Onboarding
Recently brought on board to DME and don’t know what to do or where to go? This page will help you get started as you begin your journey with this internship.
Welcome to the VA's Digital Media Engagement Team!
In order to get started, log in at https://dmeinterns.org/wp-login.php using the log-in information you received in your email. Then go to Courses and sign up for the General boot camp and your department’s boot camp.
Benefits of Joining DME
- It’s Flexible!
- You learn how to work with others!
- Advice for careers and school!
- Many opportunities for different tasks!
- There’s always something new going on.
- Your work always gets noticed.
- You will gain a lot more connections!
- You’ll always be able to work in a comfortable, remote environment.
- You’ll be able to gain new skills as you work on projects.
To learn more about some of these benefits in detail, check out this article.
Why you should join – from us Interns!
Check out these video overviews on how Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS) operates, or listen to our DME Podcast episodes featuring interns who discuss their experiences!
Also check out the article Five reasons why you should join the DME VA VSFS Internship, submitted to our DME blog.
Benefits of Joining DME
- It’s Flexible!
- You learn how to work with others!
- Advice for careers and school!
- Many opportunities for different tasks!
- There’s always something new going on.
- Your work always gets noticed.
- You will gain a lot more connections!
- You’ll always be able to work in a comfortable, remote environment.
- You’ll be able to gain new skills as you work on projects.
To learn more about some of these benefits in detail, check out this article.
Departments
Positional Requirements of Each Department:
Interns: Interns assist in day- to-day assignments to ensure that projects are completed in a timely manner. They facilitate projects assigned to help their departments run smoothly.
DO: Division Officers report to DHs and are more tactically concerned with managing interns and intern work within a specific aspect of a department.
DH: Department Heads are interns who manage and lead departments within the DME Internship Program. Opposed to DOs, they are at the top level, incorporating bigger-picture work in developing an entire department.
ELT: The Executive Leadership Team supports the Internship Program Manager (Dominique Ramirez) to develop internship policies and procedures, manage communication within the internship, answer questions about the overall internship program, analyze metrics in all departments, supervise interns in a specific area of responsibility, and disseminate important announcements to all interns.
XO: An Executive Officer is in charge of overseeing all of the departments in the internship and serves as a liaison between those departments, the agency, and the Internship Program Manager. They are in charge of communication across departments, ensuring that interdepartmental processes flow seamlessly.
Our Departments
Mandatory DME Intern Boot Camp
Mandatory orientation training must be completed in order to officially join our team and begin working on projects. This training can be found here on our DME Intern website. You will select the General Boot Camp and a Department Specific Boot Camp. Please reach out to any leader(s) of your department via Slack and/or email to notify them you have completed both Boot Camps, along with a screenshot to show proof of your completion.
- Please wait until you hear from your DO/DH/ELT member before starting work. You will get access to department’s Google Drive shortly after they reach out to you.
- More info about your department will be detailed in specific PowerPoints/documents provided by your DH/ELT.
The boot camp courses do not feature quizzes or any files to be downloaded. Once complete, let your department specific leaders know via Slack and/or email them screenshots of the completed courses.
FAQ
Don’t worry about reaching your 10 hours immediately within onboarding, but if you completed any work, send one in as practice.
As of September 2022, do not worry about Jibble. It is currently not working properly. It is a time tracking app so simply just track your time on your own for the time being.
Make sure to send it to the ELTS and XO’s of your department before sending it to Dom. Your ELTS and XO’s will more than likely be able to fill almost all the needed information.
Reach out to either of your DOs DHs or ELTS. Do not wait to be assigned a project. Take note of all the different things you can do that benefit DME and also apply to your 10 hours.
Yes, just make sure to check with your leadership first. You’re more than welcome to help out in other departments as need be.
Make sure to reach out to anyone in your department, whether it be DHS, DOS, ELTS, XO, or other interns. Any of them will be more than likely able to invite you to your department’s Google Drive.