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Re-inventing the Internship
For those knee-deep in resumes and job applications, applying for a job may feel like it requires the precision, determination, and deadly accuracy of a secret agent. Every employment article urges you to create a “targeted” resume, complete with covert language known as “keywords” and “buzzwords.”
Despite the tips and tricks you’ve learned from these articles, you don’t feel like an ace employment spy, ready for action. Instead, it feels like you’re playing an endless game of darts, and you’re consistently hit the back wall instead of the bullseye.
Perhaps you’re looking to make a career change, but know you don’t have the experience for the jobs you want. Maybe you’ve got experience—but it’s not in the civilian sector or it’s out of date.
Your frustration is more than understandable, but it’s not your endpoint. Not by a long shot.
We recently spoke with Barika Edwards and Marie Roker-Jones of OweYaa, a social enterprise disrupting this target-based frustration. OweYaa sees the job search as a web of options rather than a single endpoint. Through their remote internship program, OweYaa helps military members, Veterans, and military spouses to see career options that might have otherwise remained untapped. They aim to help each applicant make the most of their job market potential.
Q: What is “OweYaa,” and what is your mission?
A, Marie Roker-Jones (MRJ): OweYaa was founded in 2014 by Barika Edwards and Luke Jenkins; I joined OweYaa in 2017. Our team includes a Veteran, a spouse, and a civilian on a mission to equip service members and spouses with the tools needed to pursue careers that are meaningful to them.
"OweYaa sees the job search as a web of options rather than a single endpoint."