Name: Richard Lobel

Degree: MBA, Finance

Company: NCUA

Position/Industry: Credit Union Examiner; Federal Government, Financial Auditing

Graduation Date: May, 2020

What excites you about this position?

I have always dreamed of public service, and this position allows me to serve the community in a tangible way by ensuring the financial health of credit unions throughout Southern California. I will be visiting many credit unions through this region and that will certainly serve to make this an exciting and interesting position.

How did you strategize landing this position?

I tried many approaches over the previous months.  Certainly I applied to many, many jobs on job boards such as Indeed and LinkedIn. I also tried to utilize the connections I had made with Chapman as much as possible. In regards to this role, I knew that Federal Government hiring had not been impacted by COVID-19 and they hired purely on merit. I therefore figured I had a very good chance to land the role. To prepare for the interview, I believe I performed over ten mock interviews, which dramatically increased my confidence and preparedness.

What career advice do you have for other students, or anyone, looking for an internship or job in this market?

I think the most important thing is to recognize that some days during this job search will be much harder than others. It is a very difficult process. What helped me was doing a little each day. This helped me feel like I was productive and working towards the goal. Also, applying directly on company websites is much better than applying on job boards. Even if you find the job on a job board, apply to the position via the company’s career page. I found this to be a much better way to reach the company. Good luck, you got this!