Washington, D.C. - U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kay Coles James deployed the OPM recruitment team to reach out to hundreds of Hispanic business students from across the nation who gathered in the Washington, D.C. area for the National Hispanic Business Association (NHBA) Leadership Conference to explore career opportunities and network with national corporate recruiters.

James said, "OPM was honored to participate at the conference and was very pleased to highlight Federal opportunities to the NHBA members. Opportunities for NHBA students are as vast and as challenging within the Federal government as they are in the private sector. We are drawing on the strengths of America's diversity by offering a competitive alternative to employment in the private sector for talented individuals from traditionally underrepresented communities who want to use their business degree to make a difference."

The NHBA, a national network of undergraduate Hispanic business students hosts the annual leadership conference to expose its members to corporations and the tools needed for success in an ever changing marketplace. OPM was one of dozens of recruiters.

Director James said OPM has a unique advantage. "The StudentJobs.gov website with the e-scholar link allows students to access hundreds of opportunities and millions of Federal dollars that are available now," James said. "We aren't telling talented students to wait until graduation to start a career with us; they can begin now."

Information from the newly updated and automated www.usajobs.gov and www.studentjobs.gov web sites was showcased and assistance provided to students interested in exploring the many opportunities available in the government. Since the USAJobs re-launch in August 2003, there have been over 33,184,259 visitors and 366,617 new resumes created. Additionally, for those students interested in a scholarship or grant, the e-scholar link from the Student Jobs website is a key resource.

OPM has sponsored recruitment booths at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) such as Howard University, Hampton University, Norfolk State University, Spelman and Morehouse Colleges in addition to the highly successful 'Working for America' fairs which are being conducted nationwide.

"The recruitment fairs are part of a broader strategy to fix the hiring process and put recruiters face to face with the best and brightest America has to offer," James said. "The students of the NHBA are some of the talent resources this great nation has to offer and from which the Federal government can greatly benefit."

Our mission is to ensure the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce. OPM supports U.S. agencies with personnel services and policy leadership including staffing tools, guidance on labor-management relations and programs to improve work force performance.