, social media presence, etc… However, the project that I am the most excited about is our attempt to expand our mission and efforts to include more underrepresented students, both locally, and eventually nationwide.