How I got that job: Jessica Gabriel

Age: 22

Home: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Job: Veterans service representative, Department of Veterans Affairs.

Salary: $35,000+

Education: English and political science majors and Spanish and journalism minors, University of Minnesota.

OK, how did Abu Dhabi become your hometown? My parents teach at international and American schools overseas, so I have lived in Kuwait, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates. I spent most of my high school years in Abu Dhabi and I still consider it home.

What did you do after college? Not as much as I should have! I was unemployed from when I finished college in May until August when I started working part time for a cleaning company while I was looking for full-time work. I didn't find anything and I was extremely frustrated. Then they [The Department of Veterans Affairs] found my résumé on Goldpass [the university's online job database], so I didn't even apply for the job, they just called me.

What is a typical workday like? I prepare claims for veterans disability compensation. So I go through all the steps before the final decision is made on the case. For example, if someone claims they were exposed to Agent Orange and now they have a heart condition, I have to do the research to see if they were actually in Vietnam, contact records centers, order exams, call the veteran and go through all the evidence, so that a quick decision can be made.

What do you think made you such a competitive candidate for the job? It was pretty cool that they contacted me. I was kind of wondering myself what made my résumé stand out. They told me my background was very intriguing because I've lived so many places, but my cumulative GPA was quite high and they looked at that as well. At the interview, they said they were looking for that intangible quality. They want to feel your compassion. They want to know that you're willing to serve people that served their country.

What's the best part of the job? There's tangible results from every step that I take. A veteran is getting a letter, getting results that are going to help him get money so that he can pay for medicine or take care of his sick wife. ... Coming into this job and seeing all of the hard work that our military personnel do is pretty overwhelming. It's pretty satisfying to know that what I do can help pay them back.

What's next for you? I'm going to the [U of M's] Humphrey Institute in the fall, getting my master's in public policy.

Any advice for new graduates? Start looking for a job before you graduate! Months before you graduate. Since I had no work experience, the jobs that I would be academically good enough for I didn't have the work experience for. Then I was overqualified for secretary jobs, sort of stuck in the middle. I would also recommend that people see if their school has something like Goldpass. It got me my job.

In 10 years, I'll be... Maybe starting an education nonprofit in the horn of Africa? I don't know, but definitely working for a social cause, probably with a nonprofit.

HILARY BRUECK