Women in Government: Breaking Barriers behind the Scenes

November 21, 2024

Authored by:

B.L. Wilson

In Post Hall on George Washington University's Mount Vernon Campus on a recent Thursday night, Harjinder Gill, MVC '99, M.P.H. '18, addressed a room full of first year women: "How many of you look at the skills that are required…and say, 'There are 10. I don't have all 10, so I'm not going to apply.'"

Gill encouraged the students to go for it. "Don't hold yourself back," she said.

The words came during a panel, "Women in Government," hosted by The Elizabeth J. Somers Women's Leadership Program(WLP). Alumni from WLP and the Mount Vernon College & Seminary gave firsthand accounts on landing jobs and navigating careers in government. Sitting on the panel with Gill were Kalpana Vissa, B.S. '18, M.P.H. '20, and Juhi Rawat, a third-year WLP student in international business and finance. The discussion was organized and moderated by Srishti Brahmbhatt, WLP Student Advisory Board member andsenior majoring in history and political science.

The slow pace of government strikes Gill. She now works as a program director for the RELI Group, a management consultant firm, and her work experience includes stints in the private sector and the government. She helped implement the Affordable Care Act in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and described the drawn-out process of getting projects done there.

"You put your presentation together, your pros, cons and recommendations, send it to your division head," she explained. "Then they're going to send it up to the secretary. Then the office of the administrator. And then it goes to the White House [where] they will make a decision, and it will get filtered back down."

On the other hand, she said, in the private sector she would have a conversation with her immediate supervisor about a project. "We would make a decision on how to invest in the team and the resources that we needed, and that was it," she said.

Panelists advised the audience to be patient when seeking work in the federal government, saying it can take months to get a response to applications.

"I would recommend you look very closely at the job description and the job duties and make sure the language from the job description is reflected in your resume," said Vissa, a special assistant at the HHS Office of Inspector General. "The process by which your information gets looked at first is evaluated using an algorithm," Vissa said. "So human eyes aren't looking at it the first time."

Several of the panelists recommended that students take advantage of the GW Center for Career Services, which helps with creating resumes, cover letters, interviewing skills and more.

Rawat, who applied for an internship at the Federal Reserve Board and now works for the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission, was "completely and utterly unprepared for the background checks."

"They're really in depth, really structured," she said, "and they try to get as much information about you as humanly possible."

Vissa told the students that in her hiring process, she was asked to provide two references. "The people I listed got contacted," she said, "and they were asked who else they could call. I ended up having somebody from my hometown, one of my elementary school teachers, getting called."

And she urged students to be cautious about social media postings. "What you put out there on social media, in any capacity, is out there forever," Vissa said. "This is not to induce fear, it's just to say, you never know how things are going to catch up to you."

During a Q & A session, a first-year WLP student asked what strengths and skills are most desired that they can work on while in college.

Vissa responded quickly, with emphasis. "Communications. Communications, oral and written," she said.

In her role, Vissa advises senior HHS leadership on initiatives to improve public health programs. Yet her team is composed of auditors, law enforcement agents and lawyers among others, challenging her to communicate with people who do not have a background in public health. "So, being able to talk up, down, across," she said. "I'm a special assistant to the inspector general. I'm her point person on speech writing, engaging with executives, strategic planning. I'm not necessarily supervising anyone, but I feel like I am managing people all day."

WLP student Sophia Tyson reflected on the panelists' focus on communication.

"Women's activism often involves engaging with government policies and institutions to address systemic issues," Tyson said. "By developing my communication and leadership skills, I can better advocate for women's rights, collaborate with policymakers and push for changes in laws and policies that support women's empowerment."

Gill encouraged students to demonstrate initiative. "Be proactive," she said. "How you handle challenges speaks volumes."

Rawat mentioned that learning doesn't stop with graduation and urged the audience to take advantage of continuing education and certification opportunities. "There's a lot in the business world that you can learn and get certified in," Rawat said. "And in the internships I've had, it's been helpful to show I'm willing to go and make myself a better candidate rather than sit with what I already have."

Of course, panelists agreed, the journey to government or private sector employment is easier with advice and assistance from a mentor. And mentorships come in many forms.

Rawat advised her peers to dispel their assumptions of what a "typical mentor" looks like.For her, it was a summer internship with other university students where she learned about herself, the kind of work she enjoyed and opportunities in those fields. "So, don't think about mentorship [only] as someone who is 10 to 20 years older or has so much more job experience," she said.

And WLP excels at creating relationships. Brahmbhatt has mentored WLP peers, and both Gill and Vissa have served as mentors through the WLP Alumni Advisory Council, a group that Vissa leads as Chair.

"That's the beauty of programs like this that have built in mentors," Vissa said. "You've got a great pipeline."